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Oceania



 
 
Oceania (sometimes Oceanica) is a geographical
Geography

Geography is the study of the Earth and its lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth"....
, often geopolitical
Geopolitics

Geopolitics is the art and practice of using international political power. Traditionally, the term has applied primarily to the impact of geography on politics, but its usage has evolved over the past century to encompass a wider connotation....
, region
Region

Region is a geographical term that is used in various ways among the different branches of geography. In general, a region is a medium-scale area of land or water, smaller than the whole areas of interest , and larger than a specific site A region may be seen as a collection of smaller units or as one part of a larger whole ....
 consisting of numerous lands—mostly island
Island

An island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets....
s in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
 and vicinity. The term "Oceania" was coined in 1831 by French explorer Dumont d'Urville
Jules Dumont d'Urville

Rear Admiral Jules S?bastien C?sar Dumont d'Urville was a France List of explorers and French Navy, who explored the south and western Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica....
. The term is used today in many languages to define one of the continent
Continent

A continent is one of several large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents ? they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia ....
s and is one of eight terrestrial
Ecoregion

An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecology and geographically defined area smaller than a "realm" or "ecozone". Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural community and species....
 ecozone
Ecozone

An ecozone or biogeographic realm is the largest scale biogeography division of the earth's surface based on the historic and evolutionary distribution patterns of plants and animals....
s.

Ethnologically
Ethnology

Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnicity, Race , and/or national divisions of humanity....
, the islands that are included in Oceania are divided into the subregion
Subregion

A subregion is a conceptual unit which derives from a larger region or continent and is usually based on location. Cardinal directions, such as south or southern, are commonly used to define a subregion....
s of Melanesia
Melanesia

Melanesia literally means "islands of the black-skinned people". It is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western side of the West Pacific to the Arafura Sea, north and northeast of Australia....
, Micronesia
Micronesia

Micronesia , from the Greek language mikros and nesos , is a subregion of Oceania, comprising hundreds of small islands in the Pacific Ocean....
, and Polynesia
Polynesia

Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean....
.

The boundaries of Oceania are defined in a number of ways.






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Oceania (sometimes Oceanica) is a geographical
Geography

Geography is the study of the Earth and its lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth"....
, often geopolitical
Geopolitics

Geopolitics is the art and practice of using international political power. Traditionally, the term has applied primarily to the impact of geography on politics, but its usage has evolved over the past century to encompass a wider connotation....
, region
Region

Region is a geographical term that is used in various ways among the different branches of geography. In general, a region is a medium-scale area of land or water, smaller than the whole areas of interest , and larger than a specific site A region may be seen as a collection of smaller units or as one part of a larger whole ....
 consisting of numerous lands—mostly island
Island

An island or isle is any piece of land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls are called islets....
s in the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portugal explorer Ferdinand Magellan....
 and vicinity. The term "Oceania" was coined in 1831 by French explorer Dumont d'Urville
Jules Dumont d'Urville

Rear Admiral Jules S?bastien C?sar Dumont d'Urville was a France List of explorers and French Navy, who explored the south and western Pacific, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica....
. The term is used today in many languages to define one of the continent
Continent

A continent is one of several large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents ? they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia ....
s and is one of eight terrestrial
Ecoregion

An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecology and geographically defined area smaller than a "realm" or "ecozone". Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural community and species....
 ecozone
Ecozone

An ecozone or biogeographic realm is the largest scale biogeography division of the earth's surface based on the historic and evolutionary distribution patterns of plants and animals....
s.

Ethnologically
Ethnology

Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnicity, Race , and/or national divisions of humanity....
, the islands that are included in Oceania are divided into the subregion
Subregion

A subregion is a conceptual unit which derives from a larger region or continent and is usually based on location. Cardinal directions, such as south or southern, are commonly used to define a subregion....
s of Melanesia
Melanesia

Melanesia literally means "islands of the black-skinned people". It is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western side of the West Pacific to the Arafura Sea, north and northeast of Australia....
, Micronesia
Micronesia

Micronesia , from the Greek language mikros and nesos , is a subregion of Oceania, comprising hundreds of small islands in the Pacific Ocean....
, and Polynesia
Polynesia

Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean....
.

The boundaries of Oceania are defined in a number of ways. Most definitions recognize parts of Australasia
Australasia

Australasia is a region of Oceania: New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes ....
 such as Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
, and New Guinea
New Guinea

New Guinea, located just north of Australia, is the List of islands by area, having become separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known as the Torres Strait flooded after the last glacial period....
, and all or part of the Malay Archipelago
Malay Archipelago

The Malay Archipelago and Maritime Southeast Asia are names given to the archipelago located between mainland Southeast Asia and Australia....
 are included in Oceania.

Extent

Oceania
Oceania is traditionally understood as being composed of three regions: Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia. As with any region, however, interpretations vary; increasingly, geographers and scientists divide Oceania into Near Oceania
Near Oceania

Near Oceania is the part of Oceania comprising Australia, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The other part of Oceania is Remote Oceania. Most linguists and scientists consider this a natural division of Oceania....
 and Remote Oceania
Remote Oceania

Remote Oceania is the part of Oceania comprising Polynesia, Micronesia and island Melanesia southeast of the Solomon Islands, including islands such as Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa....
.

Most of Oceania consists of island nations comprising thousands of coral atolls and volcanic islands, with small human populations. Australia is the only continental country but Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
 has land borders with Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands ....
, East Timor
East Timor

East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro Island and Jaco , and Oecussi-Ambeno, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor....
, and Malaysia
Malaysia

Malaysia is a federation that consists of States of Malaysia in Southeast Asia with a total landmass of . The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government....
. If the Australia-New Guinea
Australia (continent)

Australia Sahul is the smallest of the geographic continents, though not of geological continents. There is no universally accepted definition of the word "continent"; the lay definition is "One of the main continuous bodies of land on the earth's surface." ....
 continent
Continent

A continent is one of several large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents ? they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia ....
 is included then the highest point is Puncak Jaya
Puncak Jaya

Puncak Jaya , sometimes called Mount Carstensz or the Carstensz Pyramid, is a mountain in the Sudirman Range, the western central highlands of Papua , Indonesia....
 in Papua
Papua (Indonesian province)

Papua is the largest Provinces of Indonesia of Indonesia, comprising a majority part of the western half of the island of New Guinea and nearby islands ....
 at and the lowest point is Lake Eyre
Lake Eyre

Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately below sea level, and, on the rare occasions that it fills, it is the largest lake in Australia....
, Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 at below sea level.

Regions

Descriptions of the regions and constituents of Oceania vary according to source. The table below shows the subregions and countries of Oceania as broadly categorised according to the scheme for geographic subregions used by the United Nations
United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, Social change, human rights and achieving world peace....
. 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.

See Also: List of Oceanian countries by population
List of Oceanian countries by population

This is a list of Oceanian countries/dependencies by population. It is sourced from the global list of countries by population as of December 2007....

Interpretative details and controversies

  • New Zealand
    New Zealand

    New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
     is the western corner of the Polynesian Triangle
    Polynesian Triangle

    The Polynesian Triangle is a region of the Pacific Ocean anchored by three island groups: Hawaii, Easter Island and New Zealand.The many island cultures within this vast triangle speak Polynesian languages, which are classified by linguists as part of the Malayo-Polynesian languages subgroup....
    . Its indigenous Maori
    Maori

    The Maori are the indigenous people Polynesian people of Aotearoa . The group probably arrived in south-western Polynesia in several waves at some time before 1300....
     constitute one of the major cultures of Polynesia. It is also, however, considered part of Australasia. More restricted definitions of the region may exclude New Zealand.
  • Hawaii
    Hawaii

    File:Pahoehoe and Aa flows at Hawaii.jpgThe State of Hawaii is a U.S. state in the United States, located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia....
     is the northern corner of the Polynesian Triangle
    Polynesian Triangle

    The Polynesian Triangle is a region of the Pacific Ocean anchored by three island groups: Hawaii, Easter Island and New Zealand.The many island cultures within this vast triangle speak Polynesian languages, which are classified by linguists as part of the Malayo-Polynesian languages subgroup....
     and is generally included in Oceania, though politically it is part of the United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
    . The Hawaiian language
    Hawaiian language

    The Hawaiian language is an Austronesian languages that takes its name from Hawaii , the largest island in the tropical North Pacific archipelago where it developed....
     is a Polynesian member of the Oceanic language family
    Oceanic languages

    The Oceanic languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, containing approximately 450 languages. The area occupied by speakers of these languages includes Polynesia as well as much of Melanesia and Micronesia....
    , and Hawaiian culture
    Culture of Hawaii

    The culture of Hawaii has its origins in the traditional culture of the Native Hawaiians. As Hawaii has become a home to many different ethnic groups in the last 200 years, each ethnic group has added elements of its own culture to local life....
     is one of the major cultures of Polynesia.
  • The U.S. territories in the North Pacific
    United States Minor Outlying Islands

    The United States Minor Outlying Islands, a statistical designation defined by the International Organization for Standardization's ISO 3166-1 code, consists of nine United States insular areas....
     are generally considered part of Oceania.
  • Rapa Nui, or Easter Island
    Easter Island

    Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeastern most point of the Polynesian triangle. The island is a special territory of Chile....
    , is the eastern corner of the Polynesian triangle. A Polynesian island in the eastern Pacific Ocean and part of the territory of Chile
    Chile

    Chile, officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow coastal strip wedged between the Andes mountains and the Pacific Ocean....
    , it is generally included in Oceania, in which case the most easterly place in Polynesia and Oceania is its dependency Isla Salas y Gómez 415 km to the East.
  • The line in Indonesia
    Indonesia

    The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
     dividing Oceania from Asia
    Asia

    Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
     varies in location and is sometimes considered to be the Wallace Line
    Wallace Line

    The Wallace Line is a boundary that separates the Ecozone of Asia and Wallacea . West of the line are found organisms related to Asiatic species; to the east, a mixture of species of Asian and Australian origin are present....
    . See the transcontinental country article.
  • East Timor
    East Timor

    East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro Island and Jaco , and Oecussi-Ambeno, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor....
     is often reckoned as a part of Oceania due to its location to the east of the Wallace Line and its cultural ties to Pacific peoples. See transcontinental country
    Transcontinental country

    This is a list of countries spanning more than one continent, sometimes referred to as transcontinental states. The definitions of what continent a particular country covers may vary according to which criteria are used ....
    ; Biogeographically, East Timor lies within Wallacea
    Wallacea

    Wallacea is a biogeography designation for a group of Indonesian islands separated by deep water straits from the Asian and Australia continental shelf....
    , an ecological transition zone between Asia and Australasia. This transition is less known and less favoured these days as a continental boundary.
  • Australia is sometimes not included in Oceania. Terms such as Pacific Islands
    Pacific Islands

    The Pacific Ocean contains an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 islands . Those islands lying south of the tropic of Cancer but excluding Australia are traditionally grouped into three divisions: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia....
     or South Sea Islands might be used to describe Oceania without Australia (and New Zealand). The term "Australasia" invariably includes Australia, and usually includes New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and some other parts of Oceania. This term is sometimes controversial, though, as it may may be interpreted as implying an association with Asia — a separate continent — or too great an association with Australia. The term is actually derived from the word "Austral", meaning "of, relating to, or coming from the south". This word represents the common root of both names: Australia and Australasia.
  • Although Christmas Island
    Christmas Island

    The Territory of Christmas Island is a Territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, Western Australia, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
     and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
    Cocos (Keeling) Islands

    The Territory of Cocos Islands, also called Cocos Islands and Keeling Islands, is a States and territories of Australia of Australia....
     belong to the Commonwealth of Australia
    Australia

    Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
    , they are west of Sumatra
    Sumatra

    Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the list of islands by area in the world ....
     and are commonly associated with Asia, and not with Oceania.
  • In its widest sense, the term may embrace the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas
    Americas

    The Americas are the region of the Western hemisphere that consists of the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions....
    , thereby including other islands in the Pacific Rim
    Pacific Rim

    The Pacific Rim refers to the countries and cities located around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. There are many economic centers around the Pacific Rim, such as Auckland, Busan, Brisbane, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Lima, Los Angeles, California, Manila, Melbourne, Panama City, Portland, Oregon, San Diego, California, San Francisco, Cali...
     such as the Ryukyu
    Ryukyu Islands

    The Ryukyu Islands are part of the . From around 1800 on, they have spelled Luchu, Loo-choo, or Lewchew, from the Chinese Liuqiu. They consist of a chain of Islands of Japan in the western Pacific Ocean at the eastern limit of the East China Sea and stretch southwest from the island of Kyushu to the island of Taiwan....
    , Kuril
    Kuril Islands

    The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, is a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately 1,300 km northeast from Hokkaido, Japan, to Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean....
     and Aleutian
    Aleutian Islands

    The Aleutian Islands are a chain of more than 300 small volcanic islands forming a volcanic arc in the Northern Pacific Ocean, occupying an area of 6,821 sq mi and extending about 1,200 mi westward from the Alaska Peninsula toward the Kamchatka Peninsula....
     islands, the Japanese Archipelago
    Japanese Archipelago

    The , which forms the country of Japan, extends roughly from northeast to southwest along the northeastern coast of the Eurasia mainland, washing upon the northwestern shores of the Pacific Ocean....
     and Taiwan
    Taiwan

    Taiwan is an island in East Asia. "Taiwan" is also commonly used to refer to the country governed by the Republic of China and to the ROC itself, which governs the island of Taiwan, Orchid Island and Green Island, Taiwan in the Pacific Ocean off the Taiwan coast, the Penghu islands in the Taiwan Strait, and Kinmen and the Matsu Islands...
    .


Ecogeography

Oceania is one of eight terrestrial ecozone
Ecozone

An ecozone or biogeographic realm is the largest scale biogeography division of the earth's surface based on the historic and evolutionary distribution patterns of plants and animals....
s, which constitute the major ecological regions of the planet. The Oceania ecozone
Oceania ecozone

Oceania is the smallest of the world's terrestrial ecozones, and unique in not including any continental land mass. The ecozone includes the Pacific Ocean islands of Micronesia, the Fiji, and most of Polynesia ....
 includes all of Micronesia, Fiji
Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands , is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean east of Vanuatu, west of Tonga and south of Tuvalu....
, and all of Polynesia except New Zealand. New Zealand, New Guinea and nearby islands, Australia, the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands

For the group of islands rather than the nation, see Solomon Islands .The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands....
, Vanuatu
Vanuatu

Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, north-east of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and south of the Solomon Islands, near New Zealand....
, and New Caledonia
New Caledonia

New Caledonia , is a "sui generis collectivity" of France located in the subregion of Melanesia in the Oceania. It comprises a main island , the Loyalty Islands, and several smaller islands....
 constitute the separate Australasia ecozone
Australasia ecozone

The Australasian zone is an ecozone that is coincident, but not synonymous , with the geography region of Australasia. The ecozone includes Australia, the island of New Guinea , and the eastern part of the Indonesian archipelago, including the island of Sulawesi, the Moluccan islands and islands of Lombok, Sumbawa, Sumba, Flores, and Timo...
.

Sport


Pacific Games

The Pacific Games (formerly known as the South Pacific Games) is a multi-sport event, much like the Olympics, (albeit on a much smaller scale), with participation exclusively from countries around the Pacific. It is held every four years and began in 1963.

Rugby codes

Rugby League
Rugby league

Rugby league football is a competitive Full-contact sport team sport played with a spheroid-shaped ball by two teams of thirteen on a rectangular grass field....
 and Rugby Union
Rugby union

Rugby union is a competitive outdoor contact sport, played with an oval ball, by two teams of 15 players. It is one of the two main codes of rugby football, the other being rugby league....
 are two of the regions most popular sports. Rugby union being the national sport of New Zealand, Samoa, Fiji and Tonga. Rugby League is the national sport in Papua New Guinea (the second most populous country in Oceania after Australia) and is very popular in Australia and has a significant following in New Zealand.

Australia has won the Rugby League World Cup
Rugby League World Cup

The Rugby League World Cup is an international competition contested by the List of international rugby league teams of the member nations of the Rugby League International Federation , the sport's global governing body....
 a record 9 times. New Zealand won their first World Cup in 2008
2008 Rugby League World Cup

The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the 13th staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954 Rugby League World Cup, but the first since the 2000 Rugby League World Cup event....
. Australia hosted the second tournament in 1957
1957 Rugby League World Cup

The second Rugby League World Cup was held in Australia in 1957. As before a group stage was held first, with matches being held at locations in Sydney and Brisbane....
. Australia and New Zealand jointly hosted it in 1968
1968 Rugby League World Cup

The fourth Rugby League World Cup was held in Australia and New Zealand in 1968. For the first time a world cup final was specifically pre-arranged ....
 and 1977
1977 Rugby League World Cup

The eighth Rugby League World Cup was held in 1977, and saw a return to the format used on previous occasions. The tournament was held in Australasia, with games in both Australia and New Zealand....
. New Zealand hosted the final for the first time during the worldwide 1985-1988
1985 - 1988 Rugby League World Cup

The ninth Rugby League World Cup saw yet another change of format. The competition was stretched to cover almost three years , with teams playing each other on a home and away basis....
 tournament and Australia hosted the most recent one in 2008
2008 Rugby League World Cup

The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the 13th staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954 Rugby League World Cup, but the first since the 2000 Rugby League World Cup event....
.

Australia has won the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup

The Rugby World Cup is the premier international rugby union competition. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board , and is contested by the List of international rugby union teams....
 a record 2 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 is to host it in 2011.

Cricket

Cricket
Cricket

Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games team sport that originated in southern England. The earliest definite reference is dated 1598, and it is now played in more than 100 countries....
 is a popular summer sport in Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 and New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
. Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 has ruled the cricket
Cricket

Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games team sport that originated in southern England. The earliest definite reference is dated 1598, and it is now played in more than 100 countries....
 world as the number one team for more than a decade. Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 have won the last three Cricket World Cup
Cricket World Cup

The Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years....
s. New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
 is one the strong teams in Cricket
Cricket

Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games team sport that originated in southern England. The earliest definite reference is dated 1598, and it is now played in more than 100 countries....
 and has produced many famous cricketers. New Zealand Cricket Team
New Zealand cricket team

The New Zealand cricket team, also known as the Black Caps or BLACKCAPS, played their first Test cricket in 1929-30 against English cricket team in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth Test nation....
 are also called Black Caps. Both Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
 and New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
 are the Full members
List of International Cricket Council members

All members of the International Cricket Council on this list are recognised by the ICC as the sports governing body of the sport of cricket in their respective nations or geographic area....
 of ICC
International Cricket Council

The International Cricket Council is the international Sport governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989....
. Fiji
Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands , is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean east of Vanuatu, west of Tonga and south of Tuvalu....
, Vanuatu
Vanuatu

Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, north-east of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and south of the Solomon Islands, near New Zealand....
 and Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands ....
 are some of the Assosciate/Affiliate members of ICC
List of International Cricket Council members

All members of the International Cricket Council on this list are recognised by the ICC as the sports governing body of the sport of cricket in their respective nations or geographic area....
 from Oceania that are governed by East Asia-Pacific Cricket Council
East Asia-Pacific Cricket Council

The East Asia-Pacific Cricket Council is an international body which oversees cricket in countries in East-Asia, and the Pacific. It is a subordinate body to the International Cricket Council....
. Beach Cricket
Beach cricket

Backyard cricket, street cricket, beach cricket or garden cricket is an informal ad hoc variant of the game of cricket, played by people of both sexes and all ages in gardens, back yards, on the street, in parks, carparks, beaches and any area not specifically intended for the purpose....
 is also a popular recreational sport in Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
.

Cricket is culturally a significant sport for summer in Oceania. Boxing Day Test
Boxing Day Test

The Boxing Day Test match is a cricket Test cricket hosted in Melbourne, Victoria , Australia involving the Australian cricket team and the opposition national team touring Australia that summer....
 is very popular in Australia which is conducted every year on December, 26th at Melbourne Cricket Ground
Melbourne Cricket Ground

The Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne in inner Melbourne, home to the Melbourne Cricket Club....
, Melbourne
Melbourne

Melbourne is the more common name for the geographic region and Census in Australia of the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area. It is the second List of cities in Australia by population in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million and serves as the List of Australian capital cities of Victoria ....
.

Australian rules football

Australian rules football
Australian rules football

Australian football, or simply known as football, footy, Aussie rules or as AFL, is a team sport played between two teams of 18 players with a football in the shape of a prolate spheroid....
 is the national sport in Nauru
Nauru

Nauru , officially the Republic of Nauru and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island nation in the Micronesian Pacific Ocean....
 and is most popular in Australia. It is also very popular in Papua New Guinea.

Association Football

The Oceania Football Confederation
Oceania Football Confederation

The Oceania Football Confederation is one of the six "continental" confederations of international football , consisting of Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and island nations such as Tonga, Fiji and other Pacific Islands countries....
 (OFC) is one of six football (soccer)
Football (soccer)

Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players, and is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world....
 confederations under the auspices of FIFA
FIFA

The F?d?ration Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by its acronym, FIFA , is the international sport governing body of association football....
, the international governing body of the sport. The OFC is the only confederation without an automatic qualification to the World Cup Finals
FIFA World Cup

The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the List of men's national association football teams of the members of F?d?ration Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global govern...
. Currently the winner of the OFC qualification tournament must play off against an Asian confederation
Asian Football Confederation

The 46 member Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of football in Asia, excluding Cyprus and Israel, and including Australia.The AFC was founded in 1954 in Manila, Philippines, and is one of FIFA's six continental confederations....
 side to qualify for the World Cup.

Currently, Vanuatu
Vanuatu

Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, north-east of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and south of the Solomon Islands, near New Zealand....
 is the only country in Oceania to call soccer its national sport.

Oceania has only been represented at three World Cup Finals — Australia
Australia national football (soccer) team

The Australian National Football Team represents Australia in international association football competitions. Its official nickname is "the Socceroos"....
 in 1974
1974 FIFA World Cup

The 1974 FIFA World Cup, the tenth staging of the World Cup, was held in West Germany from 13 June to 7 July. West Germany had been chosen in July 1966 as FIFA World Cup hosts#1974, 1978, 1982 FIFA World Cups by FIFA....
 and 2006
2006 FIFA World Cup

The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names international football world championship tournament....
 and New Zealand in 1982
1982 FIFA World Cup

The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. Spain was chosen as FIFA World Cup hosts#1974, 1978, 1982 FIFA World Cups by FIFA in July 1966....
. However, Australia is now no longer a member of the Oceania Football Confederation, having joined the Asian Football Confederation
Asian Football Confederation

The 46 member Asian Football Confederation is the governing body of football in Asia, excluding Cyprus and Israel, and including Australia.The AFC was founded in 1954 in Manila, Philippines, and is one of FIFA's six continental confederations....
 in 2006.

See also

  • Art of Oceania
    Art of Oceania

    Oceanic art refers to the creative works made by the native peoples of the Pacific Islands and Australia, including areas as far apart as Hawaii and Easter Island....
  • Economy of Oceania
    Economy of Oceania

    |-|}The economy of Oceania comprises more than 14 separate countries and their associated economies.On a total scale the region has approximately 35,834,670 inhabitants who are spread among 30,000 islands in the Oceania bordered between Asia and the Americas....
  • Europeans in Oceania
    Europeans in Oceania

    European exploration and settlement of Oceania began in the 16th Century, starting with Spanish people landings and shipwrecks in the Marianas Islands, east of the Philippines....
  • Festival of Pacific Arts
    Festival of Pacific Arts

    The Festival of Pacific Arts, or Pacific Arts Festival, is a traveling festival hosted every four years by a different country in Oceania ....
  • Flags of Oceania
    Flags of Oceania

    This is a gallery of national flags of Oceania....
  • Geography of Oceania
    Geography of Oceania

    As an ecozone, Oceania includes all of Micronesia, Fiji, and all of Polynesia except New Zealand. New Zealand, along with New Guinea and nearby islands, Australia, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia, constitute the separate Australasia ecozone....
  • History of Oceania
    History of Oceania

    *History of Australia*History of New Zealand*History of the Pacific IslandsSee also History History of present-day nations and states....
  • Military history of Oceania
    Military history of Oceania

    Although the military history of Oceania probably goes back thousands of years to the first human settlement in the region, little is known about war in Oceania until the arrival of Europeans....
  • Oceania (journal)
    Oceania (journal)

    The Australian academic journal Oceania was founded in 1930. It publishes contributions in the field of social and cultural anthropology, and its primary regional orientation is to the peoples of Oceania, primarily comprising Australia, Melanesia, Polynesia, Micronesia and southeast Asia....
  • Pacific Games
  • Pacific Islands Forum
    Pacific Islands Forum

    The Pacific Islands Forum is an Intergovernmentalism organization which aims to enhance cooperation between the Country of the Pacific Ocean and represent their interests....
  • Secretariat of the Pacific Community
    Secretariat of the Pacific Community

    The Secretariat of the Pacific Community, or SPC , is a regional intergovernmental organisation whose membership includes both nations and territories....
  • United Nations geoscheme for Oceania
    United Nations geoscheme for Oceania

    Australia and New Zealand* Australia* New Zealand* Norfolk Island...


External links