List of Archipelagos by number of islands
Encyclopedia
List of archipelago
s by number of island
s, islet
s or reef
s:
(or Indonesian Archipelago) is often referred to as the largest archipelago in the world
, but this is meant by area rather than number of islands. This title aptly represents its 25,000 - 30,000 or so islands which span 5400 kilometres (3,355.4 mi) eastward from Sabang
in northern Sumatra
to Merauke
in Irian Jaya (now known as Papua). If one superimposes a map of Indonesia over one of Eurasia
, you will find that it stretches from Eastern France
to Western China
; when similarly compared to the United States
, it covers the area from Eastern California
to Bermuda
. If New Guinea
is included, it spans 6400 kilometres (3,976.8 mi), stretching from Eastern Spain
to Western China; compared to the USA, it covers the area from Eastern California to Western Iceland
.
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
s by number of island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s, islet
Islet
An islet is a very small island.- Types :As suggested by its origin as islette, an Old French diminutive of "isle", use of the term implies small size, but little attention is given to drawing an upper limit on its applicability....
s or reef
Reef
In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
s:
- Swedish east coast archipelago: 65,666
- Stockholm archipelagoStockholm archipelagoThe Stockholm archipelago is the largest archipelago of Sweden, and one of the largest archipelagos of the Baltic Sea.-Geography:The archipelago extends from Stockholm roughly 60 kilometers to the east...
: 28,945 - Småland archipelago: 12,740
- Öregrund archipelago: 9,722
- Östergötland archipelagoÖstergötland archipelagoThe Östergötland archipelago is the collective name of three archipelagoes located to the east of the shore of Östergötland, Sweden, spanning three municipalities. It consists of 8,888 islands. It measures more than 60 kilometers from north to south and five kilometers west to east...
: 8,888 - Södermanland archipelago: 5,371
- Stockholm archipelago
- Archipelago SeaArchipelago SeaArchipelago Sea is a part of the Baltic Sea between the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the Sea of Åland, within Finnish territorial waters...
(FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
): 50,000 - Canadian Arctic ArchipelagoCanadian Arctic ArchipelagoThe Canadian Arctic Archipelago, also known as the Arctic Archipelago, is a Canadian archipelago north of the Canadian mainland in the Arctic...
: 36,563 - Malay ArchipelagoMalay ArchipelagoThe Malay Archipelago refers to the archipelago between mainland Southeastern Asia and Australia. The name was derived from the anachronistic concept of a Malay race....
: 25,000–30,000- Indonesian Archipelago: 17,508–18,306
- Philippine Archipelago: 7,107
- Japanese ArchipelagoJapanese ArchipelagoThe , which forms the country of Japan, extends roughly from northeast to southwest along the northeastern coast of the Eurasia mainland, washing upon the northwestern shores of the Pacific Ocean...
: 6,852 - British IslesBritish IslesThe British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
: 6,289 - Caribbean Islands: 3,515
- Great Barrier ReefGreat Barrier ReefThe Great Barrier Reef is the world'slargest reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres over an area of approximately...
Islands: 2,900 reefs (900 islands) - Ha Long Bay Islands: 1,960–2,000
- MaldivesMaldivesThe Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
Islands: 1,192
Note
The Malay ArchipelagoMalay Archipelago
The Malay Archipelago refers to the archipelago between mainland Southeastern Asia and Australia. The name was derived from the anachronistic concept of a Malay race....
(or Indonesian Archipelago) is often referred to as the largest archipelago in the world
World
World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....
, but this is meant by area rather than number of islands. This title aptly represents its 25,000 - 30,000 or so islands which span 5400 kilometres (3,355.4 mi) eastward from Sabang
Sabang
Sabang is a city consisting of several islands in Aceh, Indonesia. The metropolitan area is located on Weh Island, 17 km north of Banda Aceh. The city covers an area of 118 square kilometres and according to the 2000 census had a population of 23,654 people...
in northern Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
to Merauke
Merauke
Merauke is a town considered to be one of the easternmost towns in Indonesia, located in Merauke Regency, Papua province, Indonesia. It is next to Maro River.In 2006 it had a population of 71,838....
in Irian Jaya (now known as Papua). If one superimposes a map of Indonesia over one of Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
, you will find that it stretches from Eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to Western China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
; when similarly compared to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, it covers the area from Eastern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. If New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
is included, it spans 6400 kilometres (3,976.8 mi), stretching from Eastern Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
to Western China; compared to the USA, it covers the area from Eastern California to Western Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
.