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| Oceanía | |
|---|---|
| Conventional long name | Oceanía |
| Common name | Oceanía |
Oceanía is a region encompassing the islands of the central and south Pacific, comprising subregions often categorized as Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. The area includes sovereign states such as Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji, as well as territories linked to United States, France, and United Kingdom. Oceanía's strategic position links it to historical routes like the Spice Trade and events such as the Age of Discovery and the Pacific War.
Oceanía spans from the islands of the Aleutian Islands near Alaska through the groups that include Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, New Caledonia (administered by France), Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, American Samoa (a territory of the United States), Guam (a territory of the United States), Northern Mariana Islands (a commonwealth of the United States), Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu, and reaches to Easter Island administered by Chile. The region includes major maritime features such as the Coral Sea, Tasman Sea, Pacific Ocean, Bismarck Sea, and the Mariana Trench; islands vary from continental masses like Australia and New Guinea to low-lying atolls such as Kiribati and Marshall Islands. Volcanic arcs including the Ring of Fire influence island formation alongside coral reef systems exemplified by the Great Barrier Reef off Australia and the reef systems around Palau.
Human settlement traces connect to migrations associated with the Lapita culture and seafaring voyages comparable to those by Polynesian navigation that reached Rapa Nui and Hawaii. European contact began with expeditions by figures like Abel Tasman and James Cook, triggering colonial rivalries involving Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, United Kingdom, France, and later Germany and United States; events include the Colonial expansion and the signing of treaties such as the Treaty of Waitangi. The region was a major theater during the Pacific War, involving battles like Battle of Midway, Battle of Guadalcanal, and Battle of the Coral Sea, with lasting impact from postwar processes including decolonization movements in Fiji and independence of states like Samoa and Vanuatu.
Population centers range from highly urbanized Sydney and Auckland to dispersed communities across Micronesia and Polynesia; indigenous peoples include groups such as the Aboriginal Australians, Māori, Papuan peoples, Kanak, and diverse Polynesian and Micronesian societies. Languages include English as a dominant colonial lingua franca in places like Australia and New Zealand, while indigenous tongues such as Te Reo Māori, Tok Pisin, Hiri Motu, Fijian, and Tongan persist alongside immigrant languages including Chinese dialects and Hindi in Fiji. Religious landscapes feature affiliations to institutions like the Roman Catholic Church, Protestantism, Methodist Church, and indigenous spiritual practices evident in ceremonies tied to communities in Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu.
Cultural expression manifests in oral traditions linked to navigators associated with Polynesian navigation, material arts such as tattooing traditions preserved by figures like the navigators remembered in Hōkūleʻa voyaging, and performance arts including haka dances of Māori and siva dances of Samoa. Visual arts include carving traditions exemplified by Easter Island moai and Batik-style textiles in parts of Indonesia adjacent to the region's western fringe, while contemporary contributions surface in literature and film by creators from Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, and Samoa. Festivals and sporting culture celebrate events like Pacific Games with athletes from Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, and New Caledonia competing alongside teams from Australia and New Zealand.
Economic structures differ from resource-rich markets such as Australia and New Zealand—involved in sectors tied to institutions like the World Trade Organization—to small island economies reliant on sectors such as tourism in Fiji, Tahiti (part of French Polynesia), and Bora Bora, fisheries tied to exclusive economic zones similar to those claimed by Kiribati and Marshall Islands, and remittances to nations including Samoa and Tonga. Commodities include minerals in regions like Papua New Guinea (notably operations by corporations connected to global supply chains), agricultural exports such as sugar in Fiji and New Caledonia's nickel industry, and services in urban centers like Sydney and Auckland. Development financing and aid involve agencies such as the Asian Development Bank, World Bank, and bilateral partners like Australia and New Zealand.
Sovereign states include Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga, Nauru, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, and Palau; territories include French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, and Wallis and Futuna. Regional organizations and agreements feature entities like the Pacific Islands Forum, the Melanesian Spearhead Group, and security arrangements involving Australia and the United States; diplomatic issues intersect with strategic interests of powers such as China and Japan. Legal instruments and disputes include matters adjudicated at institutions like the International Court of Justice and treaties addressing maritime claims under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Biodiversity hotspots encompass habitats from Great Barrier Reef coral systems to montane rainforests on New Guinea, hosting endemic taxa such as birds of paradise in Papua New Guinea and unique marsupials in Australia. Environmental challenges involve coral bleaching events linked to climate change impacts recognized in assessments by bodies like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, sea-level rise threatening low-lying atolls such as Tuvalu and Marshall Islands, invasive species issues exemplified by rodents on remote islands, and cyclones that affect areas including Fiji and Vanuatu. Conservation efforts engage organizations such as Conservation International and national parks like Kakadu National Park and Fiordland National Park in New Zealand.