Archipelago

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An archipelago (/ˌɑːrkɪˈpɛləɡ/ (About this sound listen) ARK-ih-PEL-ə-goh), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.

Etymology[edit | edit source]

The word archipelago is derived from the Ancient Greek ἄρχι-(arkhi-, "chief") and πέλαγος (pélagos, "sea") through the Italian arcipelago. In Italian, possibly following a tradition of antiquity, "Archipelago" (from medieval Greek *ἀρχιπέλαγος and Latin archipelagus) was the proper name for the Aegean Sea. Later, usage shifted to refer to the Aegean Islands (since the sea is remarkable for its large number of islands).

Geographic types[edit | edit source]

Archipelagos may be found isolated in large amounts of water or neighbouring a large land mass.

Archipelagos are often volcanic, forming along island arcs generated by subduction zones or hotspots, but may also be the result of erosion, deposition, and land elevation. Depending on their geological origin, islands forming archipelagos can be referred to as oceanic islands, continental fragments, and continental islands.

Oceanic islands[edit | edit source]

Oceanic islands are mainly of volcanic origin, and widely separated from any adjacent continent.

Continental fragments[edit | edit source]

Continental fragments correspond to land masses that have separated from a continental mass due to tectonic displacement.

Continental archipelagos[edit | edit source]

Sets of islands formed close to the coast of a continent are considered continental archipelagos when they form part of the same continental shelf, when those islands are above-water extensions of the shelf.

Resources[edit | edit source]



 
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