What is Pacific Islands?

Information about Pacific Islands

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Tuamotu, French Polynesia
The Pacific Ocean contains an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 islands (the exact number has yet to be precisely determined). Those islands lying south of the tropic of Cancer but excluding Australia are traditionally grouped into three divisions: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Inhabitants are sometimes referred to as Pacific Islanders.

Pacific islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania [1] (although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago),

Melanesia means black islands. These include New Guinea (the largest Pacific island, which is divided into the sovereign nation of Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Irian Jaya), New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands.

Micronesia means small islands. These include the Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Most of these lie north of the equator.

Polynesia means many islands. These include New Zealand, the Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, the Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and Easter Island. It is the largest of the three zones.

The region's islands are classified into two groups, high islands and low islands. Volcanoes form high islands, which generally can support more people and have a more fertile soil. Low islands are reefs or atolls, and are relatively small and infertile. Melanesia, the most populated of the three regions, contains mainly high islands, while most of Micronesia and Polynesia are low islands.

There are also many other islands located within the boundaries of the Pacific Ocean, but these are not considered part of Oceania. These islands include the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador; the Aleutian Islands in Alaska; the Russian islands of Sakhalin and Kuril Islands; Taiwan; the Philippines; the South China Sea Islands; most of the islands of Indonesia; and the island nation of Japan, which includes the Ryukyu Islands. The inhabitants of these islands are not considered to be Pacific Islanders and are usually identified with their nearest continent.

List of islands

This is a list of many of the major Pacific Islands, organized by archipelago or political unit. In order to keep this list of moderate size, links are given to more complete lists for countries with large numbers of small or uninhabited islands.
Note: many Polynesian languages have a glottal stop, which in most of them is seldomly written, however. If a name with a < ʻ > cannot be found, try to rewrite it without it. See 'okina for more info.

Country Island Name Area Population (2000 Census) Currency
American Samoa (United States)-199 km² (212th) 76.83 sq mi57,291United States dollar (USD)
American Samoa (United States)Aunuʻuu/au/aUnited States dollar (USD)

See also

Footnotes

1. ^ Collins Atlas of the World, Page 83

References

  • id="CITEREFWilliam Collins Sons & Co Ltd1983">William Collins Sons & Co Ltd (1983), Collins Atlas of the World (revised 1995 ed.), London W6 8JB: HarperCollins, ISBN 0 00 448227 1

     •  • [ e]
    Countries and territories of Oceania
    1 Often included in Polynesia 2 New Guinea is often included in Australasia
    Earth's oceans
    (World Ocean)
    • Arctic Ocean
    • Atlantic Ocean
    • Indian Ocean
    • Pacific Ocean
    • Southern Ocean


    The Pacific Ocean (from the Latin name Mare Pacificum
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    island (IPA: /aɪ.lɪnd/) or isle (IPA: /aɪ.ʌl
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    Tropic of Cancer, or Northern tropic, is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. It is the most northerly latitude at which the sun can appear directly overhead at noon.
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    Anthem
    Advance Australia Fair [1]


    Capital Canberra

    Largest city Sydney
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    Melanesia (from Greek: μέλας black, νῆσος island) is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western side of the West Pacific to the Arafura Sea, north and north-east of Australia.
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    Micronesia, from the Greek mikros (μικρός) (meaning small) and nesos (νῆσος) (meaning island), is a subregion of Oceania, comprising hundreds of small islands in the Pacific Ocean.
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    Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean.
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    For the rugby union team, see .


    Pacific Islander (or Pacific Person, pl: Pacific People, also called Oceanic[s]), is a geographic term used in several places, such as New Zealand and the United States, to describe the
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    Oceania (sometimes Oceanica) is a geographical, often geopolitical, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity. The exact scope of Oceania is defined variously, with interpretations often including Australia, New Zealand, New
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    Australasia is a term variably used to describe a region of Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes (1756).
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    Malay Archipelago<nowiki />

    World map highlighting Malay Archipelago, with the island of New Guinea—not part of the Malay Archipelago by some definitions—in light green.
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    New Guinea<nowiki />

    Political division of New Guinea

    Geography
    <nowiki/>
    Location Island north of Australian continent
    Coordinates
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    Sovereignty is the exclusive right to complete political (e.g. legislative, judicial, and/or executive) control over an area of governance, people, or oneself. A sovereign is the supreme lawmaking authority, subject to no other.
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    Motto
    Unity in diversity[1]
    Anthem
    O Arise, All You Sons[2]


    Capital Port Moresby

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    Motto
    "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika"   (Old Javanese)
    "Unity in Diversity"
    National ideology: Pancasila[1]
    Anthem
    Indonesia Raya
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    For other uses, see Papua (disambiguation).


    Papua is a province of Indonesia comprising a majority part of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands (see also Western New Guinea).
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    West Papua (Indonesian: Papua Barat; formerly West Irian Jaya or Irian Jaya Barat) is a province of Indonesia on the western end of the island of New Guinea. It covers the Bird's Head (or Doberai) Peninsula and surrounding islands.
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    Anthem
    La Marseillaise


    Capital Nouméa
    Largest city Nouméa
    Official languages French
    Government Overseas territory of France
     -  President of France Nicolas Sarkozy
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    Motto
    "Long God yumi stanap" (In God we stand)
    Anthem
    Yumi, Yumi, Yumi


    Capital Port Vila

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    Motto
    Rerevaka na Kalou ka Doka na Tui
    Fear God and honour the Queen
    Anthem
    God Bless Fiji
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    Motto
    "To Lead is to Serve"
    Anthem
    God Save Our Solomon Islands
    Royal anthem
    God Save the Queen
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    For Ladrones Islands in South China Sea, please refer to Wanshan Qundao.
    The Mariana Islands (also the Marianas; up to the early 20th century sometimes called Ladrones Islands, from Spanish Islas de los Ladrones
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    Motto
    "Where America's Day Begins"
    Anthem
    Fanohge Chamoru


    Capital Hagåtña
    Largest village Dededo
    Official languages English and Chamorro
    Government
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    Wake Island

    Owned by United States

    Wake Island (also known as Wake Atoll) is a coral atoll having a coastline of 12 miles (19 kilometers) in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu (2,300 statute
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    Anthem
    Belau loba klisiich er a kelulul


    Capital Melekeok1

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    Motto
    Te Mauri, Te Raoi ao Te Tabomoa
    (English: Health, Peace and Prosperity)
    Anthem
    Teirake Kaini Kiribati


    Capital South Tarawa

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    Motto
    "God's Will First"
    Anthem
    Nauru Bwiema


    Capital none1

    Largest city Yaren
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    Motto
    Peace Unity Liberty
    Anthem
    Patriots of Micronesia


    Capital Palikir

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    equator is an imaginary line on the Earth's surface equidistant from the North Pole and South Pole. It thus divides the Earth into a Northern Hemisphere and a Southern Hemisphere. The equators of other planets and astronomical bodies are defined analogously.
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