Australia/Oceania Continent
In our geography class, we have studied
different continents of the world, and among the continents, I did
not know Oceania that much compared to Asia, Europe, the Americas,
and Africa. In fact, back then, we have studied Australia as a
continent but still its geographical extent as a continent was not
that clear. All I know was that Australia is both a country and a
continent in the Pacific region. I have been considering those little
islands in the Pacific also. And in that case, where does New Zealand
belong?
There was this so-called “Oceania”,
but can that be considered a continent based on the traditional
definition of the term? Things have been clearer when there is this
so-called “Australia and Oceania” continent [1]. Although there
are differing opinions on the scope of Oceania, I would like to
stick to a definition that it is a region comprised of Micronesia,
Melanesia, and Polynesia [2]... Hey, they sound like continents too and
then rhyming with Australasia. Huh, “Australasia”? Is that
Australia and Asia combined? An encyclopedia [2] doesn't think so;
Australasia is a region of South Pacific islands. In fact, it is
something equivalent to “Australia and Oceania”, but the term is
rather inexact according to another encyclopedia [3]. So, I would
like to stick to the “Australia and Oceania” continent.
According to [1], it is the smallest continent in the world, and
definitely one of the most diverse considering its insular geography.
We know a lot about Australia and New Zealand, economically superior
countries, but we know less about Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.
Micronesia
Aptly named as “Micronesia”, the
region is located east of the Philippines, comprising of many small
islands including a well-known U.S. territory, Guam. Although the
term is sometimes used to refer exclusively to the Federated States
of Micronesia, an independent nation; Micronesia is a region
comprised of five independent nations and three U.S. territories [4].
The independent nations are Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru,
Palau, and the Federated States of Micronesia. The three U.S.
territories are Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and Wake Island.
Nauru is the world's third smallest
country in terms of land area after Vatican City and Monaco. It
became a territory of the German Empire, was occupied by the Japanese
during World War II, and then became a United Nations trust territory
under United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Kiribati, on the
other hand, was part of the English Empire (UK) before it gained its
independence. Marshall Islands, Palau, and the Federated States of
Micronesia were part of the Spanish East Indies under Spain, but
later sold to the German Empire. During World War I, they were
occupied by the Japanese, and then became part of the US trust
territories before becoming independent nations.
In the case of U.S. Territories, Guam
and Northern Mariana Islands were also under the Spanish East Indies.
They geographically form the Mariana Islands. Guam ceded to the US,
while the Northern Mariana Islands became part of the German Empire.
They were both occupied by the Japanese; Northern Mariana Islands was
occupied during World War I, while Guam was invaded during World War
II. Both became U.S. territories afterwards. Wake Island, on the
other hand, is considered to be one of the most isolated islands in
the world, and different sightings of this island were reported
before it was claimed by the U.S. It remained uninhabited by the
early twentieth century, and it was only in 1935 that the first
village was established. Currently, it is occupied by the military.
Melanesia
I have limited knowledge in the region
of Melanesia. I have always thought that Melanesia is a geographical
region comprising of small islands in the Pacific excluding the
island of New Guinea. I was quite surprised to know that the whole
island of New Guinea, comprised of the independent nation of Papua
New Guinea and the West Papua region of Indonesia, is sometimes
considered part of Melanesia. However, in most classifications, the
West Papua region was not considered part of Oceania. One source
[2] shows that Melanesia is a region that sometimes include the
island of New Guinea. And according to [5], this inclusion is
considered a cultural classification. However in [1], the Australia
and Oceania continent includes the Papua New Guinea portion only, not
the whole island. In this case, we can consider a geographical
classification that excludes a portion of Melanesia being not part of
the Australia and Oceania continent. Another option is sticking to
the definition of Melanesia that excludes the island of New Guinea,
and then considering Papua New Guinea as a separate region in this
continent. Perhaps, this unofficially solves the ambiguity. After
all, the typical definition of the term “continent” is not
necessarily cultural.
So Melanesia as a region of the
Australia and Oceania continent is typically comprised of the
following independent nations: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon
Islands, and Vanuatu; and the special collectivity of France: New
Caledonia.
Fiji and Solomon Islands were formerly
under the British rule. Vanuatu, on the other hand, was initially
claimed by Spain as part of the Spanish East Indies; and later, the
archipelago ceded to the joint management of France and Great Britain
before it gained its independence. Papua New Guinea was formerly
occupied by two world powers. The northern Papua New Guinea was
ruled by Germany, while the southern portion was ruled by Great
Britain. Britain transferred its territory later to Australia, and
during World War I, the northern part was occupied by Australia. New
Caledonia on the other hand is currently on the process of attaining
independence from France.
Polynesia
Historically
referred to as the “South Sea Islands”, Polynesia seemed to be a
collection of culturally diverse islands because of its diverse
colonial and political ties. However, just like Melanesia and
Micronesia, the term is essentially cultural, and there are islands
belonging to the region of Melanesia and Micronesia that are
considered outliers because of the inhabitants' Polynesian traits.
However, geographically speaking, Polynesia is defined by a
“triangle” with endpoints found in Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter
Island.
So what
territories comprise the region of Polynesia? These are New Zealand,
Hawaii, Easter Island, American Samoa, Cook Islands, French
Polynesia, Niue, Norfolk Island, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Tokelau,
Tonga, Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna, and Rotuma. The independent
nations are New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu. Hawaii
essentially belongs to the continent of North America, while Easter
Island is part of Chile, so it belongs to the continent of South
America. Cook Islands and Niue are self-governing states but they
let New Zealand act on their behalf on international matters when
requested. French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna are collectivities
of France, similar to New Caledonia. American Samoa is a U.S.
territory; Norfolk Island is an Australian territory, while Pitcairn
Islands is a British territory. Tokelau, on the other hand, is a
territory of New Zealand, and Rotuma is a territory of Fiji.
Polynesia is indeed diverse, politically speaking.
With Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia, the continent is such a
diverse region in the world, not just represented by Australians and
New Zealanders.
1 –
http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/au.htm
4 – Wikipedia, the free
encyclopedia.
5 –
http://www.britannica.com/place/Melanesia
