archipelago

A group of islands close to one another.

• We sailed around the archipelago.
• The archipelago contains dozens of small islands.
• Several volcanic archipelagos lie in this ocean.

Similar words: island group, island chain

Common phrases: tropical archipelago, volcanic archipelago, island archipelago, remote archipelago

A collection of separate things spread over a wide area.

• The city is an archipelago of neighbourhoods.
• An archipelago of research stations stretches across the desert.
• These parks form a green archipelago among the factories.

How to use it: an archipelago of something (The region became an archipelago of isolated villages.)

Common phrases: archipelago of something, urban archipelago