The wordarchipelago is derived from the Italianarcipelago, used as a proper name for theAegean Sea, itself perhaps a deformation of the Greek Αιγαίον Πέλαγος.[2][3] Later, usage shifted to refer to theAegean Islands (since the sea has a large number of islands). The eruditeparetymology, deriving the word fromAncient Greek ἄρχι- (arkhi-, "chief") and πέλαγος (pélagos, "sea"), proposed byBuondelmonti, can still be found.[4]
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.
Depending on their geological origin, islands forming archipelagos can be referred to asoceanic islands,continental fragments, orcontinental islands.[5]
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. TheFarallon Islands off the coast of California are examples of continental islands.
TheArchipelago 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 theInside Passage off the coast ofBritish Columbia and theCanadian Arctic Archipelago are examples.
Artificial archipelagos have been created in various countries for different purposes.Palm Islands andThe World Islands in Dubai were or are being created for leisure and tourism purposes.[6][7]Marker Wadden in the Netherlands is being built as a conservation area for birds and other wildlife.[8]
The largest archipelago in the world by number of islands is theArchipelago Sea, which is part of Finland. There are approximately 40,000 islands, mostly uninhabited.[9]
The largest archipelagic state in the world by area, and by population, is Indonesia.[10]
^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
