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World map exhibiting a common interpretation of Oceania; other interpretations may vary.

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Oceania (sometimes Oceanica)^[1] is a geographical, often geopolitical, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity. The term is often used in many languages to define one of the continents^[2][3][4] and is one of eight terrestrial ecozones.

Ethnologically, the islands of Oceania are divided into the subregions of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.^[5]

Oceania sometimes is taken to include Australasia, which is made up of Australia, New Guinea, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, and various islands of the Malay Archipelago.^[6]

Extent

Originally coined by the French explorer Dumont d'Urville in 1831, Oceania has been traditionally divided into Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia. As with any region, however, interpretations vary; increasingly, geographers and scientists divide Oceania into Near Oceania and Remote Oceania.^[7]

Most of Oceania consists of island nations composed of thousands of coral atolls and volcanic islands, with small human populations.

Australia is the only continental country but if Australasia is included, then the highest point is currently being debated between Mount Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea, 4,509 meters (14,794 feet) and Carstensz Pyramid, Indonesia, 4,884 meters (16,023 feet). The lowest point is Lake Eyre, Australia at 16 meters (52 feet) below sea level.

Regions

The regions of Oceania and the countries located within each of them are:

Name of region, followed by countries and their flags[8]	Area (km²)	Population (1 July 2002 estimate)	Population density (per km²)	Capital
Australasia[9]
Australia	7,686,850	21,050,000	2.5	Canberra
Christmas Island (Australia)[10]	135	1493	3.5	Flying Fish Cove
Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australia)[10]	14	632	45.1	West Island
New Zealand[11]	268,680	4,108,037	14.5	Wellington
Norfolk Island (Australia)	35	1,866	53.3	Kingston
Melanesia[12]
East Timor[13]	15,007	947,000	8.0	Dili
Fiji	18,270	856,346	46.9	Suva
Indonesia (Oceanian part only)[14]	499,852	4,211,532	8.4	Jakarta
New Caledonia (France)	19,060	207,858	10.9	Nouméa
Papua New Guinea[15]	462,840	5,172,033	11.2	Port Moresby
Solomon Islands	28,450	494,786	17.4	Honiara
Vanuatu	12,200	196,178	16.1	Port Vila
Micronesia
Federated States of Micronesia	702	135,869	193.5	Palikir
Guam (USA)	549	160,796	292.9	Hagåtña
Kiribati	811	96,335	118.8	South Tarawa
Marshall Islands	181	73,630	406.8	Majuro
Nauru	21	12,329	587.1	Yaren
Northern Mariana Islands (USA)	477	77,311	162.1	Saipan
Palau	458	19,409	42.4	Melekeok[16]
Polynesia[17]
American Samoa (USA)	199	68,688	345.2	Pago Pago, Fagatogo[18]
Cook Islands (NZ)	240	20,811	86.7	Avarua
French Polynesia (France)	4,167	257,847	61.9	Papeete
Niue (NZ)	260	2,134	8.2	Alofi
Pitcairn Islands (UK)	5	47	10	Adamstown
Samoa	2,944	178,631	60.7	Apia
Tokelau (NZ)	10	1,431	143.1	—[19]
Tonga	748	106,137	141.9	Nuku'alofa
Tuvalu	26	11,146	428.7	Funafuti
Wallis and Futuna (France)	274	15,585	56.9	Mata-Utu
Total	9,008,458	35,834,670	4.0
Total minus mainland Australia	1,321,608	14,784,670	11.2

See Also: List of Oceanian countries by population

Political map of Oceania

Interpretative details and controversies

• New Zealand is the western corner of the Polynesian triangle and its indigenous Māori constitute one of the major cultures of Polynesia.
• Hawaii is the northern corner of the Polynesian triangle and is generally included in Oceania, though politically it is part of the United States. The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian member of the Oceanic language family, and Hawaiian culture is one of the major cultures of Polynesia.
• The few U.S. territories in the North Pacific are generally considered part of Oceania.
• Rapa Nui or Easter Island is the eastern corner of the Polynesian triangle, a Polynesian island in the eastern Pacific Ocean, part of the territory of Chile, and is generally included in Oceania, in which case the most easterly place in Polynesia and Oceania, is its dependency Sala y Gómez 415 km to the East.
• On very rare occasions the term may be stretched even further to include other Pacific island groups such as the Aleutian Islands.^{[citation needed]}
• The line in Indonesia dividing Oceania from Asia varies in location and is sometimes considered to be the Wallace Line. See the transcontinental country article.
• East Timor is frequently reckoned as a part of Oceania due to its geographical position to the east of the Wallace Line and its cultural ties to the Pacific people. See transcontinental country.
• Australia is sometimes not included in Oceania, although a term like Pacific Islands would normally be used to describe Oceania without Australia (and New Zealand). The term "Australasia" invariably includes Australia, and usually includes New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and parts of Oceania, but this term is sometimes controversial outside of Australia, as it may be seen as indicating a link with Asia — a separate continent — or as too greatly emphasising Australia. "Austral" means "of, relating to, or coming from the south", and is the common root of both Australia and Australasia.
• Although Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands belong to the Commonwealth of Australia, they are west of Sumatra and commonly associated with Asia.
• The Philippines, an archipelago in the Western Pacific Ocean, is sometimes included in Oceania, due to its Austronesian people, its role as the centre of the former Spanish East Indies, and as a former naval power in the Pacific when it was a territory of the United States from (1898–1946). Except for Palawan all of its larger islands lie to the East of the Wallace line.

Ecogeography

Oceania is one of eight terrestrial ecozones, which constitute the major ecological regions of the planet. The Oceania ecozone includes all of Micronesia, Fiji, and all of Polynesia except New Zealand. New Zealand, along with New Guinea and nearby islands, Australia, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia, constitute the separate Australasia ecozone.

History

Further information: History of Oceania

Sport

Pacific Games

The Pacific Games (formerly known as the South Pacific Games) is a multi-sport event, much like the Olympics, (albeit on a much smaller scale), with participation exclusively from countries around the South Pacific. It is held every four years and began in 1963.

Rugby codes