What Is The Largest Country In Melanesia In Terms Of Territorial Size?

13.one The Pacific Islands

Learning Objectives

Outline the 3 main areas of the South Pacific: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.
Distinguish between low islands and high islands.
Determine which islands remain under the auspices of French republic, the Britain, New Zealand, or the United States.
Describe the main economic activities of the islands in the realm.
Summarize the main environmental concerns of the islands in each region.

Introducing the Realm

The Pacific realm is dwelling house to many islands and isle groups. The largest island is New Guinea, which is home to most of the realm's population. Many of the Pacific islands have become contained countries, while others remain under the auspices of their colonial controllers. The Pacific Theater of Earth War II was a battleground between the Japanese and American forces and had a large impact on the current conditions of many of the islands. The United states of america has been a major player in the post–Globe War II domination and command of diverse island groups. The Hawaiian Islands became the fiftieth U.s.a. state in 1959.

The many islands tin can be divided into 3 master groups based on physical geography, local inhabitants, and location: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Indigenous cultural heritage remains potent in the South Pacific, but Western culture has made deep inroads into people's lives. The globalization procedure bears heavily on the economic weather that influence the cultural dynamics of the Pacific. Islands or island groups that remain nether exterior political jurisdiction are the most influenced by European or American cultural forces. Western trends in fast food, pop music, clothing styles, and social customs oft boss television, radio, and the cinema. Invasive Western cultural forces accept the focus away from the traditional ethnic culture and heritage of the people who inhabited these isolated islands for centuries.

Traditionally, the islands were economically self-sufficient. Line-fishing and growing crops were the principal economic activities, and nearby islands often established trade and exchanged natural resources. Fishing has been one of the virtually common means of supporting the economy. There take been changes in the national boundaries to protect offshore fishing rights around each sovereign entity. Many waters have been overfished, consequently reducing the islands' ability to provide food for their people or to gain national wealth. An increase in population and the introduction of mod technologies has brought almost a dependency on the world'south core areas for economical support.

The Pacific is an farthermost peripheral realm with footling to offer to the core areas for economic exploitation. In recent decades, some national wealth has been gained from the mining of substances such as phosphates on a few of the islands. The main resource bachelor are a pleasant climate, beautiful beaches, and tropical island terrain, all of which can exist bonny to tourists and people from other places. Tourism is a growing sector of the service industry and a major means of gaining wealth for various isle groups. To attract tourism, the islands must invest in the necessary infrastructure, such every bit airports, hotels, and supporting services. Long distances betwixt islands and remote locations make tourism transportation expensive. Not every island has the funding to support these expenditures to draw tourists to their location.

Melanesia

The region of the Pacific north of Commonwealth of australia that borders Indonesia to the east is called Melanesia. The name originally referred to people with darker skin simply does not adequately describe the region's current indigenous diverseness. The principal island groups include Republic of the fiji islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Republic of guinea. All are independent countries except New Caledonia, which is under the French regime. The island of New Guinea is shared betwixt Papua New Republic of guinea and Republic of indonesia. Many islands on the eastern side of Republic of indonesia share similar characteristics just are not mostly included in the region of Melanesia.

Independent Countries of Melanesia

Fiji
Papua New Guinea
Solomon Islands
Vanuatu

Other Island Groups

New Caledonia (France)

Figure 13.2 The Region of Melanesia

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea is the largest country in the Pacific realm and therefore the largest in Melanesia. It is diverse in both physical terrain and human geography. The loftier mountains of the interior reach 14,793 feet. Snow has been known to fall in the college elevations fifty-fifty though they are located near the equator. Many local groups inhabit the island, and more than vii hundred carve up languages are spoken, more than than in any other country in the world. Ethnic traditions create strong centripetal forces. Many islands of Melanesia are recently independent of their European controllers; Papua New Republic of guinea received independence in 1975 and is working toward plumbing equipment into the global community.

Papua New Guinea is a diverse country that however has many mysteries to be revealed in its piffling-explored interior. The land'due south large physical surface area provides greater opportunities for the exploitation of natural resource for economical proceeds. The interior of the isle has big areas that have not been exploited by large-scale development projects. In the past few decades, oil was discovered and makes up its largest consign item. Gilt, copper, silvery, and other minerals are being extracted in all-encompassing mining operations, often by outside multinational corporations. Subsistence agronomics is the master economic activity of almost of the people. Java and cocoa are examples of agronomical exports.

A number of islands off Papua New Guinea's eastern coast—including Bougainville—have valuable mineral deposits. Bougainville and the islands under its jurisdiction are physically a part of the Solomon Island archipelago just are politically an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea. Volcanic vents deep under the body of water continue to bring hot magma and minerals to the surface of the ocean flooring, creating valuable exploitable resources. Papua New Guinea has laid claim to these islands and the underwater resources inside their maritime boundaries. Insubordinate movements accept pushed for the independence of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville but accept been unsuccessful. The islands remain under the regime of Papua New Republic of guinea.

Solomon Islands

To the east of the island of Guinea are the Solomon Islands, a group of more than yard islands. About eighty of them hold most of the population of more than than a half a million. The isle of Guadalcanal was the site of some of the fiercest fighting in World War Two between Japan and the The states. Honiara, the capital urban center, is on Guadalcanal. The Solomon Islands were a colony of Great U.k. but gained independence in 1978. Colonialism, World War Ii, and ethnic disharmonize on the islands created serious centrifugal cultural forces, divisions, and political tensions over the by few decades. In 2003, military machine and police troops from other islands and Commonwealth of australia intervened to restore society afterward ethnic tension erupted into civil unrest.

Figure thirteen.iii Malaitan Chief on the Solomon Islands

The heritage and history of these islands includes local cultures complete with isolated traditions and ethnic system.

Shifting tectonic plates are the source of environmental problems. Active seismic activeness has created earthquakes and tsunami weather that accept brought devastation to the region. An earthquake of 8.1 magnitude hit the Solomon Islands in 2007, bringing high waves and many aftershocks. The tsunami killed at to the lowest degree fifty-ii people, and every bit many every bit one yard homes were destroyed. The islands contain several active and dormant volcanoes. Tropical rain forests comprehend a number of the islands and are home to rare orchids and other organisms. There is concern that these resources might be harmed by deforestation and the exploitation of resources for economical gain.

Vanuatu

Figure 13.4 Saint Joseph's Bay on the Isles of Pines, New Caledonia

These remote islands accept moderate climates and cute coastal settings. Many have been disproportionately romanticized by works of fiction. These islands are isolated and can lack resource; life can be more difficult than information technology is oft portrayed.

The country of Vanuatu was inhabited past a large number of South Pacific groups; every bit a result, many languages are spoken within a relatively pocket-sized population. The French and the British both colonized the isle archipelago. It was called the New Hebrides before independence in 1980, when the name was changed to Vanuatu. These minor volcanic islands take an agile volcano and accept experienced earthquakes in recent years. 1 of Vanuatu's ways of bringing in business has been to plant offshore banking and financial services, similar to what is institute in the Caribbean area. Many shipping firms register their ships there because of the advantages of lower taxes and flexible labor laws.

New Caledonia

New Caledonia is nevertheless a colony of France and was once a French prison colony. Under a current agreement, sovereignty is slowly being turned over to the local isle authorities. Periodic reevaluations of the local authorities volition be conducted to see if independence can exist granted.

New Caledonia has historically relied on subsistence agriculture and fishing for its livelihood. Virtually 25 percent of the earth's known nickel resources are located hither. Nickel resource will substantially affect the economy, bring in strange investments, and raise the standard of living.

Fiji

Fiji is located in the eastern sector of Melanesia and has almost i one thousand thousand people. The country includes more than i hundred inhabitable islands, but two are home to nearly of the population. Colonialism heavily impacted the population'southward ethnic makeup. During British colonial rule, thousands of workers from Southern asia were brought in past the British to work on the sugar plantations. Afterwards a century of British rule, Fiji became independent in 1970. The people of South Asian descent remained in Fiji and now make up more than one-third of the population. Ethnic conflicts erupted on the political scene between the Melanesian majority and the South Asian minority. Political coups and coalition governments accept attempted to work out political solutions with express success. Fiji is quite well adult and has a substantial tourism industry that augments the other agronomical and mining activities.

Micronesia

North of the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea is the large region of Federated states of micronesia. The "micro" portion of the name refers to the fact that the islands are pocket-size in size—frequently only one foursquare mile or then in physical expanse. The region has more than two thousand islands. About of the islands are composed of coral and practice not extend higher up ocean level to whatsoever large extent. These low islands dominate the high islands. The loftier islands are usually of volcanic origin and accomplish elevations in the thousands of feet.

Guam

The largest island in Federated states of micronesia is Guam. It is but 210 square miles in area and reaches an top of 1,335 feet at its highest point. Coral reefs surround Guam's volcanic center. Guam is non an independent country but a US possession. The island was a strategic location during Globe State of war II, and the United states has major military installations located on the island.

Effigy 13.5

Guam is a US possession. This photo shows the front of the University of Guam's School of Nursing. The university has more than three thousand students and is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges in the The states.

Northern Mariana Islands

The Northern Mariana Islands are next to Guam and are current Usa possessions, along with Wake Isle in the northeast. The United states of america administers the Un Trust Territory of the Micronesia. Implemented in 1986 and renewed again in 2004, the islands entered into the Compact of Costless Association with the United States and established an contained status.

Republic of nauru

The contained isle land of Nauru is only about viii square miles in physical area, but its big phosphate deposits created enormous wealth for its minor population. In one case the phosphates had been mined, still, there was trivial means to gain wealth on such a small island with a devastated mural. Many on Nauru are trying to live off the investments from their mining wealth or have moved to find a livelihood elsewhere.

Independent Countries of Micronesia

Federated States of Micronesia
Kiribati (Western)
Marshall Islands
Republic of nauru
Palau

Other Isle Groups

Guam (US)
Gilbert Islands (Kiribati)
Northern Mariana Islands (U.s.a.)
Wake Island (U.s.a.)

Effigy xiii.6

The majority of islands in Federated states of micronesia are low islands composed of coral.

Palau

Palau, located in western Federated states of micronesia, has a population of about twenty thousand people and an area of about 177 square miles. Its early inhabitants included people from Asia and from the Pacific realm. British explorers arrived early on the isle, just Kingdom of spain dominated information technology during the colonial era. Later on losing the Castilian-American War, Spain sold the island to Germany, which implemented mining operations on the isle. Subsequently its defeat in Earth War I, Germany lost the island to Japan. Japan used it as a strategic outpost but was defeated in World War II and had to surrender all its external possessions. Later 1945, Palau was held by the United States and the UN. In 1994, the island opted for independence and retained an agreement of gratuitous association with the United States. The U.s. has held strategic military installations on Palau and other islands in Micronesia. Palau's economic and geopolitical dynamics are highly cogitating of US activities in the region.

Marshall islands

Marshall Islands, on the eastern side of Micronesia, experienced serious destruction from the conflict betwixt Japan and the United States during World War Ii. The Marshall Islands became a testing ground for US nuclear weapons. Atomic bombs were tested on diverse atolls, rendering them uninhabitable. An atoll is a coral isle that surrounds a lagoon. From 1946 to 1958, the United States conducted sixty-seven atmospheric nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands. The largest was known every bit the Bravo test, which included the detonation of a nuclear device over Bikini Atoll that was 1 thousand times more powerful than the diminutive bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War Ii. There are concerns about radioactive fallout that may however affect the people who inhabit nearby atolls. The Marshall Islands were granted independence in 1986 with an agreement with the United States to provide help and protection in exchange for the use of US military bases on the islands.

Polynesia

The largest region of the Pacific is Polynesia, a land of many isle groups with big distances between them. The root word poly means "many." Numerous groups of islands accept come together under split political arrangements. The region includes the Hawaiian Islands in the n and the Pitcairn Islands and Easter Island to the east. New Zealand is now studied as a part of the Austral realm, simply the Maori living there are originally from Polynesia. Polynesia has a mixture of island types ranging from the high mountains of Hawaii, which are more than 13,800 feet, to low-lying coral atolls that are merely a few anxiety to a higher place ocean level. Islands that have enough elevation to condense moisture from the clouds receive acceptable atmospheric precipitation, but many islands with low elevations have a shortage of fresh h2o, making habitation or man development hard.

Polynesian culture stems from island resources. Fishing, farming, and an understanding of the seas created a manner of life that gave Polynesia its identity. Polynesians created innovative maps that provided a ways of sailing across large expanses of open seas to connect with distant islands. Their lifestyle revolved around natural resources and the creative use of natural materials. Polynesian art, music, and linguistic communication reflect a diversity of cultural trends derived from a common heritage. The warm climate and cute islands contrast with violent destructive storms and a lack of fresh water or resource, which can make life difficult.

Figure 13.seven

The region of Polynesia has isle groups that are high islands with mountainous interiors.

Independent Countries of Polynesia

Kiribati (eastern)
Samoa
Tonga
Tuvalu

Principal Island Possessions

American Samoa (United states)
Melt Islands (NZ)
Hawaiian Islands (United states of america)
Pitcairn Islands (Uk)
French Polynesia (FR)
- Austral Islands
- The Marquesas
- Guild Islands and Tahiti
- Tuamotu Islands

Hawaii

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Polynesia only had 4 independent island groups: Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu. The residuum of the many islands and island groups in Polynesia are claimed by or nether the command or jurisdiction of other countries: mainly the United states of america, France, Great Britain, or New Zealand. Hawaii was a sovereign and independent kingdom from 1810 to 1893, when the monarchy was overthrown and the islands became a republic that was annexed equally a U.s.a. territory. Hawaii became the fiftieth US state in 1959. Hawaii's development design is modern, based on tourism from the continental United States and the U.s.a. military base of operations on Pearl Harbor. According to the U.s.a. Census, Hawaii had a population of ane.3 million in 2010. More than one-third of the people are of Asian descent, and at to the lowest degree x pct are native Hawaiians or Pacific Islanders. The Usa has a number of boosted possessions in Polynesia that include various small islands, atolls, or uninhabited reefs.

The Hawaiian Islands include more than islands than the few usually listed in tourist brochures. Approximately 137 islands and atolls are in the Hawaiian chain, which extends near 1,500 miles. Hawaii is one of the near remote isle groups in the Pacific. The islands of the Hawaiian archipelago are a production of volcanic activity from an undersea magma source chosen a hotspot, which remains stationary as the tectonic plate over information technology continues to shift creating new volcanoes. Mt. Kilauea, an active volcano on Hawaii, the largest island in the Hawaiian chain, is considered by geologists to be i of the virtually agile volcanoes in the world. The active volcano of Mauna Loa and two dormant volcanoes, Mauna Kea and Hualālai, are on the same isle. Mauna Kea is Hawaii's tallest mountain at 13,796 feet above ocean level, which is taller than Mt. Everest if measured from its base of operations on the ocean floor.

Hawaii, like nearly islands of the Pacific realm, has a tropical type A climate, but snow can be found on the tops of its highest mountains during the winter months. The island of Kauai receives more than 460 inches of rain per yr and is one of the wettest places on Globe. The rain shadow effect created past Mt. Wai'ale'ale is the reason for the high level of atmospheric precipitation. All the pelting falls on the windward side of the mountain, creating a rain shadow on the leeward side of the mountain, which is a semidesert.

Republic of kiribati

Kiribati includes three sets of islands located in both Federated states of micronesia and Polynesia. The master component of Kiribati is the Gilbert Isle chain in Micronesia, where the capital letter city and most of the population are located. The other two minor island chains are the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands in Polynesia. Both island chains were Usa possessions before being annexed with the Gilbert Islands to become Kiribati. The Line Islands were used for testing of British hydrogen bombs starting in 1957. Three atmospheric nuclear tests were conducted by the British on Malden Island, and six were conducted on Christmas Island. There is concern well-nigh how radiation affected people present during the tests and thereafter. The Phoenix Islands accept few inhabitants. In 2008, Kiribati declared the entire island group a protected environmental area, which fabricated it the largest protected marine habitat in the globe. Kiribati is the only country with land in all four hemispheres: due north and s of the equator and on both sides of the 180° meridian.

Samoa

After the colonial era, Samoa was divided into Western Samoa and Eastern Samoa. The Us controlled the eastern islands, which are referred to as American Samoa. Before World War I, Germany gained command of the larger, more all-encompassing western islands but to lose them to New Zealand after the war. Western Samoa was under the New Zealand government until 1962, when it gained independence. The name was officially changed from Western Samoa to Samoa in 1997.

The Samoan Islands are volcanic, and the most agile volcano last erupted in 1906. In Samoa, three-quarters of the nearly 2 hundred thousand people live on the larger of the two main islands. Colonialism has had a major touch on on the culture, especially in the case of religion. Christianity became widespread once it was introduced and is now the religion of about 99 percent of the population. American music and societal trends are besides a major influence on the islands because of migration between Hawaii and the U.s. mainland. Many Samoans have moved to the United States and established communities. Cultural traditions take been preserved and are often integrated into modern club. Samoa has some of the oldest history and traditions of Polynesia. For many years, the United States has held an extensive naval station in the bay of Pago Pago on American Samoa. During Earth War Ii, there were more than U.s. military personnel on the islands than Samoans. American Samoa became a key military mail service for the Usa. American Samoa remains a US possession; however, Samoans are not US citizens unless 1 of their parents is a US denizen.

Tonga

Due south of Samoa is an archipelago that is dwelling house to the Kingdom of Tonga. Only virtually 36 of the 169 islands are inhabited past a total population of about ane hundred xx k people. Tonga is ruled past a monarchy that never lost its governance powers throughout the colonial era. Tonga is the only monarchy in the Pacific. The ii principal methods of gaining wealth are by remittances from citizens working abroad and tourism.

Tuvalu

The island nation of Tuvalu comprises 4 reef islands and v atolls for a full land area of about ten square miles. In 2008, it had a population of about twelve thousand people. These statistics betoken that Tuvalu is i of the iv smallest countries in the globe. Nauru is simply about eight foursquare miles in area. Only the Vatican and Monaco are smaller. The low elevation of the islands of Tuvalu make them susceptible to impairment from rising sea levels. The highest signal is simply xv feet in elevation. Whatsoever increase in sea levels equally a result of climate change could threaten the existence of this country.

French Polynesia

The Due south Pacific is home to many islands and island groups that are non independent countries. The biggest and most significant group in the southern region is French Polynesia. French republic colonized a large number of islands in the South Pacific and has connected to agree them in its control or possession equally external departments or colonies. In western Polynesia, the French maintain control over the islands of Wallis and futuna. French Polynesia consists of four principal island groups: the Society Islands, the Austral Islands, the Tuamotu Islands, and the Marquesas. In that location are around 130 islands in French Polynesia, and many are also small or lack resources to be inhabited.

Effigy 13.eight The Moorea Ferry in Papeete Harbor, Tahiti

The only means to get to the islands are by aircraft or past ship. Transportation costs can exist high for imported appurtenances or for tourism evolution.

Tahiti, located in the Society Islands, is the central hub of French Polynesia. Papeete is the majuscule and primary urban center with a population of well-nigh xxx thousand. Tahiti is a major tourist destination with a mild climate that stays at 75 °F to 85 °F year-round and receives acceptable rainfall to sustain tropical forests. Most of the people live along the littoral areas; the interior is almost uninhabited. The Society Islands include the island of Bora Bora, which is considered by many to exist a tropical paradise and one of the most exotic tourist destinations in the world.

Figure xiii.nine Bora Bora in the Society Islands in French Polynesia with Mount Otemanu in the Background

Bora Bora is a earth-form tourist destination catering to the international traveler.

The volcanic Marquesas Islands to the northeast are the second-most remote islands in the world after the Hawaiian Islands. The weather condition pattern in the Pacific does not bring enormous amounts of atmospheric precipitation to the Marquesas, a reality that restricts human expansion in the archipelago. The higher elevations in the mountains—the highest is four,035 feet—draw some atmospheric precipitation from the rain shadow effect, giving rise to lush rain forests on portions of the islands. With less than 10 k people, the Marquesas do not have a large population to support and rely on fiscal support from exterior to sustain them. French painter Paul Gauguin is cached there, and the islands are remembered as his home during the last years of his life.

The Austral Islands are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia and are habitation to but most 6,500 people. French Polynesia also includes the Tuamotu Archipelago, between the Society Islands and the Marquesas, which comprises most 75 atolls and an uncounted number of coral reefs that extend for about ix hundred miles. The islands have a population of fewer than twenty 1000 people, and the chief economical activity is the cultivation of black pearls and coconuts.

The French regime used islands in the Tuamotu Archipelago as test sites for nuclear weapons. From 1966 to 1974, the French tested 41 diminutive devices above footing in the atmosphere, and from 1974 to 1996, they tested 137 atomic devices below basis. Radiation concerns are the same here as they are on the Marshall Islands, where the United states of america tested atomic weapons. Scientific testing monitored by the World Health Organisation has adamant the humans living closest to the atolls are not presently in danger of radioactive materials either in the environment or in their food supply. The long-term effects of the clandestine tests continue to be monitored.

The Pitcairn Islands, Easter Isle, and the Cook Islands

To the east of French Polynesia are the four Pitcairn Islands, controlled past United kingdom. The main island, Pitcairn, is the just inhabited isle in this chain and is one of the least inhabited islands in the world; the total population is fewer than 50 people. Mutineers from the HMS Bounty escaped to Pitcairn in 1790 after taking various Tahitians with them.

Even further east than Pitcairn, on the edge of Polynesia, is Easter Island. Now under the government of Chile, Easter Isle was historically inhabited by Polynesians who built large stone heads that remain somewhat of a mystery. At the eye of Polynesia are the fifteen pocket-size Melt Islands, which are controlled by New Zealand and are home to about xx thousand people, many of whom merits Maori ethnicity.

Fundamental Takeaways

Melanesia includes the islands from Papua New Guinea to Republic of the fiji islands. Micronesia includes small islands located north of Melanesia. Polynesia includes island groups from the Hawaiian Islands to the Pitcairn Islands. Papua New Guinea is the largest country in the Pacific, approximately seven hundred languages are spoken past the many local groups that alive there.
Depression islands in this region are usually composed of coral and low in acme. High islands are usually volcanic in origin and mountainous with high elevations. Federated states of micronesia consists mainly of low islands, while Polynesia consists of many high islands, such as Hawaii.
Tourism is the primary economic action in the Pacific, simply minerals and fossil fuels provide some islands with additional wealth. Fishing and subsistence agriculture have been the traditional livelihoods. Offshore banking has besides been established in the region.
The United States, the Uk, and French republic used diverse islands for nuclear testing. Radiation fallout continues to exist an ecology concern. Typhoons, tsunamis, volcanic activity, earthquakes, and flooding create devastation on the islands. Fresh water can be a valuable resource, as it is in short supply on many islands.

Discussion and Study Questions

What are the three main regions of islands in the Pacific? What island nations belong to each?
What are the traditional methods of making a living on the Pacific islands?
What is the departure between a depression isle and a high island? Give examples of each.
Why are so many islands in the Pacific governed past the United States?
Name three major environmental concerns of these islands.
What has been a growing sector of the economy for many of the Pacific islands?
Which isle group is the largest protected environmental marine habitat in the world?
What islands did the United states of america, Nifty Britain, and French republic use for testing nuclear weapons?
On which island are more than 7 hundred separate languages spoken? Why are then many languages spoken?
What main factors accept determined the economical activities of the Pacific?

Geography Exercise

Identify the following cardinal places on a map:

American Samoa
Austral Islands
Bora Bora
Cook Islands
Easter Island
Republic of the fiji islands
French Polynesia
Gilbert Islands
Guadalcanal
Guam
Hawaiian Islands
Kiribati
Marquesas
Marshall Islands
Melanesia
Micronesia
Nauru
Northern Mariana Islands
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Pitcairn Islands
Polynesia
Samoa
Society Islands
Solomon Islands
Tahiti
Tonga
Tuamotu Islands
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Wake Island
Western Samoa