Archipelago, an Italian form, dating from the 13th century, of the Gr. Archipelagos, 'the chief sea,' and the term applied originally to that part of the Mediterranean which separates Greece from Asia (the Ægean Sea of the ancients); but now extended to any sea, like it, thickly interspersed with islands, or rather to the group of islands themselves. All archipelagos fall naturally into two groups, the oceanic and the continental. The latter either lie close to the mainland, or are so dotted about the sea as to join, like stepping-stones, two continents. Such are the Chiloe, Patagonian, Arctic, and other groups. The oceanic archipelagos stand alone, and include the East and West India groups, the Marquesas, and the Sandwich and Friendly Islands. These, as well as Nova Zembla, Spitzbergen, Franz-Josef Land, and any others loosely called archipelagos, will receive separate notice in their places. The islands in the Greek Archipelago consist principally of two groups, called Cyclades and Sporades; the first from their encircling the sacred island of Delos, the second from their being scattered in a wavy line. The former lie to the east of Southern Greece, while the latter skirt the west of Asia Minor. The numerous islands which stud this sea range in size from the merest barren rocks to Crete, with an area of 3326 sq. m. Most are of volcanic origin, with high bluffs rising abruptly from the sea. Many are very fertile, producing wheat, silk, cotton, wine, honey, figs, oranges, raisins, and other fruits. The people of the Sporades are employed in fishing for sponge and coral. The climate is healthy, the men are hardy, and the women noted for their beauty, of a pure Greek type. Of the Cyclades, all belonging to Greece, the principal are: Syra, Delos, Tenos, Andros, Cythnos, Thera, Naxos, Melos, and Paros. The chief islands of the Sporades are: Carpathos, Rhodes, Cos, Patmos, Icaria, Samos, Chios, Lesbos, Lemnos, Imbros, Samothrace, and Psyra. These all belong to Turkey, and constitute a separate vilayet of the empire, except Samos, which is autonomous, and tributary only; but the following, off Eubœa (Negropont), and many smaller islands, belong to Greece: Scyros, Icos, Scopelos, and
Sciathos. Of both groups, the more considerable islands will be noticed, under the alphabetical arrangement, in their respective places.