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 .
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... )
Norfolk Island (, ; Norfuk : Norf'k Ailen ) is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia , 1,412 kilometres (877 mi) directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about 900 kilometres (560 mi) from Lord Howe Island . Together with the neighbouring Phillip Island and Nepean Island , the three islands collectively form the Territory of Norfolk Island . At the 2021 census , it had 2,188 inhabitants living on a total area of about 35 km2 (14 sq mi). Its capital is Kingston .
East
Polynesians were the first to settle Norfolk Island, but they had already departed when
Great Britain settled it as part of its 1788 colonisation of Australia. The island served as a
convict penal settlement from 6 March 1788 until 5 May 1855, except for an 11-year hiatus between 15 February 1814 and 6 June 1825, when it lay abandoned. On 8 June 1856, permanent civilian residence on the island began when descendants of the
Bounty mutineers were relocated from
Pitcairn Island . In 1914, the UK handed Norfolk Island over to Australia to administer as an
external territory . (
Full article... )
List of geographic articles
The Indonesian occupation of East Timor began in December 1975 and lasted until October 1999. After centuries of Portuguese colonial rule in East Timor , the 1974 Carnation Revolution in Portugal led to the decolonisation of its former colonies, creating instability in East Timor and leaving its future uncertain. After a small-scale civil war, the pro-independence Fretilin declared victory in the capital city of Dili and declared an independent East Timor on 28 November 1975.
Following the "Balibo Declaration" that was signed by representatives of
Apodeti ,
UDT ,
KOTA and the Trabalhista Party on 30 November 1975, Indonesian military forces invaded East Timor on 7 December 1975, and by 1979 they had all but destroyed the armed resistance to the occupation. On 17 July 1976, Indonesia formally annexed East Timor as its 27th province and declared the province of
Timor Timur . (
Full article... )
List of selected articles
The following are images from various Oceania-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1 Sailors of Melanesia in the
Pacific Ocean , 1846 (from
Melanesia )
Image 2 Subregions (
Melanesia ,
Micronesia , Polynesia, and
Australasia ), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of
Oceania (from
Polynesia )
Image 3 Map of Melanesia, showing its location within Oceania (from
Melanesia )
Image 5 Chronological dispersal of
Austronesian peoples across the
Indo-Pacific (from
Micronesia )
Image 6 The Polynesian spread of colonization in the Pacific (from
Polynesia )
Image 7 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 8 Micronesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Melanesia and
Polynesia . (from
Micronesia )
Image 9 Painting of
Tahitian Women on the Beach by
Paul Gauguin —
Musée d'Orsay (from
Polynesia )
Image 10 King
Kamehameha I receiving the Russian naval expedition of
Otto von Kotzebue . Drawing by
Louis Choris in 1816. (from
Polynesia )
Image 11 Languages of Micronesia. (from
Micronesia )
Image 12 The arrival of
Abel Tasman in
Tongatapu , 1643; drawing by
Isaack Gilsemans (from
Polynesia )
Image 13 Australia's concept of Australasia, which includes Australia, New Zealand and, in this case,
Melanesia (from
Australasia )
Image 14 A
Melanesian child from
Vanuatu (from
Melanesia )
Image 15 Grinding stones discovered from
archaeology in Samoa (from
Polynesia )
Image 18 Polynesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Melanesia and
Micronesia . (from
Polynesia )
Image 19 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 20 Moai at Ahu Tongariki on
Rapa Nui (from
Polynesia )
Image 21 On February 14, 1779, Capt.
James Cook was killed on the island of Hawaii (from
Polynesia )
Image 22 Melanesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Micronesia and
Polynesia . (from
Melanesia )
Image 23 Image of the
Castle Bravo nuclear test, detonated on 1 March 1954, at
Bikini Atoll (from
Micronesia )
Image 24 Carving from the ridgepole of a
Māori house, ca 1840 (from
Polynesia )
Image 25 German New Guinea before and after the German-Spanish treaty of 1899 (from
Micronesia )
Image 26 German trading station at
Jaluit Atoll with a Marshallese
korkor outrigger canoe in the foreground (from
Micronesia )
Image 27 Chronological dispersal of
Austronesian peoples across the
Indo-Pacific (from
Melanesia )
Image 28 A pan flute from
Solomon Islands , 19th century (from
Melanesia )
Image 29 Beach scenery at
Laura ,
Majuro , Marshall Islands (from
Micronesia )
Image 30 Cook's Bay on
Moorea ,
French Polynesia (from
Polynesia )
Image 31 Aerial view of
Solomon Islands (from
Melanesia )
Image 32 Canoe carving on
Nanumea atoll, Tuvalu (from
Polynesia )
Image 33 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Melanesia )
Image 34 A depiction of a royal
heiau (Hawaiian temple) at
Kealakekua Bay , c. 1816 (from
Polynesia )
Image 35 Mokoliʻi Isle near
Oahu ,
Hawaii (from
Polynesia )
Image 36 Mount Marpi in
Saipan . (from
Micronesia )
Image 38 Cinder plain of
Mount Yasur in
Vanuatu (from
Melanesia )
Image 39 Subregions (
Melanesia ,
Micronesia ,
Polynesia and
Australasia ), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of
Oceania (from
Micronesia )
Image 42 Māori
war canoe drawn after
James Cook 's voyage to New Zealand. (from
Polynesia )
Image 43 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Polynesia )
Image 44 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Micronesia )
Image 46 Polynesians with
outrigger canoes at
Waikiki Beach ,
Oahu Island , early 20th century (from
Polynesia )
Image 47 Chamorro people in 1915 (from
Micronesia )
Image 49 Kili Island is one of the smallest islands in the
Marshall Islands . (from
Micronesia )
Image 50 Polynesian (Hawaiian) navigators sailing multi-hulled
canoe , c. 1781 (from
Polynesia )
Image 51 A common fishing canoe
va'a with outrigger in
Savaiʻi island,
Samoa , 2009 (from
Polynesia )
Image 52 Polynesia is generally defined as the islands within the
Polynesian Triangle . (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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