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Oceania
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Political map of Australia and Oceania showing Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and numerous Pacific island nations and territories. Countries and territories such as Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Kiribati are labeled, along with territories administered by the United States, United Kingdom, France, and New Zealand. Surrounding bodies of water, including the Pacific Ocean, Coral Sea, and Tasman Sea, are also marked. Map of Oceania showing the major regions of Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia, each outlined and labeled in red. The map includes Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and numerous Pacific island nations, with the Pacific Ocean surrounding the regions. Major islands and island groups within each region are labeled. Map of New Zealand showing the North and South Islands with major cities, towns, and political boundaries labeled. The map includes Wellington, Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, and other key locations, and features a locator inset highlighting New Zealand's position in the southwestern Pacific Ocean southeast of Australia. Map of the Pacific Islands region showing political boundaries, major island groups, and countries such as Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa, French Polynesia, and Kiribati. The map uses color shading to indicate elevation and ocean depth, with key islands and capitals labeled throughout the central and southwestern Pacific Ocean. World map displaying all continents labeled in bold text-North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania, and Antarctica-along with major oceans and several seas, such as the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern Oceans, and the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Caspian Seas. Latitude lines including the Equator, Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, and the Antarctic Circle are also marked.
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Political map of Australia and Oceania showing Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and numerous Pacific island nations and territories. Countries and territories such as Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Kiribati are labeled, along with territories administered by the United States, United Kingdom, France, and New Zealand. Surrounding bodies of water, including the Pacific Ocean, Coral Sea, and Tasman Sea, are also marked.
Oceania Map showing Oceania and its constituent countries.

Oceania

geographical region
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Top Questions

What does the term Oceania refer to?

What is the land area of Oceania?

What are the four parts of Oceania?

What is the population of Oceania?

Oceania, collective name for the islands found throughout most of the Pacific Ocean. The term, in its widest sense, embraces the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas. A more common definition excludes the Ryukyu, Kuril, and Aleutian islands and the Japan archipelago. The most popular usage delimits Oceania further by excluding Indonesia, Taiwan, and the Philippines, because the peoples and cultures of those islands are more closely related historically to the Asian mainland. Oceania, in its most restricted meaning, consists of more than 10,000 islands, with a total land area (excluding Australia but including Papua New Guinea and New Zealand) of approximately 317,700 square miles (822,800 square km).

Map of Oceania showing the major regions of Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia, each outlined and labeled in red. The map includes Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and numerous Pacific island nations, with the Pacific Ocean surrounding the regions. Major islands and island groups within each region are labeled.
The four parts of OceaniaOceania is traditionally divided into four parts, which are shown in this map: Australasia, Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.

Oceania has traditionally been divided into four parts: Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

Human migration to the Pacific Islands (Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia) may have begun more than 40,000 years ago, while the first humans reached Australia perhaps as early as 65,000 to 80,000 years ago. Although disagreeing on details, scholars have generally supported theories that identify Southeast Asian origins for the region’s Indigenous peoples. Europeans began arriving in Oceania in the early 16th century. The arts of the region are discussed in several articles: see Oceanic art and architecture, Oceanic music and dance, and Oceanic literature. Pop. (2025 est.) including Australia, 52,284,000.

Megan Rapinoe of the United States, in a navy and red striped uniform, competes for the ball with Clare Polkinghorne of Australia, in yellow, during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic women's soccer bronze medal match.
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The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by J.E. Luebering.
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