Definition

Proper noun A geographical term referring to a major group of islands within the Malay Archipelago in Southeast Asia. This group comprises the four largest islands of the Sunda Islands chain.

Usage

The term "Greater Sunda Islands" is used specifically to refer to this defined geographical group. It is a proper noun and is typically capitalized. * The Greater Sunda Islands form the core of Indonesia's territory. * Borneo, the world's third-largest island, is part of the Greater Sunda Islands.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often used in geographical, geological, and ecological contexts to discuss features common to these large islands, such as their continental shelf connections or shared biodiversity.
  • The tectonic history of the Greater Sunda Islands is complex.

Variants and Related Words

• Lesser Sunda Islands (Proper noun): The chain of smaller islands located to the east of Java, including Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, and Timor.
• Sunda Islands (Proper noun): The collective name for both the Greater and Lesser Sunda Islands archipelagos.

Different Meanings / Contexts

This term has a single, specific geographical meaning. It does not have other common definitions.

Synonyms

• There are no direct single-word synonyms. The term can be paraphrased as "the major Sunda islands" or "the large islands of the Sunda chain."

Related Phrases

• In the Greater Sundas: A phrase denoting location within this island group.
  • Several endemic species are found only in the Greater Sundas.

Noun

1. a chain of islands including Borneo and Celebes and Java and Sumatra