# first island chain

> English word · Proper noun

## Definitions
1. The first chain of major archipelagos out from the East Asian continental mainland coast. Principally composed of the Kuril Islands, Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, the northern Philippines, Japan, and Borneo; from the Kamchatka Peninsula to the Malay Peninsula.

## Etymology
Calque from Chinese 第一島鏈／第一岛链 (Dìyī dǎoliàn).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/first-island-chain