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| {{Short description|Collection of islands}}
| | [[File:Aegeansea.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Aegean Sea]] with its large number of islands]] |
| {{Redirect|Island chain|the strategy|Island Chain Strategy||Archipelago (disambiguation)}}
| | An '''archipelago''' ({{PronEng|ɑrkəˈpɛləgoʊ}}) is a chain or group of [[island]]s. The word ''archipelago'' means "chief [[sea]]", from [[Greek language|Greek]] ''arkhon'' (''arkhi''-) ("leader") and ''pelagos'' ("sea"). |
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| [[File:Aegeansea.jpg|alt=|thumb|The [[Aegean Sea]] with its large number of islands is the origin of the term ''archipelago''.]] | |
| [[File:MerguiArchipelagoMap.png|thumb|The [[Mergui Archipelago]] in [[Myanmar]]]]
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| An '''archipelago''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|ɑːr|k|ə|ˈ|p|ɛ|l|ə|ˌ|ɡ|oʊ|audio=en-us-archipelago.ogg}} {{respell|AR|kə|PEL|ə|goh}}),<ref>{{cite Dictionary.com|archipelago}}</ref> sometimes called an '''island group''' or '''island chain''', is a chain, cluster, or collection of [[island]]s, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands.
| | Archipelagos are usually found in the open [[sea]]; less commonly, a big [[landmass]] may neighbor them, an example being [[Scotland]] which has more than 700 islands surrounding the mainland. Many archipelagos are [[volcano|volcanic]], forming along [[mid-ocean ridge]]s or [[Hotspot (geology)|hotspots]]. Others are island arcs neighboring an [[oceanic trench]]. Many other processes create archipelagos, including [[erosion]], [[Deposition (geology)|deposition]], and [[Orogeny|land elevation]]. |
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| | The four biggest [[countries]] that are mainly archipelagos are [[Japan]], the [[Philippines]], the [[United Kingdom]] and [[Indonesia]] (the world's biggest country that is an archipelago, according to the [[The World Factbook|CIA World Factbook]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=World Factbook |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/id.html |access-date=2008-05-29 |archive-date=2016-05-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527061311/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/id.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The biggest archipelago in the world by size is in Northern [[Canada]], the [[Canadian Arctic Archipelago]], which is in the [[Arctic Ocean]]. |
| Note to editors. Please do NOT list every known archipelago here. This is the introductory lead to the general topic and should be kept brief and representative.
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| It is not the place for an exhaustive list of details. Please resist the temptation to itemise the complete inventory of archipelagos.
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| You'll see that the "see also" section appropriately references an article "List of archipelagos by number of islands". That, not here, is the place to maintain the inventory.
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| Examples of archipelagos include: the [[List of islands of Indonesia|Indonesian Archipelago]], the [[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]], the [[Lakshadweep]] Islands, the [[Galápagos Islands]], the [[Japanese Archipelago]], the [[List of islands of the Philippines|Philippine Archipelago]], the [[Maldives]], the [[Balearic Isles]], [[the Bahamas]], the [[Aegean Islands]], the [[Hawaiian Islands]], the [[Canary Islands]], [[Malta]], the [[Azores]], the [[Arctic Archipelago|Canadian Arctic Archipelago]], the [[British Isles]], the islands of the [[Archipelago Sea]], and [[Shetland]]. They are sometimes defined by political boundaries. For example, the Gulf archipelago off the northeastern Pacific coast forms part of a larger archipelago that geographically includes Washington state's [[San Juan Islands]]; while the Gulf archipelago and San Juan Islands are geographically related, they are not technically included in the same archipelago due to manmade geopolitical borders.<ref>{{Cite web|last=US Department of Commerce|first=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|title=What is an archipelago?|url=https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/archipelago.html|access-date=2020-07-07|website=oceanservice.noaa.gov|language=EN-US}}</ref>
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| ==Etymology== | | ==References== |
| The word ''archipelago'' is derived from the [[Ancient Greek]] ἄρχι-(''arkhi-'', "chief") and πέλαγος (''pélagos'', "sea") through the Italian ''arcipelago''. In [[Classical Antiquity|antiquity]], "Archipelago" (from [[medieval Greek]] [[Linguistic reconstruction|*]]ἀρχιπέλαγος and [[medieval Latin|Latin]] {{Lang|la-x-medieval|archipelagus}}) was the proper name for the [[Aegean Sea]]. Later, usage shifted to refer to the [[Aegean Islands]] (since the sea has a large number of islands).
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| ==Geographic types==
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| Archipelagos may be found isolated in large amounts of water or neighbouring a large land mass. For example, [[Scotland]] has more than 700 islands surrounding its mainland which form an archipelago.
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| Archipelagos are often volcanic, forming along island arcs generated by subduction zones or hotspots, but may also be the result of [[erosion]], [[Deposition (sediment)|deposition]], and [[land elevation]]. Depending on their geological origin, islands forming archipelagos can be referred to as ''oceanic islands'', ''continental fragments'', and ''continental islands''.<ref>Whittaker R. J. & Fernández-Palacios J. M. (2007) ''Island Biogeography: Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation''. New York, Oxford University Press</ref>
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| ===Oceanic islands===
| | [[Category:Archipelagos| ]] |
| Oceanic islands are mainly of volcanic origin, and widely separated from any adjacent continent. The [[Hawaiian Islands]] and [[Easter Island]] in the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]], and [[Île Amsterdam]] in the south [[Indian Ocean]] are examples.
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| ===Continental fragments===
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| Continental fragments correspond to land masses that have separated from a continental mass due to [[tectonic]] displacement. The [[Farallon Islands]] off the coast of [[California]] are an example.
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| ===Continental archipelagos===
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| [[File:Острова_близ_Турку._Saaret._By_Victor_Belousov._-_panoramio.jpg|alt=|thumb|The [[Archipelago Sea]] with many islands in southwestern Finland.]]
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| 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. The islands of the [[Inside Passage]] off the coast of [[British Columbia]] and the [[Arctic Archipelago|Canadian Arctic Archipelago]] are examples.
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| ===Artificial archipelagos===
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| Artificial archipelagos have been created in various countries for different purposes. [[Palm Islands]] and the [[World Islands]] off Dubai were or are being created for leisure and tourism purposes.<ref>{{cite web | last=McFadden | first=Christopher | title=7+ Amazing Facts About Dubai's Palm Islands | website=Interesting Engineering | date=22 December 2019 | url=https://interestingengineering.com/7-curious-facts-about-dubais-palm-islands | access-date=8 July 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Wainwright | first=Oliver | title=Not the end of The World: the return of Dubai's ultimate folly | website=The Guardian| date=13 February 2018 | url=http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/feb/13/not-end-the-world-return-dubai-ultimate-folly | access-date=8 July 2020}}</ref> [[Marker Wadden]] in the Netherlands is being built as a conservation area for birds and other wildlife.<ref>{{cite web | last=Boffey | first=Daniel | title=Marker Wadden, the manmade Dutch archipelago where wild birds reign supreme | website=The Guardian| date=27 April 2019 | url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/27/marker-wadden-islands-netherlands-manmade-archipelago-wild-birds-eco-haven | access-date=8 July 2020}}</ref>
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| ==Further examples==
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| The largest archipelagic state in the world by area, and by population, is [[Indonesia]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Indonesia |work=The World Factbook |date=4 December 2008 |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/indonesia/ |access-date=7 December 2008 |publisher=[[Central Intelligence Agency]] of the [[United States]] |location=[[Washington, DC]] }}</ref>
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| <!-- It isn't clear if this 'factoid' should be in this article, or in the [[Indonesia]] article instead. -->
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| == See also ==
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| {{Portal|Geography|Islands}}
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| * [[Island arc]]
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| * [[List of landforms]]
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| * [[List of archipelagos by number of islands]]
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| * [[List of archipelagos]]
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| * [[Archipelagic state]]
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| * [[List of islands]]
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| * [[Aquapelago]]
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| == References ==
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| {{Reflist}}
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| == External links ==
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| {{Wiktionary}}
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| {{Commons category|Archipelagoes}}
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| * {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Archipelago}}
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| * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090130062925/http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/featured/island-archipelagos/3612 30 Most Incredible Island Archipelagos]
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| {{coastal geography}}
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| [[Category:Archipelagoes| ]]<!--please leave the empty space as standard-->
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| [[Category:Coastal and oceanic landforms]]
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| [[Category:Oceanographical terminology]]
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