Chapter 4: Oceania

Mike Bobbe, Rachel Haemig-Lehman, Jeffrey Hedlund, Sarah Marier, Jackie Polloway

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Overview

Oceania is a region of the world that has gone through a considerable amount of political change in the last century from New Zealand being the first country to allow women to vote and Papua New Guinea finally switching from seashells to a recognized currency. Visitors to the region will want to pay close attention to numerous languages and religions. Cultural differences have become an area of conflict between natives, non-natives, and immigrants.Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Oceania is often used specifically to denote Australia and New Zealand, but it also includes Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, Australasia, and the Malay Archipelago.

Australia is distinctive because it is an island, a country, and a continent—the smallest of the world’s continents. No other land mass can make those three claims. Australia consists of a large mainland and the island of Tasmania to the south. The main physical area of New Zealand, on the other hand, consists of two main islands separated from Australia’s southeastern region by the Tasman Sea. The Great Barrier Reef runs for more than 1,600 miles off the continent’s northeastern shores. The Coral Sea separates the Great Barrier Reef from the South Pacific. The southern side of Australia is the Great Australian Bight and the island of Tasmania. A bight is a large, wide bay. To the south of Australia and New Zealand is Antarctica. The two countries have distinct physical geographies. Australia is relatively flat with low elevation highlands and an extensive dry interior, while New Zealand has high mountains and receives adequate rainfall.

The Pacific realm is home to many islands and island groups. The largest island is New Guinea, which is home to most of the realm’s population. The many islands can be divided into three main groups based on physical geography, local inhabitants, and location: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Indigenous cultural heritage remains strong in the South Pacific, but Western culture has made deep inroads into people’s lives. Western trends in fast food, pop music, clothing styles, and social customs often dominate television, radio, and the cinema. Invasive Western cultural forces take the focus away from the traditional indigenous culture and heritage of the people who inhabited these isolated islands for centuries.

Map of Oceania

Figure 4.1 Oceania political map showing zones of the South Pacific

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Overview

Map of Oceania

Suggested Research Links for Oceania

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