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Oceania
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Main Ideas
• Settled in ancient times by
migrating Southeast Asians,
Oceania developed three
cultural regions.
• Contact with Europeans and
Americans disrupted the
islanders’ traditional ways
of life.
A HUMAN PERSPECTIVE Noah Idechong has fought to protect the sea
life of Palau, an archipelago east of the Philippines. Palauans have always
earned their living by fishing, but in the 1980s, many species of fish were
in danger of extinction because they were such popular menu items in
Asian restaurants. Idechong began to study the problem in 1988.
His efforts paid off. In 1994, the year Palau became independent, it
banned the export of certain species, and fish populations grew again.
However, in 2000, the government planned building projects that
would help the economy but strain the environment. Idechong kept
working to save wildlife. He said, “Palau right now needs . . . people who
can say what they want Palau to look like 50 years from now.” In other
words, Palauans need to decide what to preserve in the face of change.
Places & Terms
Micronesia
Melanesia
Polynesia
subsistence activities
copra
taro
Connect to the Issues
environmental
change A possible rise in
sea level from global warming
threatens some islands.
A History of the Islands
Like Palau, all the nations of Oceania except Nauru are island groups.
They are Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia,
Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and
Vanuatu. (Some geographers consider Australia and New Zealand part
of Oceania, but those nations are covered in Section 3.)
FIRST ISLANDERS Prehistoric people journeyed from mainland
Southeast Asia to nearby Pacific islands using small rafts or canoes and
land bridges that have since disappeared. In time, they developed large
712
PLACE These stone heads are on
an altar on Vao, a small island
of Vanuatu. They were used in
rituals for controlling the weather.
How has time affected the stone
heads?
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Cultural Regions of Oceania
120°E
140°E
160°E
180°
160°W
140°W
120°W
100°W
MIDWAY I. (U.S.)
MEXICO
Tropic of Cancer
20°N
n
FEDERATED STATES
OF MICRONESIA
e
l
e
s
i
a
Equator
NAURU
a
n
PAPUA NEW
GUINEA
e
SOLOMON
ISLANDS
VANUATU
K I R I B AT I
TUVALU
s
i
TOKELAU (N.Z.)
AMERICAN
WALLIS AND SAMOA SAMOA
FUTUNA (Fr.)
a
NEW
CALEDONIA (Fr.)
(U.S.)
TONGA
S
s
Tuamotu
Archipelago
i
400
20°S
PITCAIRN IS. (U.K.)
a
EASTER I.
(Chile)
NORFOLK I. (Aus.)
PACIFIC
Tasman Sea
0
E
W
COOK
ISLANDS
(N.Z.)
NIUE
(N.Z.)
FIJI
Marquesas Is.
FRENCH
POLYNESIA (Fr.)
Tropic of Capricorn
A U S T R A L I A
0°
N
e
Coral Sea
PACIFIC OCEAN
Line
Is.
n
INDONESIA
JOHNSTON
ATOLL (U.S.)
MARSHALL
ISLANDS
y
M
HAWAII (U.S.)
l
PALAU
WAKE I. (U.S.)
o
GUAM (U.S.)
M i c r o
P
NORTHERN
MARIANA IS.
(U.S.)
OCEAN
40°S
800 miles
0 400 800 kilometers
Miller Projection
NEW
ZEALAND
Regional boundary
SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting Maps
REGION Which of the cultural regions contains islands held by the United States?
MOVEMENT Consider what you have learned about ancient migrations of people in
the Pacific Ocean. Which cultural region was the last to be settled?
voyaging canoes (see page 699) that enabled them to sail longer distances.
For thousands of years, their descendants continued to migrate as far east
as Hawaii, as far south as New Zealand, and as far west as Madagascar.
For centuries, the people of Oceania had little contact with the rest of
the world, so they developed their own ways of life. Geographers divide
Oceania into three regions, defined both by physical geography and culture. The regions are Micronesia, meaning “tiny islands,” Melanesia,
meaning “black islands,” and Polynesia, meaning “many islands.”
James Cook was
also one of the
first Europeans to
explore Australia
and New Zealand.
See page 718 for
his portrait.
CONTACT WITH THE WEST Beginning in the 1500s, many Europeans
explored the Pacific. Perhaps the most famous was the British captain
James Cook, the first European to visit many of the islands.
In the 1800s, European missionaries arrived and tried to convert the
islanders to Christianity. Traders came for products such as coconut oil,
and sailors hunted whales. Settlers started plantations on which they
could grow coconuts, coffee, pineapples, or sugar.
As a result, island societies began to decline. Many islanders died of
diseases brought by the Europeans. Western ways often replaced traditional customs. And Europe and the United States took control of the
islands and turned them into territories and possessions.
SE ASIA & OCEANIA
Background
RECENT HISTORY Oceania experienced turmoil in the 20th century.
During World War II, the Allies and the Japanese fought fierce battles
there to gain control of the Pacific. Afterward, some islands were used
as nuclear test sites, not only by the United States (see Chapter 30) but
Oceania 713
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Many residents of Oceania make
a living from traditional activities.
Page 3 of 4
also by other countries. Gradually, inhabitants of
many of the islands moved toward self-rule. Since
1962, 12 different nations have gained independence. Foreigners still rule the other islands.
A Traditional Economy
This resident of Fiji is husking coconuts
to make copra, or the dried meat of
coconuts.
Most of Oceania has an economy in which people
work not for wages but at subsistence activities. These
are activities in which a family produces only the food,
clothing, and shelter they themselves need. The tiny
island of Nauru is an exception. It has a prosperous
economy based on the mining of phosphates, used in
fertilizer. But Nauru’s phosphate deposits are expected
to give out early in the 21st century.
AGRICULTURE As Chapter 30 explained, most low
islands do not have plentiful or fertile soil. In spite of
this, agriculture is the region’s main economic activity
because many high islands do have soil that supports
agriculture. The chief crops are bananas, sugar, cocoa,
coffee, and copra, which is the dried meat of coconuts.
Fishing also provides a significant source of income.
OTHER ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES Since the invention of
Traditional dances are often
performed for tourists. These
dancers are from French Polynesia.
jet travel, tourism has become very important to the economy of Oceania. This has been a mixed blessing. Although
tourists spend money in the islands, they also require
hotels, stores, roads, and vehicles. These threaten the
islands’ environment and traditional ways of life.
A few islands besides Nauru have mining industries.
For example, Papua New Guinea is developing a large
copper mine with the help of foreign investment. Some
industry also exists. Some of the larger towns have factories that produce goods such as coconut oil and soap.
As in Southeast Asia, an increasing number of people in
the Pacific Islands are moving to cities to find jobs.
Culture of the Islands
Oceania has a culture that blends traditional ways
with the cultures of Europe and the United States.
Many people of Oceania, such
as these Cook Islanders, earn
their living from fishing.
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LANGUAGE AND RELIGION Oceania is one of the
most linguistically diverse regions in the world. Some
1,100 of the world’s languages are spoken there. The
people of Papua New Guinea alone speak 823 languages. In addition, many Pacific Islanders speak
European languages. English is the most common.
Because of missionaries’ work and colonialism,
Christianity is the most widely spread religion. Even
so, some Pacific Islanders still practice their traditional
religions.
Seeing Patterns
Which characteristics of Oceania
might account for
its high levels of
migration to cities?
A. Answer its
subsistence
economy and the
fact that many
islands are not
suitable for
agriculture
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THE ARTS Many Pacific Islanders produce arts and crafts, such as baskets and mats woven from the leaves of palm trees or carved wooden
masks. Some islanders make a living selling such items to tourists.
Island Life
As in Southeast Asia, two distinct ways of life exist on the islands: traditional village life and more modern city life.
TRADITIONAL LIFE Ways of life varied throughout the islands. In
Making
Comparisons
What other
regions of the
world that you
have studied are
experiencing these
same problems in
their growing
cities?
RECENT CHANGE Oceania has few cities, but they have been growing
as many people move to them for education or jobs. Rapid urban growth
has led to sprawling shantytowns and inadequate sanitation facilities. In
addition, city dwellers are giving up their traditional ways of life.
But change is also helping Oceania. Modern communications systems can unify countries consisting of scattered island groups and also
can link Oceania to the rest of the world. Section 3 will describe the two
most westernized nations in the region: Australia and New Zealand.
Places & Terms
Identify these terms and
explain their importance
in the region.
• Micronesia
• Melanesia
• Polynesia
• subsistence activities
• copra
• taro
Taking Notes
MOVEMENT Review the notes
you took for this section.
Oceania
The Region
• How were the Pacific Islands first
settled?
• What type of migration is happen-
Main Ideas
a. How did contact with
Europeans and Americans
affect the societies of the
Pacific Islands?
b. What are the chief crops
of Oceania?
c. What is distinctive about
Oceania in terms of its
languages?
Geographic Thinking
Determining Cause and
Effect How has modern
technology both helped and
harmed Oceania? Think
about:
• jet travel
• modern communications
ing within Oceania today?
RESEARCH LINKS
CL ASSZONE .COM
SEEING PATTERNS Use the Internet to research several nations and territories in Oceania.
Then choose the one that you think would make the best vacation spot. Create a tourist
brochure that will persuade travelers to visit that place. Check your brochure for correct
grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation.
Oceania 715
SE ASIA & OCEANIA
B. Answer Latin
America, South
Asia, Africa, and
Southwest Asia
Polynesia, most people lived in villages, ranging from small clusters of
houses to large walled settlements. The houses were usually wooden
with thatched roofs. Generally, a chief led each village. The villages’
economies centered on fishing and farming. One major crop was taro,
a plant with a starchy root. Taro can be eaten boiled, or it can be made
into breads, puddings, or a paste called poi.
Many Polynesian societies were warlike and had frequent conflicts. In
contrast, Micronesians tended to exist peacefully with their neighbors.
Most Micronesians lived in extended family groups. As in Polynesia,
they made a living by fishing and farming, with taro being a main crop.
In Melanesia, villages usually existed by the coast where people could
fish. Inland, many people practiced shifting cultivation, moving often to
let fields regain fertility. Other Melanesians were hunter-gatherers.