The Oceania Portal
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 other continents, Oceania is the smallest in land area and the second-least populated after Antarctica . It is sometimes used interchangably with the Australia (continent) , although few key differences exist.
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... )
Photograph from the International Space Station
Kiritimati (pronounced [kiˈrɪsmæs] , also known as Christmas Island ) is a Pacific Ocean atoll in the northern Line Islands . It is part of the Republic of Kiribati . The name is derived from the English word "Christmas" written in Gilbertese according to its phonology , in which the combination ti is pronounced s .
Kiritimati has the greatest land area of any atoll in the world, about 388 square kilometres (150 square miles); its
lagoon is roughly the same size. The atoll is about 150 km (93 mi) in perimeter, while the lagoon shoreline extends for over 48 km (30 mi). Kiritimati comprises over 70% of the total land area of Kiribati, a country encompassing 33 Pacific atolls and islands. (
Full article... )
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East Timor , officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania . The country comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor and the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco. The first inhabitants are thought to be descendant of Australoid and Melanesian peoples. The Portuguese began to trade with Timor by the early 16th century and colonised it throughout the mid-century. Skirmishing with the Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty for which Portugal ceded the western half of the island. Imperial Japan occupied East Timor during World War II , but Portugal resumed colonial authority after the Japanese surrender .
East Timor declared itself independent from Portugal in 1975, but was
invaded by Indonesia . The country was later incorporated as a
province of Indonesia . During the subsequent
two-decade occupation , a campaign of pacification ensued. Although Indonesia did make substantial investment in infrastructures during its occupation in East Timor, dissatisfaction remained widespread. From 1975 to 1999, there were an estimated 102,800 conflict-related deaths (approximately 18,600 killings and 84,200 'excess' deaths from hunger and illness), the majority of which occurred during the Indonesian occupation. (
Full article... )
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The following are images from various Oceania-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1 The Polynesian spread of colonization in the Pacific (from
Polynesia )
Image 2 A
Melanesian child from
Vanuatu (from
Melanesia )
Image 4 Painting of
Tahitian Women on the Beach by
Paul Gauguin —
Musée d'Orsay (from
Polynesia )
Image 5 The arrival of
Abel Tasman in
Tongatapu , 1643; drawing by
Isaack Gilsemans (from
Polynesia )
Image 6 On February 14, 1779, Capt.
James Cook was killed on the island of Hawaii (from
Polynesia )
Image 7 Canoe carving on
Nanumea atoll, Tuvalu (from
Polynesia )
Image 8 Kili Island is one of the smallest islands in the
Marshall Islands . (from
Micronesia )
Image 9 Chronological dispersal of
Austronesian peoples across the
Indo-Pacific (from
Micronesia )
Image 10 Mount Marpi in
Saipan . (from
Micronesia )
Image 11 Chamorro people in 1915 (from
Micronesia )
Image 12 Aerial view of
Solomon Islands (from
Melanesia )
Image 13 Languages of Micronesia. (from
Micronesia )
Image 14 Micronesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Melanesia and
Polynesia . (from
Micronesia )
Image 15 Polynesia is generally defined as the islands within the
Polynesian Triangle . (from
Polynesia )
Image 16 A depiction of a royal
heiau (Hawaiian temple) at
Kealakekua Bay , c. 1816 (from
Polynesia )
Image 17 Polynesian (Hawaiian) navigators sailing multi-hulled
canoe , c. 1781 (from
Polynesia )
Image 20 Cook's Bay on
Moorea ,
French Polynesia (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 Polynesians with
outrigger canoes at
Waikiki Beach ,
Oahu Island , early 20th century (from
Polynesia )
Image 24 Subregions (
Melanesia ,
Micronesia ,
Polynesia and
Australasia ), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of
Oceania (from
Micronesia )
Image 25 Map of Melanesia, showing its location within Oceania (from
Melanesia )
Image 26 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Melanesia )
Image 27 Beach scenery at
Laura ,
Majuro , Marshall Islands (from
Micronesia )
Image 29 Mokoliʻi Isle near
Oahu ,
Hawaii (from
Polynesia )
Image 30 A common fishing canoe
va'a with outrigger in
Savaiʻi island,
Samoa , 2009 (from
Polynesia )
Image 31 Image of the
Castle Bravo nuclear test, detonated on 1 March 1954, at
Bikini Atoll (from
Micronesia )
Image 32 Chronological dispersal of
Austronesian peoples across the
Indo-Pacific (from
Melanesia )
Image 33 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Micronesia )
Image 34 Māori
war canoe drawn after
James Cook 's voyage to New Zealand. (from
Polynesia )
Image 35 Sailors of Melanesia in the
Pacific Ocean , 1846 (from
Melanesia )
Image 36 Moai at Ahu Tongariki on
Rapa Nui (from
Polynesia )
Image 37 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Polynesia )
Image 39 German New Guinea before and after the German-Spanish treaty of 1899 (from
Micronesia )
Image 40 King
Kamehameha I receiving the Russian naval expedition of
Otto von Kotzebue . Drawing by
Louis Choris in 1816. (from
Polynesia )
Image 41 Melanesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Micronesia and
Polynesia . (from
Melanesia )
Image 42 A pan flute from
Solomon Islands , 19th century (from
Melanesia )
Image 43 German trading station at
Jaluit Atoll with a Marshallese
korkor outrigger canoe in the foreground (from
Micronesia )
Image 45 Grinding stones discovered from
archaeology in Samoa (from
Polynesia )
Image 46 Cinder plain of
Mount Yasur in
Vanuatu (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 Australia's concept of Australasia, which includes Australia, New Zealand and, in this case,
Melanesia (from
Australasia )
Image 50 Subregions (
Melanesia ,
Micronesia , Polynesia, and
Australasia ), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of
Oceania (from
Polynesia )
Image 51 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 52 Carving from the ridgepole of a
Māori house, ca 1840 (from
Polynesia )
Topics
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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Wikibooks Free textbooks and manuals
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Wikinews Free-content news
Wikiquote Collection of quotations
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Wikiversity Free learning tools
Wikivoyage Free travel guide
Wiktionary Dictionary and thesaurus
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Wikipedia in other languages used in Oceania:
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