Portal:Oceania

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The Oceania Portal

An orthographic projection of Oceania

Oceania (UK: /ˌoʊsiˈɑːniə, ˌoʊʃi-, -ˈeɪn-/ OH-s(h)ee-AH-nee-ə, -⁠AY-, US: /ˌoʊʃiˈæniə, -ˈɑːn-/ ^ⓘ 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...)

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Nauru (/nɑːˈuːruː/ nah-OO-roo or /ˈnaʊruː/ NOW-roo; Nauruan: Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru (Nauruan: Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Micronesia, part of Oceania in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba of Kiribati, about 300 km (190 mi) to the east.

It lies northwest of Tuvalu, 1,300 km (810 mi) northeast of the Solomon Islands, east-northeast of Papua New Guinea, southeast of the Federated States of Micronesia and south of the Marshall Islands. With an area of only 21 km² (8.1 sq mi), Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world, larger than only Vatican City and Monaco, making it the smallest republic and island nation, as well the smallest member state of the Commonwealth of Nations by area. Its population of about 10,800 is the world's third-smallest (not including colonies or overseas territories) larger than only Vatican City and Tuvalu. (Full article...)

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Chamorro performers at the Pacific Islander Festival Association in San Diego, 2010

The Chamorro people (/tʃɑːˈmɔːroʊ, tʃə-/; also CHamoru) are the Indigenous people of the Mariana Islands, politically divided between the United States territory of Guam and the encompassing Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Micronesia, a commonwealth of the US. Today, significant Chamorro populations also exist in several U.S. states, including Hawaii, California, Washington, Texas, Tennessee, Oregon, and Nevada, all of which together are designated as Pacific Islander Americans according to the U.S. Census. According to the 2000 Census, about 64,590 people of Chamorro ancestry live in Guam and another 19,000 live in the Northern Marianas. (Full article...)

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... that Michaela Foster, a New Zealand footballer playing in the 2023 World Cup, is known for her mana?

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The following are images from various Oceania-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Chronological dispersal of Austronesian peoples across the Indo-Pacific (from Micronesia)
Image 2Grinding stones discovered from archaeology in Samoa (from Polynesia)
Image 3Spinner dolphins (from Micronesia)
Image 4A Melanesian child from Vanuatu (from Melanesia)
Image 5Beach scenery at Laura, Majuro, Marshall Islands (from Micronesia)
Image 6Polynesia is generally defined as the islands within the Polynesian Triangle. (from Polynesia)
Image 7Polynesian (Hawaiian) navigators sailing multi-hulled canoe, c. 1781 (from Polynesia)
Image 8Map from 1961 of the US Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, formerly Japan's South Seas Mandate. (from Micronesia)
Image 9King Kamehameha I receiving the Russian naval expedition of Otto von Kotzebue. Drawing by Louis Choris in 1816. (from Polynesia)
Image 10Köppen-Geiger climate classification map of Melanesia (from Melanesia)
Image 11Kili Island is one of the smallest islands in the Marshall Islands. (from Micronesia)
Image 12Manila Galleon in the Marianas and Carolinas, c. 1590 Boxer Codex (from Micronesia)
Image 13Cook's Bay on Moorea, French Polynesia (from Polynesia)
Image 14Subregions (Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia and Australasia), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of Oceania (from Micronesia)
Image 15Map of Melanesia, showing its location within Oceania (from Melanesia)
Image 16German trading station at Jaluit Atoll with a Marshallese korkor outrigger canoe in the foreground (from Micronesia)
Image 17New Caledonia (from Melanesia)
Image 18Polynesia is one of three major cultural areas of the Pacific Ocean islands, along with Melanesia and Micronesia. (from Polynesia)
Image 19The Polynesian spread of colonization in the Pacific (from Polynesia)
Image 20Map 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 21Canoe carving on Nanumea atoll, Tuvalu (from Polynesia)
Image 22Melanesia is one of three major cultural areas of the Pacific Ocean islands, along with Micronesia and Polynesia. (from Melanesia)
Image 23Moai at Ahu Tongariki on Rapa Nui (from Polynesia)
Image 24Image of the Castle Bravo nuclear test, detonated on 1 March 1954, at Bikini Atoll (from Micronesia)
Image 25An 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 26The arrival of Abel Tasman in Tongatapu, 1643; drawing by Isaack Gilsemans (from Polynesia)
Image 27Mokoliʻi Isle near Oahu, Hawaii (from Polynesia)
Image 28Mount Tavurvur in Papua New Guinea (from Melanesia)
Image 29A pan flute from Solomon Islands, 19th century (from Melanesia)
Image 30Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, Prime Minister of Samoa from 1998 to 2021, who initiated the Polynesian Leaders Group in late 2011. (from Polynesia)
Image 31A depiction of a royal heiau (Hawaiian temple) at Kealakekua Bay, c. 1816 (from Polynesia)
Image 32Aerial view of Solomon Islands (from Melanesia)
Image 33A common fishing canoe va'a with outrigger in Savaiʻi island, Samoa, 2009 (from Polynesia)
Image 34Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from Micronesia)
Image 35Mount Marpi in Saipan. (from Micronesia)
Image 36Australia's concept of Australasia, which includes Australia, New Zealand and, in this case, Melanesia (from Australasia)
Image 37Polynesians with outrigger canoes at Waikiki Beach, Oahu Island, early 20th century (from Polynesia)
Image 38Māori war canoe drawn after James Cook's voyage to New Zealand. (from Polynesia)
Image 39Subregions (Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, and Australasia), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of Oceania (from Polynesia)
Image 40Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from Melanesia)
Image 41Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from Polynesia)
Image 42Chamorro people in 1915 (from Micronesia)
Image 43Sailors of Melanesia in the Pacific Ocean, 1846 (from Melanesia)
Image 44Painting of Tahitian Women on the Beach by Paul Gauguin—Musée d'Orsay (from Polynesia)
Image 45Languages of Micronesia. (from Micronesia)
Image 46German New Guinea before and after the German-Spanish treaty of 1899 (from Micronesia)
Image 47Carving from the ridgepole of a Māori house, ca 1840 (from Polynesia)
Image 48Chronological dispersal of Austronesian peoples across the Indo-Pacific (from Melanesia)
Image 49Cinder plain of Mount Yasur in Vanuatu (from Melanesia)
Image 50Tarawa Atoll (from Micronesia)
Image 51On February 14, 1779, Capt. James Cook was killed on the island of Hawaii (from Polynesia)
Image 52Micronesia is one of three major cultural areas of the Pacific Ocean islands, along with Melanesia and Polynesia. (from Micronesia)