"Later, Magellan became involved in an insular conflict in the Philippines" What does "Insular" mean here?

Question

"Later, Magellan became involved in an insular conflict in the Philippines"

What does "Insular" mean here?

As far as Cambridge Dictionary is concerned,

Insular means:

• "interested only in your own country or group and not willing to accept different or foreign ideas".

I can not understand that sentence with the help of this meaning. Can anyone please help me?

Answer 1

One meaning of Insular according to TFD is:

Circumscribed and detached in outlook and experience; narrow or provincial

This is similar to what you found in the Cambridge Dictionary:

interested only in your own country or group and not willing to accept different or foreign ideas

Note that it has another meaning too:

Of, relating to, or constituting an island.

In your sentence:

Magellan became involved in an insular conflict in the Philippines

it means that Magellan became involved in a conflict amongst the islands which make up the Philippines.

The Philippines is an archipelagic country consisting of about 7,641 islands in the Western Pacific ocean