Archipelago
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An archipelago (/ˌɑːrkəˈpɛləɡoʊ/ <phonos file="en-us-archipelago.ogg"></phonos> Script error: No such module "Respell".),[1] sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Examples of archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the origin of the term archipelago), the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, the Stockholm Archipelago, the Malay Archipelago (which includes the Indonesian and Philippine Archipelagos), the Lucayan (Bahamian) Archipelago, the Japanese archipelago, the Hawaiian Archipelago, and the Galapagos.
Etymology
The word archipelago is derived from the Italian arcipelago (used as a proper name for the Aegean Sea), itself perhaps a deformation of the Greek Αιγαίον Πέλαγος.[2][3] Usage later shifted to refer to the Aegean Islands (since the sea has a large number of islands). The erudite paretymology, deriving the word from Ancient Greek ἄρχι- (arkhi-, "chief") and πέλαγος (pélagos, "sea"), proposed by Buondelmonti, can still be found.[4]
Geographic types
Archipelagos may be found isolated in large bodies of water or neighboring a large land mass. For example, Scotland has more than 700 islands surrounding its mainland, which form an archipelago.[citation needed]
Depending on their geological origin, islands forming archipelagos can be referred to as oceanic islands, continental fragments, or continental islands.[5]
Oceanic islands
Oceanic islands are formed by volcanoes erupting from the ocean floor. The Hawaiian Islands and Galapagos Islands in the Pacific, and Mascarene Islands in the south Indian Ocean are examples.[citation needed]
Continental fragments
Continental fragments are islands that were once part of a continent, and became separated due to natural disasters. The fragments may also be formed by moving glaciers which cut out land, which then fills with water. The Farallon Islands off the coast of California are examples of continental fragment islands.[citation needed]
Coral cay archipelago
A coral cay archipelago is formed when ocean currents transport sediments that gradually build up on coral reefs. The Florida Keys are one example.[6]
Continental islands
Continental islands are islands that were once part of a continent and still sit on the continental shelf, which is the edge of a continent that lies under the ocean. The islands of the Inside Passage off the coast of British Columbia and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago are examples.[citation needed]
Artificial archipelagos
Artificial archipelagos have been created in various countries for different purposes. Palm Islands and The World Islands in Dubai were or are being created for leisure and tourism purposes.[7][8] Marker Wadden in the Netherlands is being built as a conservation area for birds and other wildlife.[9]
Superlatives
The largest archipelago in the world by number of islands is the Archipelago Sea, which is part of Finland. There are approximately 40,000 islands, most being uninhabited.[10] The largest archipelagic state in the world by area with more than 17,500 islands,[11] and by population of around 284 million people,[12] is Indonesia.[13]
See also
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- List of landforms
- List of archipelagos by number of islands
- List of archipelagos
- Archipelagic state
- List of islands
- Aquapelago
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."archipelago". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."archipelago". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. "archipelago (n.), Etymology", July 2023, [1]
- ^ Maltézou, Chryssa A., De la mer Égée à l'archipel: quelques remarques sur l'histoire insulaire égéenne In: Mélanges Hélène Ahrweiler Pt. 2 (1998) p. 464–465
- ^ Whittaker R. J. & Fernández-Palacios J. M. (2007) Island Biogeography: Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation. New York, Oxford University Press
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "What is an archipelago?". oceanservice.noaa.gov. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.McFadden, Christopher (22 December 2019). "7+ Amazing Facts About Dubai's Palm Islands". Interesting Engineering. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Wainwright, Oliver (13 February 2018). "Not the end of The World: the return of Dubai's ultimate folly". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 August 2025. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Boffey, Daniel (27 April 2019). "Marker Wadden, the manmade Dutch archipelago where wild birds reign supreme". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 10 January 2026. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Nautical chart: International no. 1205, SE61, Baltic Sea, North, Sea of Åland" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2017. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Indonesia at a glance". FAO. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Mid Year Population - Statistical Data". www.bps.go.id. Statistics Indonesia. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
- ^ Script error: No such module "Template wrapper".
External links
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- 30 Most Incredible Island Archipelagos
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