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 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...)

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Norfolk Island (/ˈnɔːrfək/, locally /ˈnɔːrfoʊk/; Norfuk: Norf'k Ailen) is an external territory of Australia located in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and New Caledonia, 1,412 kilometres (877 mi) directly east of Australia's Evans Head and about 900 kilometres (560 mi) from Lord Howe Island. Together with the neighbouring Phillip Island and Nepean Island, the three islands collectively form the Territory of Norfolk Island. At the 2021 census, it had 2,188 inhabitants living on a total area of about 35 km² (14 sq mi). Its capital is Kingston.

East Polynesians were the first to settle Norfolk Island, but they had already departed when Great Britain settled it as part of its 1788 colonisation of Australia. The island served as a convict penal settlement from 6 March 1788 until 5 May 1855, except for an 11-year hiatus between 15 February 1814 and 6 June 1825, when it lay abandoned. On 8 June 1856, permanent civilian residence on the island began when descendants of the Bounty mutineers were relocated from Pitcairn Island. In 1914, the UK handed Norfolk Island over to Australia to administer as an external territory. (Full article...)

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Regenvanuga in 2018

Ralph John Regenvanu (born 20 September 1970 in Suva, Fiji) is a Ni-Vanuatu anthropologist, artist and politician. He has been a Member of Parliament since September 2008, was a member of Cabinet for most of the period from December 2010 to January 2012 and then from March 2013 to June 2015, and was the Director of the Vanuatu National Cultural Council from 1995 until December 2010.

He has been a leading figure in Vanuatu's cultural world, primarily as a promoter of cultural knowledge preservation and sustainable development as a researcher, but also, to a lesser extent, as a painter and illustrator. He has represented Vanuatu and its culture in the international sphere, notably through UNESCO. His transition to politics came suddenly in 2008, at a comparatively young age; his successful campaign to be elected to Parliament generated popular and media support. As a Member of Parliament, he sought to publicise his activities and discuss political issues directly with members of the public; he also used his parliamentary allowance to help finance student scholarships and youth business projects. Three months after his election, he was arrested and charged with aiding prisoners who had escaped from gaol. The charges were later dropped. In late 2010, he launched his own political party, shortly before being appointed to Cabinet. (Full article...)

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

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