The Pacific Islands are more than 25,000 small lands that are scattered across the expanses of a giant water area. We can say that this number exceeds the number of pieces of land in all other oceans combined. Conventionally, the geographical objects we are considering can be divided into the following categories: “lonely” islands, continental lands and archipelagos. They are also classified by origin, geological structure, seismic features. Below we will look at which islands in the Pacific Ocean fall into one category or another.
What is the Pacific Ocean famous for
All small lands that are within the largest ocean on our planet are considered the most attractive for both tourists and researchers of exotic fauna and flora. The fact is that most of them are loners of volcanic origin. All of them are located mainly in tropical latitudes, because it is always summer there, and a large amount of precipitation gives rise to lush vegetation. Also, all the single islands of the Pacific Ocean are surrounded by coral reefs, which gathers around them countlessthe number of beautiful fish and other inhabitants of the sea.
Coral Islands
By the name of this group of islands, you can understand what origin they have. Such lands literally grow on corals, which accumulate in one place and thus form a unique flora and fauna. But such a history of occurrence is very superficial, and if you dig into the depths of history, you can find that the once active volcanoes of the Pacific Ocean served as the basis for such land areas. Islands formed around the mouth of the volcano. How did it happen? After the volcano died down, it literally overgrown with corals. After that, a lagoon forms in this hole, which is considered the main attraction of such an island.
Volcanic Islands of the Pacific
Small lands of this type are formed as follows: an active volcano, which is located at the bottom of the ocean, gradually rises to its surface, pulling out part of the land. Gradually, this land is covered with lush vegetation, exotic species of fauna are born there, reptiles and insects appear. From the side of the waters, these territories are overgrown with corals, in which fish and unusual marine life start. Thus, an island is gradually formed, in the center of which there is an active volcano. Such lands are seismically unstable; an eruption can begin there at any moment. In addition, the island is constantly washed away by the surrounding waves. This is confirmed by the constantly emerging around newlagoons. Over the millennia, such lands go under water.
Mainland Islands
This term refers to lands located in open waters that were previously part of a particular continent. It is worth noting that the continents can still exist. In this case, the island is in close proximity to its "parent". But there are quite lonely areas of land of similar origin, remote from continental lands at considerable distances. This indicates that earlier a mainland was located not far from them, which is no longer on the surface. The Pacific islands that are of continental origin are New Zealand, other minor lands of Oceania, and most of the geographic features that make up Polynesia and Melanesia.
Seismic situation in the Pacific basin
The Pacific Ocean itself forms a volcanic ring of fire, within which the maximum number of active volcanoes on Earth is concentrated. Some of them are under water, some protrude to the surface in the form of islands. The fact is that this belt covers the coasts of known continents and archipelagos. This is the western coast of North and South America, Japan, the Philippines, New Zealand, Hawaii, as well as all land areas that are in the north. All the largest and most powerful active volcanoes of the Pacific Ocean are concentrated here. Islands for them arebasis, regardless of whether there are cities, resorts, or whether it is virgin territory. Among these are the Japanese Islands, Hawaiian, Sunda, Galapagos, Marshall Islands and many others. This also includes almost every single island in the Pacific Ocean that is within the ring of fire.
The largest lands
It's time to summarize this material and clearly delineate by category all the lands located in this water area. Now we will consider the largest islands of the Pacific Ocean. The largest land here is the island of New Guinea. It is located north of Australia and plays a transitional role between that continent and Asia. A little to the north and east is the next largest large island - Kalimantan. It is often referred to as Indonesia, although the territory is divided between different states. The Japanese islands are also considered very large here - Hokkaido, Kyushu, Honshu, Sikku. They form an archipelago, but each of its components is a very large territorial unit. Another giant island in the Pacific Ocean is New Zealand. It belongs to Oceania and is a separate sovereign state.
Archipelago, consisting of "babies"
Perhaps the smallest and at the same time the most beautiful islands of the Pacific Ocean are Hawaii. The archipelago is located in the northern part of the water area and includes both very large land areas (Maui Island) and very small islands. Many of themcovered with virgin forests, and access to them is closed to tourists. Also, a huge number of tiny lands are located in the Sunda archipelago. Like Hawaii, here you can find both large islands - Bali, Java, Sulawesi - and so small that it is simply impossible to put them on a world map. The number of archipelagos of the Pacific Ocean, which consist of units of various sizes, also includes the Kuril. It is located on the border of the Sea of Okhotsk and ocean waters.
Small conclusion
In the waters of the largest ocean of our planet, almost the most exotic species of fish and animals live, and there are also rather non-standard types of land. These are islands of different origin. They are individual in nature and appearance, constantly attracting travelers and explorers. Of course, all the lands that are located in the Pacific Ocean are seismically unstable, since they are included in the zone of a large ring of fire. Almost everywhere there are active volcanoes. The land itself in this region still remains alive, which is constantly changing its shape and absorbing existing land areas.
