Australia

and Oceania

Oceania is the name of the region consisting of island groups within the central and
South Pacific Ocean. It spans over 3.3 million square miles (8.5 million sq km). Some
of the countries included in Oceania are Australia, New Zealand, Tuvalu, Samoa,
Tonga, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Palau, Micronesia, the
Marshall Islands, Kiribati and Nauru. Oceania also includes several dependencies
and territories such as American Samoa, Johnston Atoll and French Polynesia.

The major regions are Australia (population ~22 million) and New Zealand
(population ~4.4 million), with 3 island subregions: Melanesia, Micronesia, and
Polynesia.

Physical Geography of Oceania
In terms of its physical geography, the islands of Oceania are often divided into four
different sub-regions based on the geologic processes playing a role in their physical
development. The first of these is the continent of Australia. It is separated because
of its location in the middle of the Indo-Australian Plate and the fact that due to its
location there was no mountain building during its development. Instead,
Australia's current physical landscape features were formed mainly by erosion.

The second landscape category in Oceania is the islands found on the collision
boundaries between the Earth's crustal plates. These are found specifically in the
South Pacific. For example at the collision boundary between the Indo-Australian
and Pacific plates are places like New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon
Islands. The North Pacific portion of Oceania also features these types landscapes
along the Eurasian and Pacific plates. These plate collisions are responsible for the
formation of mountains like those in New Zealand that climb to over 10,000 feet
(3,000 m). New Zealand is part of the Pacific Rim of Fire.

Volcanic islands (high islands) such as Fiji are the third category of landscape types
found in Oceania. These islands typically rise from the seafloor through hotspots in
the Pacific Ocean basin. Most of these areas consist of very small islands with high
mountain ranges.

Finally, coral reef islands and atolls such as Tuvalu are the last type of landscape
found in Oceania. Atolls specifically are responsible for the formation of low-lying
land regions, some with enclosed lagoons.

Climate of Oceania
Most of Oceania is divided into two climate zones. The first of these is temperate and
the second is tropical. Most of Australia and all of New Zealand are within the
temperate zone and most of the island areas in the Pacific are considered tropical.
Oceania's temperate regions feature high levels of precipitation, cold winters and
warm to hot summers. The tropical regions in Oceania are hot and wet year round.

In addition to these climatic zones, most of Oceania is impacted by continuous trade

winds and sometimes hurricanes (called tropical cyclones in Oceania) that have
historically caused catastrophic damage to countries and islands in the region.

Flora and Fauna of Oceania
Because most of Oceania is tropical or temperate there is an abundant amount of
rainfall that produces tropical and temperate rainforests throughout the region.
Tropical rainforests are common in some of the island countries located near the
tropics, while temperate rainforests are common in New Zealand. In both of these
types of forests there is a plethora of plant and animal species, making Oceania one
of the world's most biodiverse regions.

It is important to note however, that not all of Oceania receives abundant rainfall
and portions of the region are arid or semiarid. Australia for example, features large
areas of arid land that have little vegetation. In addition, El Nio has caused frequent
droughts in recent decades in Northern Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Oceania's fauna, like its flora is also extremely biodiverse, as much of the area
consists of islands, unique species of birds, animals and insects in isolation from
others. The presence of coral reefs such as the Great Barrier Reef and Kingman Reef
also represent large areas of biodiversity and some are considered biodiversity
hotspots.

Humans and Oceania
Most recently in 2005, Oceania's population was around 37 million people, with the
majority centered in Australia and New Zealand. Those two countries alone
accounted for more than 24 million people, while Papua New Guinea had a
population of over five million. The remaining population of Oceania is scattered
around the various islands making up the region.

Like its population distribution, urbanization and industrialization also vary in
Oceania. 89% of Oceania's urban areas are in Australia and New Zealand and these
countries also have the most well established infrastructure. Australia in particular
has many raw minerals and energy sources, and manufacturing is a large part of its
and Oceania's economy. The rest of Oceania and specifically the Pacific islands are
not well developed. Some of the islands have rich natural resources, but the majority
do not. In addition, some of the island nations do not even have enough clean
drinking water or food to supply to their citizens.

Commercial extraction (Mining and plantations) is a major part of the economy in
several countries. Australia is a major wine producer/exporter 4th largest in the
world. Ranching dominates New Zealand, where commercial livestock outnumber
people 20:1.

Agriculture is also important in Oceania and there are three types that are common
in the region. These include subsistence agriculture, plantation crops and capital-

intensive agriculture. Subsistence agriculture occurs on most of the Pacific islands

and is done to support local communities. Cassava, taro, yams and sweet potatoes
are the most common products of this type of agriculture. Plantation crops are
planted on the medium tropical islands while capital-intensive agriculture is
practiced mainly in Australia and New Zealand.
Finally, fishing and tourism are important to Oceania's economy and its
development. Fishing is a significant source of revenue because many islands have
maritime exclusive economic zones that extend for 200 nautical miles and many
small islands have granted permission to foreign countries to fish the region via
fishing licenses. Tourism is also important to Oceania because many of the tropical
islands like Fiji offer aesthetic beauty, while Australia and New Zealand are modern
cities with modern amenities. New Zealand has also become an area centered on the
growing field of ecotourism.

Native people groups:


Aborigine in Australia about 2% of total population but make up about 30%
of the Northern Territorys population
Maori in New Zealand more than 8% of total population, live mostly on the
North Island. Both English and Maori are official languages.

List of the Countries of Oceania by Area

The island groups within Oceania are both countries and dependencies or
territories of other foreign nations. There are 14 countries within Oceania and they
range in size from the very large such as Australia (which is a both a continent and a
country) to the very small like Nauru.

The following is a list of Oceania's 14 different countries arranged by land area from
the largest to the smallest. This information is just for reference, with the capital city
and 2011 estimated population included for each. Information in the list was
obtained from the CIA World Factbook.

1) Australia
Area: 2,988,901 square miles (7,741,220 sq km)
Population: 22 million
Capital: Canberra

2) Papua New Guinea
Area: 178,703 square miles (462,840 sq km)
Population: 6,187,591
Capital: Port Moresby

3) New Zealand
Area: 103,363 square miles (267,710 sq km)

Population: 4.4 million

Capital: Wellington

4) Solomon Islands
Area: 11,157 square miles (28,896 sq km)
Population: 571,890
Capital: Honiara

5) Fiji
Area: 7,055 square miles (18,274 sq km)
Population: 883,125
Capital: Suva

6) Vanuatu
Area: 4,706 square miles (12,189 sq km)
Population: 224,564
Capital: Port-Villa

7) Samoa
Area: 1,093 square miles (2,831 sq km)
Population: 193,161
Capital: Apia

8) Kiribati
Area: 313 square miles (811 sq km)
Population: 100,743
Capital: Tarawa

9) Tonga
Area: 288 square miles (747 sq km)
Population: 105,916
Capital: Nuku'alofa

10) Federated States of Micronesia
Area: 271 square miles (702 sq km)
Population: 106,836
Capital: Palikir

11) Palau
Area: 177 square miles (459 sq km)
Population: 20,956
Capital: Melekeok

12) Marshall Islands
Area: 70 square miles (181 sq km)
Population: 67,182

Capital: Majuro

13) Tuvalu
Area: 10 square miles (26 sq km)
Population: 10,544
Capital: Funafuti

14) Nauru
Area: 8.1 square miles (21 sq km)
Population: 9,322
Capital: No Capital