How Many Countries Are There In Oceania?

Oceania is a vast country that includes Australia, New Zealand, and the Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia subregions of the Pacific Ocean. Oceania is made up of 14 nations and 9 dependent territories.




The area is home to more than 43 million people. In Oceania, Australia is by far the biggest and most populated nation. New Zealand and Papua New Guinea are two more nations with large geographical masses and populations in the millions.

The rest of Oceania’s countries and dependencies, on the other hand, are made up of a slew of tiny islands with populations ranging from 900,000 to fewer than 1,500 people.

Contents:

  • Australia
  • Papua New Guinea is a country in Southeast Asia.
  • New Zealand is a country in the Pacific Ocean.
  • Fiji
  • The Solomon Islands are a group of islands in the Pacific.
  • Micronesia Federated States
  • Vanuatu
  • Samoa
  • Kiribati
  • Tonga
  • The Marshall Islands is a group of islands in the Pacific.
  • Palau
  • Tuvalu
  • Nauru

Australia

The Commonwealth of Australians, as it is appropriately known, is Oceania’s biggest and most populated nation. Australia has more than 25 million people, accounting for more than half of Oceania’s total population.

Australia is the only nation on the planet that is both a country and a continent. It is the world’s smallest continent, yet it is also Oceania’s biggest nation, covering more than 7.6 million km2. Australia is also the largest economy in Oceania.




Papua New Guinea is a country in Southeast Asia.

Papua New Guinea is the second-most populous country in Oceania, with about 9 million people. It is also the largest and most populated nation in Melanesia’s subregion. The entire land area of Papua New Guinea is 452,860 km2.

The majority of its territory is on the Indonesian-controlled island of New Guinea. Papua New Guinea is the world’s most linguistically diverse nation. Although English is the country’s official language, the country’s population speaks over 700 other languages.

New Zealand is a country in the Pacific Ocean.

By land area, New Zealand is the 3 nation in Oceania. New Zealand has a population of 4.8 million people. Although the majority are of European heritage, the Maori, the country’s indigenous people, still make up a significant population.

In New Zealand, both English and Maori are official languages. New Zealanders are often referred to as kiwis, after the country’s sole native bird species.

The nation has lately acquired attention for its successful response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with instances of the virus much fewer than in most other wealthy countries.




Fiji

Fiji is made up of more than 330 islands. However, only around 100 of them are inhabited. Vanua Levu and Viti Levu are the country’s two major islands, with the latter hosting the country’s capital, Suva. The land area of the nation is 18,270 km2.

Fiji has a population of 900,000 people. The majority of them are of Indian ancestry or are part of its Indigenous population. The struggle between these two factions has mostly dominated Fijian politics.

The Solomon Islands are a group of islands in the Pacific.

The Solomon Islands are an archipelago consisting of six large islands and around 900 smaller islands. Papua New Guinea is to the east of the nation. The Solomon Islands, like Papua New Guinea, are part of the Melanesia subregion.

The overall land area of the country is 27,990 km2. The Solomon Islands have a population of about 700,000 people. They reside in tiny communities for the most part. In truth, only around a quarter of the population lives in cities.

Honiara, the Solomon Islands’ capital, is situated on Guadalcanal Island, which was the location of a notable World War II battle.

Micronesia Federated States




Micronesia, formally known as the Federated States of Micronesia, is located north of the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea and consists of roughly 600 tiny islands.

The nation of Micronesia, not to be confused with the Micronesia subregion, which includes four other countries, has a geographical area of 3,170 km2 and roughly 553,000 people.

As its name indicates, Micronesia is a federation of four different island republics. The Chuuk Islands, Kosrae, Pohnpei, and Yap are the four states with their language.

Vanuatu

Vanuatu is a nation comprised of around 80 islands in the Melanesia subregion of the South Pacific. It is located in northeastern New Caledonia, southeast of the Solomon Islands and west of Fiji.

The country’s entire land area is 12,190 km2. Due to its geographic location, Vanuatu is prone to natural calamities such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.

The population of the nation is estimated to be about 312,000 people. English, French, and Bislama, an English-based creole, are Vanuatu’s official languages.

Samoa




Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa, lies in the Polynesia subregion, almost midway between New Zealand and the US state of Hawaii.

It consists of two major islands, Upolu and Savai’i, and 7 smaller islets, with a total land area of 2,830 km2. Around three-quarters of Samoa’s population resides on the island of Upolu, where the country’s capital city, Apia, is situated. Samoa is home to over 200,000 people.

Kiribati

Kiribati is an island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the equator. The country has 810 km2 with a population of around 120,000 people.

Kiribati’s inhabitants are known as I-Kiribati and are mainly of Micronesian heritage. The Gilbert Islands, the Line Islands, and the Phoenix Islands are the three island groupings that make up Kiribati.

Tonga

Tonga is a group of around 170 islands in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of Fiji and south of Samoa. The nation has a total land area of 720 km2, but its islands cover 700,000 km2, around the size of Texas in the United States.

Tonga has around 106 thousand people, most of whom reside on Tongatapu, the country’s largest island, where the capital, Nuku’alofa, is situated.

The Marshall Islands is a group of islands in the Pacific.




There are 29 atolls and 5 islands that make up the Marshall Islands. In all, the nation has 1,225 islands and 870 reef systems. The Marshall Islands’ land area is just 180 km2, yet the country’s many islands cover 1,942,490 km2.

East of the Federated States of Micronesia, north of Nauru, west of Kiribati, and south of Wake Island in the Marshall Islands. The country’s population is estimated to be about 59,000 people.

The official language of the Marshall Islands is English; however, the islands also have two Malayo-Polynesian languages.

Palau

Palau is a tiny island nation situated in the western Caroline Islands in the North Pacific Ocean. The country is located around 700 kilometers east of the Philippines. Palau is made up of 566 smaller islands and 20 significant islands.

The nation has a land area of 460 km2 and a population of little more than 18,000 people. Palau’s inhabitants are Micronesian, although there are also Malayan and Melanesian characteristics in the population.

Palau has its indigenous language, Palauan; however, English is the nation’s official language. Palau has a free association agreement with the United States, which ensures the country’s foreign security. Palau’s currency is the US dollar.

Tuvalu




Tuvalu is an island nation 1,000 kilometers north of Fiji and 2,000 kilometers east of the Solomon Islands. Tuvalu, formerly known as the Ellice Islands under British authority, attained independence in 1978.

With less than 12,000 people, it is the world’s fourth-smallest nation. The majority of Tuvaluans are Polynesians.

However, there is a minor population of Micronesians. Tuvalu has two official languages: English and Tuvaluan. There are also some Samoan and Kiribati speakers in the country. Tuvalu has its currency, the Tuvaluan dollar; however, it also accepts Australian dollars as a means of payment.

Nauru

With less than 11,000 people, Nauru is the least populated nation in the Pacific Ocean and one of the 3 least populated countries.

However, it is also one of the world’s most densely inhabited nations. Nauru has a total surface area of under 20 km2 and a population density of 635.2 persons per km2, making it the world’s tenth most densely inhabited nation. In addition, Nauru is the world’s tiniest republic.

Nauru’s official languages are English and the indigenous Nauruan language. Moreover, half of the people are of indigenous Nauruan ancestry, while others from other Pacific islands also make up a significant population.

Nauru has the unfortunate distinction of being the world’s fattest nation, with 71.1 percent of the population obese.

Oceania’s Other Territories




In addition to the 14 nations that make up Oceania, the area also has nine dependencies. Three are French dependents, three are American dependencies, and three are New Zealand dependencies.

The French dependency of New Caledonia is the biggest and most populated, with a land area of 18,280 km2 and around 287,000 people.

The New Zealand-controlled island of Tokelau has a land area of about 10 km2 and a population of just over 1,300 people, making it Oceania’s most minor and least populated dependent.

Countries Of Oceania

RankCountryCapitalArea (in km2)PopulationPop. density (per km2)GDP per capita (US$)
1AustraliaCanberra7,741,22025,364,3103.2555,060.3
2Papua New GuineaPort Moresby462,8408,776,110192,829.2
3New ZealandWellington268,8384,917,00018.3942,084.4
4FijiSuva18,274889,95048.366,175.9
5Solomon IslandsHoniara28,896669,82023.322,373.6
6Federated States of MicronesiaPalikir702113,810160.913,568.3
7VanuatuPort Vila12,189299,88024.013,115.4
8SamoaApia2,831197,10069.34,324.0
9KiribatiTarawa811117,610143.021,655.1
10TongaNuku’alofa747104,490143.334,903.2
11Marshall IslandsMajuro18158,790324.523,788.2
12PalauNgerulmud45918,01038.9314,902.0
13TuvaluFunafuti2611,650383.604,059.0
14NauruYaren2112,580635.209,397.0




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