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 including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Australia is regarded as an island or a continental landmass contained inside of the larger continent of Oceania. 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 including the United States, the 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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The Coral Sea (French: Mer de Corail) is a marginal sea of the South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) down the Australian northeast coast. Most of it is protected by the French Natural Park of the Coral Sea (French: Parc Naturel de la Mer de Corail) and the Australian Coral Sea Marine Park. The sea was the location for the Battle of the Coral Sea, a major confrontation during World War II between the navies of the Empire of Japan, and the United States and Australia.

The sea contains numerous islands and reefs, as well as the world's largest reef system, the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1981. All previous oil exploration projects were terminated at the GBR in 1975, and fishing is restricted in many areas. The reefs and islands of the Coral Sea are particularly rich in birds and aquatic life and are a popular tourist destination, both domestically and internationally. (Full article...)

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The Central Pacific languages
Olive-Green: East Fijian-Polynesian Languages (not shown: Rapa Nui)
Pink: Western Fijian-Rotuman Languages

The Polynesian languages form a genealogical group of languages, itself part of the Oceanic branch of the Austronesian family.

There are 38 Polynesian languages, representing 7 percent of the 522 Oceanic languages, and 3 percent of the Austronesian family. While half of them are spoken in geographical Polynesia (the Polynesian triangle), the other half – known as Polynesian outliers – are spoken in other parts of the Pacific: from Micronesia to atolls scattered in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands or Vanuatu. The most prominent Polynesian languages, by number of speakers, are Samoan, Tongan, Tahitian, Māori and Hawaiian. (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 1Köppen-Geiger climate classification map of Melanesia (from Melanesia)
Image 2Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from Polynesia)
Image 3Image of the Castle Bravo nuclear test, detonated on 1 March 1954, at Bikini Atoll (from Micronesia)
Image 4A pan flute from Solomon Islands, 19th century (from Melanesia)
Image 5Beach scenery at Laura, Majuro, Marshall Islands (from Micronesia)
Image 6Polynesian (Hawaiian) navigators sailing multi-hulled canoe, c. 1781 (from Polynesia)
Image 7Polynesia is generally defined as the islands within the Polynesian Triangle. (from Polynesia)
Image 8Tarawa Atoll (from Micronesia)
Image 9Subregions (Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia and Australasia), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of Oceania (from Micronesia)
Image 10Micronesia is one of three major cultural areas of the Pacific Ocean islands, along with Melanesia and Polynesia. (from Micronesia)
Image 11Cook's Bay on Moorea, French Polynesia (from Polynesia)
Image 12Moai at Ahu Tongariki on Rapa Nui (from Polynesia)
Image 13Map 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 14The Polynesian spread of colonization in the Pacific (from Polynesia)
Image 15Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, Prime Minister of Samoa from 1998 to 2021, who initiated the Polynesian Leaders Group in late 2011. (from Polynesia)
Image 16Aerial view of Solomon Islands (from Melanesia)
Image 17Subregions (Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, and Australasia), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of Oceania (from Polynesia)
Image 18Kili Island is one of the smallest islands in the Marshall Islands. (from Micronesia)
Image 19On February 14, 1779, Capt. James Cook was killed on the island of Hawaii (from Polynesia)
Image 20German trading station at Jaluit Atoll with a Marshallese korkor outrigger canoe in the foreground (from Micronesia)
Image 21Cinder plain of Mount Yasur in Vanuatu (from Melanesia)
Image 22Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from Melanesia)
Image 23Mokoliʻi Isle near Oahu, Hawaii (from Polynesia)
Image 24A common fishing canoe va'a with outrigger in Savaiʻi island, Samoa, 2009 (from Polynesia)
Image 25Australia's concept of Australasia, which includes Australia, New Zealand and, in this case, Melanesia (from Australasia)
Image 26German New Guinea before and after the German-Spanish treaty of 1899 (from Micronesia)
Image 27King Kamehameha I receiving the Russian naval expedition of Otto von Kotzebue. Drawing by Louis Choris in 1816. (from Polynesia)
Image 28Chamorro people in 1915 (from Micronesia)
Image 29Polynesians with outrigger canoes at Waikiki Beach, Oahu Island, early 20th century (from Polynesia)
Image 30Melanesia is one of three major cultural areas of the Pacific Ocean islands, along with Micronesia and Polynesia. (from Melanesia)
Image 31Canoe carving on Nanumea atoll, Tuvalu (from Polynesia)
Image 32Carving from the ridgepole of a Māori house, ca 1840 (from Polynesia)
Image 33Map from 1961 of the US Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, formerly Japan's South Seas Mandate. (from Micronesia)
Image 34The arrival of Abel Tasman in Tongatapu, 1643; drawing by Isaack Gilsemans (from Polynesia)
Image 35Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from Micronesia)
Image 36Languages of Micronesia. (from Micronesia)
Image 37Chronological dispersal of Austronesian peoples across the Indo-Pacific (from Micronesia)
Image 38Grinding stones discovered from archaeology in Samoa (from Polynesia)
Image 39Manila Galleon in the Marianas and Carolinas, c. 1590 Boxer Codex (from Micronesia)
Image 40New Caledonia (from Melanesia)
Image 41Sailors of Melanesia in the Pacific Ocean, 1846 (from Melanesia)
Image 42Chronological dispersal of Austronesian peoples across the Indo-Pacific (from Melanesia)
Image 43A Melanesian child from Vanuatu (from Melanesia)
Image 44A depiction of a royal heiau (Hawaiian temple) at Kealakekua Bay, c. 1816 (from Polynesia)
Image 45Māori war canoe drawn after James Cook's voyage to New Zealand. (from Polynesia)
Image 46An 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 47Mount Marpi in Saipan. (from Micronesia)
Image 48Polynesia is one of three major cultural areas of the Pacific Ocean islands, along with Melanesia and Micronesia. (from Polynesia)
Image 49Map of Melanesia, showing its location within Oceania (from Melanesia)
Image 50Spinner dolphins (from Micronesia)
Image 51Painting of Tahitian Women on the Beach by Paul Gauguin—Musée d'Orsay (from Polynesia)