Portal:Oceania

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 Mainland Australia is regarded as its continental landmass. 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 46.3 million as of 2024. Oceania is the smallest continent 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. The largest and most populous country in Oceania is Australia, and the largest city is Sydney. Puncak Jaya in Indonesia is the highest peak in Oceania at 4,884 m (16,024 ft).

The rock art of Aboriginal Australians is the longest continuously practiced artistic tradition in the world. Most Oceanian countries are parliamentary democracies, with tourism serving as a large source of income for the Pacific island nations. (Full article...)

Selected geographic article -

NASA satellite image of Rarotonga

Rarotonga is the largest and most populous island of the country of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of 67.39 km² (26.02 sq mi), and is home to 72% of the country's population, with 10,898 of a total population of 15,040. The chief town, Avarua, on the north coast, is the location of the Parliament buildings and the capital of the Cook Islands. The country's international airport is also in Avarua, and Rarotonga is a popular tourist destination, with many resorts, hotels and motels.

Captain John Dibbs, master of the colonial brig Endeavour, is credited as the European discoverer on 25 July 1823, while transporting the missionary Reverend John Williams. (Full article...)

List of geographic articles

Related portals

Selected article -

The Polynesian Leaders Group (PLG) is an international governmental cooperation group bringing together four independent countries and eight self-governing territories in Polynesia.

The idea of a Polynesian regional grouping had been discussed for several years, notably in response to the Melanesian Spearhead Group, a regional grouping for countries in Melanesia. In September 2011, Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi initiated a meeting with the leaders of Tonga, Tuvalu, the Cook Islands and Niue on the margins of the Pacific Islands Forum summit in Auckland. These initial talks led to a second meeting in Apia which, on 17 November, led to a memorandum of understanding formally establishing the Polynesian Leaders Group (PLG). (Full article...)

List of selected articles

Did you know -

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

General images -

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

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