www mrobroin com Oceania Oceania Oceania consists of

www. mrobroin. com Oceania

Oceania • Oceania consists of about 25, 000 volcanic or coral tropical islands, scattered over a vast area of the Pacific Ocean. • The islands are divided into three groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Australasia includes New Zealand, Australia, and some of Australia’s territory Islands. www. mrobroin. com

Oceania • Sydney in Australia is the largest city in Oceania, with a population of just over 5 million people. • At 2, 508 km in length, the River Murray in South East Australia is the longest river in Oceania. • Mount Wilhelm in Papua New Guinea is the highest mountain in Oceania at 4, 509 m (14, 793 ft). • ‘Polynesia’ comes from Greek, poly = many and nesos = island. • ‘Melanesia’ comes from Greek ‘black islands’. • ‘Micronesia’ comes from the Greek words μικρόν = small and νησί = island. www. mrobroin. com

The Pacific Ring of Fire • The Pacific Ring of Fire is a belt of volcanoes that surround the Pacific Ocean. • All but 3 of the world's 25 largest volcanic eruptions of the last 11, 700 years occurred at volcanoes in the Ring of Fire. www. mrobroin. com

American Samoa Capital City: Pago Population: 54, 000 The currency they use is US Dollar. American Samoa is a group of five volcanic islands and two coral atolls in the South Pacific. American Samoa is a US Overseas Territory. Ofu Beach on Ofu Island. American Samoa was first settled about 1, 000 BC. www. mrobroin. com

Australia The currency they use is Australian Dollar. Capital City: Canberra Population: 24. 4 m Aborigines were the original inhabitants of Australia gained independence from the UK in 1901. Sydney Opera House opened in 1973. It is one of the 20 th century's most distinctive buildings. The name ‘Australia’ comes from the Latin term ’australis’ meaning southern. Uluru (Ayers Rock) is a large sandstone rock formation in the Northern Territory. www. mrobroin. com

Cook Islands Capital City: Avarua Population: 21, 000 The currencies they use are Cook Islands Dollar and New Zealand Dollar. The Cook Islands is a self-governing island country in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand. Rarotonga is the most populous island of the Cook Islands, with a population of 10, 572. www. mrobroin. com

Fiji The currency they use is Fijian Dollar. Capital City: Suva Population: 909, 000 (0. 9 m) Fiji is an archipelago of more than 330 islands, of which 110 are permanently inhabited, and more than 500 islets. Fiji gained independence from the UK in 1970. One of the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji. Cannibalism was once common practice among Fijians. King Ratu Cakobau ended this in 1871 when he encouraged his people to stop eating other humans. www. mrobroin. com

French Polynesia Capital City: Pape’ete Population: 285, 000 (0. 2 m) The island of Tahiti is famous for its black sand beaches. The currency they use is CFP Franc. CFP stands for Change Franc Pacifique (“Pacific Franc Exchange”) French Polynesia is a Overseas Collectivity of France. The Tahitian language only has 14 letters. Interestingly, ‘b’ isn’t one of them, and thus Bora is actually called ‘Pora’, meaning ‘first born’. Early visitors misheard the locals and it has since been known as Bora! www. mrobroin. com

Guam Capital City: Hagåtña (formerly Agana) Population: 162, 000 (0. 1 m) The currency they use is US Dollar. The Mariana Trench, deepest part of the ocean in the world, is in the vicinity of Guam is a US Overseas Territory. The motto of Guam is "Where America's Day Begins". Believed to be a stowaway on a U. S. military transport near the end of World War II, the brown tree snake was accidentally introduced to Guam, that previously had no native species of snake. It nearly eliminated the native bird population. www. mrobroin. com

Kiribati Capital City: Tarawa Population: 103, 000 (0. 1 m) The currencies they use are Kiribati Dollar and Australian Dollar. The nation comprises 33 atolls and reef islands and one raise coral island, Banaba. Kiribati gained independence from the UK in 1979. The International Date Line passes through the Line Islands. The Southern Line Islands are in the world's farthest forward time zone, UTC+14: 00. The time of day is the same as in Hawaiʻi, but the date is one day ahead. www. mrobroin. com

Marshall Islands Capital City: Majuro Population: 53, 000 The Bikini swimsuit is named after Bikini Atoll, where testing on the atomic bomb was taking place in 1946 when the swimsuit was launched. The currency they use is US Dollar. Marshall Islands gained independence from the USA in 1979. www. mrobroin. com

Micronesia Capital City: Palikir Population: 106, 000 (0. 1 m) The currency they use is US Dollar. The Federated States of Micronesia is an associated state of the USA. It is not to be confused with a large area of the Pacific Ocean also known as Micronesia. www. mrobroin. com

Nauru Capital City: Yaren Population: 10, 000 The currency they use is Australian Dollar. Nauru is the least-visited country in the world, with only 200 tourists visiting in 2011. Nauru gained independence from the UK in 1968. www. mrobroin. com

New Caledonia Capital City: Nouméa Population: 270, 000 (0. 2 m) New Caledonia is an archipelago 700 miles east of Australia. The main island is 250 miles long and 30 miles wide. It is covered in mountains and rain forests. The currency they use is CFP Franc. New Caledonia is a Special Collectivity of France. The kagu is an almost flightless bird endemic to the dense mountain forests of New Caledonia. www. mrobroin. com

New Zealand Capital City: Wellington Population: 4. 8 m Kiwis are flightless birds native to New Zealand. The term ‘Kiwi’ is also used as a nickname for a New Zealander. The currency they use is New Zealand Dollar. New Zealand gained independence from the UK in 1840. The New Zealand All-Blacks rugby team perform the traditional Maori Haka war cry before each match. The Maori are the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand. This is a Maori man with ta moko (facial tattoo) and woman doing ‘hongi’, the traditional Maori greeting of rubbing noses. www. mrobroin. com

Niue Capital City: Alofi Population: 1, 600 The currencies they use are Niue Dollar and New Zealand Dollar. Niue national football team has so far played only two games – both at the 1983 South Pacific Games. A 0– 19 loss to Papua New Guinea was followed by a 0– 14 loss to Tahiti. Niue have released some special dollar coins in the past with Star Wars characters and even Pikachu! Niue is a self-governing island country in the South Pacific Ocean in free association with New Zealand. The population decline on Niue has been steady and relentless. In the 1960 s, there were more than 5, 000 people living here; today, there are fewer than 1, 600. Fifteen times as many Niueans, some 24, 000, now live across the ocean in New Zealand, 1, 500 miles (2, 400 km) away. www. mrobroin. com

Norfolk Island Capital City: Kingston Population: 2, 200 The currency they use is Australian Dollar. Norfolk Island was colonised by Great Britain as part of its settlement of Australia in 1788, at which point it was uninhabited. The island served as a convict penal settlement until May 1855. In 1856, permanent civilian residence on the island began when it was settled from Pitcairn Island. In 1901, the island became a part of Australia. Norfolk Island Pine is the tree on the flag. Here is one on Norfolk Island. www. mrobroin. com

Northern Mariana Islands Capital City: Capitol Hill, Saipan Population: 52, 000 The currency they use is US Dollar. NMI is a US Overseas Territory. It consists of 15 islands in the north -western Pacific Ocean. The ’Saipan Incident’ on the Mariana Islands was a public quarrel in May 2002 between Irish football team's captain Roy Keane and manager Mick Mc. Carthy when the team was preparing in Saipan for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. It resulted in Keane leaving the squad and returning home. www. mrobroin. com

Palau Capital City: Ngerulmud Population: 18, 000 The currency they use is US Dollar. As of 2012, Ngerulmud has a population of less than 300, making it the smallest capital in the world! Ngerulmud was only made the capital city in 2006. The Rock Islands of Palau gained independence from the USA in 1994. www. mrobroin. com

Papua New Guinea Capital City: Port Moresby Population: 7. 6 m The currency they use is Papua New Guinean Kina. There are 852 known languages in Papua New Guinea, of which 12 have no known living speakers. Papua New Guinea gained independence from Australia in 1975. Mount Wilhelm is the highest mountain in Oceania at 4, 509 m (14, 793 ft). Papua New Guinea is home to the Hooded Pitohui is one of the few known poisonous birds in the world. www. mrobroin. com

Pitcairn Islands Capital City: Adamstown Population: 57 The currency they use is New Zealand Dollar. The Pitcairn Islands are a British Overseas Territory. Pitcairn island is inhabited mostly by descendants of the Mutiny on the Bounty. The Pitcairn Islands, officially ’Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands’, are a group of four volcanic islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. Only Pitcairn Island is inhabited. www. mrobroin. com

Samoa Capital City: Apia Population: 192, 000 (0. 1 m) Over half the Samoan population is obese. This alarming fact isn’t solely caused by genetic disposition or indeed pure gluttony, but a historical belief that obesity is a symbol of health, wealth and happiness. The currency they use is Samoan Tālā. Samoa gained independence from New Zealand in 1962. The entire island group, including American Samoa, was called ‘Navigator Islands’ by European explorers before the 20 th century because of the Samoans' seafaring skills. www. mrobroin. com

Solomon Islands Capital City: Honiara Population: 642, 000 (0. 6 m) The currency they use is Solomon Islands Dollar. Solomon Islands gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1978. Kennedy Island is a small uninhabited island in the Solomon Islands that was named after John F. Kennedy, following an incident involving Kennedy during his World War II naval career. www. mrobroin. com

Tokelau Capital City: (not fixed) Population: 1, 500 The currency they use is New Zealand Dollar. Tokelau is a New Zealand Territory. Tokelau, meaning ‘north wind’, is an island country that consists of three tropical coral atolls. Its capital rotates yearly between the three atolls. Atafu is the smallest of the three islands that constitute Tokelau, and is composed of an atoll surrounding a central lagoon, which itself covers some 15 km². www. mrobroin. com

Tonga The currency they use is Tongan Pa’anga. Capital City: Nuku’alofa Population: 103, 000 (0. 1 m) Tonga is just inside the International Dateline, so if you head out in your boat you can travel back in time to yesterday! Tonga never relinquished its sovereignty to any foreign power. If you visit this beautiful country make sure you don’t go swimming on a Sunday as it is illegal! Sundays are seen as rest days in Tonga and you are not allowed to do laundry, clean your house or work! www. mrobroin. com

Tuvalu Capital City: Funafuti Population: 10, 000 The currencies they use are Tuvaluan Dollar and Australian Dollar. Tuvalu gained independence from the UK in 1978. Tuvalu used to be known as the Ellice Islands. International Airport in Funafuti atoll, Tuvalu www. mrobroin. com

Vanuatu The currency they use is Vanuatu Vatu. Capital City: Port Vila Population: 285, 000 (0. 2 m) The national dish of Vanuatu is ‘lap – lap’, which can be either savory or sweet. It is made from a vegetable porridge, cooked in coconut milk. Vanuatu gained independence from France and the UK in 1980. The Vanuatu national anthem is “Yumi, yumi, ” (We, we). The islands were named the New Hebrides by Captain Cook in the 1700’s, and the name of Vanuatu, from two local words meaning ‘home’ and ‘stand’ was adopted on independence in 1980. www. mrobroin. com

Wallis and Futuna The currency they use is CFP Franc. Capital City: Mata-Uta Population: 15, 500 Wallis and Futuna islands are about 260 km apart. Alofi Island (also part of this Collectivity) is almost uninhabited (population 2 as of census of 2003). Wallis and Futuna is a Overseas Collectivity of France. Lake Lalolalo is the most spectacular of the Wallis crater lakes. It is almost a perfect circle with sheer rocky cliffs falling 30 m (98 ft) down to the 80 m (262 ft) deep waters. www. mrobroin. com