Oceania (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain everything about Oceania, its climate, flora, fauna and other characteristics of this continent. Also, their countries and relief.

oceania continent kangaroo — Oceania is an island continent with endemic species such as the kangaroo.

What is Oceania?

Oceania It is an island continent and the smallest on planet Earth with an area of 8,500,000 square kilometers, which represents 6% of the planet's land mass. It includes more than 10 thousand islands located in the Pacific Ocean central and southern, between Asia and America. The islands of Indonesia, Taiwan and the Philippines, which belong to Asia, are not part of the continent.

The continent is divided into four parts:

Australasia Made up of the predominant nations of Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea.
Melanesia It extends from New Guinea to the Arafura Sea.
Micronesia Made up of thousands of small islands.
Polynesia Composed of islands in the central and southern Pacific Ocean, such as Hawaii.

The name of the continent generates confusion because in Spanish-speaking countries it is called “Oceania” and in English-speaking countries it is called “Australia” (after the predominant country on the continent).

In 1975, the Hungarian biologist Miklos Udvardy identified the “biogeographic regions” of the planet, that is, the large territories that are representative of an ecological unit (biome) in which plants and animals develop in a certain isolation during long periods of time.

Oceania It is considered one of the eight “ecological zones” on the planet's surface in addition to the Palearctic, Nearctic, Afrotropical, Neotropical, Australasia, Hindomalaya and Antarctica. The purpose of this classification is to contribute to the conservation of the environment, based on the recognition of areas for their adequate preservation.

Features of Oceania

oceania population melbourne — Oceania's population is concentrated in large cities such as Melbourne.

It is estimated that Oceania It has a population of 42 million inhabitants which are concentrated in cities along the southern and eastern coasts, such as Melbourne, Adelaide, Wellington and Sydney. on the continent more than 1,500 languages are spoken among the main ones, English, French, Hindi and Tok isin (a creole language with an English lexical base spoken in Papù New Guinea).

The Protestant religion is the predominant one and represents 42% of the population. However, indigenous culture and colonial influence have had a great impact on religious movements, which is why more than seven different religions are still maintained.

Oceania Climate

The climate of Oceania is tropical, subtropical and, in certain regions, temperate with seasons varying from wet to dry. Wetter areas, such as the Papua New Guinea region, are covered in broadleaf forests and jungles.

In the driest areas, grasslands, savannahs and bushes abound. In the New Zealand region there are some glaciers (due to colder temperatures and strong winds) that extend until they merge with the coastal areas of the continent.

Oceania relief

oceania geography mount wilhelm — Mount Wilhelm is the highest peak on the continent.

The geography of Oceania can be divided into three groups of islands according to their composition:

continental islands They have very varied characteristics.
High islands Quite uniform.
Low islands They are also uniform but with a lower altitude.

Easter Island (the easternmost island in Polynesia) used to be a region of lush forests, but human actions triggered a collapse of the ecosystem, so today this is an area of large grasslands.

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The highest peak on the continent is Mount Wilhelm, 4,509 meters located in Papua New Guinea and part of the Bismarck mountain range. The region has a rugged and volcanic relief.

Flora and fauna of Oceania

oceania fauna koala marsupial — The koala is a marsupial endemic to Australia.

Among the plants, ferns, mosses, mushrooms and floral plants stand out which are dispersed through their spores and seeds that can remain in the air and travel long distances, due to the wind.

Some seeds have sticky substances that stick to birds' feathers and can reach even greater distances. In regions with a temperate or dry climate eucalyptus and acacia forests predominate.

Among the native animals The kangaroo, koala, Tasmanian devil, platypus, wombat and kiwi stand out (a bird).

Because Oceania's islands are not connected to another large landmass, migration of land animals is difficult, so there are few indigenous mammal species. However, humans have introduced several species such as Malayan pigs, dogs, rats, cats, mongooses, sheep and goats.

Economy of Oceania

oceania industry — New Zealand and Australia have large agricultural industries.

Although Oceania is a small territory compared to other continents, It has 10 types of coins or dollars: Australian, Fiji, American, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, New Zealand, Kina, Pa'anga, Tālā and Vatu.

The continent developed very competitive financial markets worldwide such as those of Australia and New Zealand, which are characterized by industrial growth, the variety of agricultural products, exports (especially of metals, seeds and natural gas) and imports (of machinery, transport equipment and oil).

Countries and capitals of Oceania

oceania capital countries majuro marshall islands — Majuro is the capital of the Marshall Islands.

At the end of the 19th century and during the 20th century, the British colonies became independent from Great Britain: first the largest ones such as Australia and New Zealand, then followed by smaller nations such as the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Kiribati. Currently, Oceania is made up of 14 countries:

Australia Capital: Canberra
Fiji Capital: Suva
Marshall Islands Capital: Majuro
Solomon Islands Capital: Honiara
Kiribati Capital: Tarawa (or “Bairiki” in the Spanish language)
Micronesia Capital: Palikir
Nauru Capital: Yaren
New Zealand Capital: Wellington
Palau Capital: Ngerulmud
Papua New Guinea Capital: Port Moresby
Samoa Capital: Appia
Tonga Capital: Nukuʻalofa
Tuvalu Capital: Funafuti
Vanuatu Capital: Port Vila

Map of Oceania

The other continents

oceania other continents prison colonialism — In colonial times, Australia housed British prisons.

Despite the ambiguity of the name of the continent (Oceania or Australia), countries such as Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and France consider Oceania as an official continent and Australia as a country on the oceanic continent.

many centuries ago, Australia was a British colony that used the territory with prisons to house criminals. The name of Australia It means “southern land.”

Asia is the continent with the largest number of inhabitants (with 4,700 billion), followed by Africa (with 1,110 billion), America (with 1,095 billion), Europe (with 801 million) and Oceania (with 40 million).

Antarctica has a population that varies depending on the time of year, due to the harsh climatic conditions: it has about 4,500 inhabitants during the summer and about 1,000 inhabitants in the winter.