Countries of Oceania

Oceania is a geographic region described as a continent in some parts of the world. It includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of 8,525,989 square kilometers (3,291,903 square miles) and a population of about 44.4 million people as of 2022. Oceania is referred to as a geographic region in most of the English-speaking world, but outside of it, Oceania is considered one of the continents. In this model, Australia is viewed as an island nation within the continent of Oceania, rather than as a separate continent. Compared to other parts of the world, Oceania is the smallest by area and the second least populated after Antarctica.

Oceania has a diverse mix of economies, ranging from highly developed and globally competitive financial markets in Australia, French Polynesia, Hawaii, New Caledonia, and New Zealand—ranking high in quality of life and human development index—to much less developed economies such as Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Western New Guinea, as well as mid-level economies of Pacific islands like Fiji, Palau, and Tonga. The largest and most populous country in Oceania is Australia, and the largest city is Sydney. Puncak Jaya in the Papua Highlands of Indonesia is the highest peak in Oceania at 4,884 meters (16,024 feet).

The first settlers of Australia, New Guinea, and the large islands to the east arrived more than 60,000 years ago. Oceania was first explored by Europeans in the 16th century. Portuguese explorers between 1512 and 1526 reached the Tanimbar Islands, some of the Caroline Islands, and the western part of New Guinea. They were followed by Spanish and Dutch explorers, then the British and French. On his first voyage in the 18th century, James Cook, who later reached the highly developed Hawaiian Islands, traveled to Tahiti and first charted the eastern coast of Australia.

The arrival of European settlers in the following centuries led to significant changes in the social and political landscape of Oceania. Major military actions took place in the Pacific theater during World War II, mainly between the Allied powers—the United States, the Philippines (then part of the U.S. Commonwealth), and Australia—and the Axis power Japan. Aboriginal rock art in Australia is the longest continuously practiced artistic tradition in the world. In most Oceanian countries, tourism is a major source of income.