/ Largest Pacific Islands. Pacific Volcanic Islands

The largest islands of the Pacific Ocean. Volcanic Islands of the Pacific

The islands of the Pacific Ocean are more than 25 thousand smalllands 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. The geographical objects we consider conditionally can be divided into the following categories: “lonely” islands, continental lands and archipelagoes. They are also classified by origin, geological structure, seismic features. Below we consider which islands in the Pacific Ocean fall into one or another category.

What is famous for the Pacific Ocean

All small lands that are withinthe largest ocean on our planet, are considered the most attractive both for 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 there is always summer, and a large amount of precipitation generates lush vegetation. Also, all the single islands of the Pacific Ocean are surrounded by coral reefs that collect around them countless beautiful fish and other inhabitants of the sea.

Pacific Islands

Coral Islands

По названию этой группы островов можно понять, what origin they have. Such lands grow literally 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 Pacific volcanoes served as the basis for such land areas. The islands formed around the volcano vents. How did this happen? After the volcano died, it literally overgrown with corals. After that, a lagoon forms in this hole, which is considered to be the main attraction of such an island.

island in the pacific

Pacific Volcanic Islands

Малые земли данного типа образуются следующим way: an active volcano, which is located at the bottom of the ocean, gradually rises to its surface, pulling a part of the land behind it. 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, where fish and unusual sea creatures are found. Thus, an island is gradually formed, in the center of which there is an active volcano. Such lands are seismically unstable, at any moment an eruption may begin there. In addition, the island is constantly being washed away by the surrounding waves. Confirmation of this are constantly emerging around the new lagoon. Over the millennia, such land goes under water.

active volcanoes of the Pacific Islands

Mainland Islands

This term refers to the land inopen 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 very lonely areas of land of similar origin, remote from the continental lands for considerable distances. This indicates that the mainland, which is no longer on the surface, was located not far from them. The islands of the Pacific Ocean, which are of continental origin, are New Zealand, other small lands of Oceania, as well as most of the geographical objects that make up Polynesia and Melanesia.

Pacific volcanic islands

Pacific seismic situation

The Pacific Ocean itself forms a volcanicthe ring of fire, within which the maximum number of active volcanoes on Earth is concentrated. Some of them are under water, some of them appear on the surface in the form of islands. The fact is that this belt covers the coasts of famous continents and archipelagoes. This is the west coast of North and South America, Japan, the Philippines, New Zealand, Hawaii, as well as all land areas that are in the north. Here are concentrated the most and most powerful active volcanoes of the Pacific Ocean. Islands for them are the basis, regardless of whether there are cities, resorts, or it is a virgin territory. These include the Japanese Islands, Hawaiian, Sunda, Galapagos, Marshall and many others. Also here can be attributed almost every single island in the Pacific Ocean, which is located within the ring of fire.

the largest islands of the pacific

The biggest lands

It's time to summarize this material and clearlydelimit by category all land in this area. Now we look at the largest islands of the Pacific. The most large-scale land here is the island of New Guinea. It is located north of Australia and plays a transitional role between this 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 - Hokkaido, Kyushu, Honshu, Sikku are also considered to be very large here. They form an archipelago, but each of its components is a very large territorial unit. Another giant island in the Pacific is New Zealand. It belongs to Oceania and is a separate sovereign state.

which islands in the pacific

Archipelagoes, consisting of "babies"

Perhaps the smallest and at the same timeThe beautiful islands of the Pacific are Hawaii. The archipelago is located in the northern part of the water area and includes both very large land areas (the island of Maui) and very small islands. Many of them are covered with pristine forests, and access to them is closed to tourists. Also a huge number of tiny lands are located in the Sunda archipelago. Like Hawaii, you can meet here as big islands - Bali, Java, Sulawesi - and so small that they simply can not be mapped. The number of archipelagoes 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.

A small conclusion

In the waters of the largest ocean of our planetalmost the most exotic species of fish and animals live, and there are also rather non-standard types of sushi. These are islands of various origins. They are individual in nature and appearance, constantly attract travelers and explorers. Of course, all lands that are located in the Pacific Ocean are seismically unstable, as they enter the zone of a large ring of fire. Almost everywhere there are active volcanoes. As before, the land itself remains alive in this region, which is constantly changing its shape and absorbing the already existing land areas.