A HUMAN PERSPECTIVE Noah Idechong has fought to protect the sealife of Palau, an archipelago east of the Philippines. Palauans have alwaysearned their living by fishing, but in the 1980s, many species of fish werein danger of extinction because they were such popular menu items inAsian restaurants. Idechong began to study the problem in 1988.

His efforts paid off. In 1994, the year Palau became independent, itbanned the export of certain species, and fish populations grew again.However, in 2000, the government planned building projects thatwould help the economy but strain the environment. Idechong keptworking to save wildlife. He said, “Palau right now needs . . . people whocan say what they want Palau to look like 50 years from now.” In otherwords, Palauans need to decide what to preserve in the face of change.

A History of the IslandsLike 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, andVanuatu. (Some geographers consider Australia and New Zealand partof Oceania, but those nations are covered in Section 3.)

FIRST ISLANDERS Prehistoric people journeyed from mainlandSoutheast Asia to nearby Pacific islands using small rafts or canoes andland bridges that have since disappeared. In time, they developed large

Oceania 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.

Places & TermsMicronesia

Melanesia

Polynesia

subsistence activities

copra

taro

Connect to the Issues

environmental

change A possible rise in

sea level from global warming

threatens some islands.

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 stoneheads?

140°E120°E 160°E 180° 160°W 140°W 100°W120°W

20°N

20°S

40°S

0°

Tropic of Cancer

Tropic of Capricorn

Equator

PITCAIRN IS. (U.K.)

FRENCHPOLYNESIA (Fr.)

EASTER I.(Chile)

COOKISLANDS

(N.Z.)

AMERICANSAMOA(U.S.)

NIUE(N.Z.)

TOKELAU (N.Z.)

WALLIS AND FUTUNA (Fr.)

NEWCALEDONIA (Fr.)

NORTHERNMARIANA IS.(U.S.) JOHNSTON

ATOLL (U.S.)

WAKE I. (U.S.) HAWAII (U.S.)

MIDWAY I. (U.S.)

GUAM (U.S.)

NORFOLK I. (Aus.)

I N D O N E S I A

A U S T R A L I A

MEXICO

FEDERATED STATESOF MICRONESIA

FIJI

MARSHALLISLANDS

K I R I B A T I

NAURU

NEWZEALAND

PALAU

PAPUA NEWGUINEA

SAMOASOLOMONISLANDS

TUVALU

VANUATUTONGA

M e l a n es

i

a

M i c r o n es

ia

Po

ly

n

es

ia

TuamotuArchipelago

Marquesas Is.

LineIs.

Coral Sea

Tasman Sea

P A C I F I C O C E A N

PACIFIC OCEAN

0

0 400 800 kilometers

400 800 miles

Miller Projection

N

S

EW

Regional boundary

Oceania 713

voyaging canoes (see page 699) that enabled them to sail longer distances.For thousands of years, their descendants continued to migrate as far eastas 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 ofthe world, so they developed their own ways of life. Geographers divideOceania into three regions, defined both by physical geography and cul-ture. The regions are Micronesia, meaning “tiny islands,” Melanesia,meaning “black islands,” and Polynesia, meaning “many islands.”

CONTACT WITH THE WEST Beginning in the 1500s, many Europeansexplored the Pacific. Perhaps the most famous was the British captainJames Cook, the first European to visit many of the islands.

In the 1800s, European missionaries arrived and tried to convert theislanders to Christianity. Traders came for products such as coconut oil,and sailors hunted whales. Settlers started plantations on which theycould grow coconuts, coffee, pineapples, or sugar.

As a result, island societies began to decline. Many islanders died ofdiseases brought by the Europeans. Western ways often replaced tradi-tional customs. And Europe and the United States took control of theislands and turned them into territories and possessions.

RECENT HISTORY Oceania experienced turmoil in the 20th century.During World War II, the Allies and the Japanese fought fierce battlesthere to gain control of the Pacific. Afterward, some islands were usedas nuclear test sites, not only by the United States (see Chapter 30) but

Background

James Cook was

also one of the

first Europeans to

explore Australia

and New Zealand.

See page 718 for

his portrait.

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Cultural Regions of Oceania

SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting MapsREGION 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?

also by other countries. Gradually, inhabitants ofmany of the islands moved toward self-rule. Since1962, 12 different nations have gained independ-ence. Foreigners still rule the other islands.

A Traditional EconomyMost of Oceania has an economy in which peoplework not for wages but at subsistence activities. Theseare activities in which a family produces only the food,clothing, and shelter they themselves need. The tinyisland of Nauru is an exception. It has a prosperouseconomy based on the mining of phosphates, used infertilizer. But Nauru’s phosphate deposits are expectedto give out early in the 21st century.

AGRICULTURE As Chapter 30 explained, most lowislands do not have plentiful or fertile soil. In spite ofthis, agriculture is the region’s main economic activitybecause many high islands do have soil that supportsagriculture. 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 ofjet travel, tourism has become very important to the econ-omy of Oceania. This has been a mixed blessing. Althoughtourists spend money in the islands, they also requirehotels, stores, roads, and vehicles. These threaten theislands’ environment and traditional ways of life.

A few islands besides Nauru have mining industries.For example, Papua New Guinea is developing a largecopper mine with the help of foreign investment. Someindustry also exists. Some of the larger towns have fac-tories that produce goods such as coconut oil and soap.As in Southeast Asia, an increasing number of people inthe Pacific Islands are moving to cities to find jobs.

Culture of the IslandsOceania has a culture that blends traditional wayswith the cultures of Europe and the United States.

LANGUAGE AND RELIGION Oceania is one of themost linguistically diverse regions in the world. Some1,100 of the world’s languages are spoken there. Thepeople of Papua New Guinea alone speak 823 lan-guages. In addition, many Pacific Islanders speakEuropean languages. English is the most common.

Because of missionaries’ work and colonialism,Christianity is the most widely spread religion. Evenso, some Pacific Islanders still practice their traditionalreligions.

This resident of Fiji is husking coconuts

to make copra, or the dried meat of

coconuts.

Traditional dances are often

performed for tourists. These

dancers are from French Polynesia.

Many people of Oceania, such

as these Cook Islanders, earn

their living from fishing.

714 CHAPTER 31

Seeing PatternsWhich charac-

teristics of Oceania

might account for

its high levels of

migration to cities?

Many residents of Oceania makea living from traditional activities.

Oceania 715

THE ARTS Many Pacific Islanders produce arts and crafts, such as bas-kets and mats woven from the leaves of palm trees or carved woodenmasks. Some islanders make a living selling such items to tourists.

Island LifeAs in Southeast Asia, two distinct ways of life exist on the islands: tradi-tional village life and more modern city life.

TRADITIONAL LIFE Ways of life varied throughout the islands. InPolynesia, most people lived in villages, ranging from small clusters ofhouses to large walled settlements. The houses were usually woodenwith 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 madeinto breads, puddings, or a paste called poi.

Many Polynesian societies were warlike and had frequent conflicts. Incontrast, 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 couldfish. Inland, many people practiced shifting cultivation, moving often tolet fields regain fertility. Other Melanesians were hunter-gatherers.

RECENT CHANGE Oceania has few cities, but they have been growingas many people move to them for education or jobs. Rapid urban growthhas led to sprawling shantytowns and inadequate sanitation facilities. Inaddition, city dwellers are giving up their traditional ways of life.

But change is also helping Oceania. Modern communications sys-tems can unify countries consisting of scattered island groups and alsocan link Oceania to the rest of the world. Section 3 will describe the twomost westernized nations in the region: Australia and New Zealand.

Places & TermsIdentify 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.

• How were the Pacific Islands first

settled?

• What type of migration is happen-

ing within Oceania today?

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 ThinkingDetermining Cause andEffect How has modern

technology both helped and

harmed Oceania? Thinkabout:

• jet travel

• modern communications

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 touristbrochure that will persuade travelers to visit that place. Check your brochure for correct

grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation.

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MakingComparisons

What other

regions of the

world that you

have studied are

experiencing these

same problems in

their growing

cities?

RESEARCH LINKSCLASSZONE .COM

Oceania

The Region