Oceania

Oceania ( UK / ˌ oʊ ʃ ɪ ˈ ɑː n <span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/i/ 'y' in 'happy'">i <span class="IPA nopopups" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';"><span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/ə/ 'a' in 'about'">ə <span class="IPA nopopups" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';">,  <span class="IPA nopopups" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';"><span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/ˌ/ secondary stress follows">ˌ <span class="IPA nopopups" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';"><span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/oʊ/ long 'o' in 'bode'">oʊ <span class="IPA nopopups" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';">s <span class="IPA nopopups" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';"><span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/ɪ/ short 'i' in 'bid'">ɪ <span class="IPA nopopups" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';"><span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/-/ affix">- <span class="IPA" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)">/ <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-OED_Oceania_1-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[1]  or  US <span class="IPA" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)">/ <span class="IPA nopopups" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';"><span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/ˌ/ secondary stress follows">ˌ <span class="IPA nopopups" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';"><span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/oʊ/ long 'o' in 'bode'">oʊ <span class="IPA nopopups" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';"><span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/ʃ/ 'sh' in 'shy'">ʃ <span class="IPA nopopups" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';"><span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/iː/ long 'e' in 'bead'">iː <span class="IPA nopopups" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';"><span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/ˈ/ primary stress follows">ˈ <span class="IPA nopopups" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';"><span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/æ/ short 'a' in 'bad'">æ <span class="IPA nopopups" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';">n <span class="IPA nopopups" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';"><span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/i/ 'y' in 'happy'">i <span class="IPA nopopups" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';"><span style="border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;" title="/ə/ 'a' in 'about'">ə <span class="IPA" style="font-family:'LucidaSansUnicode','ArialUnicodeMS';" title="Representation in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA)">/  ),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2]  also known as Oceanica,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-OceanicaDef_3-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[3]  is a region centred on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[4]  Opinions of what constitutes Oceania range from its three macroregions of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[5]  to, more broadly, the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-OED_6-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[6]  The term is often used more specifically to denote a continent comprising Australia and proximate islands,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Philip.27s_E.A.E.P_Atlas_7-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Scholastic_Atlas_of_the_World_8-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-millenniumindicators.un.org_9-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Lewis_1997_32_10-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]  or biogeographically as a synonym for either the Australasian ecozone (Wallacea and Australasia) or the Pacific ecozone (Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia apart either from New Zealand<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Udvardy_1975_11-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[11]  or from mainland New Guinea).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Steadman_2006_12-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12]

Etymology
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">The term was coined as Océanie ca. 1812 by geographer Conrad Malte-Brun.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-OED_6-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[6]  The word Océanie is a French language word derived from the Greek word ὠκεανός (ōkeanós), ocean.

Definitions
See also: List of Oceanian countries by population and List of sovereign states and dependent territories in OceaniaMap of Oceania<p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">As an ecozone, Oceania includes all of Micronesia, Fiji, and all of Polynesia except New Zealand. New Zealand, along withNew Guinea and nearby islands, Australia, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia, constitute the separateAustralasian ecozone. In geopolitical terms, however, New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia are almost always considered part of Oceania, and Australia and Papua New Guinea are usually considered part of Oceania too. Sometimes Papua province in Indonesia may be included, as Puncak Jaya is often considered the highest peak in Oceania.

Physiography
Main article: Geography of Oceania<p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">Oceania was originally conceived as the lands of the Pacific Ocean, stretching from the Straits of Malacca to the coast of the Americas. It comprised four regions: Polynesia, Micronesia, Malaysia (now called the Malay Archipelago), andMelanesia (now called Australasia).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]  Included are parts of three geological continents, Eurasia, Australia, and Zealandia, as well the non-continental volcanic islands of the Philippines, Wallacea, and the open Pacific. It extends to Sumatra in the west, the Bonin Islands in the northwest, the Hawaiian Islands in the northeast, Rapa Nui and Sala y Gómez Island in the east, and Macquarie Island in the south, but excludes Taiwan, the Japanese Archipelago (including the Ryukyu Islands), and Aleutian Islands of the margins of Asia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[15]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">The states that occupy Oceania that are not included in geopolitical Oceania are Indonesia, Malaysia (through Malaysian Borneo), Brunei, the Philippines, and East Timor. The islands of the geographic extremes are politically integral parts of Japan (Bonin), the United States (Hawaii), and Chile (Rapa Nui, formerly <span class="adtext" id="adtext_3" style="list-style:none;float:none;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-top-color:transparent;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(213,0,0);cursor:pointer;display:inline!important;">Easter Island ). A smaller geographic definition also exists, which excludes the land on the Sunda Plate, but includes Indonesian New Guinea as part of the Australian continent.

Biogeography
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;"> Ecogeography Biogeographically, Oceania is used as a synonym for either the Australasian ecozone (Wallacea and Australasia) or the Pacific ecozone (Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia apart either from New Zealand<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Udvardy_1975_11-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[11]  or from mainland New Guinea<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Steadman_2006_12-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12] ).

<p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">Oceania is one of eight terrestrial ecozones, which constitute the major ecological regions of the planet. The Oceania ecozone includes all of Micronesia, Fiji, and all of Polynesia except New Zealand. New Zealand, New Guinea, Melanesia apart from Fiji, and Australia constitute the separate Australasia ecozone. The <span class="adtext" id="adtext_6" style="list-style:none;float:none;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-top-color:transparent;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(213,0,0);cursor:pointer;display:inline!important;">Malay Archipelago  is part of the Indomalaya ecozone. Related to these concepts are Near Oceania, that part of western Island Melanesia which has been inhabited for tens of millennia, and Remote Oceania, which is more recently settled.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-16" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[16]

Geopolitics
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">In the geopolitical conception used by the United Nations, International Olympic Committee, and many atlases, Oceania includes Australia and the nations of the Pacific from <span class="adtext" id="adtext_1" style="list-style:none;float:none;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-top-color:transparent;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(213,0,0);cursor:pointer;display:inline!important;">Papua New Guinea  east, but not the Malay Archipelago or Indonesian New Guinea.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-unsd-m49_17-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Atlas_of_Canada_Web_Master_18-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[18] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Current_IOC_members_19-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[19]

Other definitions

 * The term is often used to denote a continent comprising Australia and proximate islands.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Philip.27s_E.A.E.P_Atlas_7-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Scholastic_Atlas_of_the_World_8-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-millenniumindicators.un.org_9-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[9] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Lewis_1997_32_10-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]
 * New Zealand forms the south-western corner of the Polynesian Triangle. Its indigenous Māori constitute one of the major cultures of Polynesia. It is also, however, considered part of Australasia.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-unsd-m49_17-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17]
 * The widest definition of Oceania includes the entire region between continental Asia and the Americas, thereby including islands in the Pacific Rim such as the Japanese Archipelago, Taiwan, and the Aleutian islands.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-20" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[20]

History
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">See History of Oceania, History of the Pacific Islands

Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Oceania <p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">The demographic table below shows the subregions and countries of geopolitical Oceania.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-unsd-m49_17-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[17]  The countries and territories in this table are categorized according to the scheme for geographic subregions used by the United Nations. The information shown follows sources in cross-referenced articles; where sources differ, provisos have been clearly indicated. These territories and regions are subject to various additional categorisations, of course, depending on the source and purpose of each description.

Religion
<p style="background-image:none;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:0.6em;overflow:hidden;padding-top:0.5em;padding-bottom:0.17em;border-bottom-color:rgb(170,170,170);font-size:19px;font-family:sans-serif;line-height:19.1875px;"> The predominant religion in Oceania is  Christianity. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-US_Dept_of_State_Background_Notes_29-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[29]  Traditional religions are often  animist  and prevalent among traditional tribes is the belief in spirits ( masalai  in  Tok Pisin ) representing natural forces. <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-Anthropology-Cowan-Messengers_of_the_Gods_30-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[30]  In recent Australian and New Zealand censuses, large proportions of the population say they belong to "No religion" (which includes  atheism ,  agnosticism ,  Secular Humanism, and  rationalism ). In  Tonga, everyday life is heavily influenced by  Polynesian  traditions and especially by the Christian faith. The  Bahá'í House of Worship  in Tiapapata,  Samoa  is one of seven designations administered in the  Baha'i faith.

Pacific Games
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">The Pacific Games (formerly known as the South Pacific Games) is a multi-sport event, much like the Olympics on a much smaller scale, with participation exclusively from countries around the Pacific. It is held every four years and began in 1963. Australia and New Zealand do not compete at the Pacific Games.

Association football (soccer)
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) is one of six association football confederations<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-31" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[31]  under the auspices of FIFA, the international governing body of the sport. The OFC is the only confederation without an automatic qualification to the World Cup Finals. Currently the winner of the OFC qualification tournament must play off against an Asian confederation side to qualify for the World Cup.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-32" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[32] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-33" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[33]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">Currently, Vanuatu is the only country in Oceania to call football (soccer) its national sport.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">Oceania has been represented at four World Cup finals tournaments — Australia in 1974, 2006 and 2010, and New Zealand in 1982 and 2010. In 2006, Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation and qualified for the 2010 World cup as an Asian entrant. New Zealand qualified through the Oceania Confederation, winning its playoff against Bahrain. 2010 was the first time two countries from Oceania had qualified at the same time, albeit through different confederations.

Australian rules football
Main article: Australian rules football in Oceania<p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">Australian rules football is the national sport in Nauru<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-34" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[34]  and is the most popular football code in Australia in terms of attendance.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-35" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[35]  It has a large following in Papua New Guinea, where it is the second most popular sport after Rugby League.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-36" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[36]

Cricket
Fans welcome to the Australian team after winning 2007 Cricket World Cup<p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">Cricket is a popular summer sport in Australia and New Zealand. Australia had ruled International cricket as the number one team for more than a decade, and have won four Cricket World Cups and have been runner-up for two times, making them the most successful cricket team. New Zealand is also considered a strong competitor in the sport, with the New Zealand Cricket Team, also called the Black Caps, enjoying success in many competitions. Both Australia and New Zealand are Full members of the ICC. Fiji, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea are some of the Associate/Affiliate members of the ICC from Oceania that are governed by ICC East Asia-Pacific. Beach Cricket, a greatly simplified variant of cricket played on a sand beach, is also a popular recreational sport in Australia.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">Cricket is culturally a significant sport for summer in Oceania. The Boxing Day Test is very popular in Australia, conducted every year on 26 December at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne.

Rugby League
<p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">Rugby league is a popular sport throughout Oceania, and is the national sport of Papua New Guinea<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-37" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[37]  (the second most populous country in Oceania after Australia) and is very popular in Australia<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-38" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[38]  and attracts significant attention across New Zealand and thePacific Islands.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-39" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[39]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">Australia and New Zealand are two of the most successful sides in the world.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-40" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[40]  Australia has won the Rugby League World Cup a record nine times while New Zealand won their first World Cup in 2008. Australia hosted the second tournament in 1957. Australia and New Zealand jointly hosted it in 1968 and 1977. New Zealand hosted the final for the first time in 1985 – 1988 tournament and Australia hosted the last tournament in 2008.

Rugby Union
Fiji playing the <span class="adtext" id="adtext_5" style="list-style:none;float:none;border-width:1px;border-style:solid;border-top-color:transparent;border-right-color:transparent;border-left-color:transparent;text-decoration:underline;color:rgb(213,0,0);cursor:pointer;display:inline!important;">Cook Islands  at seven-a-side rugby<p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">Rugby union is one of the region's most prominent sports,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-41" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[41]  and is the national sport of New Zealand,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wiki.answers.com_42-0" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[42]  Samoa,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wiki.answers.com_42-1" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[42]  Fiji and Tonga.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-wiki.answers.com_42-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[42] Fiji's sevens team is one of the most successful in the world, as is New Zealand's.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">New Zealand and Australia have won the Rugby World Cup a record two times (tied with South Africa who have also won it two times). New Zealand won the inaugural World Cup in 1987. Australia and New Zealand jointly hosted the World Cup in 1987. Australia hosted it in 2003 and New Zealand hosted it in 2011.