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... )
Yap (
Yapese :
Waqab , sometimes written as
Wa'ab ,
Waab or
Waqaab ) traditionally refers to an island group located in the
Caroline Islands of the western
Pacific Ocean , a part of
Yap State . The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to
the state within the
Federated States of Micronesia , inclusive of the Yap Main Islands and its various outer islands, the Yap Neighboring Islands. For specifying the island group, the name
Yap Main Islands is most exact. (
Full article... )
List of geographic articles
Typhoon Isa at peak intensity on April 20
Typhoon Isa was the first of a record eleven super typhoons to occur during the 1997 Pacific typhoon season . The second tropical cyclone of the season, Isa developed from a disturbance in the monsoon trough near the Caroline Islands on April 12. It moved erratically at first, though after attaining tropical storm status it curved westward due to the subtropical ridge to its north. Isa very gradually intensified, and on April 20 the typhoon reached peak 1-min winds of 270 km/h (170 mph), as reported by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center ; Japan Meteorological Agency reported maximum 10-min winds of 155 km/h (95 mph). After turning northward, it accelerated to the northeast, and merged with a larger extratropical cyclone on April 24.
Early in its duration, Isa caused light rainfall and moderate winds on
Pohnpei . Later, a stationary
rainband from the typhoon dropped heavy precipitation on
Guam during its dry season. Damage in the
Guam National Weather Service area of responsibility totaled $1 million (1997 USD$, 1.9 million 2024 USD), the majority of it from crop damage. No deaths were reported. (
Full article... )
List of selected articles
The following are images from various Oceania-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1 The arrival of
Abel Tasman in
Tongatapu , 1643; drawing by
Isaack Gilsemans (from
Polynesia )
Image 2 Micronesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Melanesia and
Polynesia . (from
Micronesia )
Image 3 German New Guinea before and after the German-Spanish treaty of 1899 (from
Micronesia )
Image 4 Moai at Ahu Tongariki on
Rapa Nui (from
Polynesia )
Image 5 Polynesia is generally defined as the islands within the
Polynesian Triangle . (from
Polynesia )
Image 6 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 7 Māori
war canoe drawn after
James Cook 's voyage to New Zealand. (from
Polynesia )
Image 8 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Polynesia )
Image 9 Canoe carving on
Nanumea atoll, Tuvalu (from
Polynesia )
Image 10 Melanesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Micronesia and
Polynesia . (from
Melanesia )
Image 12 Polynesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Melanesia and
Micronesia . (from
Polynesia )
Image 13 Carving from the ridgepole of a
Māori house, ca 1840 (from
Polynesia )
Image 14 Kili Island is one of the smallest islands in the
Marshall Islands . (from
Micronesia )
Image 15 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 16 Beach scenery at
Laura ,
Majuro , Marshall Islands (from
Micronesia )
Image 17 Languages of Micronesia. (from
Micronesia )
Image 18 Australia's concept of Australasia, which includes Australia, New Zealand and, in this case,
Melanesia (from
Australasia )
Image 19 Chamorro people in 1915 (from
Micronesia )
Image 20 Image of the
Castle Bravo nuclear test, detonated on 1 March 1954, at
Bikini Atoll (from
Micronesia )
Image 21 Sailors of Melanesia in the
Pacific Ocean , 1846 (from
Melanesia )
Image 22 On February 14, 1779, Capt.
James Cook was killed on the island of Hawaii (from
Polynesia )
Image 23 A depiction of a royal
heiau (Hawaiian temple) at
Kealakekua Bay , c. 1816 (from
Polynesia )
Image 26 Painting of
Tahitian Women on the Beach by
Paul Gauguin —
Musée d'Orsay (from
Polynesia )
Image 27 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Micronesia )
Image 28 Grinding stones discovered from
archaeology in Samoa (from
Polynesia )
Image 30 King
Kamehameha I receiving the Russian naval expedition of
Otto von Kotzebue . Drawing by
Louis Choris in 1816. (from
Polynesia )
Image 32 Aerial view of
Solomon Islands (from
Melanesia )
Image 33 Chronological dispersal of
Austronesian peoples across the
Indo-Pacific (from
Micronesia )
Image 34 The Polynesian spread of colonization in the Pacific (from
Polynesia )
Image 35 A pan flute from
Solomon Islands , 19th century (from
Melanesia )
Image 36 German trading station at
Jaluit Atoll with a Marshallese
korkor outrigger canoe in the foreground (from
Micronesia )
Image 37 Cinder plain of
Mount Yasur in
Vanuatu (from
Melanesia )
Image 38 Mokoliʻi Isle near
Oahu ,
Hawaii (from
Polynesia )
Image 39 Subregions (
Melanesia ,
Micronesia , Polynesia, and
Australasia ), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of
Oceania (from
Polynesia )
Image 40 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Melanesia )
Image 41 Cook's Bay on
Moorea ,
French Polynesia (from
Polynesia )
Image 42 A common fishing canoe
va'a with outrigger in
Savaiʻi island,
Samoa , 2009 (from
Polynesia )
Image 43 Subregions (
Melanesia ,
Micronesia ,
Polynesia and
Australasia ), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of
Oceania (from
Micronesia )
Image 44 A
Melanesian child from
Vanuatu (from
Melanesia )
Image 45 Polynesians with
outrigger canoes at
Waikiki Beach ,
Oahu Island , early 20th century (from
Polynesia )
Image 46 Chronological dispersal of
Austronesian peoples across the
Indo-Pacific (from
Melanesia )
Image 47 Polynesian (Hawaiian) navigators sailing multi-hulled
canoe , c. 1781 (from
Polynesia )
Image 48 Map of Melanesia, showing its location within Oceania (from
Melanesia )
Image 49 Mount Marpi in
Saipan . (from
Micronesia )
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
Category puzzle
Select [►] to view subcategories
Here are some tasks awaiting attention:
Wikipedia in other languages used in Oceania:
Purge server cache