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Glite Dictionary
Arctic Archipelago

Arctic Archipelago

7.4
A group of islands north of mainland Canada near the Arctic Circle
  • proper noun
  • /ˈɑrk.tɪk ˌɑːr.kɪˈpɛl.ə.ɡoʊ/
translation icon : archipiélago ártico
  • Continuing to the south of Victoria Island, the Gjoa clears the Arctic Archipelago on this date but has to stop for the winter before going on to Nome on Alaska Territory's Pacific coast.

Examples

  • Google spent 11 months planning the project with Nunavut political leaders and elders in Cambridge Bay in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

    Blog text (7)

  • The Canadian Arctic Archipelago is home to diverse wildlife and stunning landscapes.

  • Due to the way currents transport driftwood in the Arctic, Svalbard receives orders of magnitude more driftwood than Ellesmere or other places in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

    Blog text (9)

  • Many researchers travel to the Arctic Archipelago to study its unique ecosystems.

  • The Arctic Archipelago includes over 36,000 islands, making it one of the largest island groups in the world.

Synonyms

Canadian Arctic Archipelago
vsArctic Archipelago
7.7

A group of islands north of mainland Canada inside the Arctic Circle

allows islands north of mainland Canada that may be inside or near the polar circle

Surface Forms

Arctic Archipelago main

Morphology

Arctic + archipelago

The phrase is a straightforward composition of 'Arctic' (the polar northern region) and 'archipelago' (a cluster of islands), so a learner who knows both words can readily infer it refers to a group of islands in the Arctic. This compositional pattern is literal and cross-linguistically common, making the meaning transparent to B1 learners.

Etymology

The name Arctic Archipelago creates a strong picture: imagine a string of icy islands like beads around the far north of the world. Arctic means 'far north and cold' and archipelago means 'a group of islands', so the phrase refers to the many islands north of mainland Canada.