The Hawaiian Islands Formed Over a Volcanic Hotspot
The Pacific plate moved over a fixed plume of magma, creating a chain of islands.
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Japan Has More Than 14,000 Islands
A 2023 survey found about 14,000, far more than the roughly 6,800 counted before.
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The Galápagos Archipelago Helped Inspire Darwin's Thinking
His 1835 visit highlighted differences among species on different islands.
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The Maldives Has About 1,200 Coral Islands
Its average ground level is only about 1.5 meters above sea level.
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The Philippines Has More Than 7,000 Islands
Most of the population lives on about a dozen of them.