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 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.

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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The Indonesian occupation of East Timor began in December 1975 and lasted until October 1999. After centuries of Portuguese colonial rule in East Timor, the 1974 Carnation Revolution in Portugal led to the decolonisation of its former colonies, creating instability in East Timor and leaving its future uncertain. After a small-scale civil war, the pro-independence Fretilin declared victory in the capital city of Dili and declared an independent East Timor on 28 November 1975.

Following the "Balibo Declaration" that was signed by representatives of Apodeti, UDT, KOTA and the Trabalhista Party on 30 November 1975, Indonesian military forces invaded East Timor on 7 December 1975, and by 1979 they had all but destroyed the armed resistance to the occupation. On 17 July 1976, Indonesia formally annexed East Timor as its 27th province and declared the province of Timor Timur. (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 1Sailors of Melanesia in the Pacific Ocean, 1846 (from Melanesia)
Image 2Subregions (Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, and Australasia), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of Oceania (from Polynesia)
Image 3Map of Melanesia, showing its location within Oceania (from Melanesia)
Image 4Köppen-Geiger climate classification map of Melanesia (from Melanesia)
Image 5Chronological dispersal of Austronesian peoples across the Indo-Pacific (from Micronesia)
Image 6The Polynesian spread of colonization in the Pacific (from Polynesia)
Image 7Map 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 8Micronesia is one of three major cultural areas of the Pacific Ocean islands, along with Melanesia and Polynesia. (from Micronesia)
Image 9Painting of Tahitian Women on the Beach by Paul Gauguin—Musée d'Orsay (from Polynesia)
Image 10King Kamehameha I receiving the Russian naval expedition of Otto von Kotzebue. Drawing by Louis Choris in 1816. (from Polynesia)
Image 11Languages of Micronesia. (from Micronesia)
Image 12The arrival of Abel Tasman in Tongatapu, 1643; drawing by Isaack Gilsemans (from Polynesia)
Image 13Australia's concept of Australasia, which includes Australia, New Zealand and, in this case, Melanesia (from Australasia)
Image 14A Melanesian child from Vanuatu (from Melanesia)
Image 15Grinding stones discovered from archaeology in Samoa (from Polynesia)
Image 16Spinner dolphins (from Micronesia)
Image 17New Caledonia (from Melanesia)
Image 18Polynesia is one of three major cultural areas of the Pacific Ocean islands, along with Melanesia and Micronesia. (from Polynesia)
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 20Moai at Ahu Tongariki on Rapa Nui (from Polynesia)
Image 21On February 14, 1779, Capt. James Cook was killed on the island of Hawaii (from Polynesia)
Image 22Melanesia is one of three major cultural areas of the Pacific Ocean islands, along with Micronesia and Polynesia. (from Melanesia)
Image 23Image of the Castle Bravo nuclear test, detonated on 1 March 1954, at Bikini Atoll (from Micronesia)
Image 24Carving from the ridgepole of a Māori house, ca 1840 (from Polynesia)
Image 25German New Guinea before and after the German-Spanish treaty of 1899 (from Micronesia)
Image 26German trading station at Jaluit Atoll with a Marshallese korkor outrigger canoe in the foreground (from Micronesia)
Image 27Chronological dispersal of Austronesian peoples across the Indo-Pacific (from Melanesia)
Image 28A pan flute from Solomon Islands, 19th century (from Melanesia)
Image 29Beach scenery at Laura, Majuro, Marshall Islands (from Micronesia)
Image 30Cook's Bay on Moorea, French Polynesia (from Polynesia)
Image 31Aerial view of Solomon Islands (from Melanesia)
Image 32Canoe carving on Nanumea atoll, Tuvalu (from Polynesia)
Image 33Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from Melanesia)
Image 34A depiction of a royal heiau (Hawaiian temple) at Kealakekua Bay, c. 1816 (from Polynesia)
Image 35Mokoliʻi Isle near Oahu, Hawaii (from Polynesia)
Image 36Mount Marpi in Saipan. (from Micronesia)
Image 37Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, Prime Minister of Samoa from 1998 to 2021, who initiated the Polynesian Leaders Group in late 2011. (from Polynesia)
Image 38Cinder plain of Mount Yasur in Vanuatu (from Melanesia)
Image 39Subregions (Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia and Australasia), as well as sovereign and dependent islands of Oceania (from Micronesia)
Image 40Manila Galleon in the Marianas and Carolinas, c. 1590 Boxer Codex (from Micronesia)
Image 41Mount Tavurvur in Papua New Guinea (from Melanesia)
Image 42Māori war canoe drawn after James Cook's voyage to New Zealand. (from Polynesia)
Image 43Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from Polynesia)
Image 44Outline of sovereign (dark orange) and dependent islands (bright orange) (from Micronesia)
Image 45Tarawa Atoll (from Micronesia)
Image 46Polynesians with outrigger canoes at Waikiki Beach, Oahu Island, early 20th century (from Polynesia)
Image 47Chamorro people in 1915 (from Micronesia)
Image 48Map from 1961 of the US Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, formerly Japan's South Seas Mandate. (from Micronesia)
Image 49Kili Island is one of the smallest islands in the Marshall Islands. (from Micronesia)
Image 50Polynesian (Hawaiian) navigators sailing multi-hulled canoe, c. 1781 (from Polynesia)
Image 51A common fishing canoe va'a with outrigger in Savaiʻi island, Samoa, 2009 (from Polynesia)
Image 52Polynesia is generally defined as the islands within the Polynesian Triangle. (from Polynesia)