WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Malay Archipelago, largest group of islands in the world, consisting of the more than 17, 000 islands of Indonesia and the approximately 7, 000 islands of the Philippines.

Detailed explanation-2: -The islands of the Hawaiian archipelago, for example, were formed by a series of volcanic eruptions that began more than 80 million years ago and are still active today.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Indonesian archipelago is divided into three groups. The island of Java, Sumatra and Kalimantan, together with the small islands in between, lie on the Sunda Shelf which begin on the coasts of Malaysia and Indo China, where the sea depth does not exceed 700 feet.

Detailed explanation-4: -The archipelago consists of an expansive chain of islands located almost in the center of the Pacific Ocean, formed by the northwest movement of the Pacific tectonic plate over a volcanic hotspot where magma rises through the earth’s mantle until it erupts through the seafloor.

Detailed explanation-5: -The many islands can be divided into three main groups based on physical geography, local inhabitants, and location: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Indigenous cultural heritage remains strong in the South Pacific, but Western culture has made deep inroads into people’s lives.