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. 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...)

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French Polynesia (/ˌpɒlɪˈniːʒə/ ^ⓘ POL-ih-NEE-zhə; French: Polynésie française [pɔlinezi fʁɑ̃sɛːz] ^ⓘ; Tahitian: Pōrīnetia Farāni) is an overseas collectivity of France and its sole overseas country. It comprises 121 geographically dispersed islands and atolls stretching over more than 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) in the South Pacific Ocean. The total land area of French Polynesia is 3,521 square kilometres (1,359 sq mi), with a population of 278,786 (Aug. 2022 census) of which at least 205,000 live in the Society Islands and the remaining population lives in the rest of the archipelago.

French Polynesia is divided into five island groups: the Austral Islands; the Gambier Islands; the Marquesas Islands; the Society Islands (comprising the Leeward and Windward Islands); and the Tuamotus. Among its 121 islands and atolls, 75 were inhabited at the 2017 census. Tahiti, which is in the Society Islands group, is the most populous island, being home to nearly 69% of the population of French Polynesia as of 2017. Papeete, located on Tahiti, is the capital of French Polynesia. Although not an integral part of its territory, Clipperton Island was administered from French Polynesia until 2007. (Full article...)

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The 13th South Pacific Games (Samoan: Taʻaloga Lona-Sefulu-Tolu a le Pasefika i Saute), also known as Apia 2007, were held from 25 August to 8 September 2007 in Apia, Samoa. The Games were the thirteenth to be held since the inception of the South Pacific Games in 1963, and included traditional multi-sport event disciplines, such as athletics and swimming, alongside region-specific and smaller events such as outrigger canoeing, surfing and lawn bowls.

The principal venue for the Games was Apia Park, with other events taking place at the Faleata Sporting Complex and at other locations around Samoa. The cost of the games was reported to be US$92 million and resulted in significant government debt for Samoa due to infrastructure projects which included replacement bridges and roads. (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 1Cinder plain of Mount Yasur in Vanuatu (from Melanesia)
Image 2Polynesia is generally defined as the islands within the Polynesian Triangle. (from Polynesia)
Image 3Map of Melanesia, showing its location within Oceania (from Melanesia)
Image 4On February 14, 1779, Capt. James Cook was killed on the island of Hawaii. (from Polynesia)
Image 5Māori war canoe (waka) drawn after James Cook's voyage to New Zealand. (from Polynesia)
Image 6Köppen-Geiger climate classification map of Melanesia (from Melanesia)
Image 7Tarawa Atoll (from Micronesia)
Image 8Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from Micronesia)
Image 9The Polynesian spread of colonization in the Pacific (from Polynesia)
Image 10Beach scenery at Laura, Majuro, Marshall Islands (from Micronesia)
Image 11Outline of sovereign (orange) and dependent islands (yellow) (from Melanesia)
Image 12King Kamehameha I receiving the Russian naval expedition of Otto von Kotzebue. Drawing by Louis Choris in 1816. (from Polynesia)
Image 13Polynesian (Hawaiian) navigators sailing multi-hulled canoe, c. 1781 (from Polynesia)
Image 14Australia's concept of Australasia, which includes Australia, New Zealand and, in this case, Melanesia (from Australasia)
Image 15Kili Island is one of the smallest islands in the Marshall Islands. (from Micronesia)
Image 16Languages of Micronesia. (from Micronesia)
Image 17Melanesia is one of three major cultural areas of the Pacific Ocean islands, along with Micronesia and Polynesia. (from Melanesia)
Image 18German trading station at Jaluit Atoll with a Marshallese korkor outrigger canoe in the foreground (from Micronesia)
Image 19An 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 20Chronological dispersal of Austronesian peoples across the Indo-Pacific (from Micronesia)
Image 21Carving from the ridgepole of a Māori house, ca 1840 (from Polynesia)
Image 22Mokoliʻi Isle near Oahu, Hawaii (from Polynesia)
Image 23Polynesia is one of three major cultural areas of the Pacific Ocean islands, along with Melanesia and Micronesia. (from Polynesia)
Image 24German New Guinea before and after the German-Spanish treaty of 1899 (from Micronesia)
Image 25Map 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 26Subregions (Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, and Australasia), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of Oceania (from Polynesia)
Image 27Painting of Tahitian Women on the Beach by Paul Gauguin—Musée d'Orsay (from Polynesia)
Image 28Moai at Ahu Tongariki on Rapa Nui (from Polynesia)
Image 29Cook's Bay on Moorea, French Polynesia (from Polynesia)
Image 30A Melanesian child from Vanuatu (from Melanesia)
Image 31A common fishing canoe va'a with outrigger in Savaiʻi island, Samoa, 2009 (from Polynesia)
Image 32Chamorro people in 1915 (from Micronesia)
Image 33Mount Marpi in Saipan. (from Micronesia)
Image 34Aerial view of Solomon Islands (from Melanesia)
Image 35Image of the Castle Bravo nuclear test, detonated on 1 March 1954, at Bikini Atoll (from Micronesia)
Image 36Sailors of Melanesia in the Pacific Ocean, 1846 (from Melanesia)
Image 37Map from 1961 of the US Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, formerly Japan's South Seas Mandate. (from Micronesia)
Image 38The arrival of Abel Tasman in Tongatapu, 1643; drawing by Isaack Gilsemans (from Polynesia)
Image 39Chronological dispersal of Austronesian peoples across the Indo-Pacific (from Melanesia)
Image 40Canoe carving on Nanumea atoll, Tuvalu (from Polynesia)
Image 41A depiction of a royal heiau (Hawaiian temple) at Kealakekua Bay, c. 1816 (from Polynesia)
Image 42A pan flute from Solomon Islands, 19th century (from Melanesia)
Image 43Polynesians with outrigger canoes at Waikiki Beach, Oahu Island, early 20th century (from Polynesia)
Image 44Spinner dolphins (from Micronesia)
Image 45Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from Polynesia)
Image 46New Caledonia (from Melanesia)
Image 47Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, Prime Minister of Samoa from 1998 to 2021, who initiated the Polynesian Leaders Group in late 2011. (from Polynesia)
Image 48Micronesia is one of three major cultural areas of the Pacific Ocean islands, along with Melanesia and Polynesia. (from Micronesia)
Image 49Subregions (Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia and Australasia), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of Oceania (from Micronesia)
Image 50Manila Galleon in the Marianas and Carolinas, c. 1590 Boxer Codex (from Micronesia)
Image 51Grinding stones discovered from archaeology in Samoa (from Polynesia)