We take a look at Oceania Countries And Capitals in this article. Oceania is a geographic region which comprises Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. It spans the eastern and western hemispheres, covering an area of 8,525,989 square kilometers (3,291,903 sq. mi) and has a population of 41,696,289 which is about 0.54% of the total world population. It is situated in the southeast of the Asia-Pacific region and is the smallest in land area and the second lowest in the community after Antarctica when compared to other continents. In Oceania, countries like Australia and New Zealand have highly developed economies and globally competitive financial markets while the likes of Kiribati and Tuvalu have much less developed economies. Pacific islands such as Palau, Fiji, and Tonga have medium-sized economies. Australia and New Zealand both rank high in quality of life and human development index. Australia is the largest and most populous country in Oceania, with Sydney being the largest city of Australia and also Oceania.
- Northern Mariana Islands (USA)
The Northern Mariana Islands are a U.S. commonwealth located in the Pacific Ocean. Saipan which is the largest island is known for its sandy shores and mountainous landscapes. Situated in clear waters off the west coast of the territory is the tiny, coral-fringed Mañagaha islet. Turtles inhabit the Grotto which is a cavern dive site in the northeast coast of Saipan. Nearby, memorials mark Banzai Cliff and Suicide Cliff which are sites from WWII’s Battle of Saipan. In the town of Garapan located on Saipan’s west coast sits the NMI Museum of History & Culture. It displays a collection of ancient Chamorro artifacts. Golf spots in the territory include 2 Greg Norman–designed courses at Laolao Bay on the east coast. Tinian Island is famous for the House of Taga which is the ruins of prehistoric stone pillars that were built by indigenous Chamorro people. Farther southwest of Northern Mariana Islands is the small island of Rota.
- Pitcairn Islands (UK)
The Pitcairn Islands is known officially as Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands. They are a group of four volcanic islands located in the southern Pacific Ocean that form the only British Overseas Territory in the South Pacific. The four islands are scattered across several hundred miles of ocean and together have a combined land area of about 47 square kilometers. Henderson Island alone accounts for 86% of the land area, but only Pitcairn Island is inhabited of the four. Pitcairn holds the record for the least populous national jurisdiction in the world. The Pitcairn Islanders are a bi-racial ethnic group who descended mostly from nine Bounty mutineers and the handful of Tahitians who accompanied them. This event has been retold in many books and films. Today, there are about 50 permanent inhabitants who originated from four leading families.
- Tokelau (New Zealand)
Tokelau is a remote group of atolls located in the South Pacific Ocean, halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. It is a New Zealand territory and is usually accessed by boat from Samoa, a trip that of up to 24 hours. Nukunonu atoll has accommodation and a clear lagoon that is rich in marine life. Fakaofo has swimming pigs that are famous for catching fish near its coral reef.
- Wake Island (USA)
Wake Island is a coral atoll located in the western Pacific. The island is an unorganized and unincorporated territory of the United States that is also claimed by the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Wake Island is one of 14 U.S. insular areas and is administered by the United States Air Force under an agreement with the U.S. Department of the Interior.
- Wallis and Futuna (France)
Wallis and Futuna are known officially as the Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands. It is a French island collectivity located in the South Pacific. Though it is both French and Polynesian, Wallis and Futuna is a separate entity from French Polynesia. Its total land area is 142.42 km² and is home to a population of about 11,899. The capital and largest city are Mata-Utu. The territory is made up of three main volcanic tropical islands as well as several tiny islets. It is split into two island groups that lie about 260 km apart, namely the Wallis Islands in the northeast, and the Hoorn Islands in the southwest, including Futuna Island proper as well as the mostly uninhabited Alofi Island. Since the year 2003, Wallis and Futuna have been designated as a French overseas collectivity. Between the year 1961 and 2003, it had the status of a French overseas territory although its official name did not change when the situation changed.
- Brief History of Oceania Countries
The first settlers of Australia, New Guinea, and the large islands just to the east are believed to have arrived more than 60,000 years ago. Europeans began exploring Oceania from the 16th century onward. Portuguese navigators, between 1512 and 1526, got to the Tanimbar Islands, some of the Caroline Islands and also west Papua New Guinea. James Cook on his first voyage in the 18th century went to Tahiti and followed the east of Australia for the first time. James later arrived at the highly developed Hawaiian Islands. The Pacific front also saw significant action during WWII mainly between Allied powers the United States and Australia, and Axis power Japan. Due to the arrival of European settlers in subsequent centuries, there was a significant alteration in the social and political landscape of Oceania. In recent times, more discussions are taking place on national flags and also on the desire of some Oceanians to display their distinct and individualistic identity. The rock art of Australian Aborigines is regarded as the longest continuously practiced artistic tradition in the world. Puncak Jaya located in Papua is often considered as the highest peak in Oceania. Most Oceanian countries run a parliamentary representative democratic multi-party system. Tourism is a massive source of income for the Pacific Islands nations.
- Oceania Countries Culture
The primary influence behind Australian culture since 1788 has been Anglo-Celtic Western culture, with some Indigenous forces. The divergence and evolution that has since taken place have resulted in distinctive Australian culture. American popular culture has strongly influenced Australia from the mid-20th century, mainly through television and cinema. Other cultural influences on Australia come from neighboring Asian countries, and also through large-scale immigration from non-English-speaking nations. Most Indigenous Australian tribal groups lived on a simple hunter-gatherer diet of native fauna and Flora, which is otherwise called bush tucker. The first settlers in Australia introduced British food to the continent, much of which is now considered typical Australian food, an example is the Sunday roast. This is one of the things that brought the beauty you can behold in current Oceania Countries And Regions.
The music of Hawaii features both traditional and fashionable styles. It ranges from native Hawaiian folk music to modern rock and hip hop. The contributions of Hawaii to the tune of the United States are out of proportion to the small size of the state. Styles like slack-key guitar are famous worldwide, while Hawaiian-tinged music is frequently used in Hollywood soundtracks. Also, Hawaii made a significant contribution to country music with the introduction of the steel guitar. Hawaiian religion is both polytheistic and animistic. There is a belief in several deities and spirits, including the idea that souls can be found in non-human beings and objects like animals, the waves, and the sky. The cuisine of Hawaii is a fusion of many foods that were brought by immigrants to the Hawaiian Islands.
New Zealand’s culture is a Western culture which is influenced by the cultural input of the indigenous Māori as well as the various waves of multi-ethnic migration which followed the British colonization of New Zealand. The Māori people constitute one of the significant cultures of Polynesia. New Zealand has been broadened by globalization and immigration from the Pacific Islands, East Asia and also South Asia. The national cuisine of New Zealand has been described as Pacific Rim, incorporating the native Māori cuisine as well as diverse culinary traditions introduced by settlers and also immigrants from Europe, Polynesia, and Asia.
The fa’a Samoa or traditional Samoan way remains a strong force in Samoan life and politics. This is despite centuries of European influence as Samoa has maintained its ancient customs, social and political systems, and also language. Cultural traditions like the Samoa ‘ava ceremony are important and solemn rituals at important occasions like the bestowal of matai chiefly titles. Items of great cultural value in Samoa include the finely woven, ‘i.e., toga. Siva is the Samoan word for dance with unique gentle movements of the body in time to music and which also tell a story, although Samoan male dances can be snappier. The sasa is also a traditional dance featuring rows of dancers who perform rapid synchronized movements in time to the rhythm of wooden drums (pate) or rolled mats Fa’ataupati or the slap dance is another dance performed by Samoan males. This dance involves creating rhythmic sounds by slapping different parts of the body. Just like in other Polynesian cultures such as Hawaiian, Tahitian, and Māori that have significant and unique tattoos, Samoans also have two gender-specific as well as culturally significant symbols.
- Oceania Countries Arts
You cannot write about Oceania Countries And Regions without recourse to Artistic creations of native Oceanians vary significantly across cultures and regions. The subject matter of these artworks typically carry themes of fertility or the supernatural. Petroglyphs, Tattooing, painting, wood carving, stone carving and also textile work are other common art forms. Art of Oceania accurately encompasses the artistic traditions of the indigenous people of Australia and the Pacific Islands. These early people lacked a writing system, and their works were done on perishable materials which means so few records of them exist from this time. The oldest and richest unbroken tradition in the world is indigenous Australian rock art. It dates as far back as 60,000 years and spread across hundreds of thousands of sites. These rock paintings served so many functions. Some were used in magic, some to increase animal populations for hunting, while some others were simply for amusement. Sculpture in Oceania first appeared on New Guinea as a series of stone figures that were found throughout the island, but mostly in the mountainous highlands. It has been difficult establishing a chronological timeframe for these pieces in most cases, but one has been dated to 1500 BC. By 1500 BC the Lapita culture, who were descendants of the second wave, began to expand and spread into the more remote islands. It was around the same time that art began to appear in New Guinea, including the earliest examples of sculpture in Oceania. From around 1100 AD, the people of Easter Island started construction of nearly 900 moai (giant stone statues). Around 1200 AD, the people of Pohnpei, a Micronesian island, began work on another megalithic building, building Nan Madol which is a city of artificial islands and a system of canals. Hawaiian art includes wood carvings, feather work, petroglyphs, bark cloth known as kappa in Hawaiian and tapa in other parts of the Pacific, and also tattoos. Native Hawaiians did not have metal nor woven fabric.
- Oceania Countries Sport
Rugby union is one of the most prominent sports in the region. It is the national sport of New Zealand, Samoa, Fiji, and Tonga. Australia’s most popular game is cricket, while Australian women favor netball. Australian rules football is the most popular sport in Oceania in terms of spectatorship and television ratings. New Zealanders enjoy Rugby while In Papua New Guinea, the most popular game is Rugby league. The national sport in Nauru is Australian rules football and also is the most popular football code in Australia in terms of attendance. It also enjoys a massive following in Papua New Guinea, where it is the second most popular sport after Rugby League. It also attracts significant attention across New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Fiji’s sevens team is rated as one of the most successful in the world, as is New Zealand. Vanuatu is currently the only country in all of Oceania to call association football its national sport. However, it is also the most popular sport in countries such as Kiribati, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu, and has significant popularity in Australia. In the year 2006, Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation and was able to qualify for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups as an Asian entrant. Two Australian cities have in the past hosted the Summer Olympics: Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000. Australia has over the years hosted five editions of the Commonwealth Games with New Zealand playing host three times. The Pacific Games is a multi-sport event with similarities to the Olympics but on a much smaller scale. It was formerly known as the South Pacific Games, with only countries from around the Pacific participating. It is held every four years, with the first edition holding in 1963. Australia and New Zealand in the year 2015 competed in the games for the first time.
Oceania List Of Countries, Population, Currencies, and Current Presidents.
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Oceania Map With Countries 2020
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Conclusion on Oceania Countries And Regions
We stop here on the List of Oceania Countries And Capitals. You can discover more about Oceania by reading up more articles on this continent. So about your question on What Countries Are In Oceania, we have given you all you need to know about the countries.
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