Portal:Oceania

The Oceania Portal

An orthographic projection of Oceania

Oceania (UK: /ˌoʊ.si.ˈɑː.ni.ə, ˌoʊ.ʃi.-, -ˈeɪ.n-/ OH-s(h)ee-AH-nee-ə, -⁠AY-, US: /ˌoʊ.ʃi.ˈæ.ni.ə, -ˈɑː.n-/ ^ⓘ 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. It is home to Earth’s third-largest remaining area of tropical rainforest, which covers much of the island of New Guinea.

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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Central Business District

Suva (Fijian: [ˈsuβa] ^ⓘ SOO-vuh, Fiji Hindi: सुवा) is the capital and the most populous city of Fiji. It is the center of Fiji's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Division.

In 1877, Fiji's capital was moved to Suva from Levuka, the main European colonial settlement at the time, due to the restrictive geography and environs of the latter. The administration of the colony was transferred from Levuka to Suva in 1882. (Full article...)

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United States Marines rest in the field during the Guadalcanal campaign.

The Guadalcanal campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by the United States, was an Allied offensive against forces of the Empire of Japan in the Solomon Islands during the Pacific Theater of World War II. It was fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943, and involved major land and naval battles on and surrounding the island of Guadalcanal. It was the first major Allied land offensive against Japan during the war.

In summer 1942, the Allies decided to mount major offensives in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands with the objectives of defending sea lines to Australia and eventually attacking the major Japanese base at Rabaul on New Britain. The Guadalcanal operation was under the command of Robert L. Ghormley, reporting to Chester W. Nimitz, while the Japanese defense consisted of the Combined Fleet under Isoroku Yamamoto and the Seventeenth Army under Harukishi Hyakutake. (Full article...)

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

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