Oceania facts for kids
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An orthographic projection of Oceania
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| Area | 9,000,000 km2 (3,500,000 sq mi) (7th) |
|---|---|
| Population | 41,570,842 (2018, 6th) |
| Population density | 4.94/km2 (12.8/sq mi) |
| GDP (nominal) | $1.630 trillion (2018, 6th) |
| GDP per capita | $62,316 (2023, 1st) |
| Religions |
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| Demonym | Oceanian |
| Countries |
UN members (15)
Associated (2)
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| Dependencies |
External (21)
Internal (11)
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| Languages |
Official (30)
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| Time zones | UTC+9 (Papua, Palau) to UTC–6 (Easter Island) (west to east) |
| Largest cities |
10 largest cities in Oceania
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| UN M49 code | 009 – Oceania001 – World |
Oceania (UK: /ˌoʊsiˈɑːniə, ˌoʊʃi-, -ˈeɪn-/ oh-S(H)EE-ah-NEE-ə-,_--ay, US: 
i/ˌoʊʃiˈæniə, -ˈɑːn-/ oh-SHEE-a(h)n-EE-ə) is a huge region of the world. It includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Many people outside English-speaking countries see Oceania as a continent. Australia is often seen as a large island within this bigger continent.
Oceania stretches across both the east and west sides of the Earth. It covers about 9 million square kilometers (3.5 million square miles) of land. As of 2022, about 44.4 million people live there. Compared to other continents, Oceania is the smallest in land area. It is also the second least populated, after Antarctica.
Oceania has many different types of economies. Some places, like Australia, French Polynesia, Hawaii, New Caledonia, and New Zealand, are very developed. They have strong financial markets and a high quality of life. Other areas, such as Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Western New Guinea, are less developed. There are also medium-sized economies like Fiji, Palau, and Tonga.
The largest country in Oceania is Australia. The biggest city is Sydney. The highest point is Puncak Jaya in Highland Papua, Indonesia. It stands at 4,884 meters (16,024 feet) tall.
The first people arrived in Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands over 60,000 years ago. Europeans began exploring Oceania in the 1500s. Portuguese explorers reached islands like the Tanimbar Islands and New Guinea. Later, Spanish, Dutch, British, and French explorers followed. In the 1700s, James Cook explored Tahiti and the east coast of Australia.
When European settlers arrived, it greatly changed the way of life in Oceania. During World War I, Japan took over many German territories in the Pacific. In World War II, Allied powers like the United States and Australia fought against Japan across Oceania.
The rock art made by Aboriginal Australians is the oldest continuous art tradition in the world. Most countries in Oceania are democracies with multiple political parties. Tourism is a very important source of money for many Pacific island nations.
Contents
What is Oceania?
Understanding the Region
The definition of Oceania can change. In its widest sense, Oceania includes many islands between Asia and the Americas. Australia is the only landmass in this area that is usually big enough to be called a continent. The cultures of the island people were often very different from those in Asia or America. This is why they were not linked to either.
Before Europeans arrived, the ocean helped protect Australia and the central Pacific islands. This kept them from being influenced by cultures from larger continents. Islands like those in the Malay Archipelago are closer to Asia. Their people had more contact with Asian cultures. The island of Taiwan is also close to Asia and had historical ties.
The name "Oceania" comes from the Latin word oceanus, meaning "ocean." This name was first used by French geographers in the early 1800s. It was chosen because the ocean connects all the different parts of this region. The term helps to organize the many islands of the Pacific Ocean.
How Oceania is Defined
In the 1800s, geographers often divided Oceania into smaller parts. These parts were based on different groups of people. They included Australasia, Malesia (the Malay Archipelago), Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. For the study of people and cultures (anthropology), Oceania has long been seen as a continent, just like Africa or Asia.
Many old maps and books from the 1800s and early 1900s also called Oceania a continent. They often listed it as one of the world's main land divisions. For example, some books said there were six great divisions: Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America, and Oceania.
In many countries that don't speak English, Oceania is still seen as a continent. Australia is then considered a large island nation within it. However, in English-speaking countries, Australia is often taught as its own continent.
Some scientists group the Australian Plate (a large piece of Earth's crust) with other plates in the Pacific. This forms a geological continent. National Geographic says that Oceania is defined by the Pacific Ocean itself. The Pacific Ocean is sometimes called a "continent of islands" because it has about 25,000 islands. This is more than all other major oceans combined.
Near and Remote Oceania
In 1973, two anthropologists, Roger Green and Andrew Pawley, suggested new terms: Near Oceania and Remote Oceania.
- Near Oceania includes New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, and most of the Solomon Islands.
- Remote Oceania includes the rest of the Pacific islands.
These new terms help to better describe the geography, history, and cultures of the region. They are often used by scholars today. However, the older terms like Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia are still common in everyday use.
Oceania's Far Reaches
The islands at the very edges of Oceania include:
- The Bonin Islands, which are part of Japan.
- Hawaii, a state of the United States.
- Clipperton Island, owned by France.
- The Juan Fernández Islands, belonging to Chile.
- Macquarie Island, which belongs to Australia.
See also
In Spanish: Oceanía para niños
