Oceania is a term used to describe the Pacific island region, which usually includes Micronesia, Melanesia, Australasia, and Polynesia. The term is a loose one with ill-defined boundaries, but generally includes Australia in the west to Pitcairn Island in the east, spanning roughly 9000 miles across, and about 7000 miles from New Zealand to the northern tip of the Philippines.
Of course, such a wide region contains many different ecosystems and climates, but most of the islands in the region (Australia is considered a continent, although it is technically an island as well) enjoy a mild climate with moderate to heavy rainfall. The continent of Australia and the islands of New Zealand are much larger, and have different climates in different areas. Australia, although the smallest of all the continents, is still an extremely large and diverse landmass. Australia’s eastern coast varies from the hot and humid rainforests of the north, to the temperate south. The majority of the Australian continent is a huge, arid desert that sees lots of sun. The northeastern part of the country sees good amounts of rainfall, and is prone to be in the path of cyclones. New Zealand enjoys a typically temperate climate in most areas, with temperatures rarely falling below freezing. The two main islands do have some high elevations (the highest, Mt. Cook, is well over 3700 meters) which are subject to freezing temperatures.
The governments in the region vary between the strong democracies found in Australia and New Zealand, to the occasional military dictatorship (Fiji, 2006), to the protectorates and foreign-held territories, such as New Caledonia and French Polynesia (France), and Guam and American Samaoa (U.S.). Although the majority of the islands have been, or are still held by European powers during modern times, the native civilizations have inhabited some islands, Fiji for example, for over 3000 years. Australia has been inhabited by humans for over 42,000 years. The European influence has certainly been felt in the region, probably nowhere more so than Australia, where the native population was drastically diminished through diseases, relocation programs, and other results of European occupation.
The region’s economies range from the developed, first-world countries of Australia and New Zealand, to the developing ones of Indonesia and the Philippines, to the tiny local economies, dependent upon foreign funds, such as Guam. For many smaller islands, such as Fiji, Tonga, and Vanuatu, tourism is one of the major industries, although the whole region remains one of the most visited, if difficult to reach, parts of the world. |
