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Insular Oceania

Geographic region and continent

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This article is about the geographical region. For the continent, see Australia (continent). For the continental mainland, see Mainland Australia. For other uses, see Oceania (disambiguation).
"South West Pacific" redirects here. For the 1943 Australian film, see South West Pacific (film). For the World War II military command, see South West Pacific Area.

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 including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.[6][7] Outside of the English-speaking world, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while Mainland Australia is regarded as its continental landmass.[8][9][10][11] 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 46.3 million as of 2024. Oceania is the smallest continent in land area and the second-least populated after Antarctica.

Oceania
An orthographic projection of Oceania
Area9,000,000 km2 (3,500,000 sq mi) (7th)
Population44,491,724 (2021, 6th)[1][2]
Population density4.94/km2 (12.8/sq mi)
GDP (nominal)$1.630 trillion (2018, 6th)
GDP per capita$63,842 (2024, 2nd)
Religions
DemonymOceanian
Countries
Dependencies

Languages
Time zonesUTC+9 (Papua, Palau) to UTC–6 (Easter Island)
(west to east)
Largest cities
UN M49 code009 – Oceania
001 – 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,[12][13] to the much less developed economies of Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Western New Guinea.[14] The largest and most populous country in Oceania is Australia, and the largest city is Sydney.[15] Puncak Jaya in Indonesia is the highest peak in Oceania at 4,884 m (16,024 ft).[16]

The first settlers of Australia, New Guinea, and the large islands just to the east arrived more than 60,000 years ago.[17] 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.[18] 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 and Second World Wars.

The rock art of Aboriginal Australians is the longest continuously practiced artistic tradition in the world.[19] Most Oceanian countries are parliamentary democracies, with tourism serving as a large source of income for the Pacific island nations.[20]

  1. ^ "World Population Prospects 2022". United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  2. ^ "World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100" (XSLX) ("Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)"). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Oceania: Population, Characteristics, Economy And Religions". CRGSoft. 17 January 2022. Archived from the original on 3 October 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  4. ^ The Galapagos Islands are physiographically in South America but it has been physiopolitically associated with Oceania
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference pronun was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference aging was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "The Four Sub-regions Of Oceania". WorldAtlas. 26 December 2017. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  8. ^ Montejo, Erika (26 December 2023). "¿Cuándo se formó Oceanía, el continente más pequeño del planeta?". National Geographic en Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  9. ^ Larousse, Éditions. "Océanie - LAROUSSE". larousse.fr (in French). Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  10. ^ "Oceania - Treccani". Treccani (in Italian). Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  11. ^ CEON. "Atlas Geográfico Escolar - IBGE". Atlas Geográfico Escolar - IBGE (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference worlda was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference herita was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference imforg was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference dfatgov was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference modern283 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ "Aboriginal Australians". National Geographic. 8 February 2019. Archived from the original on 24 August 2021. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference foundi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference oceanart was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference newpol162 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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