Group of islands. Franz Josef Land on the map. Archipelagos of the world

All the land of our planet is divided into two categories - continents and islands. The difference between them is in size, as well as in the geological structure. Island formations, in turn, are also very different: some are very large, others are very tiny. Therefore, now we learn more about what an island is, a group of islands, what they are and where they are most often located.

Description of the island as a planetary part of the world

From the geographical point of view, the island is a piece of land that is located in the waters of the World Ocean. On four sides it is washed by waters, therefore it has no access to the mainland by land. In nature there are single islands, which are of very impressive size and are known to everyone. This is Madagascar, Greenland and many others. Along with this, islands can form archipelagos, which include both large areas of land and very small ones. Each such group of islands has its name, is located in one of the seas or oceans. It can be either an independent state or a province that belongs to one of the mainland powers.

Geology and origin

Few of us know what the origin of the most famous archipelago of the world really is. In geology, four types of islands are distinguished : coral, permeable, volcanic and continental. The first appear in the waters of the ocean due to the vital activity of marine organisms of the same name. A well-known group of islands of this type is the Marshall Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean. Embedding and continental can be conditionally attributed to one category, since they often have many common features. These are the British Isles, Sakhalin, Tasmania, Novaya Zemlya. Archipelago Canadian Arctic can also be added to this group. The latter type is volcanic, formed by elevating seismically active mountains above the ocean level. The brightest resort, which has a similar geology, is Hawaii.

To the distant Arctic desert ...

It is known that in the Arctic Ocean and in the seas of its basin there are many provincial islands that belong to the Russian Federation. Among them, New Earth - an archipelago that consists of two huge islands deserves special attention. They bear the names Northern and Southern and are separated by the strait Matochkin Shar. This is the place that is located in the Arctic desert zone. Most of the archipelago is covered with ice 300 meters thick all year round. However, it should be noted that the climate here is very volatile. The southern island is washed by the Barents Sea, where warm currents are traced. The northern part of the archipelago is bathed in the Kara Sea, where the coastal zones are always covered with glaciers.

Relief of the New Earth

This Arctic group of islands is a very mountainous terrain. The most significant ridges and elevations are observed in the south of the archipelago. In the area of Matochkinoi Shar is the highest point of the island, which rises at 1547 meters above sea level. It has no names, although in some sources it is referred to as the Kruzenstern mountain. To the north the ridges become less steep and tall. Here, the country plunges into endless stripes of rivers and frozen glaciers. Because of the mountain landscape, local waters have a shallow depth - up to 3 meters, and their length does not exceed 130 km. All rivers in the summer have a very fast current, and in winter their waters freeze to the bottom. Also on Novaya Zemlya there are a lot of lakes of different origin.

Another Northern Province

The archipelago Franz Josef Land is located in the same Arctic Ocean. On the map it can be found near the polar circle itself, in the Arctic desert zone and the eternal glaciers. This municipality is part of the Arkhangelsk region, but there is not a single settlement on the ground. Here there are only a few military bases, border posts and other state branches. The archipelago consists of 192 islands, mostly small in size. All of them are divided into three parts. The eastern is separated from the rest by the Austrian strait. The central part is the concentration of a large number of small islands between the Austrian Channel and the British Channel. And the Western, which includes the largest island of the archipelago - the Land of George.

Wonders of the Far East

Surprising and unique is the group of Japanese islands, which includes 6852 units. All of them are located in the waters of the Pacific Ocean, in the seismically active zone. It is problematic to list the geological structure of each of them, and if to characterize them in general, then it can be noted that some of the earths have an alluvial origin, others - volcanic. The archipelago is headed by the island of Honshu - the largest in terms of area and population. This plot of land occupies 60% of the total area of the country, and here live more than 100 000 000 people. On Honshu towers the largest cities of Japan, among which is the capital of Tokyo. Also on this island there is a mountain-symbol of the country - Fuji, the crater of which is covered with snow.

Other large lands of Japan

The second largest island of the state is Hokkaido. Local residents consider these lands to be the most severe in the climate. Although the local latitude is south of the same Europe, however, because of the proximity of the ocean and constant winds, the weather conditions here are completely different. Kyushu is an island of toilers. It also has large cities. Here the climate is softer, thanks to which the agriculture is highly developed. In the north of Kyushu, factories and factories that provide life to the whole country have long functioned. Well, the fourth largest island of the rising sun is Shikoku. Local cities are not as large as in other lands, there are many towns and villages. This area is famous, however, for pilgrimage temples built throughout the history of the state.

The brightest archipelagos on the planet

Today, almost every one of us can afford to travel even to the most distant and little-known islands. Tourists around the world have chosen the Seychelles, the Bahamas, Hawaii, the Maldives ... Such regions are famous for their stunning landscapes, unique nature, clear ocean water, hot climate and clean air. An important fact is that each group of sea islands can boast of such conditions if it is located in the tropical or equatorial zone. The largest representative of this paradisiacal corner is the Malay Archipelago, which stretches from the Philippines to the shores of Australia. It includes a variety of diverse islands, where you can enjoy summer all year round.