Oceania

Oceania is also sometimes called Oceanica and is the umbrella term used to refer to a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean.

The name Oceania can be attributed to Dumont d’Urville, a French explorer. He coined the name in 1831.

Originally, Oceania was broken up into three main areas. These are Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

However, geographers and scientists have different interpretations of the geographical boundaries and the region is now divided into two major parts. These are Near Oceania and Remote Oceania.

See also

• Oceania Geographical subdivisions
• Things to do in Oceania

However, other interpretations follow the geographical subdivisions as shown below:

Australasia
Australia, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, New Zealand, and Norfolk Island.

Melanesia
Fiji, Indonesia, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.

Micronesia
Federated States of Melanesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Northern Mariana Islands, and Palau.

Polynesia
American Samoa, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Niue, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Wallis and Futuna.

Of course, there are the more popular destinations such as Tahiti, Palau, Vanuatu, and the like; most of the islands offer the same category of beaches as well.

Aside from the white sandy beaches and the pristine waters where one can take a dip at almost any time of the year, some of the islands in Oceania offer other activities as well. These include mountain trekking and biking and cave exploring. Of course, the more developed areas offer an exciting time at night. One thing about the culture of the people of Oceania is that they love to dance and party.

Eco-tourism is one of the most popular activities in many of the Oceania islands. A large part of Oceania has remained untouched by development and this makes the area the dream destination of many eco-tourists. From diving to mountain and volcano trekking, one can find all these activities in Oceania. There are also certain islands, such as the Solomon Islands, wherein one can visit wreckage from World War II.

Indeed, from unique cultural experiences to the most laid back of vacations, the countless islands of Oceania can offer all these and more to a wide spectrum of travelers from all over the world.