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 including Australasia , Melanesia , Micronesia , and Polynesia . Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent , while Australia is regarded as an island or a continental landmass contained inside of the larger continent of Oceania. 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 including the United States , the Philippines (a U.S. Commonwealth at the time), and Australia fought against Axis power Japan across various locations in Oceania. (Full article... )
Hagåtña , formerly
Agana or
Agaña , is a coastal village and the
capital of the United States territory of
Guam . From the 18th through mid-20th century, it was Guam's population center, but today, it is the second smallest of the island's 19
villages in both area and population. However, it remains one of the island's major
commercial districts in addition to being the seat of government. (
Full article... )
List of geographic articles
Petroglyphs at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park
Ancient Hawaiʻi is the period of Hawaiian history preceding the unification in 1810 of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi by Kamehameha the Great . Traditionally, researchers estimated the first settlement of the Hawaiian islands as having occurred sporadically between 400 and 1100 CE by Polynesian long-distance navigators from the Samoan , Marquesas , and Tahiti islands within what is now French Polynesia . In 2010, a study was published based on radiocarbon dating of more reliable samples which suggests that the islands were settled much later, within a short timeframe, in about 1219 to 1266.
The islands in Eastern Polynesia have been characterized by the continuities among their cultures, and the short migration period would be an explanation of this result. Diversified
agroforestry and
aquaculture provided sustenance for
Native Hawaiian cuisine . Tropical materials were adopted for housing. Elaborate temples (called
heiau ) were constructed from the lava rocks available. (
Full article... )
List of selected articles
The following are images from various Oceania-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1 Polynesia is generally defined as the islands within the
Polynesian Triangle . (from
Polynesia )
Image 2 Languages of Micronesia. (from
Micronesia )
Image 3 Map of Melanesia, showing its location within Oceania (from
Melanesia )
Image 4 Subregions (
Melanesia ,
Micronesia , Polynesia, and
Australasia ), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of
Oceania (from
Polynesia )
Image 5 Beach scenery at
Laura ,
Majuro , Marshall Islands (from
Micronesia )
Image 6 Cook's Bay on
Moorea ,
French Polynesia (from
Polynesia )
Image 8 Carving from the ridgepole of a
Māori house, ca 1840 (from
Polynesia )
Image 9 King
Kamehameha I receiving the Russian naval expedition of
Otto von Kotzebue . Drawing by
Louis Choris in 1816. (from
Polynesia )
Image 10 Cinder plain of
Mount Yasur in
Vanuatu (from
Melanesia )
Image 11 Sailors of Melanesia in the
Pacific Ocean , 1846 (from
Melanesia )
Image 12 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Polynesia )
Image 13 A pan flute from
Solomon Islands , 19th century (from
Melanesia )
Image 15 Kili Island is one of the smallest islands in the
Marshall Islands . (from
Micronesia )
Image 16 Canoe carving on
Nanumea atoll, Tuvalu (from
Polynesia )
Image 18 Mokoliʻi Isle near
Oahu ,
Hawaii (from
Polynesia )
Image 19 On February 14, 1779, Capt.
James Cook was killed on the island of Hawaii (from
Polynesia )
Image 21 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 23 The arrival of
Abel Tasman in
Tongatapu , 1643; drawing by
Isaack Gilsemans (from
Polynesia )
Image 24 Image of the
Castle Bravo nuclear test, detonated on 1 March 1954, at
Bikini Atoll (from
Micronesia )
Image 25 German New Guinea before and after the German-Spanish treaty of 1899 (from
Micronesia )
Image 26 Chronological dispersal of
Austronesian peoples across the
Indo-Pacific (from
Melanesia )
Image 27 Chronological dispersal of
Austronesian peoples across the
Indo-Pacific (from
Micronesia )
Image 28 German trading station at
Jaluit Atoll with a Marshallese
korkor outrigger canoe in the foreground (from
Micronesia )
Image 29 Painting of
Tahitian Women on the Beach by
Paul Gauguin —
Musée d'Orsay (from
Polynesia )
Image 31 Melanesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Micronesia and
Polynesia . (from
Melanesia )
Image 32 Mount Marpi in
Saipan . (from
Micronesia )
Image 33 Subregions (
Melanesia ,
Micronesia ,
Polynesia and
Australasia ), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of
Oceania (from
Micronesia )
Image 34 Polynesian (Hawaiian) navigators sailing multi-hulled
canoe , c. 1781 (from
Polynesia )
Image 35 A depiction of a royal
heiau (Hawaiian temple) at
Kealakekua Bay , c. 1816 (from
Polynesia )
Image 36 A
Melanesian child from
Vanuatu (from
Melanesia )
Image 37 Māori
war canoe drawn after
James Cook 's voyage to New Zealand. (from
Polynesia )
Image 38 Moai at Ahu Tongariki on
Rapa Nui (from
Polynesia )
Image 39 The Polynesian spread of colonization in the Pacific (from
Polynesia )
Image 40 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Micronesia )
Image 41 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 42 Polynesians with
outrigger canoes at
Waikiki Beach ,
Oahu Island , early 20th century (from
Polynesia )
Image 43 Chamorro people in 1915 (from
Micronesia )
Image 45 Micronesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Melanesia and
Polynesia . (from
Micronesia )
Image 46 Aerial view of
Solomon Islands (from
Melanesia )
Image 47 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Melanesia )
Image 48 Polynesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Melanesia and
Micronesia . (from
Polynesia )
Image 49 A common fishing canoe
va'a with outrigger in
Savaiʻi island,
Samoa , 2009 (from
Polynesia )
Image 50 Australia's concept of Australasia, which includes Australia, New Zealand and, in this case,
Melanesia (from
Australasia )
Image 51 Grinding stones discovered from
archaeology in Samoa (from
Polynesia )
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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