An orthographic projection of Oceania
Oceania (
OH -s(h)ee-AH -nee-ə, -AY - ,
OH -shee-A(H)N -ee-ə ) is a
geographical region comprising
Australasia ,
Melanesia ,
Micronesia , and
Polynesia . Spanning the
Eastern and
Western Hemispheres , at the centre of the
water hemisphere , Oceania is estimated to have a land area of about 9,000,000 square kilometres (3,500,000 sq mi) and a population of around 44.4 million as of 2022. When compared to the continents (which it is often compared to, not including Australia), Oceania is the smallest in land area and the
second-least populated after
Antarctica .
Oceania has a diverse mix of economies from the
highly developed and globally competitive
financial markets of
Australia ,
French Polynesia ,
Hawaii ,
New Caledonia , and
New Zealand , which rank high in
quality of life and
Human Development Index , to the much
less developed economies of
Kiribati ,
Papua New Guinea ,
Tuvalu ,
Vanuatu , and
Western New Guinea , while also including
medium-sized economies of
Pacific islands such as
Fiji ,
Palau , and
Tonga . The largest and most populous
country in Oceania is Australia, and the largest city is Sydney.
Puncak Jaya in
Highland Papua ,
Indonesia , is the highest peak in Oceania at 4,884 m (16,024 ft).
The
arrival of European settlers in subsequent centuries resulted in a significant alteration in the social and political landscape of Oceania. The
Pacific theatre saw major action during the First World War with the Japanese occupying many German territories. During the
Second World War ,
Allied powers the
United States ,
Philippines (a
U.S. Commonwealth at the time) and
Australia fought against
Axis power
Japan across various locations in Oceania. (
Full article... )
NASA satellite image of Rarotonga
Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the
Cook Islands . The island is volcanic, with an area of 67.39 km2 (26.02 sq mi), and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 10,898 of a total population of 15,040. The
Cook Islands' Parliament buildings and
international airport are on Rarotonga. Rarotonga is a very popular tourist destination with many resorts, hotels and motels. The chief town,
Avarua , on the north coast, is the capital of the Cook Islands.
Captain
John Dibbs , master of the colonial brig
Endeavour , is credited as the European discoverer on 25 July 1823, while transporting the missionary Reverend
John Williams . (
Full article... )
List of geographic articles
The following are images from various Oceania-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1 A
Melanesian child from
Vanuatu (from
Melanesia )
Image 2 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Polynesia )
Image 3 Polynesians with
outrigger canoes at
Waikiki Beach ,
Oahu Island , early 20th century (from
Polynesia )
Image 4 A depiction of a royal
heiau (Hawaiian temple) at
Kealakekua Bay , c. 1816 (from
Polynesia )
Image 5 Languages of Micronesia. (from
Micronesia )
Image 6 German trading station at
Jaluit Atoll with a Marshallese
korkor outrigger canoe in the foreground (from
Micronesia )
Image 7 Painting of
Tahitian Women on the Beach by
Paul Gauguin —
Musée d'Orsay (from
Polynesia )
Image 8 Polynesia is generally defined as the islands within the
Polynesian Triangle . (from
Polynesia )
Image 9 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Melanesia )
Image 11 Subregions (
Melanesia ,
Micronesia , Polynesia, and
Australasia ), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of
Oceania (from
Polynesia )
Image 12 Image of the
Castle Bravo nuclear test, detonated on 1 March 1954, at
Bikini Atoll (from
Micronesia )
Image 13 The Polynesian spread of colonization in the Pacific (from
Polynesia )
Image 15 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Micronesia )
Image 16 Canoe carving on
Nanumea atoll, Tuvalu (from
Polynesia )
Image 17 Map of Melanesia, showing its location within Oceania (from
Melanesia )
Image 18 Mokoliʻi Isle near
Oahu ,
Hawaii (from
Polynesia )
Image 19 Māori
war canoe drawn after
James Cook 's voyage to New Zealand. (from
Polynesia )
Image 20 Map showing the migration and expansion of the
Austronesians which began at about 3000 BC from
Taiwan . The Polynesian branch is shown in green. (from
Polynesia )
Image 21
Moai at Ahu Tongariki on
Rapa Nui (from
Polynesia )
Image 22 Subregions (
Melanesia ,
Micronesia ,
Polynesia and
Australasia ), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of
Oceania (from
Micronesia )
Image 23 Grinding stones discovered from
archaeology in Samoa (from
Polynesia )
Image 24 Polynesian (Hawaiian) navigators sailing multi-hulled
canoe , c. 1781 (from
Polynesia )
Image 25 Cook's Bay on
Moorea ,
French Polynesia (from
Polynesia )
Image 26 Micronesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Melanesia and
Polynesia . (from
Micronesia )
Image 27 Australia's concept of Australasia, which includes Australia, New Zealand and, in this case,
Melanesia (from
Australasia )
Image 28
Carving from the ridgepole of a
Māori house, ca 1840 (from
Polynesia )
Image 30
Kili Island is one of the smallest islands in the
Marshall Islands . (from
Micronesia )
Image 31 On February 14, 1779, Capt.
James Cook was killed on the island of Hawaii (from
Polynesia )
Image 32 Chamorro people in 1915 (from
Micronesia )
Image 34 An illustration of the Cross Spikes Club of the US Navy on
Bikini Atoll , one of several Marshall Islands used for
atomic bomb tests . (from
Micronesia )
Image 35 Melanesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Micronesia and
Polynesia . (from
Melanesia )
Image 36 A common fishing canoe
va'a with outrigger in
Savaiʻi island,
Samoa , 2009 (from
Polynesia )
Image 37
German New Guinea before and after the German-Spanish treaty of 1899 (from
Micronesia )
Image 38 Cinder plain of
Mount Yasur in
Vanuatu (from
Melanesia )
Image 39 Polynesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Melanesia and
Micronesia . (from
Polynesia )
Image 41 Mount Marpi in
Saipan . (from
Micronesia )
Image 42 A pan flute from
Solomon Islands , 19th century (from
Melanesia )
Image 43 Chronological dispersal of
Austronesian peoples across the
Indo-Pacific (from
Melanesia )
Image 44 Chronological dispersal of
Austronesian peoples across the
Indo-Pacific (from
Micronesia )
Image 46 Aerial view of
Solomon Islands (from
Melanesia )
Image 47 Beach scenery at
Laura ,
Majuro , Marshall Islands (from
Micronesia )
Image 49 The arrival of
Abel Tasman in
Tongatapu , 1643; drawing by
Isaack Gilsemans (from
Polynesia )
Image 50 King
Kamehameha I receiving the Russian naval expedition of
Otto von Kotzebue . Drawing by
Louis Choris in 1816. (from
Polynesia )
Image 52 Sailors of Melanesia in the
Pacific Ocean , 1846 (from
Melanesia )
Australasia
Melanesia
Micronesia
Polynesia
Adamstown ,
Pitcairn Islands 6
Alofi ,
Niue 7
Apia ,
Samoa
Avarua ,
Cook Islands 7
Fakaofo ,
Tokelau 8
Funafuti ,
Tuvalu
Mata Utu ,
Wallis and Futuna (de facto)2
Nukuʻalofa ,
Tonga
Pago Pago ,
American Samoa 4
Papeete ,
French Polynesia 2
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