Oceania
Oceania (UK: /ˌoʊsiˈɑːniə, ˌoʊʃi-, -ˈeɪn-/ OH-s(h)ee-AH-nee-ə, -AY-, US: /ˌoʊʃiˈæniə, -ˈɑːn-/ ⓘ OH-shee-A(H)N-ee-ə)[5] is a geographical region comprising Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.[6][7] Spanning the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, at the centre of the water hemisphere, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of about 9,000,000 square kilometres (3,500,000 sq mi) and a population of around 44.4 million as of 2022. When compared to the other continents, Oceania is the smallest in land area and the second-least populated after Antarctica.
This article is about the geographical region. For the continent, see Australia (continent). For other uses, see Oceania (disambiguation).Area
9,000,000 km2 (3,500,000 sq mi) (7th)
4.94/km2 (12.8/sq mi)
$1.630 trillion (2018, 6th)
$62,316 (2023, 1st)
- 82.2% Christianity
- 42.7% Protestantism
- 24.7% Catholicism
- 14.8% Other Christian
- 82.2% Christianity
- 16.5% No religion
- 1.3% Other[3]
Oceanian
-
Australia (5)
-
France (3)
-
New Zealand (1)
-
United Kingdom (1)
-
United States (11)
UTC+9 (Papua, Palau) to UTC–6 (Easter Island)
(west to east)
009 – Oceania001 – World
Oceania has a diverse mix of economies from the highly developed and globally competitive financial markets of Australia, French Polynesia, Hawaii, New Caledonia, and New Zealand, which rank high in quality of life and Human Development Index,[8][9] to the much less developed economies of Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Western New Guinea,[10] while also including medium-sized economies of Pacific islands such as Fiji, Palau, and Tonga.[11] The largest and most populous country in Oceania is Australia, and the largest city is Sydney.[12] Puncak Jaya in Highland Papua, Indonesia, is the highest peak in Oceania at 4,884 m (16,024 ft).[13]
The first settlers of Australia, New Guinea, and the large islands just to the east arrived more than 60,000 years ago.[14] Oceania was first explored by Europeans from the 16th century onward. Portuguese explorers, between 1512 and 1526, reached the Tanimbar Islands, some of the Caroline Islands and west New Guinea. Spanish and Dutch explorers followed, then British and French. On his first voyage in the 18th century, James Cook, who later arrived at the highly developed Hawaiian Islands, went to Tahiti and followed the east coast of Australia for the first time.[15]
The arrival of European settlers in subsequent centuries resulted in a significant alteration in the social and political landscape of Oceania. The Pacific theatre saw major action during the First World War with the Japanese occupying many German territories. During the Second World War, Allied powers the United States, Philippines (a U.S. Commonwealth at the time) and Australia fought against Axis power Japan across various locations in Oceania.
The rock art of Aboriginal Australians is the longest continuously practiced artistic tradition in the world.[16] Most Oceanian countries are multi-party representative parliamentary democracies, with tourism being a large source of income for the Pacific island nations.[17]