Countries On The Pacific Rim

Pacific Islands, isle geographic region of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises iii ethnogeographic groupings—Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia—but conventionally excludes the neighbouring island continent of Australia, the Asia-related Indonesian, Philippine, and Japanese archipelagoes, and the Ryukyu, Bonin, Volcano, and Kuril island arcs that project seaward from Nippon. Neither does the term include the Aleutian chain or such isolated islands of the Pacific Ocean as the Juan Fernández group off the declension of South America. The more inclusive term Oceania, in its broadest definition, encompasses all the foregoing; however, the term is used less strictly in this article to refer to the Pacific Islands as divers above. The Pacific Island region covers more than 300,000 square miles (800,000 foursquare km) of land—of which New Zealand and the island of New Republic of guinea make up approximately nine-tenths—and millions of square miles of bounding main. Information technology is a mixture of independent states, associated states, integral parts of non-Pacific Island countries, and dependent states.

The swell arc of islands located northward and east of Commonwealth of australia and south of the Equator is chosen Melanesia (from the Greek words melas, "blackness," and nēsos, "island") for the predominantly night-skinned peoples of New Republic of guinea island, the Bismarck Archipelago, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu (the New Hebrides), New Caledonia, and Fiji.

Due north of the Equator and east of the Philippines are the islands of Micronesia, which grade an arc that ranges from Palau, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands in the w east through the Federated States of Federated states of micronesia (the Caroline Islands), Nauru, and the Republic of the marshall islands to Republic of kiribati.

In the eastern Pacific, largely enclosed within a huge triangle formed by the Hawaiian Islands to the north, New Zealand to the southwest, and Easter Island (Rapa Nui) far to the eastward, are the many ("poly") islands of Polynesia. Other components of this widely scattered drove, again generally from west to east, are Tuvalu, Wallis and futuna, Tokelau, Samoa (the former Western Samoa), American Samoa, Tonga, Niue, the Melt Islands, and French Polynesia (including the Gild, Tuamotu, and Marquesas islands).

Island, New Caledonia.

Britannica Quiz

Islands and Archipelagos

What are the islands of the Maldives made of? What is the world'south largest archipelago? Sort out the facts about islands across the globe.

The master Pacific Islands span the Equator obliquely from northwest to southeast and can be divided into 2 major physiographic regions past island type: continental and oceanic. Deep bounding main trenches form the Andesite Line along the eastern borders of Japan, the Marianas, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Republic of the fiji islands, and New Zealand. The line separates the basaltic volcanic islands of the central and eastern Pacific from the islands of the broad western Pacific margin, which are formed mainly of metamorphosed rocks, sediment, and andesitic volcanic fabric.

The continental islands, lying southwestward of the Andesite Line, are faulted and folded in mountainous arcs, tend to be college and larger than those farther eastward, and have rich soils that support almost every kind of vegetation. Continental islands are mostly larger (most notably, the Marianas, New Guinea, the Bismarcks, the Solomons, Vanuatu, Fiji, New Caledonia, and the North and South islands of New Zealand) and accept richer mineral-bearing soils than their oceanic counterparts.

Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain admission to exclusive content. Subscribe Now

The parent lava material of the oceanic type of island is basalt. Oceanic islands are differentiated as high volcanic-based islands, such as Hawaii, or low coral islands and atolls, such equally the Marshalls. Most Pacific islands are coral formations, although all of these remainder on volcanic or other cores. In the shallow waters of the torrid zone, both continental and oceanic islands attract coral growth in the form of fringing reefs, partially submerged platforms of consolidated limestone, with coral organisms at the ocean edge feeding on materials carried in by waves and currents. Many islands take been gradually submerged through a combination of sinking, caused by geologic action, and flooding, caused by the melting of water ice caps. As islands were flooded, coral growth continued outward, producing bulwark reefs further from the shorelines and separated from them by lagoons.

A coral atoll results when nonetheless further flooding reduces an island to a submarine condition. The usually irregular reef continues to build up in the warm shallows. It encircles a clear-surfaced lagoon of moderate depth and in time supports a number of islets built up from reef debris to 20–30 feet (vi–9 metres) above sea level. Pelting catchments are normally the only source of fresh water on atolls.

The successive geologic lifting of some islands above sea level has created a variety of "raised" coral formations. The northern half of Guam, for example, is a coralline limestone plateau with a general elevation of about 500 feet (150 metres), while the mountains in the southern half of the island, formed by volcanic action, attain a maximum elevation of over ane,300 feet (400 metres). Republic of nauru and Banaba (in Kiribati) are raised coral islands that stand at elevations of about 210 and 285 feet (65 and 90 metres), respectively. They have deeper soil and a more adequate water supply than atoll islets, also every bit surface deposits of phosphate rock (derived from guano) that have been mined commercially.

The climate of the Pacific Islands is generally tropical (except in New Zealand, which has a temperate climate), with temperatures, humidity, and rainfall relatively compatible throughout the year. Temperature varies from averages in the low 80s F (about 28 °C) on both Nauru and Kiribati to an boilerplate in the low 60s F (most 15 °C) on Norfolk Island, one of the southernmost Pacific Islands. About vegetation is derived from Indonesia and New Republic of guinea, and its generic diversity declines eastward across the Pacific. Local ecology differences and relative isolation have resulted in the evolution of numerous new owned species. The introduction of new species from throughout the earth has also markedly altered island flora. Simply a small proportion of the total land area is arable and, outside New Zealand and Papua New Republic of guinea, is devoted mostly to the tillage of coconut and cassava. Nigh of the larger islands also support some livestock. As much as two-thirds of the Pacific Islands' full land expanse is forested. Most of the islands are poor in mineral resources.

The population is concentrated in Papua New Guinea, New Zealand (which has a majority of people of European descent), Hawaii, Fiji, and Solomon Islands. About Pacific Islands are densely populated, and dwelling tends to be concentrated along the coasts.

Melanesians make up more than three-fourths of the total indigenous population of the Pacific Islands. Polynesians business relationship for more than than i-sixth of the full, and Micronesians plant about ane-twentieth. People of European origin account for as much as one-3rd of the Pacific Islands' population if New Zealand is included in the total and less than 1-tenth if it is not; outside New Zealand the largest concentration of people of European origin is in Hawaii.

Several hundred distinct languages are spoken in the Pacific Islands; these are mostly Austronesian in origin. Most islanders have some familiarity with English or French; one or the other of these is the official language of most all Pacific Islands. Christianity has largely supplanted traditional beliefs and practices, although in some areas, such every bit Papua New Guinea, Christian faith is often combined with traditional practices.

In general the Pacific Islands take developing economies in which both public and private sectors participate. The gross national product (GNP) per capita varies widely. Agriculture, angling, and services are generally the largest economic sectors, and mining is of import on a few of the islands. Subsistence farming predominates on the smaller islands. Near all the islands grow coconuts, which, with copra, are a major export. Pasture is bachelor only on the larger islands; pigs, cattle, and chickens are raised commercially there, and sufficient milk and meat are produced to satisfy domestic needs. Villagers on some smaller islands and New Republic of guinea rear pigs and goats for local use. Subsistence line-fishing is important everywhere except Hawaii and New Zealand and provides a major source of protein in local diets. There is also commercial line-fishing, notably in Solomon Islands, Kiribati, and Fiji, which account for much of the regional grab.

Commercially exploitable forests in Fiji, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Samoa, and Vanuatu produce timber, sawn wood, and wood products for domestic consumption and export. The other islands generally must import quality lumber. Mineral product is limited to a few of the continental islands, such equally New Caledonia, New Guinea, and New Zealand.

The manufacturing sector, except in Hawaii and New Zealand, is mostly undeveloped and express to processing fish and agronomical products and producing handicrafts. Other islands with pregnant manufacturing besides Hawaii and New Zealand include Guam, Fiji, the Northern Marianas, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Papua New Republic of guinea, and the Solomons. Regional electricity is generated largely from imported fuels.

Most Pacific Islands' annual imports (excluding those of New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Hawaii) far exceed exports. Tourism and remittances from expatriates only partially offset the trade deficits. Frozen or canned fish, minerals, copra, cocoa, coffee, tea, and spices are among the leading exports, mainly to Nihon, France, the United States, and Australia. Mechanism and ship equipment, mineral fuels, food, and manufactured appurtenances are among the primary imports and come mainly from Australia, France, Japan, and the United States. Simply a modest proportion of the Pacific Islands' external trade is intraregional.

Tourism is very important to the Pacific Body of water islands. Attractions include fine beaches, good fishing and canoeing, and local community and crafts. French Polynesia, Guam, Hawaii, Republic of the fiji islands, and New Zealand have the most developed tourist sectors, simply many of the other islands place a priority on developing facilities. Most Pacific Islands that are overseas territories of other countries receive monetary and development aid, mainly from the continental governing countries, while the smaller independent island states receive aid particularly from Australia and New Zealand, as well as from Japan, the United Kingdom, and the U.s.a.. Air transport and interisland aircraft are the primary means of transport. Many of the island groups have international airports. Extensive road networks are express to the larger islands.

The rest of this article covers the history of the region. For more detailed discussion of the land and people of individual isle groups and states, encounter the articles American Samoa, Caroline Islands, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Republic of kiribati, Line Islands, Mariana Islands, Republic of the marshall islands, Micronesia, Midway Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Island, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wake Isle, and Wallis and futuna. For discussion of the arts and cultures of the region, see the articles Oceanic art and architecture, Oceanic music and dance, Oceanic literature, Melanesian culture, Micronesian culture, and Polynesian culture. Area (excluding Indonesian New Guinea and the Hawaiian Islands simply including Papua New Guinea) 317,739 square miles (833,926 square km).