Written by Daksh Sehgal, a grade 6 student.

Have you ever noticed a string of islands closely scattered in the ocean? Maybe you have seen this in pictures? Ever wondered what they are? Such a group of islands has a special name. It is called an archipelago. The word comes from the Greek words “archi” (meaning chief) and “pelagos” (meaning sea). Archipelagos are usually formed when volcanoes erupt from the ocean floor. In other cases, archipelagos are also made due to moving glaciers.  

One can find archipelagos all over the world. The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight main islands. Finland’s Archipelago Sea has several islands. Some of the islands are so close that they can be connected by bridges. Archipelagos are not just small states. They can even be countries. The entire country of Japan is a chain of islands. What is most interesting about the Japanese archipelago is that some of the volcanoes on these islands are
still active.

Do you know the largest archipelago in the world? The Malay Archipelago that lies between the Pacific and the Indian Ocean comprises of more than 25,000 islands.  

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