The Oceania Portal
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 . It is sometimes used interchangably with the Australia (continent) , although few key differences exist.
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... )
Palmyra Atoll visitor access map
Palmyra Atoll (), also referred to as Palmyra Island , is one of the Northern Line Islands (southeast of Kingman Reef and north of Kiribati ). It is located almost due south of the Hawaiian Islands , roughly one-third of the way between Hawaii and American Samoa . North America is about 3,300 miles (5,300 kilometers ) northeast and New Zealand the same distance southwest, placing the atoll at the approximate center of the Pacific Ocean . The land area is 4.6 sq mi (12 km2 ), with about 9 miles (14 km) of sea-facing coastline and reef. There is one boat anchorage , known as West Lagoon, accessible from the sea by a narrow artificial channel and an old airstrip; during WW2 it was turned into Naval Air Station for several years and used for training and refueling. It was shelled by a submarine in December 1941, but was not the site of a major battle.
It is the second northernmost of the Line Islands and one of three American islands in the archipelago, along with
Jarvis Island and
Kingman Reef . Palmyra Atoll is part of the
Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument , the world's largest
marine protected area . The
atoll comprises submerged sand flats along with dry land and
reefs . It comprises three
lagoons separated by
coral reefs . The western reef terrace is one of the biggest shelf-reefs, with dimensions of 2 by 3 miles (3.2 by 4.8 km). Over 150 species of
coral inhabit Palmyra Atoll, double the number recorded in
Hawaii . (
Full article... )
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The Pacific War , sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theater , was the theater of World War II that was fought in eastern Asia, the Pacific Ocean , the Indian Ocean , and Oceania . It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast Pacific Ocean theater , the South West Pacific theater , the Second Sino-Japanese War , and the Soviet–Japanese War .
The Second Sino-Japanese War between the
Empire of Japan and the
Republic of China had been in progress since 7 July 1937, with hostilities dating back to 1931 with the
Japanese invasion of Manchuria . However, it is more widely accepted that the Pacific War itself began on 7 December (8 December Japanese time) 1941, when the Japanese simultaneously attacked American military bases in
Hawaii ,
Wake Island ,
Guam , and
the Philippines and
invaded Thailand and the British colonies of
Malaya ,
Singapore , and
Hong Kong . (
Full article... )
List of selected articles
The following are images from various Oceania-related articles on Wikipedia.
Image 1 Chamorro people in 1915 (from
Micronesia )
Image 2 Māori
war canoe drawn after
James Cook 's voyage to New Zealand. (from
Polynesia )
Image 3 A common fishing canoe
va'a with outrigger in
Savaiʻi island,
Samoa , 2009 (from
Polynesia )
Image 4 Polynesia is generally defined as the islands within the
Polynesian Triangle . (from
Polynesia )
Image 5 German New Guinea before and after the German-Spanish treaty of 1899 (from
Micronesia )
Image 6 Map of Melanesia, showing its location within Oceania (from
Melanesia )
Image 7 Aerial view of
Solomon Islands (from
Melanesia )
Image 9 Melanesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Micronesia and
Polynesia . (from
Melanesia )
Image 10 Painting of
Tahitian Women on the Beach by
Paul Gauguin —
Musée d'Orsay (from
Polynesia )
Image 11 Carving from the ridgepole of a
Māori house, ca 1840 (from
Polynesia )
Image 12 Kili Island is one of the smallest islands in the
Marshall Islands . (from
Micronesia )
Image 13 Cinder plain of
Mount Yasur in
Vanuatu (from
Melanesia )
Image 14 Image of the
Castle Bravo nuclear test, detonated on 1 March 1954, at
Bikini Atoll (from
Micronesia )
Image 16 The arrival of
Abel Tasman in
Tongatapu , 1643; drawing by
Isaack Gilsemans (from
Polynesia )
Image 17 Chronological dispersal of
Austronesian peoples across the
Indo-Pacific (from
Melanesia )
Image 18 Mount Marpi in
Saipan . (from
Micronesia )
Image 19 Subregions (
Melanesia ,
Micronesia ,
Polynesia and
Australasia ), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of
Oceania (from
Micronesia )
Image 20 Beach scenery at
Laura ,
Majuro , Marshall Islands (from
Micronesia )
Image 21 German trading station at
Jaluit Atoll with a Marshallese
korkor outrigger canoe in the foreground (from
Micronesia )
Image 22 Polynesian (Hawaiian) navigators sailing multi-hulled
canoe , c. 1781 (from
Polynesia )
Image 23 Cook's Bay on
Moorea ,
French Polynesia (from
Polynesia )
Image 24 Sailors of Melanesia in the
Pacific Ocean , 1846 (from
Melanesia )
Image 25 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Melanesia )
Image 27 Moai at Ahu Tongariki on
Rapa Nui (from
Polynesia )
Image 29 A pan flute from
Solomon Islands , 19th century (from
Melanesia )
Image 30 Canoe carving on
Nanumea atoll, Tuvalu (from
Polynesia )
Image 31 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 32 Subregions (
Melanesia ,
Micronesia , Polynesia, and
Australasia ), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of
Oceania (from
Polynesia )
Image 33 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 34 Chronological dispersal of
Austronesian peoples across the
Indo-Pacific (from
Micronesia )
Image 35 Grinding stones discovered from
archaeology in Samoa (from
Polynesia )
Image 36 On February 14, 1779, Capt.
James Cook was killed on the island of Hawaii (from
Polynesia )
Image 37 A
Melanesian child from
Vanuatu (from
Melanesia )
Image 39 Mokoliʻi Isle near
Oahu ,
Hawaii (from
Polynesia )
Image 41 Languages of Micronesia. (from
Micronesia )
Image 42 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Polynesia )
Image 43 Polynesians with
outrigger canoes at
Waikiki Beach ,
Oahu Island , early 20th century (from
Polynesia )
Image 45 Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from
Micronesia )
Image 46 Australia's concept of Australasia, which includes Australia, New Zealand and, in this case,
Melanesia (from
Australasia )
Image 47 A depiction of a royal
heiau (Hawaiian temple) at
Kealakekua Bay , c. 1816 (from
Polynesia )
Image 48 Micronesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Melanesia and
Polynesia . (from
Micronesia )
Image 49 The Polynesian spread of colonization in the Pacific (from
Polynesia )
Image 51 King
Kamehameha I receiving the Russian naval expedition of
Otto von Kotzebue . Drawing by
Louis Choris in 1816. (from
Polynesia )
Image 52 Polynesia is one of three major cultural areas of the
Pacific Ocean islands , along with
Melanesia and
Micronesia . (from
Polynesia )
Topics
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
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