Oceania
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Originally coined by the French explorer Dumont d'Urville in 1831, Oceania has been traditionally divided into Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia, and Australasia. As with any region, however, interpretations vary; increasingly, geographers and scientists divide Oceania into Near Oceania and Remote Oceania.
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Oceania
Oceania (sometimes Oceanica) is a geographical, often geopolitical, region consisting of numerous lands — mostly islands and usually including Australia — in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity. The exact scope of Oceania is defined variously, with interpretations normally including Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and various islands of the Malay Archipelago.
The term is also used by many authors and in many languages to define one of the continents, although some countries, such as the U.S., do not recognise Oceania as a continent.
Micronesia
Micronesia, from the Ancient Greek μικρος (small) and νησος (island), is the name of a region in the Pacific Ocean. The Philippines lie to the west, Indonesia to the south west, Papua New Guinea and Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the south-east and east.
The term "Micronesia" was first proposed to distinguish the region in 1831 by Jules Dumont d'Urville; before this the term "Polynesia" was in use to generally describe the islands of the Pacific.
Major Cities of Micronesia
Other Areas of Micronesia
Melanesia
Melanesia (from Greek: μέλας black, νῆσος island) is a region extending from the western side of the East Pacific to the Arafura Sea, north and north-east of Australia. The term was first used by Jules Dumont d'Urville in 1832 to denote an ethnic and geographical grouping of islands distinct from Polynesia and Micronesia.
Major Cities of Melanesia
Other Areas of Melanesia
Polynesia
Polynesia (from Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The term "Polynesia", was first used by Charles de Brosses in 1756, and originally applied to all the islands of the Pacific. Jules Dumont d'Urville in an 1831 lecture to the Geographical Society of Paris proposed a restriction on its use, and also introduced the terms Micronesia and Melanesia. This division into three distinct Pacific subregions remains in widespread use today.
Major Cities of Polynesia
Other Areas of Polynesia
New Zealand
New Zealand is a country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean comprising two large islands (the North Island and the South Island) and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands.
Major Cities of New Zealand
Other Areas of New Zealand
- Napier -One of the "Twin Cities" along with Hastings, located on the North Island. Wikipedia information on Napier.
Map
Map of Australia & New Zealand
Related Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceania - Wikipedia entry on Oceania
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micronesia - Wikipedia entry on Micronesia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melanesia - Wikipedia entry on Melanesia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polynesia - Wikipedia entry on Polynesia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand - Wikipedia entry on New Zealand
