Archipelago

An archipelago (/ˌɑːrkəˈpɛləɡoʊ/ (listen) AR-kə-PEL-ə-goh),[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), 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.

## Contents

* 1 Etymology
* 2 Geographic types
* 2.1 Oceanic islands
* 2.2 Continental fragments
* 2.3 Coral Cay Archipelago
* 2.4 Continental Islands
* 2.5 Artificial archipelagos
* 3 Superlatives
* 4 See also
* 5 References
* 6 External links

## 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] Later, usage 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 amounts 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

The Archipelago Sea with many islands in southwestern Finland

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

* List of landforms
* List of archipelagos by number of islands
* List of archipelagos
* Archipelagic state
* List of islands
* Aquapelago

## References

1. ↑ "archipelago". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/archipelago.
2. ↑ "archipelago". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/archipelago.
3. ↑ Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. "archipelago (n.), Etymology", July 2023, [1]
4. ↑ 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
5. ↑ Whittaker R. J. & Fernández-Palacios J. M. (2007) Island Biogeography: Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation. New York, Oxford University Press
6. ↑ US Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "What is an archipelago?" (in EN-US). https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/archipelago.html.
7. ↑ McFadden, Christopher (22 December 2019). "7+ Amazing Facts About Dubai's Palm Islands". https://interestingengineering.com/7-curious-facts-about-dubais-palm-islands.
8. ↑ Wainwright, Oliver (13 February 2018). "Not the end of The World: the return of Dubai's ultimate folly". http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/feb/13/not-end-the-world-return-dubai-ultimate-folly.
9. ↑ Boffey, Daniel (27 April 2019). "Marker Wadden, the manmade Dutch archipelago where wild birds reign supreme". http://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/27/marker-wadden-islands-netherlands-manmade-archipelago-wild-birds-eco-haven.
10. ↑ "Nautical chart: International no. 1205, SE61, Baltic Sea, North, Sea of Åland.". http://www.sjofartsverket.se/upload/378/Sjokortsbilder/61.pdf.
11. ↑ "Indonesia at a glance | About us | FAO in Indonesia" (in en). https://www.fao.org/indonesia/about-us/indonesia-at-a-glance/en.
12. ↑ Indonesia, BPS-Statistics. "Mid Year Population - Statistical Data" (in en). https://www.bps.go.id/en/statistics-table/2/MTk3NSMy/mid-year-population--thousand-people-.html.
13. ↑ Template:Cite CIA World Factbook

## External links

* 30 Most Incredible Island Archipelagos

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Coastal geography

Landforms|

* Anchialine pool
* Archipelago
* Atoll
* Avulsion
* Ayre
* Barrier island
* Bay
* Baymouth bar
* Bight
* Bodden
* Brackish marsh
* Cape
* Channel
* Cliff
* Coast
* Coastal plain
* Coastal waterfall
* Continental margin
* Continental shelf
* Coral reef
* Cove
* Dune
* cliff-top
* Estuary
* Firth
* Fjard
* Fjord
* Förde
* Freshwater marsh
* Fundus
* Gat
* Geo
* Gulf
* Gut
* Headland
* Inlet
* Intertidal wetland
* Island
* Islet
* Isthmus
* Lagoon
* Machair
* Marine terrace
* Mega delta
* Mouth bar
* Mudflat
* Natural arch
* Peninsula
* Reef
* Regressive delta
* Ria
* River delta
* Salt marsh
* Shoal
* Shore
* Skerry
* Sound
* Spit
* Stack
* Strait
* Strand plain
* Submarine canyon
* Tidal island
* Tidal marsh
* Tide pool
* Tied island
* Tombolo
* Windwatt

Beaches|

* Beach cusps
* Beach evolution
* Coastal morphodynamics
* Beach ridge
* Beachrock
* Pocket beach
* Raised beach
* Recession
* Shell beach
* Shingle beach
* Storm beach
* Wash margin

Processes|

* Blowhole
* Cliffed coast
* Coastal biogeomorphology
* Coastal erosion
* Concordant coastline
* Current
* Cuspate foreland
* Discordant coastline
* Emergent coastline
* Feeder bluff
* Fetch
* Flat coast
* Graded shoreline
* Headlands and bays
* Ingression coast
* Large-scale coastal behaviour
* Longshore drift
* Marine regression
* Marine transgression
* Raised shoreline
* Rip current
* Rocky shore
* Sea cave
* Sea foam
* Shoal
* Steep coast
* Submergent coastline
* Surf break
* Surf zone
* Surge channel
* Swash
* Undertow
* Volcanic arc
* Wave-cut platform
* Wave shoaling
* Wind wave
* Wrack zone

Management|

* Accretion
* Coastal management
* Integrated coastal zone management
* Submersion

Related|

* Bulkhead line
* Grain size
* boulder
* clay
* cobble
* granule
* pebble
* sand
* shingle
* silt
* Intertidal zone
* Littoral zone
* Physical oceanography
* Region of freshwater influence

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