Plan for describing the geographical position of oceania. General characteristics of oceania

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 km2. This is only 2% of the area of ​​the Pacific Ocean.

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

The mainland islands are the most significant in terms of area ( , ). Mountain ranges on them 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 this type of islands is a combination of mountains and. Such, for example, is the island of New Caledonia, stretched for more than 400 km.

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

islands of Oceania 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 and tropical zones of the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Only the islands adjacent to it are in and belts. The average monthly periods 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 Caroline and Mariana Islands, as well as New Guinea, lie in a band where the temperature is around + 26 ° C all year round. The moderating influence of the ocean affects the slight fluctuations in temperature throughout the seasons of the year and during the day. There is a lot of precipitation, on average 3000-4000 mm. They are especially abundant in the western part of Oceania, where the mountains of the mainland islands stand in the way of the trade winds from the ocean. 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 and animal world 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 with evergreen (on windward slopes) or. Ficuses, pandanuses, bamboos, casuarinas predominate among the trees here. There are many valuable 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 of 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. 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.

They 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 destroyed a significant part of the vegetation, which led to the erosion of the 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 , amounting to about 10 million people, 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 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 politically independent Micronesia consists of many (there are more than 1500!) small islands in the western part of the Pacific Ocean to the north of (Marian, Marshall, 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 of economic development throughout Oceania.

Welcome to the best Oceania travel blog.

Oceania is a million islands scattered in the South Pacific Ocean between Australia and South America, and the most rarely visited part of the world by tourists, so the editors of our site have traveled around the most distant archipelagos for you and brought photos and stories (almost guides!) About the most powerful tics and most sacred marae.

Oceania is divided into three regions: Micronesia (in the northwest; exactly here - and), Melanesia (in the west; here - Papua, and) and Polynesia (in the east and south; here, for example, and are located). The division is not based directly on geography, climate, or geology, but ethnographic - the boundaries of parts run along the boundaries of races, peoples and language groups.

This is a catalog page and a guide page: here is a complete list of the states of Oceania (large ones are divided into archipelagos), and then links to stories about the islands:

Polynesia

Hawaii, USA

Cook Islands

New Zealand

Pitcairn Island

Easter Island (Rapa Nui)

Samoa

Tonga

Tuvalu

Wallis and Futuna

French polynesia

Usually no one knows what French Polynesia is and where it is, but in fact everything is simple: French Polynesia is a grandiose island country the size of Western Europe, a French overseas territory in the South Pacific Ocean, consists of about 6 (six) archipelagos scattered across the Pacific Ocean . From the westernmost archipelago of the Society (where the capital island of Tahiti is) to the easternmost archipelago of Gambier - 4 hours of flight on a turboprop aircraft.

Society Islands

marquesas islands

Tuamotu Islands

Rapa Iti Island

micronesia

Guam, USA

Kiribati

Marshall Islands

Federated States of Micronesia

State in the Caroline Islands, shares them with Palau. Not to be confused with the geographic region of Micronesia. F.S.M., in the manner of S.S.A., has 4 states: Yap, Koshrai, Pohnpei and Truk/Chuuk. Islands F.Sh.M. are connected only by a common colonial past, first under Spain, then Germany, Japan and the United States (from which they en masse gained independence and became, in fact, the Federated States of Micronesia).

Yap Island

Truk Island (Chuuk)

The most dangerous place in Oceania: the local people, when they drink in the evening, are very unkind. But, at the same time, this is the coolest place for diving in all of Oceania: at the bottom of a crystal-clear lagoon on white sand, ships and planes sunk in World War II lie.

The island groups and archipelagos of the western and central Pacific Ocean are united in a geographical area under the general name of Oceania. Historically, the division of all the islands into four ethnographic and geographical regions: Polynesia (Tonga, Samoa, Cook, Hawaiian, Easter Island, etc.), Melanesia (New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, Solomon Islands, etc. ), Micronesia (Marshall, Mariana Islands, etc.), New Zealand. Most of the islands of Oceania are concentrated in the equatorial belt between 10 ° S. sh. and 20° N. sh.

A great contribution to the study of the nature and population of Oceania was made by the Russian scientist N. N. Miklukho-Maclay. He studied the life of the peoples of the island of New Guinea, left descriptions of the nature of coastal areas. The scientific research of N. N. Miklukho-Maclay was connected with his conviction of the need to protect the backward and oppressed peoples. At the very end of the XIX century. N. K. Sudzilovsky, our countryman, a native of the Mogilev province, lived and worked in the Hawaiian Islands.

Geological structure and relief of Oceania

Remember how the mainland, volcanic and coral islands were formed. The largest mainland islands in Oceania are New Guinea and New Zealand. Volcanism is a characteristic process of this region. The Hawaiian Islands are home to the Kilauea Volcano, one of the most active active volcanoes on Earth. Volcanic islands form giant island arcs. They have an elongated configuration. Oceania is replete with coral islands - reefs and atolls, which form entire archipelagos (Gilbert Islands, Tuamotu).

Climate of Oceania

The islands of Oceania are located mainly in the equatorial, subequatorial and tropical latitudes. Only the northern part of the Hawaiian archipelago enters the subtropics, and the southern part of New Zealand is located in the temperate zone. There are two climatic regions in Oceania: trade winds and monsoons. The climate of Oceania is characterized by small temperature fluctuations: from +30 °С during the day to +21 °С at night. Winds from the ocean moderate the heat. It is never too cold or too hot here, so the climate of Oceania is considered the most comfortable on the globe. The main direction of sea currents is from east to west. They contribute to the settlement of organisms.

Oceania is dominated by maritime air masses. In areas where monsoon circulation prevails, precipitation is 3000-4000 mm per year. In the Hawaiian Islands, on the windward slopes, more than 12,090 mm of precipitation falls annually. This is one of the wettest places on earth. The distribution of precipitation is associated with the presence of mountains. There are patches on the island of Hawaii where less than 200mm of rain falls annually.

Among the very dangerous and destructive natural phenomena on the islands of Oceania, tropical hurricanes are noted. They destroy plantations, destroy dwellings, and sometimes the resulting waves wash away all life. The local population is wary of settling on the Cook Islands and Tuamotu, where hurricanes are often observed. The subtropical and temperate climate is typical for New Zealand, where in winter there are frosts down to -13 ° C, and snow lies in the mountains.

Flora and fauna of Oceania

The isolation of the island land was most strongly reflected in its flora and fauna. The diversity of the world of plants and animals depends on the age of the islands, their size and distance from the mainland. It is poorest of all on coral islands, where fresh water is scarce and soils are poor. Only a few dozen species of plants grow on them. On the islands of Oceania, mainly in Melanesia, the oldest plants, such as tree ferns, reaching 8-15 m in height, have been preserved. The flora of New Zealand is rich and original (pines, palms).

The flora and fauna of Oceania is distinguished by two features. Rare species that are not found on the mainland have been preserved here. At the same time, on many islands, entire groups of organisms common to the mainland are almost completely absent. Many types of flowering plants that are found on land are absent here, but spore plants are widespread. Ancient plants that grew on the mainland in the geological past (podocarpus, agathis (kauri), etc.) have been preserved on the islands.

The fauna of the islands is poor. There are no mammals on many islands, with the exception of rats, mice, goats and cats brought here. There are many seabirds: petrels, albatrosses, gulls that nest here and breed chicks. On the island of New Guinea, there is a weed chicken, a representative of the Australian fauna.

In New Zealand, the oldest flightless kiwi bird, very cautious, living in dense grasses, the Maori shepherd, has been preserved. The kiwi bird is featured on the coat of arms of New Zealand. In New Guinea and New Zealand, rare species of parrots are found - the kakapo, or owl, and the kea parrot with a strong, sharp and curved beak. The first turret lizard has been preserved on one of the islands of New Zealand.

Only 5-7 species of seabirds nest on some islands. At the same time, the number of bird species in New Guinea is more than 100, and the insect fauna of the Hawaiian Islands is rich (more than 3,700 species).

Minerals of Oceania

Mineral resources on the islands of Oceania are distributed extremely unevenly. The economy is carried out where there are valuable minerals. So, in New Caledonia there are up to 25% of the world's nickel reserves, on Christmas Island there are reserves of phosphates. Among the states of Oceania, Papua New Guinea stands out, where there are gold, copper, silver, oil and gas reserves have been explored.

Economic activity of Oceania

The population of Oceania is about 10 million people. There are several hypotheses about the ways of settling Oceania. Most scientists believe that Oceania was inhabited by people from Southeast Asia many millennia ago. According to Thor Heyerdahl's hypothesis, people from America settled in Oceania.

The inhabitants of Oceania were skilled sailors and shipbuilders. They sailed thousands of kilometers from their native islands. Modern inhabitants of Oceania are engaged in agriculture, growing coconut palms, bananas, cocoa, coffee. The traditional trade is fishing. The nature and life of the people of Oceania are largely subject to natural catastrophic disasters (tropical hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanism).

On many islands of volcanic and continental origin, non-ferrous metal ores, coal are mined, and phosphorite deposits are developed. Every year the states of Oceania become objects of international tourism. The nature of the islands is changing under the influence of human activities. On the site of the destroyed natural vegetation, plantations have been set up where sugar cane, pineapples, bananas, tea, coffee, rubber and other crops are cultivated.

Political map of Oceania

The modern political map of Oceania was formed as a result of the long struggle of the colonial powers for the division of the oceanic archipelagos among themselves. Until the beginning of the 60s. 20th century in Oceania there was one independent state - New Zealand. By the end of the twentieth century. more than 10 independent states were formed in Oceania. A number of islands and archipelagos remain in political and economic dependence on the developed countries of the world. Most of the archipelago of the Hawaiian Islands has been the 50th state of the United States since 1959.

The formation of the nature of Oceania is influenced by the Pacific Ocean, its remoteness from other continents, and its location in tropical latitudes. The basis of the economy of most countries in Oceania is agriculture. Mining is being done on many of the islands.

Australia and Oceania on a hemisphere map

Australia and Oceania on the world map

Oceania- the collective name for a vast cluster of islands and atolls in the central and western parts of the Pacific Ocean. The boundaries of Oceania are conditional. The western border is considered to be the island, the eastern -. As a rule, Oceania does not include Australia, as well as the islands and archipelagos of Southeast Asia, the Far East and North America. In the section of geography, regional studies, Oceania is studied by an independent discipline - ocean studies.

Geographical position

Physical map of Australia and Oceania (English)

Regions of Australia and Oceania

Political map of Australia and Oceania

Oceania is the world's largest cluster of islands located in the southwestern and central parts of the Pacific Ocean, between the subtropical latitudes of the northern and temperate southern hemispheres. When all the land is divided into parts of the world, Oceania is usually combined with Australia into a single part of the world Australia and Oceania, although sometimes it is separated into an independent part of the world.

Geographically, Oceania is divided into several regions: (in the northwest), (in the west), and (in the east); sometimes isolated.

The total area of ​​the islands of Oceania, the largest of which is, is 1.26 million km² (together with Australia 8.52 million km²), the population is about 10.7 million people. (together with Australia 32.6 million people). Excluding Australia, Oceania is comparable to an African state in terms of total area and total population.

The islands of Oceania are washed by numerous seas of the Pacific (Coral Sea, Tasman Sea, Fiji Sea, Koro Sea, Solomon Sea, New Guinea Sea, Philippine Sea) and Indian Oceans (Arafur Sea).

The Equator and the International Date Line pass through Oceania. It is a broken line, most of which runs along the 180° meridian.

sea ​​currents

Through the whole of Oceania, along the equator, there are warm North trade winds and South trade winds and the Inter-trade countercurrent. The warm East Australian Current passes through the southwestern part of Oceania. Characteristic of Oceania is the absence of cold sea currents (with the exception of the Pacific Ocean southeast of New Zealand), which largely determines the climate of this region.

Independent states

Dependencies and Trust Territories

Geology

Mount Jaya in Western New Guinea (Indonesia) - the highest point in Oceania

From the point of view of geology, Oceania is not a continent: only Australia, and are of continental origin, having formed on the site of the hypothetical continent Gondwana. In the past, these islands were a single land, but as a result of the rise in the level of the World Ocean, a significant part of the surface was under water. The relief of these islands is mountainous and strongly dissected. For example, the highest mountains of Oceania, including Mount Jaya (5029 m), are located on the island.

Most of the islands of Oceania are of volcanic origin: some of them are the tops of large underwater volcanoes, some of which still show high volcanic activity (for example, the Hawaiian Islands).

Other islands have their origin, being atolls, which were formed as a result of the formation of coral structures around submerged volcanoes (for example, the Gilbert Islands, Tuamotu). A distinctive feature of such islands are large lagoons, which are surrounded by numerous islets, or motu, the average height of which does not exceed three meters. In Oceania, there is an atoll with the largest lagoon in the world - Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands archipelago. Despite the fact that its land area is only 16.32 km² (or 6.3 sq. miles), the area of ​​​​the lagoon is 2174 km² (or 839.3 sq. miles). The largest atoll in terms of land area is Christmas Island (or Kiritimati) in the Line Archipelago (or Central Polynesian Sporades) - 322 km². However, among the atolls there is also a special type - an elevated (or elevated) atoll, which is a limestone plateau up to 50-60 m above sea level. This type of island has no lagoon or traces of its past existence. Examples of such atolls are Banaba.

The relief and geological structure of the bottom of the Pacific Ocean in the Oceania region has a complex structure. From the peninsula (it is part of) to New Zealand, there are a large number of basins of marginal seas, deep ocean trenches (Tonga, Kermadec, Bougainville), which form a geosynclinal belt characterized by active volcanism, seismicity and contrasting relief.

There are no minerals on most of the islands of Oceania, only the largest of them are being developed: nickel (), oil and gas (island,), copper (Bougainville island in), gold (New Guinea,), phosphates (on most islands, deposits are almost or already developed, for example, in, on the islands of Banaba, Makatea). In the past, decomposed seabird droppings were actively mined on many islands in the region, which was used as nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer. On the ocean floor of the exclusive economic zone of a number of countries there are large accumulations of iron-manganese nodules, as well as cobalt, but at the moment no development is being carried out due to economic inexpediency.

Climate

Space image of Kwajalein Atoll

Coast of Caroline Atoll (Line Islands, Kiribati)

Oceania is located within several climatic zones: equatorial, subequatorial, tropical, subtropical, temperate. Most of the islands have a tropical climate. The subequatorial climate dominates on islands near Australia and Asia, as well as east of the 180th meridian in the equator zone, equatorial - west of the 180th meridian, subtropical - north and south of the tropics, temperate - in most of the South Island in New Zealand.

The climate of the islands of Oceania is determined mainly by the trade winds, so most of them experience heavy rainfall. The average annual rainfall varies from 1500 to 4000 mm, although on some islands (due to topographical features and on the lee side in particular) the climate can be drier or wetter. One of the wettest places on the planet is located in Oceania: on the eastern slope of Mount Waialeale on the island of Kauai, up to 11,430 mm of precipitation falls annually (the absolute maximum was reached in 1982: then 16,916 mm fell). Near the tropics, the average temperature is around 23°C, near the equator - 27°C, with little difference between the hottest and coldest months.

The climate of the islands of Oceania is also greatly influenced by such anomalies as the El Niño and La Niña currents. During El Niño, the intertropical convergence zone moves northward towards the equator; during La Niña, it moves southward away from the equator. In the latter case, a severe drought is observed on the islands, in the first case, heavy rains.

Most of the islands of Oceania are subject to the destructive effects of natural disasters: volcanic eruptions (Hawaiian Islands, New Hebrides), earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones accompanied by typhoons and heavy rains, droughts. Many of them lead to significant material and human losses. For example, the tsunami in July 1999 killed 2,200 people.

There are glaciers on the South Island in New Zealand and on an island high in the mountains, but due to the process of global warming, their area is gradually shrinking.

Soils and hydrology

Stream on the island of Efate (Vanuatu)

Due to the different climatic conditions, the soils of Oceania are very diverse. The soils of the atolls are highly alkaline, of coral origin, and very poor. They are usually porous, which is why they retain moisture very poorly, and also contain very few organic and mineral substances, with the exception of calcium, sodium and magnesium. The soils of volcanic islands, as a rule, are of volcanic origin and are highly fertile. On large mountainous islands, red-yellow, mountain lateritic, mountain-meadow, yellow-brown soils, yellow soils, and red soils are found.

There are large rivers only on the South and North Islands of New Zealand, as well as on the island, on which the largest rivers of Oceania, the Sepik (1126 km) and the Fly (1050 km), are located. The largest river in New Zealand is the Waikato (425 km). The rivers are predominantly fed by rain, although in New Zealand and New Guinea, rivers are also fed by water from melting glaciers and snow. On the atolls, there are no rivers at all due to the high porosity of the soils. Instead, rainwater seeps through the soil to form a lens of slightly brackish water that can be reached by digging a well. On larger islands (usually of volcanic origin) there are small streams of water that flow towards the ocean.

The largest number of lakes, including thermal ones, is located in New Zealand, where there are also geysers. On other islands of Oceania, lakes are a rarity.

Flora and fauna

Kiwi - a symbol of New Zealand

Oceania is included in the Paleotropical region of vegetation, while three sub-regions are distinguished: Melanesian-Micronesian, Hawaiian and New Zealand. Among the most widespread plants of Oceania, the coconut palm and breadfruit stand out, which play an important role in the life of local residents: the fruits are used for food, wood is a source of heat, a building material, copra is produced from the oily endosperm of coconut palm nuts, which is the basis of the export of countries of this region. A large number of epiphytes (ferns, orchids) also grow on the islands. The largest number of endemics (both representatives of flora and fauna) was registered in New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands, while from west to east there is a decrease in the number of species, genera and families of plants.

The fauna of Oceania belongs to the Polynesian faunistic region with a subregion of the Hawaiian Islands. The fauna of New Zealand stands out in an independent region, New Guinea - in the Papuan subregion of the Australian region. New Zealand and New Guinea are the most diverse. On the small islands of Oceania, primarily atolls, mammals are almost never found: many of them are inhabited only by the small rat. But the local avifauna is very rich. Most of the atolls have bird markets where seabirds nest. Of the representatives of the fauna of New Zealand, the most famous are the kiwi birds, which have become the national symbol of the country. Other endemics of the country are kea (lat. Nestor notabilis, or nestor), kakapo (lat. Strigops habroptilus, or owl parrot), takahe (lat. Notoronis hochstelteri, or wingless sultan). All the islands of Oceania are inhabited by a large number of lizards, snakes and insects.

During the European colonization of the islands, alien species of plants and animals were introduced to many of them, which negatively affected the local flora and fauna.

The region has a large number of protected areas, many of which occupy large areas. For example, the Phoenix Islands in the Republic of Kiribati have been the world's largest marine reserve since January 28, 2008 (the area is 410,500 km²).

Story

Pre-colonial period

Island and nearby islands Names of Russians on the map of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Source:.

Letter from N. N. Miklukho-Maklai to the Head of the detachment of ships in the Pacific Ocean with a proposal to acquire areas on the islands of the Pacific Ocean, convenient for coal depots, March 30, 1873.

In the Russian Empire, after the discovery of the northwestern coast of America by V. Bering in 1741, merchant companies, with the support of the Siberian administration, organized about 90 fishing expeditions to the Pacific Ocean until the end of the 18th century. The state established the Russian-American Company (1799-1867), which dealt with administrative issues and trade in Alaska and the Pacific Ocean. In May 1804, two ships Nadezhda and Neva approached the Hawaiian Islands. These were the first Russian ships to circumnavigate the world. In the heart of the tropical part of the Pacific Ocean there are atolls and islands of the Russians, Suvorov, Kutuzov, Lisyansky, Bellingshausen, Barclay de Tolly, the Krusenstern reef and many others. Another distinctive side of all the trips that took place is mutual friendliness in the history of meetings between Russians and the peoples of the Pacific Ocean.

Map of Nikolai Nikolaevich Miklukho-Maclay of Russia's alleged territorial acquisitions in the Pacific Ocean, submitted in a letter to Alexander III, December 1883.

Letter to the Main Naval Headquarters from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding N. N. Miklukho-Maclay's proposal on Russian acquisitions in the Pacific Ocean with the resolution “... to consider this matter finally over. Miklukho-Maclay to refuse”, December 1886.

As the first European who settled on the shores of the Astrolabe Bay in New Guinea and explored this area, N. N. Miklukho Maclay repeatedly made a proposal to peacefully occupy or take under the protection of Russia a number of islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Russian scientist sent letters to the Naval Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, personally to Emperor Alexander III.

colonial period

The ships of the English traveler James Cook and the canoes of the natives in Matawai Bay on the island of Tahiti (French Polynesia), artist William Hodges, 1776

In the period from the 16th to the 18th centuries, the period of exploration of Oceania by Europeans continued, which gradually began to populate the islands. However, the process of European colonization was very slow, since the region did not arouse much interest among foreigners due to the lack of natural resources, and negatively affected the local population: many diseases were introduced that had never been in Oceania, and this led to epidemics, in which resulted in the death of a significant part of the natives. At the same time, there was a Christianization of the inhabitants, who worshiped numerous deities and spirits.

In the XVIII-XIX centuries, the islands of Oceania were divided between the colonial powers, primarily the British Empire, and (later the German Empire joined them). Of particular interest to Europeans was the possibility of creating plantations on the islands (coconut palm for the production of copra, sugar cane), as well as the slave trade (the so-called "blackbird hunting", suggesting the recruitment of islanders to work on plantations).

In 1907 it became a dominion, but formally it became a fully independent state only in 1947. After the First World War, the first political organizations began to emerge ("May" in Western Samoa, "Fiji Youth" in Fiji), which fought for the independence of the colonies. During the Second World War, Oceania was one of the theaters of war, where many battles took place (mainly between Japanese and American troops).

After the war, there were some improvements in the economy in the region, but in most colonies it was one-sided (the predominance of the plantation economy and the almost complete absence of industry). Since the 1960s, the process of decolonization began: in 1962 it gained independence, in 1963 - West Irian, in 1968 -. Subsequently, most of the colonies became independent.

Post-colonial period

After gaining independence, most of the countries of Oceania have retained serious economic, political and social problems, the solution of which is carried out with the participation of international organizations (including the UN) and within the framework of regional cooperation. Despite the process of decolonization in the 20th century, some islands still remain dependent to some extent: New Caledonia Portrait of a representative of the indigenous people of New Zealand - the Maori

The indigenous inhabitants of Oceania are Polynesians, Micronesians, Melanesians and Papuans.

Polynesians living in the countries of Polynesia have a mixed racial type, combining features of the Australoid and Mongoloid races. The largest peoples of Polynesia are Hawaiians, Samoans, Tahitians, Tongans, Maori, Marquesans, Rapanui and others. Native languages ​​belong to the Polynesian subgroup of the Austronesian family of languages: Hawaiian, Samoan, Tahitian, Tongan, Maori, Marquesan, Rapanui and others. The characteristic features of the Polynesian languages ​​are a small number of sounds, especially consonants, and an abundance of vowels.

Micronesians live in the countries of Micronesia. The largest peoples are Carolinians, Kiribati, Marshallese, Nauru, Chamorro and others. Native languages ​​belong to the Micronesian group of the Austronesian family of languages: Kiribati, Caroline, Kusaie, Marshallese, Nauruan and others. The Palauan and Chamorro languages ​​belong to the Western Malayo-Polynesian languages, while Jap forms a separate branch within the Oceanic languages, which includes the Micronesian languages.

Melanesians live in the countries of Melanesia. The racial type is Australoid, with a small Mongoloid element, close to the Papuans of New Guinea. Melanesians speak Melanesian languages, but their languages, unlike Micronesian and Polynesian, do not form a separate genetic group, and the linguistic fragmentation is very large, so that people from neighboring villages may not understand each other.

Papuans inhabit the island and some areas. In anthropological type, they are close to the Melanesians, but differ from them in language. Not all Papuan languages ​​are related to each other. The national language of the Papuans in Papua New Guinea is the English-based Tok Pisin Creole. According to various sources of peoples and languages, the Papuans number from 300 to 800. At the same time, there are difficulties in establishing the difference between a separate language and a dialect.

Many languages ​​of Oceania are on the verge of extinction. In everyday life, they are increasingly being replaced by English and French.

The position of the indigenous population in the countries of Oceania is different. If, for example, in the Hawaiian Islands their share is very low, then in New Zealand the Maori make up to 15% of the country's population. The proportion of Polynesians located in Micronesia is about 21.3%. The majority of the population is made up of numerous Papuan peoples, although there is also a high proportion of people from other islands in the region.

In New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands, the majority of the population is European, whose proportion is also high in (34%) and in French Polynesia (12%). On the islands, 38.2% of the population is represented by Indo-Fijians, descendants of Indian contract workers brought to the islands by the British in the 19th century.

Recently, in the countries of Oceania, the proportion of people from (mainly Chinese and Filipinos) has been increasing. For example, in the Northern Mariana Islands, the share of Filipinos is 26.2%, and the Chinese - 22.1%.

The population of Oceania is mainly Christian, adhering to either the Protestant or Catholic branches.

Economy

Economy of Oceania. Donation and economic unions.

Oceania is a part of the world that is a separate geopolitical region that consists of many islands and atolls located in the western and central Pacific Ocean.

Geographical position

The islands of Oceania are located between the temperate latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere and the subtropical latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Often in geography, Oceania is considered together with Australia.

There is even a geographical name - Australia and Oceania. The total area of ​​Oceania is 1.24 million km 2. The population is 10.6 million people.

Oceania is divided into three geographical regions - Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia. Oceania is washed by numerous seas - the Coral, Solomon, New Guinea, Tasman Seas, the Koro and Fiji Seas, which belong to the Pacific Ocean, as well as the Arafura Sea (Indian Ocean).

Climate of Oceania

Most of Oceania has a tropical climate. Most of the islands in Oceania are characterized by heavy rainfall. On the islands that are closer to the tropical zone, the average annual temperature is 23 ° C, on the islands near the equator - 27 ° C.

The climate of Oceania is also influenced by currents such as La Niña and El Niño. Most of the islands of Oceania are exposed to the negative effects of active volcanoes, tsunamis and typhoons.

This region is characterized by a sharp change in weather conditions - droughts are replaced by heavy rains.

Population of Oceania

The majority of the population of the islands of Oceania is represented by indigenous people, which include Micronesians, Polynesians, Papuans. Polynesians are mixed racial types - they show features of Caucasians and Mongoloids.

The largest peoples of the Polynesians are Hawaiians, Maori, Tongans, Tahitians. Each nationality has its own language, which is represented by an almost complete absence of consonants.

The racial type of the Melanesians is the Australoids. The linguistic fragmentation of the Melanesian tribes is very large - a frequent occurrence is that residents of neighboring villages cannot understand each other. The Papuans inhabit parts of Indonesia and New Guinea.

All Papuan languages ​​are very similar to each other. They are based on English, so often, even residents of remote regions speak English perfectly.

Economy

The vast majority of the states of Oceania have a very weak economy. The reasons for this are such factors as the remoteness of the islands from the developed superpowers, the limited natural resources, and the shortage of personnel.

Many countries are in complete economic dependence on Australia and the United States. The basis of the economy is agriculture. Among the most common crops are coconut palms, breadfruit, bananas. Some states have a fishing fleet.