Pacific Islander (or Pacific Person, pl: Pacific People, also called Oceanic[s]), is a geographic term to describe the inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia. Regional geography is a study of regions throughout the world in order to understand or define the unique characteristics of a particular region which consists of natural as well as 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" Micronesia, from the Greek mikros (μικρός (meaning small) and nesos (νῆσος (meaning island) is a Subregion ^[1][2] According the the Encyclopaedia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:

Polynesia: The islands scattered across a triangle covering the east-central region of the Pacific Ocean. The triangle is bounded by the Hawaiian islands in the north, New Zealand in the west, and Easter Island in the east. The rest of Polynesia comprises Samoa (American Samoa and Western Samoa), the Cook Islands, French Polynesia (Tahiti and The Society Islands, Marquesa Islands, Austral Islands, and the Tuamotu Archipelago), Niue Island, Tokelau and Tuvalu, Tonga, Wallis and Futuna, and Pitcairn Island.

Melanesia: The island of New Guinea, the Bismarck and Louisiade archipelagos, the Admiralty Islands, and Bougainville Island (which make up the independent state of Papua New Guinea), the Solomon Islands, the Santa Cruz Islands (part of the Solomon Islands), New Caledonia and Loyalty Islands, Vanuatu (formerly New Hebrides), Fiji, Norfolk Island, and various smaller islands.

Micronesia: The islands of Kiribati, Guam, Nauru, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia (Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, and Kosrate, all in the Caroline Islands).

Local usage in New Zealand uses the term to distinguish those who have emigrated from one of these areas in modern times from the indigenous New Zealand Māori (who are also Polynesian but arrived in New Zealand many centuries earlier), and from other ethnic groups. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island The term Indigenous Peoples or autochthonous peoples can be used to describe any Ethnic group who inhabit a geographic region with which they have the earliest historical This article discusses the Māori people of New Zealand For their language see Māori language, and for other meanings see Māori (disambiguation. Polynesian culture refers to the aboriginal Culture of the Polynesian -speaking peoples of Polynesia and the A stated reason for making the ethnic distinction is that the Pacific peoples suffer from socio-economic disadvantages as a group and benefit from culturally targeted social and health assistance.

In the United States, the geographic location of "Pacific Islander" is the same, but is generally understood as a reference to indigenous natives of Hawaii. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The State of Hawaii ( or həˈwaɪʔiː Hawaiian: Mokuāina o Hawaii) is a state in the United States located on an Archipelago in the In Australia the term "Pacific Islander" has been extended to include those from 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 The category excludes people who trace to non-Pacific Island origins (e. g. , descendants of Chinese or European colonists) that may now reside on the islands. It also excludes New Zealanders, (except the Māori natives, who are Polynesian), as well as Australians and indigenous Australian Aborigines (except perhaps Torres Strait Islanders, who are generally not included under that designation). This is an article about a class of people as identified and defined within Australian law Torres Strait Islanders are the indigenous people of the Torres Strait Islands, part of Queensland, Australia. In the United Kingdom, the term "Pacific Islander" refers to people originating from the islands of the Pacific (excluding the larger islands of Australia and New Zealand - see Pacific Islander British). The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island

Inhabitants of the following islands and regions are generally not considered to be Pacific Islanders: Russia's Kuril Islands, Alaska's Aleutian Islands, and the Taiwanese, Japanese, Philippines, and Indonesian islands which, although technically bordering edges of the Pacific Ocean, do not fall under the definition of "Pacific Islanders" because such islands are not actually located within the three regions of Oceania (Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia). 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 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. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a Subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over Micronesia, from the Greek mikros (μικρός (meaning small) and nesos (νῆσος (meaning island) is a Subregion Melanesia (from Greek: μέλας black, νῆσος island) means "islands of the black-skinned people"

The definitions and differences between Asian and Pacific Islanders are also clearly defined:

"Asian. Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans Filipino Americans Indian Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans Filipino Americans Indian Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry. They include sub-ethnic groups such as Chinese Americans Filipino Americans Indian A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands , Thailand, and Vietnam. It includes "Asian Indian," "Chinese," "Filipino," "Korean," "Japanese," "Vietnamese," and "Other Asian. ""

Pacific Islander
American

ancestries

Melanesian

Polynesian

Micronesian

Fijian

Samoan

Hawaiian

Polynesian

Chamorro

Pacific Islander. Pacific Islander Americans are residents of the United States with original ancestry from Oceania. The ancestry of the people of the United States is widely varied and includes descendants of Populations from around the World, some presumably extinct Pacific Islander Americans are residents of the United States with original ancestry from Oceania. "Kanaka" redirects here For the Tamil actress see Kanaka (actress. Pacific Islander Americans are residents of the United States with original ancestry from Oceania. "Chamoru" redirects here For the language see Chamorro language. A native or inhabitant of any of the Polynesian, Micronesian, or Melanesian islands of Oceania. Some examples of the ethnic groups that would be considered Pacific Islanders are the indigenous peoples of Hawaii, the Marianas, Samoans, Guamanian, Chamoru , Tahitians, Mariana Islander, and Chuukese.

^[3][4]

References

1. ^ Pacific islander on Encarta.
2. ^ Pacific islander on Dictionary. com.
3. ^ 1990 Census of Population and Housing Public Use Microdata Sample
4. ^ University of Michigan. Census 1990: Ancestry Codes. August 27, 2007. [1]

External links

• Asian Pacific Americans in the U.S. Army