The islands of the Pacific Ocean are more than 25 thousand small lands that are scattered across the vast expanses of the giant waters. We can say that this number exceeds the number of pieces of land in all other oceans combined. The conventionally considered geographical objects 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 consider which islands in the Pacific Ocean belong to this or that category.
What is famous for the Pacific Ocean
All small lands that are located within the largest ocean on our planet are considered the most attractive for tourists and for 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 rainfall generates lush vegetation. Also, all solitary islands of the Pacific Ocean are surrounded by coral reefs, which collects around them an uncountable 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 once the active volcanoes of the Pacific Ocean served as the basis for such land plots. Islands formed around the vent of the volcano. How did this happen? After the volcano died away, it literally overgrew with corals. After that, a lagoon is formed 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, drawing a portion of the land behind it. Gradually, this land is covered with lush vegetation, exotic species of fauna arise there, reptiles and insects appear. From the side of the waters, these territories are overgrown with corals, in which fish and unusual marine life are found. Thus, an island gradually forms, in the center of which there is an active volcano. Such lands are seismically unstable, at any moment an eruption can begin there. In addition, the island is constantly washed by the surrounding waves. This is confirmed by the constantly emerging new lagoons. 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 certain continent. It should be noted that continents can still exist. In this case, the island is in close proximity to its "parent". But there are very lonely patches of land of similar origin, remote from continental lands over significant distances. This indicates that the mainland, which now is no longer on the surface, was previously located nearby. 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 features that make up Polynesia and Melanesia.
Seismic situation in the Pacific
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 famous continents and archipelagos. This is the western coast of the Americas, Japan, the Philippines, New Zealand, Hawaii, as well as all land areas located in the north. Here are concentrated the largest and most powerful active volcanoes of the Pacific Ocean. Islands for them are the basis, regardless of whether there are cities, resorts, or is it a virgin territory. Among these can be called the Japanese islands, Hawaiian, Sunda, Galapagos, Marshall and many others. It also includes almost every lonely island in the Pacific Ocean, which is located within the ring of fire.
Biggest lands
The time has come to summarize this material and clearly categorize 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 this continent and Asia. A little north and east is the next largest large island - Kalimantan. It is often attributed to Indonesia, although the territory is divided between different states. The Japanese islands are also considered very large here - Hokkaido, Kyushu, Honshu, Shikku. They form an archipelago, but each of its components is a very large territorial unit. Another giant Pacific island is New Zealand. It belongs to Oceania and is a separate sovereign state.
Archipelagos 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 them are covered with virgin forests, and access to them is closed to tourists. Also a huge amount of tiny land is located in the Sunda archipelago. Like Hawaii, here you can find both large islands - Bali, Java, Sulawesi - and so small that they simply cannot be put on a world map. Among the archipelagos of the Pacific Ocean, which consist of units of various sizes, also includes the Kuril Islands. It is located on the border of the Sea of Okhotsk and ocean waters.
Little conclusion
Almost the most exotic species of fish and animals live in the waters of the largest ocean on our planet, and there are also quite non-standard types of land. These are islands of various origins. They are individual in nature and appearance, constantly attract travelers and explorers. Of course, all the lands that are located in the Pacific Ocean are seismically unstable, since they enter the zone of the large ring of fire. Almost everywhere there are active volcanoes. The land itself in this region remains alive, which is constantly changing its shape and absorbing existing land areas.