Physical Geography Micronesia Melanesia Polynesia

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1 Oceania

2 Physical Geography How did thousands of islands appear across the Pacific Ocean? There are 3.3 million square miles of the Pacific Ocean between Australia, Indonesia, and the Hawaiian Islands. There are literally 10,000 islands!!! Most of those islands are small - many are uninhabited. There are three sections: Micronesia: Includes the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Guam, and the Marshall Islands. Melanesia: Includes New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa. Polynesia: Includes French Polynesia, Kiribati, Niue, the Hawaiian Islands, and the Cook Islands.

3 Weather and Island Structure The islands of Oceania ar volcanic islands They are tropical, humid, and wet. Typhoons occur semi-regularly.typhoons are what we call in the US, hurricanes. Lagoons form inland from flooding from major storms. Lagoons offer food sources (fish and seaweed.)

4 Oceania s History The first settlers of Oceania came in 1500, BCE. =1JJGW4RGTZ51DTHT821SLXPF5E&nodeId=7L74RODVE1 BBECPXE4R6WXXEN8&edition=STUDENT They traveled by boat from Southeast Asia, using Wayfinding, which means the practice of following the celestial bodies and carefully watching wind and other weather patterns. During the 1600s of the Common Era: European colonization of the islands in Oceania occured. They were searching for gold and other precious metals Still, these islands became stopping points to restock food and freshwater during sea travel. Much later the islands of Oceania became perfect places for military bases. This was especially true during World War II.

5 History, Cont. After WWII, many independence movements broke out The people, for the most part, were ready to govern themselves. Some of these movements involved conflict, but many islands were able to negotiate freedom with their former colonial powers. Some islands negotiated independence by free association with foreign powers. Palau, for example, is an independent republic, but it has a voluntary free association with the United States. It has its own constitution and governs itself. Palau and the United States have an agreement that benefits both: Palau allows the United States to keep military facilities on one of its islands, and in return, the United States provides millions of dollars of aid money to Palau each year. Other islands in Oceania have agreements of various kinds with foreign governments, including Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, France, and the United States.

6 Papua New Guinea Very diverse, many languages, cultures, traditions.. Papua New Guinea has a total human population of more than 6 million the largest of Oceania s islands. (About the size of California.) Papua New Guinea is made up of people from many different ethnic and native tribal groups. Natives of Papua New Guinea make up about 84 percent of the total population. The other 16 percent come from various backgrounds, including Polynesian, Chinese, and European Geographers and language experts believe 860 different languages are spoken in Papua New Guinea. In other words, 10 percent of all languages known to exist are used in Papua New Guinea!!!! In spite of speaking many different languages, the people of Papua New Guinea are still able to speak to one another. Many of the people speak their own language, as well as a pidgin language. (A pidgin language is a simplified language that is used for communication between people who speak different languages.)

7 Culture in Oceania Many traditions involve fishing, diving, and celebrating battle victories. Another tradition is an important event in the lives of young people called coming-of-age ceremonies. In Polynesian cultures, ceremonies and celebrations include feasts and dancing. Like their ancestors, Polynesian people practice artistic wood carving and use the carvings to decorate their homes. Many traditional Polynesian and Micronesian cultures practice tatooing. Micronesian people use storytelling to retell history and to keep track of family heritage. In the island nation of Samoa, traditional homes called fales are common. Christianity is common because of missionary work done centuries ago. Fales are open structures made of wood poles with thatched roofs.

8 The Economy of Oceania 60% of Papua New Guinea s export income comes from the mining of gold and copper, so naturally, mining is a common occupation. Papua New Guinea s cash crops include coffee, cacao, coconuts, rubber, and tea. The tourist industry also provides many jobs. The vast majority of Papua New Guinea s people, however, live by subsistence farming. Most families raise their own food crops, such as yams, taro, bananas, and sweet potatoes. Some raise pigs or chickens for meat and eggs Many families cannot make it financially without money that extended family members who have moved to mainland countries send them to supplement their income. Many people have left places like Tonga in search of work, but remain tightly connected to their homeland.

9 Tourism and the Economy Tourism is important to the economies of many small, independent countries in Oceania. Tourists come from all over the world to enjoy the sunshine, warm ocean waters, and panoramic views. Resorts provide comfortable lodging, food, recreation, and entertainment. Most resorts are located in beautiful natural areas, such as tropical beaches, mountains, and forests. Tourist businesses employ thousands of people. Without the revenue from tourism, many small island countries would be at risk of economic collapse.

10 Tension and Conflict, the Environment Although most island nations in Oceania are free of conflict, some unrest occurs. Crime and human rights abuses are problems on some of the islands. In Fiji, tensions between native Fijians and immigrants from India led to conflicts. The Solomon Islands have also seen conflict on issues. Disagreement on the issue of land rights led to conflict between the native people of Guadalcanal and people from the neighboring island of Malaita. Peace was restored with help from the United Nations. The islands of Oceania face serious environmental issues, including climate change, deforestation, pollution, natural disasters, and declining fish populations. Many scientists and island residents view climate change as one of the most urgent and serious issues in the region. With continued global warming, sea levels are already rising. If this continues, many of Oceania s low islands could be completely covered by water. Some of the lowest islands are already experiencing surface flooding from rising oceans and eroding beaches.

11 Survival of Marine Animals Commercial fishing companies have harvested so many fish from some areas that almost no fish remain for local people to catch and eat. When huge numbers of fish are caught at one time, the remaining fish are unable to reproduce quickly enough to restore populations. In time, entire populations of fish will be gone. Ocean pollution also threatens the survival of fish and other marine animals.