Pacific Islands - Definition and Overview

The Pacific Ocean has an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 islands; the exact number is unknown. These islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, and are traditionally grouped into three: (1) Melanesia, (2) Micronesia, and (3) Polynesia.

Melanesia means black islands. These include the largest Pacific island, New Guinea, which is divided into the nation of Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian province of Irian Jaya, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands.

Micronesia means small islands. These include the Marianas, Guam, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, and the Federated States of Micronesia.

Polynesia means many islands. These include New Zealand, the Hawaiian Islands, the Midway Atoll, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and Easter Island.

There are also many other islands located within the boundaries of the Pacific Ocean, but these are not considered part of Oceania. These islands include the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador; the Aleutian Islands in Alaska; the Russian islands of Sakhalin and Kuril Islands; the island nation of Japan, which includes the Ryukyu Islands; Taiwan; the Philippines; the South China Sea Islands; and most of the islands of Indonesia.

List of Islands

See also

• List of islands

• List of islands in the United States
• List of islands in the Arctic Ocean
• List of islands in the Atlantic Ocean
• List of islands in the Caribbean
• List of islands in the Indian Ocean
• List of islands of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
• List of islands of Australia
• List of islands of Asia
• List of islands of New Zealand
• List of islands of North America
• List of islands of South America