Greater Sunda Islands
- proper noun
:
Islas de la Gran Sonda
- Borneo, Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi make up the Greater Sunda Islands of Indonesia.
Examples
-
The Greater Sunda Islands are known for their extraordinary biodiversity and rich cultural heritage.
-
The Greater Sunda Islands are known for their biodiversity.
-
Many species found in the Greater Sunda Islands are not found anywhere else in the world.
-
Have you ever visited the Greater Sunda Islands?
-
The Greater Sunda Islands include famous destinations like Bali and Borneo, attracting millions of tourists every year.
-
Ecologists study the diverse ecosystems found on the Greater Sunda Islands to better understand tropical biodiversity.
-
The natural resources found on the Greater Sunda Islands support both local communities and international markets.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The structure is largely compositional: a B1 learner who knows 'greater' (larger) and 'islands' (land surrounded by water) can infer this refers to the larger islands associated with 'Sunda'. However, 'Sunda' is a toponym not derivable from its parts, so the precise geographic reference and which islands are meant cannot be recovered without prior knowledge, making the expression only partly transparent.
Etymology
Greater Sunda Islands comes from the old place name Sunda and the word Greater, which means 'bigger'. So the name simply points to the group of the larger islands in that area, like Borneo, Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi.
