Oceania
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Oceania
| Area | 9,008,458 km² (3,478,185.1 sq mi) |
|---|---|
| Population | 32,000,000 (6th) |
| Countries | |
| Dependencies | |
| Languages | |
| Time Zones | UTC+8 (Australian Western Standard Time) to UTC-6 (Easter Island) (West to East) |
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Look up oceania in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Oceania (sometimes Oceanica[1]) is a geographical, often geopolitical, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity. The term "Oceania" was coined in 1831 by French explorer Dumont d'Urville. The term is used today in many languages to define one of the continents[2][3][4] and is one of eight terrestrial ecozones.
Ethnologically, the islands that are included in Oceania are divided into the subregions of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.[5] Minor parts of Melanesia, and all of Micronesia and Polynesia do not make up the continental land mass of Oceania.
The boundaries of Oceania are defined in a number of ways. Most definitions recognize parts of Australasia such as Australia, New Zealand, and New Guinea, and all or part of the Malay Archipelago are included in Oceania.[6][7][8]
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[edit] Extent
Oceania is traditionally understood as being composed of three regions: Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia. As with any region, however, interpretations vary; increasingly, geographers and scientists divide Oceania into Near Oceania and Remote Oceania.[9]
Most of Oceania consists of island nations comprising thousands of coral atolls and volcanic islands, with small human populations. Australia is the only continental country but Indonesia has land borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Malaysia. If the Australia-New Guinea continent is included then the highest point is Puncak Jaya in Papua at 4,884 m (16,024 ft) and the lowest point is Lake Eyre, Australia at 16 m (52 ft) below sea level.[citation needed]
[edit] Regions
Descriptions of the regions and constituents of Oceania vary according to source. The table below shows the subregions and countries of Oceania as broadly categorised according to the scheme for geographic subregions used by the United Nations.[8] The information shown follows sources in cross-referenced articles; where sources differ, provisos have been clearly indicated. These territories and regions are subject to various additional categorisations, of course, depending on the source and purpose of each description.
| Name of region, followed by countries and their flags[10] |
Area (km²) |
Population (1 July 2002 estimate) |
Population density (per km²) |
Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australasia[11] | ||||
 Australia |
7,686,850 | 21,050,000 | 2.7 | Canberra |
 New Zealand[12] |
268,680 | 4,108,037 | 14.5 | Wellington |
| Dependencies/Territories of Australia: | ||||
 Christmas Island[13] |
135 | 1,493 | 3.5 | Flying Fish Cove |
 Cocos (Keeling) Islands[13] |
14 | 632 | 45.1 | West Island |
 Norfolk Island |
35 | 1,866 | 53.3 | Kingston |
| Melanesia[14] | ||||
 Fiji |
18,270 | 856,346 | 46.9 | Suva |
 Indonesia (Oceanian part only)[15] |
499,852 | 4,211,532 | 8.4 | Jakarta |
 New Caledonia (France) |
19,060 | 240,390 | 12.6 | Nouméa |
 Papua New Guinea[16] |
462,840 | 5,172,033 | 11.2 | Port Moresby |
 Solomon Islands |
28,450 | 494,786 | 17.4 | Honiara |
 Vanuatu |
12,200 | 196,178 | 16.1 | Port Vila |
| Micronesia | ||||
 Federated States of Micronesia |
702 | 135,869 | 193.5 | Palikir |
 Guam (USA) |
549 | 160,796 | 292.9 | Hagåtña |
 Kiribati |
811 | 96,335 | 118.8 | South Tarawa |
 Marshall Islands |
181 | 73,630 | 406.8 | Majuro |
 Nauru |
21 | 12,329 | 587.1 | Yaren (de facto) |
 Northern Mariana Islands (USA) |
477 | 77,311 | 162.1 | Saipan |
 Palau |
458 | 19,409 | 42.4 | Melekeok[17] |
 Wake Island (USA) |
2 | Wake Island | ||
| Polynesia[18] | ||||
 American Samoa (USA) |
199 | 68,688 | 345.2 | Pago Pago, Fagatogo[19] |
| Chatham Islands (NZ) |
966 | 609 | 0.6 | Waitangi |
 Cook Islands (NZ) |
240 | 20,811 | 86.7 | Avarua |
 Easter Island (Chile) |
163.6 | 3,791 | 23.1 | Hanga Roa |
 French Polynesia (France) |
3,961 | 257,847 | 61.9 | Papeete |
 Hawaii (USA) |
28,311 | 1,283,388 | 72.8 | Honolulu |
| Loyalty Islands (France) |
1,981 | 22,080 | 11.14 | Wé |
 Niue (NZ) |
260 | 2,134 | 8.2 | Alofi |
 Pitcairn Islands (UK) |
5 | 47 | 10 | Adamstown |
 Samoa |
2,944 | 214,265 | 60.7 | Apia |
 Tokelau (NZ) |
10 | 1,431 | 143.1 | —[20] |
 Tonga |
748 | 106,137 | 141.9 | Nukuʻalofa |
 Tuvalu |
26 | 11,146 | 428.7 | Funafuti |
 Wallis and Futuna (France) |
274 | 15,585 | 56.9 | Mata-Utu |
| Total | 9,039,675 | 35,834,670 | 4.0 | |
| Total minus mainland Australia | 1,352,825 | 14,784,670 | 11.2 | |
See Also: List of Oceanian countries by population
[edit] Interpretative details and controversies
- New Zealand is the western corner of the Polynesian Triangle. Its indigenous Māori constitute one of the major cultures of Polynesia. It is also, however, considered part of Australasia.[8] More restricted definitions of the region may exclude New Zealand.[21]
- Hawaii is the northern corner of the Polynesian Triangle and is generally included in Oceania, though politically it is part of the United States. The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian member of the Oceanic language family, and Hawaiian culture is one of the major cultures of Polynesia.
- The U.S. territories in the North Pacific are generally considered part of Oceania.
- Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, is the eastern corner of the Polynesian triangle. A Polynesian island in the eastern Pacific Ocean and part of the territory of Chile, it is generally included in Oceania, in which case the most easterly place in Polynesia and Oceania is its dependency Isla Salas y Gómez 415 km to the East.
- The line in Indonesia dividing Oceania from Asia varies in location and is sometimes considered to be the Wallace Line. See the transcontinental country article.
- East Timor is often reckoned as a part of Oceania due to its location to the east of the Wallace Line and its cultural ties to Pacific peoples. See transcontinental country; [1] Biogeographically, East Timor lies within Wallacea, an ecological transition zone between Asia and Australasia. This transition is less known and less favoured these days as a continental boundary.
- Australia is sometimes not included in Oceania. Terms such as Pacific Islands or South Sea Islands might be used to describe Oceania without Australia (and New Zealand). The term "Australasia" invariably includes Australia, and usually includes New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and some other parts of Oceania. This term is sometimes controversial, though, as it may may be interpreted as implying an association with Asia — a separate continent — or too great an association with Australia.[citation needed] The term is actually derived from the word "Austral", meaning "of, relating to, or coming from the south". This word represents the common root of both names: Australia and Australasia.
- Although Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands belong to the Commonwealth of Australia, they are west of Sumatra and are commonly associated with Asia, and not with Oceania.[citation needed]
- In its widest sense, the term may embrace the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, thereby including other islands in the Pacific Rim such as the Ryukyu, Kuril and Aleutian islands, the Japanese Archipelago and Taiwan.[2]
[edit] Ecogeography
Oceania is one of eight terrestrial ecozones, which constitute the major ecological regions of the planet. The Oceania ecozone includes all of Micronesia, Fiji, and all of Polynesia except New Zealand. New Zealand, New Guinea and nearby islands, Australia, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia constitute the separate Australasia ecozone.
[edit] Sport
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[edit] Pacific Games
The Pacific Games (formerly known as the South Pacific Games) is a multi-sport event, much like the Olympics, (albeit on a much smaller scale), with participation exclusively from countries around the Pacific. It is held every four years and began in 1963.
[edit] Rugby codes
Rugby League and Rugby Union are two of the regions most popular sports.[22] Rugby union being the national sport of New Zealand,[23] Samoa,[23] Fiji and Tonga.[23] Rugby League is the national sport in Papua New Guinea[24] (the second most populous country in Oceania after Australia) and is very popular in Australia[25] and has a significant following in New Zealand.[26]
Australia has won the Rugby League World Cup a record 9 times. New Zealand won their first World Cup in 2008. Australia hosted the second tournament in 1957. Australia and New Zealand jointly hosted it in 1968 and 1977. New Zealand hosted the final for the first time during the worldwide 1985-1988 tournament and Australia hosted the most recent one in 2008.
Australia has won the Rugby World Cup a record 2 times. New Zealand won the inaugural World Cup in 1987. Australia and New Zealand jointly hosted the World Cup in 1987. Australia hosted it in 2003 and New Zealand is to host it in 2011.
[edit] Cricket
Cricket is a popular summer sport in Australia and New Zealand. Australia has ruled the cricket world as the number one team for more than a decade. Australia have won the last three Cricket World Cups. New Zealand is one the strong teams in Cricket and has produced many famous cricketers. New Zealand Cricket Team are also called Black Caps. Both Australia and New Zealand are the Full members of ICC. Fiji, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea are some of the Assosciate/Affiliate members of ICC from Oceania that are governed by East Asia-Pacific Cricket Council. Beach Cricket is also a popular recreational sport in Australia.
Cricket is culturally a significant sport for summer in Oceania. Boxing Day Test is very popular in Australia which is conducted every year on December, 26th at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne.
[edit] Australian rules football
Australian rules football is the national sport in Nauru[27] and is most popular in Australia.[28] It is also very popular in Papua New Guinea.[29]
[edit] Association Football
The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) is one of six football (soccer) confederations[30] under the auspices of FIFA, the international governing body of the sport. The OFC is the only confederation without an automatic qualification to the World Cup Finals. Currently the winner of the OFC qualification tournament must play off against an Asian confederation side to qualify for the World Cup.[31][32]
Currently, Vanuatu is the only country in Oceania to call soccer its national sport.
Oceania has only been represented at three World Cup Finals — Australia in 1974 and 2006 and New Zealand in 1982. However, Australia is now no longer a member of the Oceania Football Confederation, having joined the Asian Football Confederation in 2006.
[edit] See also
- Art of Oceania
- Economy of Oceania
- Europeans in Oceania
- Festival of Pacific Arts
- Flags of Oceania
- Geography of Oceania
- History of Oceania
- Military history of Oceania
- Oceania (journal)
- Pacific Games
- Pacific Islands Forum
- Secretariat of the Pacific Community
- United Nations geoscheme for Oceania
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Oceanica" defined by Memidex/WordNet
- ^ The Atlas of Canada - The World - Continents
- ^ List of IOC members (122) by continent. International Olympic Committee: 112th session, Moscow 2001
- ^ Encarta Mexico "Oceanía"
- ^ "Oceania". 2005. The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Columbia University Press.
- ^ Merriam Webster's Online Dictionary (based on Collegiate vol., 11th ed.) 2006. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc.
- ^ See, e.g., The Atlas of Canada - The World - Continents
- ^ a b c United Nations Statistics Division - Countries of Oceania
- ^ Ben Finney, The Other One-Third of the Globe, Journal of World History, Vol. 5, No. 2, Fall, 1994
- ^ Regions and constituents as per UN categorisations/map except notes 2-3, 6. Depending on definitions, various territories cited below (notes 3, 5-7, 9) may be in one or both of Oceania and Asia or North America.
- ^ The use and scope of this term varies. The UN designation for this subregion is "Australia and New Zealand."
- ^ New Zealand is often considered part of Polynesia rather than Australasia.
- ^ a b Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands are Australian external territories in the Indian Ocean southwest of Indonesia.
- ^ Excludes parts of Indonesia, island territories in Southeast Asia (UN region) frequently reckoned in this region.
- ^ Indonesia is generally considered a territory of Southeastern Asia (UN region); wholly or partially, it is also frequently included in Australasia or Melanesia. Figures include Indonesian portion of New Guinea (Irian Jaya) and Maluku Islands.
- ^ Papua New Guinea is often considered part of Australasia as well as Melanesia.
- ^ On 7 October 2006, government officials moved their offices in the former capital of Koror to Melekeok, located 20 km northeast of Koror on Babelthuap Island.
- ^ Excludes the US state of Hawaii, which is distant from the North American landmass in the Pacific Ocean, and Easter Island, a territory of Chile in South America.
- ^ Fagatogo is the seat of government of American Samoa.
- ^ Tokelau, a domain of New Zealand, has no capital: each atoll has its own administrative centre.
- ^ Max Cryer, Curious Kiwi Words, 2002, p153 - "A larger portion of the rest of the world calmly refers to this geographic area as Oceania, a term many New Zealanders have never heard, let alone used."
- ^ http://realtravel.com/tag-z3461145-314.html
- ^ a b c http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_national_sports_are_there
- ^ http://groups.msn.com/PNGKumuls/history.msnw?pgmarket=en-us
- ^ http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au/articles/football/
- ^ http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/R/RugbyLeagueFootball/RugbyLeagueFootball/en
- ^ http://solomonstarnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1023&change=100&changeown=101&Itemid=42
- ^ http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/44079/Australian-rules-football
- ^ http://www.afl-png.com/aboutus.html
- ^ FIFA confederations
- ^ FIFA world cup 2010 - Oceania preliminary competition
- ^ FIFA world cup 2010 - qualifying rounds and places available by confederation
[edit] External links
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