Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Oceania
Introduction & Top Questions References & Edit History Related Topics
Images & Videos
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.
Learn how the world is divided into continents
Related Questions
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Britannica Websites
Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
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
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

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....

Discover the world with Britannica

Subscribe to Continue Reading

Free Trial | No Ads | Exclusive Content
Explore Subscriptions
DNA
Right
Mobile