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For other uses, see Austronesian (disambiguation).
Austronesians
An Atayal tribal woman from Taiwan with tattoo on her face as a symbol of maturity, which was a tradition for both males and females. The custom was prohibited during the Japanese rule.
Total population

380,000,000+
Regions with significant populations
Indonesia: 222,781,000 (2005)

Philippines: 87,857,473 (2005)
Malaysia: 12,290,000 (2006) [1]
Madagascar: over 5 million (1998) [2]
East Timor: 947,000 (2004)
New Zealand: 855,000 (2006) [3] [4]
Brunei: 724,000 (2006)
Singapore: over 600,000[1]
Solomon Islands: 478,000 (2005)
Taiwan: 480,000 (2006)
Fiji: 456,000 (2005) [5]
including other countries
Languages
Austronesian languages
Religions
Islam, Christianity, Native religions, Hinduism

The Austronesian people or Austronesian-speaking people, are a population group present in Oceania and Southeast Asia who speak, or had ancestors who spoke, one of the Austronesian languages. The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic) is an Island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste (officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste) is a country in Southeast Asia. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Brunei Darussalam, (bruːˈnaɪ in English officially the State of Brunei Abode of Peace (Negara Brunei Darussalam Jawi: برني دارالسلام Singapore The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Animism (from Latin anima ( Soul, Life) commonly refers to a religious belief that Souls or Spirits exist in Animals Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. They form a diverse group of peoples stretching 57% around the globe west-to-east, ranging 206° from 44°E in Madagascar to 110° W on Easter Island. Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic) is an Island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern The territories settled primarily by Austronesian peoples are known collectively as Austronesia. Austronesia, in historical terms refers to the homeland of the people who speak Austronesian languages, to which Malay, Filipino, Indonesian

Contents

Prehistory and History

The first Austronesian speakers are believed to have originated on the island of Taiwan following the migration of a group, or groups, of Pre-Austronesian speaking peoples from continental Asia approximately 10,000-6000 B. Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. C. Due to a lengthy split from the Pre-Austronesian populations, the Proto-Austronesian language and cultures emerged on Taiwan (Blust,1988).

Beginning around 5000-2500 B. C. , the large scale Austronesian expansion began. Population growth primarily fueled this expansion. A society that gives prestige and a higher status to the descendants of a community's founder added more incentive to settle new lands.

These first settlers landed in northern Luzon in the Philippines intermingling with the earlier Australo-Melanesian population who had inhabited the islands 23,000 years previously. Luzon is the largest and most economically and politically important Island in the Philippines and one of the three island groups in the country with Visayas The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Over the next thousand years up until 1500 A. D. , their descendants spread south to the rest of the Philippine islands, Celebes (modern-day Sulawesi), Borneo, the Moluccas (modern-day Maluku), and Java. Sulawesi (formerly known as Celebes, ˈsɛlɛbiz is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located at the centre of Maritime Southeast Asia. The Maluku Islands (also known as the Moluccas, Moluccan Islands, the Spice Islands or simply Maluku) are an Archipelago Java (Jawa is an Island of Indonesia and the site of its Capital city Jakarta.

The Austronesian settlers in the Moluccas sailed eastward and spread to the islands of Melanesia and Micronesia between 1200 B. Melanesia (from Greek: μέλας black, νῆσος island) means "islands of the black-skinned people" Micronesia, from the Greek mikros (μικρός (meaning small) and nesos (νῆσος (meaning island) is a Subregion C. and 500 A. D. respectively. Those that spread westward reached Sumatra, the Malay peninsula and what is now southern Vietnam by 500 B. Sumatra (also spelled Sumatera) is the sixth largest island in the world (approximately 470000 km² and is the largest island entirely in Indonesia (two The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula (Semenanjung Tanah Melayu (คาบสมุทรมลายู is a major Peninsula located in Southeast C. (See Champa)

Sailing from Melanesia and Micronesia Austronesians discovered remote Polynesia by 1000 B. The kingdom of Champa ( Chăm Pa in Vietnamese or Chiêm Thành in Hán Việt records was an Indianized kingdom and controlled what Melanesia (from Greek: μέλας black, νῆσος island) means "islands of the black-skinned people" Micronesia, from the Greek mikros (μικρός (meaning small) and nesos (νῆσος (meaning island) is a Subregion Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a Subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over C. , which unlike Melanesia, Micronesia and the Malay Archipelago were previously uninhabited, and settled its three extremities Easter Island by 300 A. Melanesia (from Greek: μέλας black, νῆσος island) means "islands of the black-skinned people" Micronesia, from the Greek mikros (μικρός (meaning small) and nesos (νῆσος (meaning island) is a Subregion The Malay Archipelago is a name given to the Archipelago located between mainland Southeastern Asia ( Indochina) and Australia. D, Hawaii by 400 A. The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the D. and New Zealand by 800 A. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island D In the Indian Ocean sailing from from Celebes (modern-day Sulawesi) and Borneo, they reached Madagascar by 200 A. Sulawesi (formerly known as Celebes, ˈsɛlɛbiz is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located at the centre of Maritime Southeast Asia. Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic) is an Island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern D

Trade with India and China flourished within the first millennia A. D. , which allowed the creation of Indianized kingdoms such as Srivijaya, Melayu, and Majapahit and Muslim traders began arriving during the 10th century and brought with them Islam as well as the sultanates. The concept of the Indianized kingdom, first described by George Coedès, is based upon the Hindu and Buddhist cultural and economic influences in Srivijaya or Sriwijaya was an ancient Malay kingdom on the island of Sumatra, Southeast Asia which influenced much of the Malay Archipelago. Majapahit was an Indianized kingdom based in eastern Java from 1293 to around 1500. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Sultan (سلطان is an Islamic title with several historical meanings

Europeans in search of spices later colonized most of Austronesia, starting from the 16th century, with British and Portuguese colonization of Malaysia, Portuguese and the Dutch colonization of Indonesia and East Timor, and the Spanish colonization and, later, the American governance of the Philippines. Austronesia, in historical terms refers to the homeland of the people who speak Austronesian languages, to which Malay, Filipino, Indonesian Meanwhile, the British, Germans, French, Americans, and Japanese began establishing spheres of influence within the Pacific Islands during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Japanese later invaded during World War II. The latter half of the 20th century initiated independence of modern day Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and many of the Pacific Island nations. The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia.

Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines enjoyed a high rate of economic growth during the authoritarian rule of Suharto and Marcos that were later established years after the independence of Indonesia and the Philippines. Suharto, also spelled Soeharto (June 8 1921 &ndash January 27 2008 was an Indonesian military leader and the second President of Indonesia, holding Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralín Marcos ( September 11, 1917 &ndash September 28, 1989) was President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986 Due to political and economic pressures from within and outside the countries at the time, stagnation resulted for a short period. Marcos' regime was toppled in 1986 and Suharto's rule ended in 1998 and the economies of the two countries are finally recovering but problems and challenges remain. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) Year 1998 ( MCMXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar)

The Asian financial crisis in the mid-to-late 1990s largely devastated the economies of the Austronesian nations in Southeast Asia. The Asian Financial Crisis was a period of Financial crisis that gripped much of Asia beginning in July 1997 and raised fears of a worldwide economic meltdown ( Most economic indicators are back to pre-crisis levels as of 2006.

The Sumatra-Andaman earthquake hit Indonesia in 2004, killing 130,000 individuals there and producing a worldwide total of 230,000 casualties; it also displaced at least a million people. The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea Earthquake that occurred at 005853 UTC on December 26 2004 with an Epicentre off the west coast of

Geographic distribution

Map showing the distribution of the Austronesian language family (light pink). It roughly corresponds to the distribution of the Austronesian people.
Map showing the distribution of the Austronesian language family (light pink). It roughly corresponds to the distribution of the Austronesian people.

Austronesian peoples consist of the following groupings by name and geographic location.

According to a recent Stanford University study, there is wide variety of paternal ancestry among the Austronesian peoples. Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University or simply Stanford, is a private Research university located in Aside from few European introgression found in the Malay Archipelago (especially in Borneo and the Philippines) as well as in French Polynesia, the vast majority of Austronesian peoples are of autochthonous descent. The Malay Archipelago is a name given to the Archipelago located between mainland Southeastern Asia ( Indochina) and Australia. Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located at the centre of Maritime Southeast Asia. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP French Polynesia ( French: Polynésie française, Tahitian: Pōrīnetia Farāni) is a French Overseas collectivity in the

They constitute the dominant ethnic group in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, the Philippines, the Pattani region of Thailand, and East Timor inside the Malay Archipelago, in Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia inside Oceania, in Madagascar, and in the Cham areas of Vietnam, Cambodia, and China (the remnants of the Champa kingdom which covered central and southern Vietnam). For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. Brunei Darussalam, (bruːˈnaɪ in English officially the State of Brunei Abode of Peace (Negara Brunei Darussalam Jawi: برني دارالسلام The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Early history The ancient Hindu Buddhists Malay Kingdom of Nakhon Pathom influenced in the area before the arrival of the first Thai The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste (officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste) is a country in Southeast Asia. Melanesia (from Greek: μέλας black, νῆσος island) means "islands of the black-skinned people" Micronesia, from the Greek mikros (μικρός (meaning small) and nesos (νῆσος (meaning island) is a Subregion Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a Subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over Madagascar, or Republic of Madagascar (older name Malagasy Republic) is an Island nation in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern The Cham people ( Vietnamese: người Chăm or người Chàm) are an ethnic group in Southeast Asia. Vietnam (ˌviːɛtˈnɑːm Việt Nam) officially The Kingdom of Cambodia ( formerly known as Kampuchea (, transliterated: Preăh Réachéanachâkr Kâmpŭchea) is a country in South East Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES The kingdom of Champa ( Chăm Pa in Vietnamese or Chiêm Thành in Hán Việt records was an Indianized kingdom and controlled what

An estimated 380,000,000 people around the world are thought of to be of Austronesian descent.

Culture

A Tagalog couple of the Maharlika nobility caste depicted in the Boxer Codex of the 16th Century.
A Tagalog couple of the Maharlika nobility caste depicted in the Boxer Codex of the 16th Century. The Tagalog people ( Tgl: Tagalog) is the second largest Filipino ethnolinguistic group.

The culture of Austronesia has been influenced by a variety of different nations, particularly that of India, China, and the Western world. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings

Many countries have been Westernized to varying degrees. The cultures of the Philippines, Palau, Northern Marianas Islands, and Guam have been largely affected by Hispanicization and Americanization. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Palau, officially the Republic of Palau (Beluu er a Belau is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, some 500 miles (800  km) east The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI is a commonwealth in Political union with the United Guam ( Chamorro: cha Guåhån) officially the Territory of Guam, is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized unincorporated That of French Polynesia have been affected by Francization. French Polynesia ( French: Polynésie française, Tahitian: Pōrīnetia Farāni) is a French Overseas collectivity in the Austronesians living in Malaysia, Indonesia, East Timor, Micronesia, Kiribati, Tonga, Vanuatu, Fiji, Solomon Islands, and Western Samoa have also undergone Westernisation, although at a lesser degree. For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste (officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste) is a country in Southeast Asia. Micronesia, from the Greek mikros (μικρός (meaning small) and nesos (νῆσος (meaning island) is a Subregion Kiribati or ( kirr-i-bas or KEE-ree-buhss ˈkiɾibas in Gilbertese) officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an Island nation located in The Kingdom of Tonga is an Archipelago in the south Pacific Ocean comprising 169 islands 36 of them inhabited stretching over a distance of about 800 kilometres (500 miles Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu ( French: République de Vanuatu, Bislama: Ripablik blong Vanuatu) is an Island Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa, is a country governing the western part of the Samoan Islands Archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean

The early Austronesian peoples considered the sea as their basic tenet of their life. From their diaspora to Southeast Asia and Oceania, they used ships to migrate to other islands. Boats of different sizes and shapes have been found in every Austronesian culture, from Madagascar to Polynesia, and have different names.

In Southeast Asia, head-hunting was particularly restricted to the highlands as a result of warfare. Mummification is only found among the highland Austronesian Filipinos and in some Indonesian groups in Celebes and Sumatra.

Language

Further information: Austronesian languages

Writing

Petroglyph on western coast of Hawaii
Petroglyph on western coast of Hawaii
Baybayin
Baybayin

Writing among pre-modern Austronesians were limited to the Indianized states and sultanates in Malaysia and Indonesia. For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. However, prehistoric petroglyphs like the Rongorongo and Angono Petroglyphs may suggest otherwise. Petroglyphs are Images created by removing part of a rock surface by incising pecking carving and abrading Rongorongo (ˈrɒŋɡoʊˈrɒŋɡoʊ in English in Rapa Nui) is a system of Glyphs discovered in the 19th century on Easter Island that appears to be The Angono Petroglyphs is the oldest known work of Art in the Philippines.

Writing systems include abugidas from the Brahmic family, such as Baybayin, the Javanese script, and Old Kawi. An abugida ( from Ge‘ez አቡጊዳ ’äbugida or Amharic አቡጊዳ ’abugida is a segmental Writing system which The Brahmic family is a family of syllabaries (writing systems used in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and parts of Central Asia and East Asia, Baybayin or Alibata (known in Unicode as the Tagalog script) is a pre- Spanish Philippine Writing system that originated The Javanese script, natively known as Carakan ( Tjarakan) is the script originally used to write Javanese. Other writing systems include Jawi, an abjad derived from the Arabic script, as well as the modern alphabets derived from the Latin alphabet (ex. Jawi (جوي Jăwi (or Yawi in Pattani) is an adapted Arabic alphabet for writing the Malay language. An Abjad is a type of Writing system in which each symbol stands for a Consonant; the reader must supply the appropriate Vowel. The Arabic alphabet is the script used for writing several languages of Asia and Africa such as Arabic, Persian, and Urdu. An alphabet is a standardized set of letters basic written symbols each of which roughly represents a Phoneme, a Spoken language, either Hawaiian alphabet, Tagalog alphabet). The Hawaiian language (Hawaiian ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i) is an Austronesian language that takes its name from Hawai'i, the largest island in the tropical The Filipino alphabet (officially Makabagong alpabetong Filipino; English: Modern Filipino alphabet) is made up of 28 letters which includes the entire

Religion

Indigenous religions were initially predominant. Mythologies vary by culture and geographical location, but are generally bound by the belief in an all-powerful Divine being. Divinity and divine (sometimes 'the Divinity' or 'the Divine' are broadly applied but loosely defined terms used variously within different faiths and belief systems — Other beliefs such as Ancestor Worship, Animism, and Shamanism are also practiced. Animism (from Latin anima ( Soul, Life) commonly refers to a religious belief that Souls or Spirits exist in Animals Currently, many of these beliefs have gradually been replaced. Examples of native religions include: Anito, Gabâ, Kejawen, and the Māori religion. Anito is the collective name for Pre- Hispanic belief system/s that existed in the Philippines. Gabâ or gabaa, for the Cebuano people ( Cebu Island, Philippines) is the concept of a non-human and non-divine immanent retribution Javanese beliefs ( Kebatinan or Kejawen) have principles embodying a "search for inner self" but at the core is the concept of Peace Of Mind Māori religion is the religious beliefs and practice of the Māori, the Polynesian indigenous people of New Zealand. The moai of the Rapa Nui is another example since they are built to represent deceased ancestors. Moai (or mo‘ai) (ˈmoʊаɪ are Monolithic human figures carved from rock on the Polynesian island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island

Southeast Asian contact with India and China allowed the introduction of Hinduism and Buddhism. Later, Muslim traders introduced the Islamic faith during the 12th century. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. The European Age of Discovery, with their motto "gold, glory and gospel", brought Christianity to various parts of the region. The Age of Discovery or Age of Exploration was a period from the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century during which Europeans explored Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Currently, the dominant religions are Islam (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, southern Thailand, southern Philippines, Brunei), Hinduism (Indonesia and Fiji) and Christianity (Timor Leste,Pacific Islands,Madagascar,Philippines).

Arts

A young Bontok man from the Philippines with tattoos present on chest and arms (circa 1908)
A young Bontok man from the Philippines with tattoos present on chest and arms (circa 1908)

Body art among Austronesian groups is common, especially tattooing. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP It is particularly prominent in Polynesian cultures, from where the word 'tattoo' derives. Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a Subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over A tattoo is a permanent marking made by inserting ink into the layers of Skin to change the pigment for decorative or other reasons One such example is the moko of New Zealand Māori, but tattooing is also prominent among Austronesian speaking groups in Indonesia, Borneo and the Philippines. Tā moko is the permanent body and face marking by Māori, the Indigenous people of New Zealand. This article discusses the Māori people of New Zealand For their language see Māori language, and for other meanings see Māori (disambiguation. The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located at the centre of Maritime Southeast Asia. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP Decorated jars and other forms of pottery are also common.

Peoples closer to the Asian mainland are largely influenced by the Chinese, Indian and Islamic forms, and much modern Austronesian art is influenced to some extent by Western forms or by the use of Western tools. Some elaborate landscaping has been produced, such as the Banaue Rice Terraces of the Philippines. The Banaue Rice Terraces (Hagdan-hagdang Palayan ng Banaue are 2000-year old terraces that were carved into the mountains of Ifugao in the Philippines Similar terraced forms exist elsewhere in the region, for crop-growing and defensive purposes.

Music

Gamelan's traditional instruments - Indonesian Embassy in Canberra
Gamelan's traditional instruments - Indonesian Embassy in Canberra

Prevalent within the Austronesian cultures that had close trade relationships with India and China were musical styles that had developed with both indigenous as well as foreign elements. In Indonesia, Gamelan, a type of orchestra that incorporates Xylophone and Metallophone elements, is widely known as the region's cultural music tradition. A gamelan is a musical ensemble of Indonesia typically featuring a variety of instruments such as metallophones xylophones drums and gongs bamboo flutes bowed and In the Philippines, another gong-drum ensemble known as Kulintang is prevalent, as well as the Gangsa gong-chime ensembles of the northern Luzon cordilleras. Kulintang is a modern term for an instrumental form of music composed on a row of small horizontally-laid Gongs that function melodically accompanied by larger suspended Luzon is the largest and most economically and politically important Island in the Philippines and one of the three island groups in the country with Visayas Slit drums are prevalent among maritime Southeast asian and Oceanic Austronesian groups. A slit drum is a hollow Percussion instrument, usually of Bamboo or wood which is made more Resonant through one or more slits in it

See also

Notes

  1. ^ About 13. Austronesia, in historical terms refers to the homeland of the people who speak Austronesian languages, to which Malay, Filipino, Indonesian Below is a list of countries that are home to Austronesian languages along with the most notable languages in each country Micronesia, from the Greek mikros (μικρός (meaning small) and nesos (νῆσος (meaning island) is a Subregion Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a Subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over Melanesia (from Greek: μέλας black, νῆσος island) means "islands of the black-skinned people" Pacific Islander (or Pacific Person, pl Pacific People, also called Oceanic[s] ' is a geographic term to describe the Austronesian 6% of the Singaporeans are of Malay descent. In addition to these, many Chinese Singaporeans are also of mixed Austronesian descent. See also http://www.singstat.gov.sg/keystats/c2000/indicators.pdf

External links

  1. Cristian Capelli et al. (2001). "A Predominantly Indigenous Paternal Heritage for the Austronesian-Speaking Peoples of Insular Southeast Asia and Oceania". American Journal of Human Genetics 68: 432–443.  
  2. This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
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