» For other uses, see Archipelago (disambiguation) An archipelago 's a chain or cluster of islands that're formed tectonically. The word archipelago literally means "chief sea", from Italian arcipelago (artʃiˈpelaɡo), derived ultimately from Greek arkhon (arkhi-) ("leader") and pelagos ("sea"). In Italian, possibly following a tradition of antiquity, the Archipelago (Greek: Αρχιπέλαγος) was the proper name for the Aegean Sea… (More on Archipelago)