archipelagos
Scattered ocean landmasses
Archipelagos is the plural of archipelago—a chain or cluster of islands, or a sea containing many islands.
The word originally referred specifically to the Aegean Sea, dense with islands between Greece and Turkey, before extending to any island group: the Indonesian archipelago, the archipelagos of the South Pacific.
Land surrounded by water
- chainsLinked metal restraints
- atollsRing-shaped coral islands
- isletsVery small landmasses
- channelsPaths for transmission
straits · lagoons · reefs · shoals · cays · keys · passages · sounds
Southeast Asian archipelago nation
- PhilippinesSoutheast Asian archipelago nation
- JapanEast Asian archipelago nation
- MaldivesIndian Ocean archipelago nation
- GalapagosEcuadorian Pacific archipelago
Hawaii · Caribbean · Aegean · Malay · Polynesia · Micronesia · Melanesia · Azores
Range of life forms
- endemicNative to one area
- isolationComplete separation from others
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- migrationMovement to new territory
marine life · ecosystems · conservation · fragile · habitats · refugia · evolution · unique species
Spread irregularly about
- fragmentedBroken into pieces
- interconnectedJoined in multiple ways
- isolatedSeparated from others
- networksInterconnected groups or channels
clusters · dispersed · constellations · pockets · nodes · hubs · distributed · decentralized
Areas under jurisdiction
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
- disputedArgued over, unresolved
- colonizationForeign territorial takeover
- independenceFreedom from external control
federation · provinces · governance · jurisdiction · naval bases · strategic · geopolitics · treaties
islands
Land surrounded by water
channels · straits · lagoons · reefs · shoals · cays · keys · passages · sounds · coastlines
Indonesia
Southeast Asian archipelago nation
- PhilippinesSoutheast Asian archipelago nation
- JapanEast Asian archipelago nation
- MaldivesIndian Ocean archipelago nation
Galapagos · Hawaii · Caribbean · Aegean · Malay · Polynesia · Micronesia · Melanesia · Azores · Canaries
biodiversity
Range of life forms
- endemicNative to one area
- isolationComplete separation from others
- speciationFormation of distinct species
migration · marine life · ecosystems · conservation · fragile · habitats · refugia · evolution · unique species · coral reefs
scattered
Spread irregularly about
- fragmentedBroken into pieces
- interconnectedJoined in multiple ways
- isolatedSeparated from others
networks · clusters · dispersed · constellations · pockets · nodes · hubs · distributed · decentralized · linked
territories
Areas under jurisdiction
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
- disputedArgued over, unresolved
- colonizationForeign territorial takeover
independence · federation · provinces · governance · jurisdiction · naval bases · strategic · geopolitics · treaties · claims
- geography termsmap, atlas, globe, compass, coordinates
- landformsmountain, cliff, valley, volcano, mountain ridge
- ScandinaviaNorway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland
- natural wondersnorthern lights, aurora borealis, auroras, rainbows, Great Barrier Reef
- South PacificFiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tahiti, Polynesia
- Baltic natureBaltic Sea, boreal forests, bogs, pine forests, birch forests
archipelagoscontinent
Large connected landmass
mainland · supercontinent · landmass · peninsula · subcontinent