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 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 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... )
Hawaii ( hə-WY -ee ; Hawaiian : Hawaiʻi [ həˈvɐjʔi, həˈwɐjʔi] ) is an island state of the United States , in the Pacific Ocean about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) southwest of the U.S. mainland. It is the only state not on the North American mainland, the only state that is an archipelago , and the only state in the tropics .
Hawaii consists of 137
volcanic islands that comprise almost the entire
Hawaiian archipelago (the exception, which is outside the state, is
Midway Atoll ). Spanning 1,500 miles (2,400
km), the state is
physiographically and
ethnologically part of the
Polynesian subregion of Oceania. Hawaii's ocean coastline is consequently the
fourth-longest in the U.S. , at about 750 miles (1,210
km). The eight main islands, from northwest to southeast, are
Niʻihau ,
Kauaʻi ,
Oʻahu ,
Molokaʻi ,
Lānaʻi ,
Kahoʻolawe ,
Maui , and
Hawaiʻi , after which the state is named; the latter is often called the "Big Island" or "Hawaii Island" to avoid confusion with the state or archipelago. The uninhabited
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands make up most of the
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument , the
largest protected area in the U.S. and the
fourth-largest in the world. (
Full article... )
List of geographic articles
A 25-pounder of the 2/1st Field Regiment is unloaded from a
Dakota on the airfield at Wau. The gun was assembled and fired at Japanese positions around Wau later that day.
The
Battle of Wau , 29 January – 4 February 1943, was a battle in the
New Guinea campaign of
World War II . Forces of the
Empire of Japan sailed from
Rabaul and crossed the
Solomon Sea and, despite Allied air attacks, successfully reached
Lae , where they disembarked. Japanese troops then advanced overland on
Wau , an Australian base that potentially threatened the Japanese positions at
Salamaua and Lae. A race developed between the Japanese moving overland, hampered by the terrain, and the Australians, moving by air, hampered by the weather. By the time the Japanese reached the Wau area after a trek over the mountains, the Australian defenders had been greatly reinforced by air. In the battle that followed, despite achieving tactical surprise by approaching from an unexpected direction, the Japanese attackers were unable to capture Wau. (
Full article... )
List of selected articles
The following are images from various Oceania-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1 Beach scenery at
Laura ,
Majuro , Marshall Islands (from
Micronesia )
Image 3 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Micronesia )
Image 4 Cinder plain of
Mount Yasur in
Vanuatu (from
Melanesia )
Image 5 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 6 Sailors of Melanesia in the
Pacific Ocean , 1846 (from
Melanesia )
Image 7 A common fishing canoe
va'a with outrigger in
Savaiʻi island,
Samoa , 2009 (from
Polynesia )
Image 8 Subregions (
Melanesia ,
Micronesia ,
Polynesia and
Australasia ), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of
Oceania (from
Micronesia )
Image 9 Moai at Ahu Tongariki on
Rapa Nui (from
Polynesia )
Image 10 Chamorro people in 1915 (from
Micronesia )
Image 12 Australia's concept of Australasia, which includes Australia, New Zealand and, in this case,
Melanesia (from
Australasia )
Image 14 On February 14, 1779, Capt.
James Cook was killed on the island of Hawaii (from
Polynesia )
Image 15 King
Kamehameha I receiving the Russian naval expedition of
Otto von Kotzebue . Drawing by
Louis Choris in 1816. (from
Polynesia )
Image 16 The arrival of
Abel Tasman in
Tongatapu , 1643; drawing by
Isaack Gilsemans (from
Polynesia )
Image 19 Canoe carving on
Nanumea atoll, Tuvalu (from
Polynesia )
Image 20 A pan flute from
Solomon Islands , 19th century (from
Melanesia )
Image 21 Grinding stones discovered from
archaeology in Samoa (from
Polynesia )
Image 22 Mokoliʻi Isle near
Oahu ,
Hawaii (from
Polynesia )
Image 23 Chronological dispersal of
Austronesian peoples across the
Indo-Pacific (from
Micronesia )
Image 24 Cook's Bay on
Moorea ,
French Polynesia (from
Polynesia )
Image 25 Aerial view of
Solomon Islands (from
Melanesia )
Image 26 Subregions (
Melanesia ,
Micronesia , Polynesia, and
Australasia ), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of
Oceania (from
Polynesia )
Image 27 German trading station at
Jaluit Atoll with a Marshallese
korkor outrigger canoe in the foreground (from
Micronesia )
Image 28 Chronological dispersal of
Austronesian peoples across the
Indo-Pacific (from
Melanesia )
Image 29 Kili Island is one of the smallest islands in the
Marshall Islands . (from
Micronesia )
Image 30 Mount Marpi in
Saipan . (from
Micronesia )
Image 31 Languages of Micronesia. (from
Micronesia )
Image 32 Map of Melanesia, showing its location within Oceania (from
Melanesia )
Image 33 Melanesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Micronesia and
Polynesia . (from
Melanesia )
Image 34 Painting of
Tahitian Women on the Beach by
Paul Gauguin —
Musée d'Orsay (from
Polynesia )
Image 35 Polynesia is generally defined as the islands within the
Polynesian Triangle . (from
Polynesia )
Image 36 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 38 Carving from the ridgepole of a
Māori house, ca 1840 (from
Polynesia )
Image 39 Image of the
Castle Bravo nuclear test, detonated on 1 March 1954, at
Bikini Atoll (from
Micronesia )
Image 40 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Melanesia )
Image 41 Māori
war canoe drawn after
James Cook 's voyage to New Zealand. (from
Polynesia )
Image 42 A depiction of a royal
heiau (Hawaiian temple) at
Kealakekua Bay , c. 1816 (from
Polynesia )
Image 44 German New Guinea before and after the German-Spanish treaty of 1899 (from
Micronesia )
Image 45 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Polynesia )
Image 46 A
Melanesian child from
Vanuatu (from
Melanesia )
Image 47 The Polynesian spread of colonization in the Pacific (from
Polynesia )
Image 48 Polynesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Melanesia and
Micronesia . (from
Polynesia )
Image 49 Polynesian (Hawaiian) navigators sailing multi-hulled
canoe , c. 1781 (from
Polynesia )
Image 51 Polynesians with
outrigger canoes at
Waikiki Beach ,
Oahu Island , early 20th century (from
Polynesia )
Image 52 Micronesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Melanesia and
Polynesia . (from
Micronesia )
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