Peculiarities of the oceanic population. Countries and peoples of Oceania. Great Artesian Basin

The article talks about Oceania. Provides information about the flora and fauna of the island region. The material includes brief information regarding the climate characteristic of this part of the world. Data on the composition of the population of the region are given, indicating linguistic features.

Geographical position

Oceania is a part of the world that is geopolitical region with individual traits. The content of the region consists of islands and atolls, which are localized in the western and central parts of the Pacific.

The islands of Oceania are located in the zone of influence of the temperate latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere and the subtropical latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.

There are seven active volcanoes on the island of Hawaii. Among them is Mauna Loa - the world's largest shield-type volcano.

Rice. 1. Mauna Loa volcano.

The height of the volcano from the bottom of the sea to the peak is over a dozen km.

Often in geographical research and scientific works of Oceania to be analyzed together with Australia.

For this reason, it applies geographical name- Australia and Oceania. total area territory is 1.24 million km. sq. The number of inhabitants is 10.6 million people.

Oceania is made up of three geographic regions. Its shores are washed by many seas, including:

• coral sea;
• Solomon Sea;
• New Guinea Sea;
• Tasman Sea;
• the sea of ​​Koro;
• sea ​​of ​​Fiji;
• Arafura Sea.

The geographical concept of "Oceania" was introduced into circulation by the explorer Conrad Malte-Brun in 1812. The name comes from the word "ōkeanós", which literally means "ocean".

Nature and population of Oceania

The majority of the region's islands are indigenous people. The indigenous population includes: Micronesians, Polynesians, Papuans.

Polynesians are a mixed racial group. This is indicated by the features that characterize Caucasians and Mongoloids.

Numerous Polynesian peoples are Hawaiians, Maori, Tongans, Tahitians.

Rice. 2. Hawaiians.

Each of these nationalities has its own language, which practically does not contain consonants.

The racial species of the Melanesians belongs to the type of Australoids. Linguistic diversity is often the reason why residents of neighboring villages simply do not understand each other.

Papuans inhabit part of the regions of Indonesia and New Guinea.

All Papuan languages ​​are similar to each other. Their base is English. Often, residents of distant regions own English language Ideally.

Oceania is characterized by a greater extent in latitude and meridian. This circumstance had a significant impact on the diversity flora islands. Breadfruit, orchids and ferns grow here.

The fauna of the islands is less rich due to the almost absolute absence of mammals.

Rice. 3. Breadfruit.

The diversity of the animal kingdom is noted only in New Zealand and New Guinea.

But the islands are generous with bird markets, where there are nesting places for sea birds. The most common species of New Zealand are the kiwi birds, which have become the national symbol of the state. Other types of birds such as kea, kakapo, takahe are also common.

What have we learned?

Find out where Oceania is. Get to know the peoples that make up indigenous people main territories. We found out which of the islands of Oceania is the largest in the world active volcano. Supplemented knowledge from the course of geography of continents and countries for grade 11. We received information about the flora and fauna of the region. We learned about the linguistic features of the peoples inhabiting Oceania.

Oceania is the name given to the islands and archipelagos of islands that lie in the central and southwestern parts of Pacific Ocean north and northeast of Australia between 28°N. and 53°S; 130°E and 105°W This island world includes almost 7 thousand islands. The total area of ​​the island land of Oceania is about 1.3 million km 2. This is only 2% of the area of ​​the Pacific Ocean.

Geographical position, size and relief islands are closely related to their origin. By genesis, the islands of Oceania belong to four main types: continental, volcanic, biogenic and geosynclinal, which arise in the contact zones of the lithospheric plate - island arcs.

The mainland islands are the most significant in terms of area (New Guinea, New Zealand). mountain ranges they are combined with vast low-lying plains and plateaus. The Hawaiian Islands are a typical example of islands of volcanic origin. Coral reefs and atolls are of biogenic origin. Atolls are flat, low ring-shaped islands with a lagoon in the middle connected to the ocean. Such, for example, are the islands of Central Polynesia (the Tuamotu archipelago is the most grandiose cluster of atolls in the world). Geosynclinal island arcs lie in the western part of Oceania. The relief of islands of this type is a combination of mountains and plains. Such, for example, is the island of New Caledonia, stretched for more than 400 km.

Minerals Oceania is determined by the origin and geological structure of the islands. So, New Caledonia is characterized by rich deposits of nickel, chromites, and a number of other metals. Coal, bauxite and oil are mined in New Guinea. Phosphorite deposits have been discovered on atoll islands.

Climate The islands of Oceania are determined by the geographical position of the territory and the softening influence of the ocean. The main archipelagos of the islands lie in the equatorial, subequatorial and tropical zones of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Only New Zealand and the islands adjacent to it are in the subtropical and temperate zones. The average monthly temperatures of the warmest month range from +25°С in the north to +16° in the south; the coldest - from + 16 ° in the north to + 5 ° С in the south. The Marshall, Caroline and Mariana Islands, as well as New Guinea, lie in a zone where the temperature is around +26°C all year round. The softening influence of the ocean affects the slight fluctuations in temperature throughout the seasons of the year and during the day - site. There is a lot of precipitation in Oceania, on average 3000-4000 mm. They are especially abundant in the western part of Oceania, where mountains stand in the way of the trade winds from the ocean. mainland islands. However, one of the wettest places on Earth is in the Hawaiian Islands, where up to 12,500 mm of precipitation per year falls on the windward slopes of volcanoes.

Species composition of flora and fauna poor and peculiar due to the remoteness and isolation of the islands of Oceania from the rest of the land. The large islands of Oceania are covered mainly by evergreen moist forests (on the windward slopes) or savannahs. Ficuses, pandanuses, bamboos, casuarinas predominate among the trees here. There are many valuable species of trees and plants useful for humans: coconut and sago palms, breadfruit and melon trees, rubber plants, bananas and mangoes. The forests of New Zealand contain many endemic species: special species of tree ferns, pines (kauri pine is one of the giant trees the globe), cabbage tree, New Zealand flax, etc.

The animal world is also unique. It is richer and more varied on the islands closer to Australia. So, in New Guinea, echidna and tree kangaroo are common, crocodiles are found in the rivers. In New Zealand, there is not a flying, but a running kiwi bird. Among the land animals on the islands of Oceania, there are almost no mammals, predators have never been found, there are no poisonous snakes. The coastal waters and lagoons of the islands are unusually rich in various forms of life.

Europeans brought livestock (cows, pigs, horses) to Oceania, as well as a number of cosmopolitan animals from other parts of the world. Rats have bred on the islands, cats have run wild; goats and rabbits have destroyed a significant part of the vegetation of many islands, which led to the erosion of the soil cover. The irrational use of land, deforestation, pollution of coastal waters, the transformation of some islands into military testing grounds for nuclear weapons disrupt the natural balance on the islands of Oceania.

Population Oceania, which is about 10 million people, is represented by indigenous people, immigrants and a mixed population. In New Guinea and the adjacent islands live Papuans belonging to the equatorial race. The indigenous population of New Zealand (Maori) and other islands of Oceania belongs to a special Polynesian group of peoples, occupying an intermediate position between the three main races of mankind. These peoples have lighter skin and wavy hair than the Papuans. It is still not entirely clear from where and in what ways many millennia ago the Polynesians settled the main archipelagos of the islands of Oceania. The newcomers are immigrants from Europe, Asia and America. Thus, the Anglo-New Zealanders make up 3/4 of the population of this country, and the indigenous people - the Maori - only 9%. However, on the other islands of Oceania, indigenous people (as opposed to Australia) make up the majority of the population.

The inhabitants of Oceania are traditionally engaged in agriculture and fishing. In New Zealand, settlers from Europe raise sheep and cattle; meat, wool and butter are the main export products.

political map Oceania was formed as a result of the capture of the islands by European and American colonialists in the XIX-XX centuries. Three decades ago, there was only one independent state in Oceania - New Zealand. Now there are more than ten politically independent countries: Fiji, Western Samoa, the Kingdom of Tonga, etc. The Hawaiian Islands are part of the United States as a separate state. But many islands of Oceania are still colonies.

Zoning Oceania, to a certain extent, is conditionally and historically carried out, taking into account not only the features natural conditions, but also ethnographic signs of the indigenous population - site. Oceania is usually divided into Melanesia, Polynesia, Micronesia and New Zealand. Melanesia (from Greek melas - black and nesos - island) includes archipelagos from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, i.e. territory with a predominantly Papuan population. Polynesia (“many islands”) includes islands in the central and southern Pacific Ocean east of 177°E. The largest archipelago of Polynesia is the Hawaiian Islands, consisting of 24 islands. Micronesia consists of many (there are more than 1500!) small islands in the western part of the Pacific Ocean north of the equator (the Marianas, Marshalls, Caroline Islands, etc.). New Zealand stands out as a special region of Oceania. And not only in terms of natural and ethnographic conditions, but also taking into account the level economic development throughout Oceania.

Demographics of Oceania- The population of Oceania is relatively small - in 1964, 7.5 million people lived here.

Prior to the penetration of Europeans, the population of Oceania was, according to very rough estimates, 3.5 million people, of which 2.2 million lived in Melanesia, 1.1 million in Polynesia and 0.2 million in Micronesia. The invasion of the colonialists had a heavy impact on the dynamics of the population of the oceanic countries. The aggravation of civil strife in connection with the spread of firearms, the slave trade, the widespread use of alcoholism and prostitution, and especially the introduced diseases against which the islanders had no immunity - all this led to a catastrophic decrease in the population of many oceanic archipelagos. By 1890, out of 1100 thousand. local population Only 180 thousand people remained in Polynesia, out of the 200 thousand population of Micronesia - 83 thousand people. Thus, the number of natives of Polynesia has decreased six times, Micronesia - almost two and a half times. The population of central and southern Melanesia also greatly decreased.

For individual archipelagos, depopulation (decrease in population) was even more significant. Thus, the population of the Marquesas Islands declined between 1804 and 1931. more than 20 times. Over the past hundred years, the population of Yap Island (Micronesia) has decreased by almost 20 times. And on the small New Hebrides island of Aneityum, the population for 1839 - 1939. decreased by 27 times.

Those oceanic islands and island groups suffered the least where contacts with Europeans and Americans did not take on a wide scale. Thus, the population actually avoided depopulation.

At the very end of the XIX - the first half of the XX century. the extinction of the natives of Oceania stopped and the process of a gradual increase in their numbers began. In some archipelagos, this process began earlier (for example, among the Maori already at the end of the last century), in others - later (only in the 30s - 40s of the 20th century). The cessation of depopulation was mainly associated with the intensified struggle of the Oceanian peoples for their rights, as well as with the general success of world medicine (the emergence of inexpensive and effective medicines). medicines, the development of a system of preventive vaccinations, etc.).

A great influence on the dynamics of the total population of Oceania was also exerted by the fact that individual islands and island groups (primarily New Zealand and Hawaii) permanent residence alien population. As a result of all this, in the XX century. the population of Oceania grew steadily, and from 1900 to 1964 it almost quadrupled (from 2 million to 7.5 million people). Especially rapid population growth was observed after the Second World War.

It is impossible to accurately determine the average natural increase in Oceania, since not all oceanic islands take into account births and deaths. For different countries of Oceania, these figures vary quite a lot. For example, in New Zealand and Hawaii, where the bulk of the population is made up of people of European and American origin or Japanese, there is a low or moderate birth rate, low mortality and average natural increase (in New Zealand in 1960 - 1964, the average birth rate was 25.9 person per 1 thousand inhabitants, mortality - 8.9 people, natural increase - 17 people). In most of the oceanic countries, there is an increased or high birth rate (30-40 or more people per 1 thousand inhabitants) with low mortality (almost everywhere - below 10 people per 1 thousand inhabitants), as a result of which the natural increase is very high (usually exceeds 25 - 30 people per 1 thousand inhabitants). The highest natural increase in (36.5 people in 1957), in (36.2 people per 1 thousand inhabitants in 1960 - 1964), (35.8 people in 1963 - 1964), (34 5 people in 1964), that is, in countries with an almost purely oceanic population. However, it should be noted that in a number of cases there may be some underestimation of both fertility and mortality.

In most Oceanic countries, the general increase in population is provided almost exclusively by natural movement, while immigration is very small. Quite a significant number of immigrants from other parts of the world come annually only to Hawaii (now mainly from California and other US states) and New Zealand (from the UK and some other European countries). Immigration also goes to (American military personnel, whose composition is periodically updated) and (Chinese from Hong Kong, who come for temporary work). In addition to intercontinental migrations, there are still relatively small intra-oceanic migrations. Thus, a number of Oceanians annually come (mainly for work) to New Zealand. The most significant immigration to this country comes from,. It also attracts Oceanian migrants, where islanders from other French colonies of Oceania go in search of work (from Tahiti, etc.).

A similar situation is observed in Hawaii and New Zealand. In the latest most of the population is concentrated on flat and slightly hilly territories, while the mountains are poorly populated; It is also interesting to note that the population density north island three times the density of the South. On others, comparatively major islands Polynesia (Upolu and Savaii in the Samoan archipelago, etc.), the bulk of the population is concentrated along the coast. As for the atolls, usually only one or two "motus" (the so-called islands that make up the atoll) are inhabited on them.

Of all the Oceanian countries, only Hawaii and New Zealand have a very high proportion of the urban population (76 and 64%, respectively). Significant urban population available in (over two-fifths of the total population), in (about one quarter), in (19%) and (18%). In the rest of the Oceanian countries, the percentage of the urban population is very small, or there are no cities at all and the entire population lives in villages.

There are few cities with more than 100 thousand inhabitants in Oceania. They are found only in New Zealand and Hawaii. As of April 1, 1965, in New Zealand, more than 100 thousand inhabitants have Auckland (149 thousand, with suburbs - 515 thousand), Christchurch (159 thousand, with suburbs - 244 thousand) and Wellington (127 thousand ., with suburbs - 162 thousand). In addition, two New Zealand cities - Hutt and Dunedin, together with their suburbs, have slightly more than 100 thousand inhabitants (respectively 111 and 109 thousand in 1965). The major cities of Oceania also include the administrative and economic center of Hawaii - Honolulu (294 thousand in 1960). All other urban settlements are small (Suva - 48 thousand per, Noumea - 35 thousand per, Port Moresby - 32 thousand in Papua, Apia - 22 thousand together with the suburbs in and Papeete - 20 thousand in).

The size of rural settlements fluctuates greatly. Here you can meet both large villages with a thousand or more inhabitants, and small villages, the entire population of which consists of several dozen people. In New Zealand, the rural population lives either on farms or in small towns.

In Oceania as a whole, there are slightly more men than women (women predominate only on , and on ). However, the disproportion of the sexes reaches significant proportions only in countries where the proportion of temporary residents is very large. So, on, where more than a third of the inhabitants are contracted workers, the proportion of men reaches 65%. The percentage of temporary residents is also high: in addition to the US military, there are many people working under contract in the construction of military installations. As a result, the proportion of the male population also turns out to be greatly increased - it reaches 58.5%. A noticeable predominance of men is observed in the Trust Territory of New Guinea, in Papua, in , and (men make up 53% of the population in the first four countries, and even 55% in na). In most other countries, there is no sharp disproportion of the sexes (in New Zealand, for example, men - 50.2%). Only the islands are distinguished by a significant numerical predominance of women (53%), which is associated with the emigration of a large number of men in search of work.

According to the age composition of the population, all oceanic countries can be divided into two main groups. The first of these includes countries where the proportion of people over 60 years of age is quite high (more than 6%, and sometimes even 10% of the population) and the proportion of children under 14 inclusive is reduced (only 30-40% of the population). New Zealand, Hawaii,

Population of Australia and Oceania

Australia and Oceania - the most sparsely populated part of the world. About 30 million people live here, more than half of which are in Australia.

Oceania - the area of ​​\u200b\u200bsettlement Papuans Melanesians, Micronesians and Polynesians. The most numerous groups modern population form natives(Papuan peoples and peoples speaking languages ​​of the Austronesian family) and immigrants and them descendants(Anglono-Zealanders, Americans, British, Indians, French, Anglo Australians Chinese, Koreans, Vietnamese, etc.).

Most countries in Oceania are characterized by high birth rate, natural growth and low mortality. In most countries men outnumber over women, a high proportion of young people. Significant migration flows of people between countries. In terms of average population density (8.1 people per 1 km 2), Oceania is almost four times larger than Australia. The population is distributed unevenly - along with densely populated islands (Tuvaku, Nauru, Mbau, etc.), there are also uninhabited islands.

population of Oceania. The total population of Oceania is about 12 million people. Of these, about 6 million live in Melanesia, 5.5 million in Polynesia and about 0.5 million in Micronesia.

The population consists of three components: indigenous people, migrants, groups of mixed origin.

Anthropologically, most of the natives belong to the Australoid large race. Within it are four anthropological type:

Papuan, Negrito, Melanesian, New Caledonian.

Linguistically, the natives form 2 large groups: Papuan peoples and peoples speaking languages ​​of the Austronesian family. Total number Papuan peoples over 700 (of which about 500 in papua new guinea). The Austronesian family is represented by more than 100 ethnic groups. In addition, a significant part are mestizos, and from immigrants:

Indians - 300 thousand,

Americans - 300 thousand,

British - 200 thousand,

The Japanese - 250 thousand.

Most countries in Oceania are characterized by a high birth rate (20-40 ppm). Maximum - to Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea (over 40 ppm). The minimum is on Norfolk Island (9 ppm). Mortality is usually less than 10 ppm. In a number of countries (Tonga, Fiji, Eastern Samoa) less than 5 ppm. In most countries, men outnumber women.

Average density population of about 8 people per km 2. But on some islands of the Fiji archipelago, it reaches 5 thousand people. km 2. Mostly it is the rural population. So many uninhabited islands and archipelagos (pirates like to base on them).

75-80% of Oceania's population lives in rural areas. The proportion of the urban population is high only in New Zealand (over 80%), Hawaii (85%) and New Caledonia (60%). Major cities are found only in New Zealand and Hawaii.

Australia has an area of ​​7.7 million sq. km, population 21 million people. The capital is Canberra. The official language is English. The majority of the population professes Christianity.

Area and population of Oceania (population as of 07/01/2002)

States and dependent territories Australia (6 countries)

The main core of the population of Australia are Anglo-Australians (descendants of immigrants from Great Britain and Ireland) and immigrants from different countries peace. Australian Aborigines make up less than 1% of the country's population.

Australia is characterized by significant immigration, which gives up to 20% of population growth. The average population density of Australia is 2 people per 1 km 2. Most of the population (over 2/3 of the country's inhabitants) is concentrated in the eastern and southeast coast favorable in nature. Here the density in some places reaches 10-50 people per 1 km2. The rest of the territory is sparsely populated.

Australia is one of the most urbanized countries in the world: more than 85% of its population are city dwellers. Largest cities- Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Newcastle. Almost all of them are ports.

States and dependencies of Melanesia (6 countries)

States and Dependent Territories of Micronesia (8 countries)

Only the Gilbert Islands and Banaba Island are located in Micronesia, where most of the country's population lives. The Phoenix and Line Islands are in Polynesia. The area of ​​Polynesia without New Zealand is only 26 thousand km 2, and 17 thousand of them are in the Hawaiian Islands.

States and dependent territories of Polynesia (21 countries)

The ratio of the shares of the owners of the islands of Oceania by area,%

Australia and Oceania - one of the smallest parts of the world, its area is about 9 million km 2, with 7.7 million km 2 falling on the Australian continent, the rest on island states Oceania. The population is no different either. big amount: about 25 million people, most of the population of Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. The composition of the historical and cultural region of Australia and Oceania - the states of Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Karibati, Micronesia, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Solomon islands, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Fiji.

Australia and the Pacific Islands were explored by European navigators much later than other continents. The name of the mainland Australia is the fruit of an erroneous theory of scientists of the 16th century, who believed that New Guinea, discovered by the Spaniards, and the archipelago of the islands of Tierra del Fuego, discovered by Magellan, in fact, these are the northern spurs of the new mainland, as they called it "unknown southern land” or in Latin “terra australius incognita”.

Conventionally, Oceania is divided into several parts, which are radically different both in culture and in ethnic composition.

The so-called "Black Islands" - Melanesia, islands in the western Pacific Ocean, formerly mainland Australia, the largest of them is New Guinea.

The second part, Polynesia or "Many Islands" includes the most South part western islands as part of New Zealand, also with a large number of large and small islands randomly scattered in the ocean, resembling a triangle in shape. Its peak in the north is Hawaii, in the east is Easter Island, in the south is New Zealand.

A part called Micronesia or "Small Islands" lies to the north of Melanesia, these are the Marshall Islands, the Gilbert Islands, the Caroline and Mariana Islands.

Indigenous tribes

When European navigators came to this part of the world, they found here tribes of indigenous people who belonged to the Australo-Negroid group of peoples at various stages of development.

(Papuan from New Guinea)

The settlement of the Australian continent and the nearby islands was mainly due to the tribes that came here in search of happiness from Indonesia, as well as from the west of the Pacific Ocean, and lasted for many centuries.

New Guinea was settled by settlers from South-East Asia belonging to the Australoid race, then this region was overtaken by a wave of migrations several times, as a result, all the descendants of various “waves” of migrations to New Guinea are called Papuans.

(Papuans at present)

Another group of settlers who settled in some part of Oceania, probably belonging to the race of the southern Mongoloids, first came to the island of Fiji, then Samoa and Tonga. Millennium isolation this region formed here a unique and inimitable Polynesian culture, which spread throughout the Polynesian part of Oceania. The population has a motley ethnic composition: residents Hawaiian Islands- Hawaiians, in Samoa - Samoans, in Tahiti - Tahitians, in New Zealand - Maori, etc.

The level of development of the tribes

(European colonization of Australia)

By the time Europeans penetrated the Australian lands, local tribes lived at the level of the Stone Age, which is explained by the remoteness of the continent from the ancient centers of world civilizations. The aborigines hunted kangaroos and other marsupials, gathered fruits and roots, their weapons were made of wood and stone. The most famous device Australian aborigines for hunting game - a boomerang, a club made of wood in the form of a sickle, flying along a curved trajectory and returning to its owner. The tribes of Australians lived in a tribal communal system, there were no tribal unions, each tribe lived separately, sometimes military conflicts arose over land or for other reasons (for example, due to accusations of insidious witchcraft).

(Modern Papuans in terms of development no longer differ from Europeans, skillfully reincarnated as actors of national traditions)

The population of the island of Tasmania differed in appearance from the Australian Aborigines, they had a darker skin color, curly hair, puffy lips, which made them similar to the Negroid race living in Melanesia. Were at the lowest level of development ( stone Age), worked with stone hoes, hunted with wooden spears. They spent time gathering fruits, berries and roots, hunting. In the 19th century, the last representatives of the Tasmanian tribes were exterminated by Europeans.

The level of technical development of all the tribes that inhabited Oceania was approximately at the same level: they used stone tools, wooden weapons with cut stone tips, bone knives, and seashell scrapers were in use. The inhabitants of Melanesia used bows and arrows, grew agricultural crops, and bred domestic animals. The fishing industry was very well developed, the inhabitants of Oceania moved well across the sea over long distances, they knew how to build strong twin boats with floats and wicker sails. Successes were achieved in pottery, in weaving clothes and in the construction of household items from plant materials.

(By the middle of the 20th century, the indigenous Polynesians had already merged with the European way of life and the modern life of society.)

The Polynesians were tall, dark skin with a yellowish tint, curly locks of hair. They were mainly engaged in the cultivation of agricultural crops, the cultivation of various root crops, one of the main sources of food and an excellent material for making clothes, household items and a wide variety of devices was the coconut palm. Weapons - clubs made of wood, stone and bone. High level of development of shipbuilding and navigation. In the social system there was a division of labor, division into castes (artisans, warriors, priests), there was the concept of property;

(Also, current Micronesians)

The population of Micronesia was a mixed ethnic group, whose appearance was a mixture of features of the inhabitants of Melanesia, Indonesia and Polynesia. State of the art social order intermediate between the system of the inhabitants of Melanesia and Polynesia: the division of labor, a group of artisans stood out, an exchange was carried out in the form of natural (shells and beads), the famous money of the island of Yap - huge stone disks. Formally, the land was common, but in fact it belonged to the tribal nobility, wealth and power were in the hands of the elders, they were called yuroshi. It turns out that the inhabitants of Micronesia did not yet have their own state by the time the Europeans appeared, but they were very close to creating it.

Traditions and customs of local people

(Aboriginal traditional musical instruments)

In Australia, each tribe belonged to a certain totem group, that is, each tribe had patrons among representatives of flora and fauna, who were strictly forbidden to kill or eat. The ancient Australians believed in mythical ancestors, who were half people, half animals, in connection with this it was very common to perform various magical rituals, for example, when young men, having passed the test of courage and endurance, became men and received the title of warrior or hunter. The main public entertainment in the life of the Australian Aborigines were ritual holidays with chants and dances. Corroboree is a traditional ceremonial dance of Australian aboriginal men, during which its participants are painted in a certain way and decorated with feathers and animal skins, showing various scenes of hunting and everyday life, mythological and legendary stories from the history of their tribe, thus communicating with the gods and spirits of their ancestors .

In Polynesia, various legends, myths and legends about the creation of the world, various deities and spirits of ancestors are widely developed. Their whole world was divided into a divine or sacred “moa” and a simple “noa”, the moa world belonged to persons of royal blood, rich nobility and priests, for ordinary person the sacred world was taboo, which means "specially marked." Cult temples of the Polynesians under open sky"marae" has survived to this day.

(Geometric patterns and aboriginal ornament)

The bodies of the Polynesians (Maori tribes, residents of Tahiti, Hawaii, Easter Island, etc.) were densely covered with a special geometric ornament, which was special and sacred for them. The very word "tatau", which means drawing, has Polynesian roots. Previously, only priests and respected people of the Polynesian people (only men) could wear tattoos, drawings and ornaments on the body told about its owner, what kind of tribe he was, his social status, occupation, his main achievements in life.

In the culture of the Polynesians, ritual chants and dances were developed, the popular Tahitian dance "tamure" is known all over the world, which is performed by a group of men and women dressed in puffy skirts made from durable fiber of the hibiscus plant. Another famous Polynesian dance "otea", which is recognizable by the luxurious movements of the shaking hips of the dancers.

(Typical housing of local tribes)

The Polynesians believed that people communicate not only on the physical level, but also on the spiritual level, i.e. when meeting people, their souls are still touching, so all the rituals and customs are built in accordance with this statement. Families are very respectful of community foundations; for Polynesians, the concept of a family called "fetia", which includes a large number of relatives on both sides, may extend to an entire town or village. In such family formations, traditions of mutual assistance and mutual assistance are strong, a joint household is maintained, common financial problems are solved, Polynesian women special place in society, they dominate men and are the head of the family.

Most of the Papuan tribes of New Guinea still live, observing the customs of the traditions of their ancestors in large families of up to 30-40 people, the head of the family is a man, he can have many wives. The traditions and customs of the Papuan tribes vary greatly, because there are a very large number of them (about 700).

Modernity

(Coast of modern Australia)

Today, Australia and Oceania are one of the least populated parts of the world. The population density of the Australian continent is 2.2 people / km 2. Australia and New Zealand are states with a resettlement type of population formation. Here, descendants of immigrants from Great Britain mainly predominate, in New Zealand they represent 4-5 of the entire population of the state, it is even called "Britain of the South Seas".

Australian Aborigines live in the central part of Australia on marginal lands. The indigenous inhabitants of New Zealand, the Maori tribes, make up about 12% of all inhabitants of the country. On the skeletons of Polynesia, there is a predominance of the indigenous population: the Papuans and other Polynesian peoples, and the descendants of European settlers, immigrants from India and Malaysia, also live here.

(The current natives do not mind hospitality and are happy to pose for the guests of the mainland)

The modern culture of the peoples of Australia and Oceania, to varying degrees, has retained its originality and uniqueness. On outlying islands and territories where the influence of Europeans was minimal (in the depths of Australia or in New Guinea) folk customs and the traditions of the local population remained practically unchanged, and in those states where the influence of European culture was stronger (New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii), folk culture has undergone a significant transformation, and now we can observe only the remnants of the once original traditions and rituals.