second island chain

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word second island chain. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word second island chain, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say second island chain in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word second island chain you have here. The definition of the word second island chain will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofsecond island chain, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Calque of Chinese 第二島鏈第二岛链 (Dì'èr dǎoliàn).

Proper noun

second island chain

  1. (politics) The next chain of archipelagos out from the East Asian continental mainland coast, beyond the first island chain. Principally composed of the Bonin Islands, Marianas Islands, Caroline Islands; from Honshu to New Guinea.

Usage notes

Some definitions of the second island chain anchor the northern end on the Kamchatka Peninsula, with the first link on the chain being the Kuril Islands, through Hokkaido and Honshu. The inclusion of the entire Indonesian Archipelago from New Guinea to the Malay Peninsula is also sometimes included. The southern end of the chain is also sometimes considered to be anchored in Australia.

Related terms