OCEANIA ON LINE GUIDE

 

Oceania is the continent that extend in the Pacific, the largest ocean on Earth, it includes Australia (7,620,000 sq km, a real continent), New Guinea (785,000 sq km, after Greenland the second island of the world), Tasmania (67,800 sq km), the two islands of New Zealand (North Island, 115,700 sq km and South Island, 151,200 sq km) and the islands of Polynesia (Tonga, Samoa, Cook, Tuamotu, Marquesas, the Society Islands, Hawaii, etc..), Melanesia (Bismarck, Solomon, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, etc..) and Micronesia (Marianas, Caroline, Marshall, Kiribati, Tuvalu, etc.. ).
 

Oceania land surface extend for 8,942,000 sq km, but the islands are scattered over a huge area whose land area is extremely low, 86% of Oceania emerged land belong to Australia alone. Oceania, with a population of just over 35,000,000 inhabitants and a density of 3 people per square kilometer, is except Antarctica the part of the Earth most sparsely populated. The Puncak Jaya or Mount Carstensz (4,884 meters) in New Guinea is the highest mountain in Oceania, while the lowest point of Oceania is the Lake Eyre (15 meters below sea level) in Australia.

Climate: Australia climate varies considerably from region to region, the northern regions have tropical climate, while in interior of Australia has a continental climate with high temperature and low annual rainfall, temperate is the climate of New Zealand and southeast coast of Australia. Most of the islands in the Pacific Ocean, with the exception of New Zealand and Easter Island, are located in the area between the tropics the equator, this means the presence of a uniform climate, with little seasonal temperature differences, mitigate from trade winds, with temperatures that are on average around 26°C-28°C throughout the year and abundant rain. In the central and western Pacific areas prevailing monsoon climate, with distinct wet and dry seasons, here during the rainy season are also occasionally tropical cyclones, which are more frequent between November and March in the areas south of equator and between July and November in the areas north of equator. 

Tourism: With regard to tourism, according to the statistics of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), Oceania with 10,500,000 arrivals of tourists in 2006 represent 1.2% of world tourism. The most visited Oceania countries are Australia (over 5,000,000 of arrivals in 2006), New Zealand (2,400,000) and Guam (1,200,000). Oceania presents for travelers many important attractions, among them the considerable natural beauty of Australia and New Zealand, the beautiful landscapes and cultural attractions of the population of the islands and atolls of Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia. In addition, we can say that, from a total of 878 sites (data updated to 2008) declared by UNESCO World Heritage Sites, 28 (3.18%) are in Oceania. Among the nations, the first in Oceania with 17 sites is Australia (Great Barrier Reef (1981), Kakadu National Park (1981, 1987, 1992), Willandra Lakes Region (1981), Lord Howe Island Group (1982), Tasmanian Wilderness (1982, 1989), Gondwana Rainforests of Australia (1986, 1994), Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park (1987, 1994), Wet Tropics of Queensland (1988), Shark Bay, Western Australia (1991), Fraser Island (1992), Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh / Naracoorte) (1994), Heard and McDonald Islands (1997), Macquarie Island (1997), Greater Blue Mountains Area (2000), Purnululu National Park (2003), Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens (2004), Sydney Opera House (2007)), then followed by New Zealand with 3 sites (Te Wahipounamu – South West New Zealand (1990), Tongariro National Park (1990, 1993), New Zealand Sub-Antarctic Islands (1998)), New Caledonia with 1 site (Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems (2008)), Vanuatu with 1 site (Chief Roi Mata’s Domain (2008)), Papua Nuova Guinea with 1 site (Kuk Early Agricultural Site (2008)), the Solomon Islands with 1 site (East Rennell (1998)), Easter Island (Chile) 1 site (Rapa Nui National Park (1995)), Pitcairn (UK) with 1 site (Henderson Island (1988)), the Hawaii Islands (USA) with 1 site (Hawaii Volcanoes National Park (1987)), and the Indonesian part of New Guinea with 1 site (Lorentz National Park (1999)). 

OCEANIA GEOGRAPHICAL MAP (click on the Map to enlarge it)

 

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