An archipelago is a chain or cluster of
islands. The word archipelago literally means "chief
sea", from
Greek arkhon (arkhi-) ("leader") and pelagos ("sea"). In
antiquity, the Archipelago (Greek: Αρхιπέλαγος) was the proper name for the
Aegean Sea and, later, usage shifted to refer to the
Aegean Islands (since the sea is remarkable for its large number of islands). It is now used to generally refer to any island group or, sometimes, to a sea containing a large number of scattered islands like the Aegea.
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