second island chain

English

Alternative forms

• Second Island Chain

Etymology

Calque from 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, Mariana 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

• first island chain / First Island Chain
• third island chain / Third Island Chain

Translations

chain of islands

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 第二島鏈 / 第二岛链 (Dì'èr dǎoliàn)

• Japanese: 第二列島線 (Daini Rettō Sen)
• Korean: 제2열도선 (je2yeoldoseon)