Oceania (sometimes Oceanica^[1]) is a geographical, often geopolitical, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity. A continent is one of several large Landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by Convention rather than any strict criteria with seven regions __NOEDITSECTION__This is an alphabetical list of Sovereign states and dependencies (listed in Italic) that have at least some territory lying within For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य Kiribati or ( kirr-i-bas or KEE-ree-buhss ˈkiɾibas in Gilbertese) officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an Island nation located in The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI is a Micronesian nation of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean The Federated States of Micronesia is an Island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, north of Papua New Guinea. Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru, is an Island nation in the Micronesian South Pacific. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Palau, officially the Republic of Palau (Beluu er a Belau is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, some 500 miles (800  km) east Papua New Guinea (or ˈpæpjuːə in Tok Pisin: Papua Niugini) officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania 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 Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands 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 Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian Island nation located in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu ( French: République de Vanuatu, Bislama: Ripablik blong Vanuatu) is an Island __NOEDITSECTION__This is an alphabetical list of Sovereign states and dependencies (listed in Italic) that have at least some territory lying within American Samoa (Amerika Sāmoa or sm ''Sāmoa Amelika'' is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast The Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands are two groups of small low-lying uninhabited tropical Islands in the Indian Ocean situated on the edge of the The Cook Islands ( Cook Islands Māori: Kūki 'Āirani) are a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand. The Coral Sea Islands Territory includes a group of small and mostly uninhabited tropical islands and reefs in the Coral Sea, northeast of Queensland, Australia French Polynesia ( French: Polynésie française, Tahitian: Pōrīnetia Farāni) is a French Overseas collectivity in the Guam ( Chamorro: cha Guåhån) officially the Territory of Guam, is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized unincorporated The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the For the former North American fur-trading district see New Caledonia (Canada, and for the Scottish colony in Panama see Darien scheme. Niue (niːˈʔuːeɪ/ /ˈnjuːeɪ in English is an Island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. Norfolk Island ( Norfuk: Norfuk Ailen) is a small inhabited island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI is a commonwealth in Political union with the United Tokelau (ˈtoʊkəlaʊ is a territory of New Zealand that consists of three tropical coral Atolls in the South Pacific Ocean. Wallis and Futuna, officially the Territory of Wallis and Futuna Islands ( French: Wallis et Futuna or Territoire des îles Wallis et Futuna, Bislama is a Creole language, one of the official languages of Vanuatu. Carolinian is an Austronesian language spoken in the Northern Mariana Islands, where it is an official language along with English and Chamorro Chamorro ( Chamoru) is the native language of the Chamorro or Chamoru of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. The Cook Islands Maori language also called Māori Kūki 'Āirani or Rarotongan, is the Official language of the Cook Islands. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Fijian is an Austronesian language of the Malayo-Polynesian family spoken in Fiji. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Futunan ( native name: Fakafutuna) is the Polynesian language spoken on Futuna (and Alofi Gilbertese or Kiribati (or sometimes Kiribatese, a mixture of both is a Language from the Austronesian family, part of the Hindi ( Devanāgarī: hi [[wiktहिन्दी हिन्दी]] or hi [[wiktहिंदी हिंदी]] IAST:, IPA:) is Hiri Motu, Police Motu or Pidgin Motu is an official Language of Papua New Guinea. Indonesian or Bahasa Indonesia, based on the Riau version of Malay language, was declared the official language with the declaration of The Marshallese language (Marshallese Kajin M̧ajeļ or Kajin Majõl   is a Malayo-Polynesian language of the Marshall Islands. The Nauruan language ( dorerin Naoero) is an Austronesian language spoken in Nauru. The Niuean language or Niue language (Niuean ko e vagahau Niuē) is a Polynesian language belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup Palauan (also spelled Belauan) is one of the two nationally recognized official languages spoken in the Republic of Palau (the second being English Pitkern (also Pitcairnese) is a Creole language based on an 18th century Dialect of English and Tahitian. The Sāmoan or Samoan language is the traditional language of Samoa and American Samoa and is an official language &mdash alongside English Tahitian, a Tahitic language, is one of the two official languages of French Polynesia (along with French) Tokelauan is an Austronesian language. Speakers It is spoken by about 1700 people on the atolls of Tokelau, and by the few inhabitants of Tongan ( lea fakatonga) is an Austronesian language spoken in Tonga. Tok Pisin ( tok means "word" or "speech" as in "talk" pisin means " Pidgin " is a creole spoken throughout Tuvaluan is a Nuclear Polynesian language of the Ellicean group spoken in Tuvalu. This article deals with the language of Wallis Island "Wallisian" also known as "Fakauvea" or "East Uvean The UTC+10 Time zone covers the following locations Australia (AEST&mdash Australian Eastern Standard Time) Australian The Federated States of Micronesia is an Island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, north of Papua New Guinea. The UTC−9 time zone is used in French Polynesia Gambier Islands United States (AKST— Alaska Standard French Polynesia ( French: Polynésie française, Tahitian: Pōrīnetia Farāni) is a French Overseas collectivity in the Geography (from Greek γεωγραφία - geografia) is the study of the Earth and its lands features inhabitants and phenomena Geopolitics is the study that analyzes Geography, History and Social science with reference to Spatial politics and patterns at various scales The article is about the geographic sense of the term For other uses including Regions and Regional, see Region (disambiguation. An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The term is often used in many languages to define one of the continents^[2][3][4] and is one of eight terrestrial ecozones. A continent is one of several large Landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by Convention rather than any strict criteria with seven regions An ecoregion ( ecological region) sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area smaller than a "realm" or " An ecozone or biogeographic realm is the largest scale biogeographic division of the earth's surface based on the historic and evolutionary distribution patterns

Ethnologically, the islands that are included in Oceania are divided into the subregions of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Ethnology (from the Greek ἔθνος, ethnos meaning "habit custom convention" is the branch of Anthropology that compares and A subregion is a conceptual unit which derives from a larger Region or Continent and is usually based on location 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 ^[5]

The exact scope of Oceania is variably defined: it generally includes New Zealand, is often taken to include parts of Australasia such as Australia and New Guinea, and sometimes all or part of the Malay Archipelago. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Australasia is a Region of Oceania: New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and neighbouring Islands in the Pacific For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Guinea, located just north of Australia, is the world's second largest island, having become separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known The Malay Archipelago is a name given to the Archipelago located between mainland Southeastern Asia ( Indochina) and Australia. ^[6][7][8]

Contents 1 Extent 2 Regions 2.1 Interpretative details and controversies 3 Ecogeography 4 History 5 Sport 5.1 Pacific Games 5.2 Rugby codes 5.3 Australian rules football 5.4 Cricket 5.5 Football (soccer) 6 See also 7 Notes 8 External links

Extent

Originally coined by the French explorer Dumont d'Urville in 1831, Oceania has been traditionally divided into Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia. Rear Admiral Jules Sébastien César Dumont d'Urville ( May 23, 1790, Condé-sur-Noireau, France &ndash May 8, 1842, Year 1831 ( MDCCCXXXI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a As with any region, however, interpretations vary; increasingly, geographers and scientists divide Oceania into Near Oceania and Remote Oceania. Near Oceania is the part of Oceania comprising Australia, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Remote Oceania is the part of Oceania comprising Polynesia, Micronesia and island Melanesia southeast of the Solomon Islands, including ^[9]

Most of Oceania consists of island nations composed of 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. The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. Papua New Guinea (or ˈpæpjuːə in Tok Pisin: Papua Niugini) officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste (officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste) is a country in Southeast Asia. For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and 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. A continent is one of several large Landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by Convention rather than any strict criteria with seven regions Puncak Jaya (ˈpʊntʃak ˈdʒaja sometimes called Mount Carstensz or the Carstensz Pyramid, is a mountain in the Sudirman Range, the western central Papua is the largest province of Indonesia, comprising a majority part of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands (see also The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Lake Eyre (pronounced "air" is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately ( AHD) below sea level and on the rare occasions that it fills the For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics.

Regions

The regions and constituents of Oceania may vary according to source. In the table below, the subregions and countries of Oceania are broadly categorised according to the scheme for geographic subregions used by the United Nations,^[10] and data included are per sources in cross-referenced articles. United Nations geoscheme, created by the United Nations Statistics Division, divides the world into 'macro-geographical Regions ( Continents and sub-regions The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Where they differ, provisos are clearly indicated. Apropos, according to different definitions, the following territories and regions may be subject to various other categorisations.

Name of region, followed by countries and their flags[11]	Area (km²)	Population (1 July 2002 estimate)	Population density (per km²)	Capital
Australasia[12]
Australia	7,686,850	21,050,000	2. A flag is a piece of Cloth, often flown from a pole or mast, generally used Symbolically for signaling or identification This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by total area. List of countries by population in 2005|List of countries by population in 1907This is a list of countries ordered according to Population. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. List of countries and dependencies by Population density in inhabitants/km² Australasia is a Region of Oceania: New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and neighbouring Islands in the Pacific For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. 5	Canberra
Christmas Island (Australia)[13]	135	1,493	3. Canberra ( is the capital city of Australia With a population of over 340000 it is Australia's largest inland City. The Territory of Christmas Island is a small territory of Australia located in the Indian Ocean, 2600 kilometres (1600 mi northwest of 5	Flying Fish Cove
Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Australia)[13]	14	632	45. Flying Fish Cove is the main settlement of Australia 's Christmas Island. 1	West Island
New Zealand[14]	268,680	4,108,037	14. West Island is the capital of the Cocos (Keeling Islands. The population is roughly 120 New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island 5	Wellington
Norfolk Island (Australia)	35	1,866	53. Wellington (ˈwælɪŋtən is the Capital of New Zealand, the country's second largest urban area, the Norfolk Island ( Norfuk: Norfuk Ailen) is a small inhabited island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand 3	Kingston
Melanesia[15]
Fiji	18,270	856,346	46. Kingston is the Capital of the Australian South Pacific Territory of Norfolk Island. Melanesia (from Greek: μέλας black, νῆσος island) means "islands of the black-skinned people" Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य 9	Suva
Indonesia (Oceanian part only)[16]	499,852	4,211,532	8. Suva is the Capital and largest city of Fiji. It is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in the Central The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. 4	Jakarta
New Caledonia (France)	19,060	207,858	10. Jakarta (also DKI Jakarta) is the Capital and largest city of Indonesia. For the former North American fur-trading district see New Caledonia (Canada, and for the Scottish colony in Panama see Darien scheme. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. 9	Nouméa
Papua New Guinea[17]	462,840	5,172,033	11. Papua New Guinea (or ˈpæpjuːə in Tok Pisin: Papua Niugini) officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania 2	Port Moresby
Solomon Islands	28,450	494,786	17. ||-||-||-||-||-||} Port Moresby (ˌpɔrt ˈmɔrzbi or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, population 255000 (2000 is the Capital and largest city of Papua The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands 4	Honiara
Vanuatu	12,200	196,178	16. Honiara, population 49107 (1999 54600 (2003 est is the Capital of the Solomon Islands and of Guadalcanal Province, although it is a separately administered Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu ( French: République de Vanuatu, Bislama: Ripablik blong Vanuatu) is an Island 1	Port Vila
Micronesia
Federated States of Micronesia	702	135,869	193. Port Vila (ˌpɔrt ˈviːlə is the capital city of Vanuatu. It is also Vanuatu's largest city Micronesia, from the Greek mikros (μικρός (meaning small) and nesos (νῆσος (meaning island) is a Subregion The Federated States of Micronesia is an Island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, north of Papua New Guinea. 5	Palikir
Guam (USA)	549	160,796	292. Palikir (ˈpælɪkɚ is the Capital of the Federated States of Micronesia since 1989, when it replaced Kolonia. Guam ( Chamorro: cha Guåhån) officially the Territory of Guam, is an island in the western Pacific Ocean and is an organized unincorporated The United States of America —commonly referred to as the 9	Hagåtña
Kiribati	811	96,335	118. Hagåtña (həˈɡɑtɲə formerly Agana and in Spanish Agaña, is the Capital of the American island territory of Guam. Kiribati or ( kirr-i-bas or KEE-ree-buhss ˈkiɾibas in Gilbertese) officially the Republic of Kiribati, is an Island nation located in 8	South Tarawa
Marshall Islands	181	73,630	406. South Tarawa (in Gilbertese and English Teinainano Urban Council or ABR The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI is a Micronesian nation of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean 8	Majuro
Nauru	21	12,329	587. Majuro (ˈmædʒəroʊ population 25400 people ( As of 2004) is the Capital and largest city of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru, is an Island nation in the Micronesian South Pacific. 1	Yaren
Northern Mariana Islands (USA)	477	77,311	162. Yaren may refer to Yaren District Yaren Constituency Yaren Ensemble Aylin Yaren The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI is a commonwealth in Political union with the United 1	Saipan
Palau	458	19,409	42. Saipan (saɪˈpæn /saɪˈpɑn/ or /ˈsaɪpæn/ in English is the largest Island and Capital of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Palau, officially the Republic of Palau (Beluu er a Belau is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, some 500 miles (800  km) east 4	Melekeok[18]
Polynesia[19]
American Samoa (USA)	199	68,688	345. Melekeok (məˈleɪkeɪoʊk in English is a town and one of Palau 's sixteen states. Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a Subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over American Samoa (Amerika Sāmoa or sm ''Sāmoa Amelika'' is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast 2	Pago Pago, Fagatogo[20]
Cook Islands (NZ)	240	20,811	86. Pago Pago (ˈpɑŋo ˈpɑŋo by native Samoan-speakers and sometimes ˈpɑŋgoʊ ˈpɑŋgoʊ by others is the Capital Town of American Samoa. Fagatogo is situated on Tutuila Island Pago Pago Harbour Population ( April 1, 2000 census) is 2096 The Cook Islands ( Cook Islands Māori: Kūki 'Āirani) are a self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island 7	Avarua
French Polynesia (France)	4,167	257,847	61. Avarua is a Town and district in the north of Rarotonga Island French Polynesia ( French: Polynésie française, Tahitian: Pōrīnetia Farāni) is a French Overseas collectivity in the 9	Papeete
Niue (NZ)	260	2,134	8. Papeete ("water from a basket" see footnote for variant spelling (papeʔete is the Capital of French Polynesia, an overseas territory Niue (niːˈʔuːeɪ/ /ˈnjuːeɪ in English is an Island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. 2	Alofi
Pitcairn Islands (UK)	5	47	10	Adamstown
Samoa	2,944	178,631	60. See Alofi Island for the island part of Wallis and Futuna. Alofi is the Capital city of the Pacific Ocean The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Adamstown is the only settlement of the Pitcairn Islands, and by default the Capital of the Pitcairn 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 7	Apia
Tokelau (NZ)	10	1,431	143. Tokelau (ˈtoʊkəlaʊ is a territory of New Zealand that consists of three tropical coral Atolls in the South Pacific Ocean. 1	—[21]
Tonga	748	106,137	141. 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 9	Nukuʻalofa
Tuvalu	26	11,146	428. Nukualofa, population 22400 ( 1996) is the Capital, chief Port and largest city of Tonga. Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands, is a Polynesian Island nation located in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and 7	Funafuti
Wallis and Futuna (France)	274	15,585	56. Funafuti is the Capital of the small island nation of Tuvalu. Wallis and Futuna, officially the Territory of Wallis and Futuna Islands ( French: Wallis et Futuna or Territoire des îles Wallis et Futuna, 9	Mata-Utu
Total	9,008,458	35,834,670	4. Mata-Utu or more correctly Matāutu is the Capital of the Wallis and Futuna Territory 0
Total minus mainland Australia	1,321,608	14,784,670	11. 2

See Also: List of Oceanian countries by population

Interpretative details and controversies

• New Zealand is the western corner of the Polynesian triangle. This is a list of Oceanian countries/dependencies by Population. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The Polynesian Triangle is a region of the Pacific Ocean anchored by three island groups Hawai‘i, Easter Island (Rapa Nui and New Zealand Its indigenous Māori constitute one of the major cultures of Polynesia. This article discusses the Māori people of New Zealand For their language see Māori language, and for other meanings see Māori (disambiguation. It is also, however, considered part of Australasia.
• 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 State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the The Polynesian Triangle is a region of the Pacific Ocean anchored by three island groups Hawai‘i, Easter Island (Rapa Nui and New Zealand The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Hawaiian language is a Polynesian member of the Oceanic language family, and Hawaiian culture is one of the major cultures of Polynesia. 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 Oceanic languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, containing approximately 450 languages The culture of Hawaii has its origins in the traditional culture of the Native Hawaiians.
• The U.S. territories in the North Pacific are generally considered part of Oceania. The United States Minor Outlying Islands, a statistical designation defined by the International Organization for Standardization 's ISO 3166-1 code consists of nine
• 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 Sala y Gómez 415 km to the East. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the
• The line in Indonesia dividing Oceania from Asia varies in location and is sometimes considered to be the Wallace Line. The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. The Wallace Line (or Wallace's Line) is a boundary that separates the zoogeographical regions of Asia and Australia. See the transcontinental country article. This is a list of countries spanning more than one continent, sometimes referred to as transcontinental states.
• 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. East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste (officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste) is a country in Southeast Asia. See transcontinental country; [1] Biogeographically, East Timor lies within Wallacea, an ecological transition zone between Asia and Australasia. This is a list of countries spanning more than one continent, sometimes referred to as transcontinental states. Wallacea is a biogeographical designation for a group of Indonesian islands separated by deep water Straits from the Asian and Australian 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 Pacific Ocean contains an estimated 20000 to 30000 Islands (the exact number has yet to be precisely determined The term "Australasia" invariably includes Australia, and usually includes New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and some other parts of Oceania, but this term is sometimes controversial outside of Australia, as it may be seen as indicating a link with Asia — a separate continent — or as too greatly emphasising Australia. "Austral" means "of, relating to, or coming from the south", and is the common root of both 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. The Territory of Christmas Island is a small territory of Australia located in the Indian Ocean, 2600 kilometres (1600 mi northwest of For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Sumatra (also spelled Sumatera) is the sixth largest island in the world (approximately 470000 km² and is the largest island entirely in Indonesia (two
• In its widest sense, the term may embrace the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, thereby including other Pacific island groups such as the Ryukyu, Kuril and Aleutian islands, and the Japanese Archipelago. The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America The Ryukyu Islands, in Japanese called the (literally Southwest Islands are a chain of Japanese islands in the western Pacific Ocean at the eastern limit The Kuril Islands (ˈkʊrɪl or /ˈkjuˈriˈl/ Кури́льские острова́ əstrʌˈva ru-Latn ''Kuril'skie ostrova'' or Kurile Islands in Russia The Aleutian Islands (possibly from Chukchi aliat, " Island " are a chain of more than 300 small volcanic islands forming a Volcanic The, which forms the Country of Japan, extends roughly from northeast to southwest along the northeastern coast of the Eurasia mainland washing upon the northwestern [2]

Ecogeography

Oceania is one of eight terrestrial ecozones, which constitute the major ecological regions of the planet. An ecozone or biogeographic realm is the largest scale biogeographic division of the earth's surface based on the historic and evolutionary distribution patterns The Oceania ecozone includes all of Micronesia, Fiji, and all of Polynesia except New Zealand. Oceania is the smallest of the world's terrestrial Ecozones and unique in not including any Continental land mass Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य New Zealand, along with New Guinea and nearby islands, Australia, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia, constitute the separate Australasia ecozone. The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu ( French: République de Vanuatu, Bislama: Ripablik blong Vanuatu) is an Island For the former North American fur-trading district see New Caledonia (Canada, and for the Scottish colony in Panama see Darien scheme. The Australasian zone is an ecological region that is coincident but not synonymous (by some definitions with the geographic Region of Australasia

History

Further information: History of Oceania

Sport

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. History of Australia History of New Zealand History of the Pacific Islands See also History History 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 It is held every four years and began in 1963.

Rugby codes

Rugby League and Rugby Union are two of the region's most popular sports. History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short Rugby union is the national sport of New Zealand, Samoa, Fiji and Tonga and is the sixth most popular sport in Australia. ^[22] Rugby League is the national sport in Papua New Guinea (the second most populous country in Oceania after Australia), is fifth most popular in Australia^[22], and has a significant following in New Zealand.

Australia has won the Rugby Union World Cup twice, New Zealand have won the inaugural World Cup in 1987. The Rugby World Cup is the premier international Rugby union competition 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.

Australian rules football

Australian rules football is the national sport in Nauru and is third most popular in Australia. Australian (rules football, or simply known as football, footy or Aussie rules, is a Team sport played between two teams of 18 players Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru, is an Island nation in the Micronesian South Pacific. ^[22] It is also very popular in Papua New Guinea.

Cricket

Cricket is the most popular and national sport of Australia,^[22] and also has a significant following in New Zealand.

Football (soccer)

Currently Vanuatu is the only country in Oceania to call football its national sport. Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu ( French: République de Vanuatu, Bislama: Ripablik blong Vanuatu) is an Island A national sport is a Sport or Game that is considered to be a intrinsic part of the culture of a Nation. In Australia it is the fourth most popular sport. ^[22]

The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) is one of six football (soccer) confederations under the auspices of FIFA, the international governing body of the sport. The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC is one of the six "continental" confederations of international football, consisting of Papua New Guinea, New Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (French for International Federation of Association Football) The OFC is the only confederation without an automatic qualification to the World Cup Finals. The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international Association football Currently the winner of the OFC qualification tournament must play-off against an Asian confederation side to qualify for the World Cup. The 46 member Asian Football Confederation ( AFC) is the governing body of football in Asia, excluding Cyprus and Israel, and including

Oceania has only been represented at three World Cup Finals — Australia in 1974 plus 2006 and New Zealand in 1982. The Australian national football team represents Australia in international association football competitions The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup was held in West Germany from June 13 to July 7. The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament The New Zealand national football team, nicknamed the All Whites, is the national team of New Zealand and is controlled by New Zealand Football The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th staging of the World Cup was held in Spain from June 13 to July 11. However, Australia is now no longer a member of the Oceania Football Confederation, having joined the Asian Football Confederation in 2006. The 46 member Asian Football Confederation ( AFC) is the governing body of football in Asia, excluding Cyprus and Israel, and including

See also

• Portal:Oceania
• Art of Oceania
• Economy of Oceania
• Europeans in Oceania
• Flags of Oceania
• Geography of Oceania
• History of Oceania
• Military history of Oceania
• United Nations geoscheme for Oceania
• Australia (continent)
• Australasia
• New Zealand
• Pacific Islands
• Pacific Islands Forum
• Pacific Games
• Oceania (journal)

Notes

External links

• Oceania at the Open Directory Project

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