Oceania is a region made up of thousands of islands throughout the Central and South Pacific Ocean. It includes Australia, the smallest continent in terms of total land area. Most of
Oceania
is under the Pacific, a vast body of water that is larger than all the Earth’s
continental
landmasses and
islands
combined. The name “
Oceania
” justly establishes the Pacific Ocean as the defining characteristic of the
continent
.
Oceania
’s physical geography, environment and resources, and human geography can be considered separately.
Oceania
’s natural resources are best defined in connection with its
island
groups. The continental islands of Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea support rich natural-
resource
economies, while the other Pacific
Islands
rely on their
natural
resources
for subsistence more than economic development.
Climate and Agriculture
In Australia and
Oceania
, an
island
’s overall land area, latitude, relation to different winds, and geographic isolation determine its
climate
. The
continental
islands
of Australia, New Zealand, and to a lesser degree, Papua New Guinea, have a diversity of
climates
and agricultural products. Most high and low
islands
have tropical
climates
and limited agricultural products.
Australia has the most diverse
climate
on the
continent
because of its large size and position on the Tropic of Capricorn, which runs through the middle of the country. Australia’s northern coast is tropical. This area is used principally for dairy and beef production. The country’s southern region has a Mediterranean climate. Wheat and other cereals, oilseeds, and legumes are mainly produced in this region. This area is also a major wine-producing region. Australia’s interior is mainly desert, surrounded by more temperate grasslands. Sheep ranching is common in
grassland
areas that flank the
desert
’s eastern and western edges. Australia is the world’s largest exporter of wool.
New Zealand’s
isolation
from other
continents
and exposure to cold western
winds
and ocean currents gives it a much milder
climate
than Australia. This
climate
is suited to livestock grazing and
ranching
, including
beef
cattle,
dairy
cattle, domestic deer, and, most importantly, sheep. Sheep outnumber people by about 12 to 1 in New Zealand. The country is the world’s largest producer and exporter of crossbred wool, a rougher-textured material than regular wool. Much like Australia, New Zealand is becoming an important wine producer. Grapes are grown on the northern tip of the North
Island
and the south-central area of the South
Island
.
Papua New Guinea lies in the warm equatorial region. Almost all of the country has a tropical wet
climate
. Its principal commercial crops are sweet potatoes, sugar cane, copra (dried coconut meat), coffee, cocoa, and rubber. About 85 percent of the population engages in subsistence agriculture, meaning they grow enough food to support themselves and their families. This is because Papua New Guinea is an extremely rural country, with many people living in isolated communities that have access to fertile lands but not centralized markets.
The Pacific
Islands
lie in a warm
equatorial
band between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The tropical
islands
’ main agricultural products include banana, coconut, kava (a plant whose roots are made into a traditional beverage), and sugar cane. Much like Papua New Guinea, the people of the Pacific
Islands
practice mostly
subsistence
agriculture. Some of the few agricultural exports in the region are Tonga’s vanilla and squash, Samoa’s taro, and Fiji’s sugar products.
Forestry and Fishing
Forestry
, the management of trees and other vegetation in forests, is an important economic activity in Australia and
Oceania
’s
continental
islands
. Australia’s forest industries had a gross value of $1.7 billion in 2008. Its main forest products are sawn wood, wood-based panels, paper, and wood chips.
Australia’s forest industry has benefitted from the
development
of tree plantations, which yield up to 14 times more wood per hectare than native forests. Plantations now supply more than two-thirds of harvested logs in Australia. Fast-growing trees such as eucalyptus and Monterey pine dominate these plantations.
The lumber industry is also important to the economy of Papua New Guinea. The country has a unique forest-ownership program. Tribal clan groups own 95 percent of the total land area of the country. In order to carry out any forest-related operations, meetings must take place between government agencies and
clan
groups. The country’s main exported tree species are eucalyptus, rosewood, and pine.
In the Pacific
Islands
, native forests are an important part of local economies, but commercial
forestry
is uncommon. The Solomon
Islands
is one of the few Pacific
Island
nations that support commercial
forestry
.
Forestry
accounts for roughly 70 percent of the country’s exports. But logging practices are intensive and unsustainable. The Solomon
Islands
have lost 21.5 percent of their forest cover between 1990 and 2005. It is estimated that the
lumber
industry will be completely gone by 2014-15 if the country does not enforce more strict
environmental
controls on
forestry
activities.
The commercial fishing industry is an important contributor to economies throughout Australia and
Oceania
. About 600 marine and freshwater seafood species are sold in Australia for local and foreign consumption. “Wild-caught”
seafood
makes up about two-thirds of total
seafood
production. Rock lobster, pearls, abalone, and prawns make up $1.3 billion (86 percent) of total
seafood
exports.
New Zealand’s main
seafood
exports are mussels, rock lobster, hoki (hake), squid, and salmon. New Zealand exports about 90 percent of its
seafood
to foreign countries. Fishing is a main economic contributor for the Maori, the aboriginal people of New Zealand. The
Maori
own about 50 percent of the country’s fishing quota.
Papua New Guinea’s commercial fisheries support prawn, sea cucumber, tuna, lobster, shark, and other fish. Papua New Guinea also has a
diverse
range of small-scale and subsistence fisheries that support
rural
communities.
The Pacific
Islands
support subsistence fisheries that are the livelihoods of many local peoples. A lack of infrastructure and investment, however, makes large-scale
commercial fishing
difficult. As a result, the fishing industry has poor earnings even though fish
resources
are abundant. For example, Pacific
Island
countries catch just $600 million worth of tuna, while foreign nations fishing in the same waters catch more than $2 billion worth.
Regional and international organizations, such as the Pacific
Islands
Forum Fisheries Agency, are working to strengthen the fishing industry in the Pacific
Islands
.
Environmental
organizations are working to ensure the developing fishing industry is sustainable. They are also seeking to put limits or
quotas
on the amount of fish a vessel or organization can harvest.
Mining and Drilling
The
continental
islands
of Australia, New Zealand, and New Guinea have important mineral and metal deposits.
Australia is the world’s largest producer of opal and the world’s largest exporter of coal. The country is also one of the top producers of iron ore, nickel, gold, uranium, diamonds, and zinc. New Zealand is an important producer of
coal
, silver, iron ore, limestone, and gold.
Papua New Guinea’s
mineral
deposits account for 72 percent of its export earnings, and
mining
is one of the country’s largest employers. Its main exports are copper, gold, and
oil
. The country’s waters will also be home to the world’s first offshore
mining
project. Using technology familiar to
offshore
oil
drilling, a Canadian company will extract copper, gold, lead, silver, and zinc from deposits more than a mile beneath the ocean’s surface.
Mining
operations provide economic security to Papua New Guinea, while also contributing to
environmental
degradation.
The Ok Tedi Mine, for example, produces copper and gold. It also produces 80,000 tons of waste rocks and 120,000 tons of toxic runoff that flows into the Ok Tedi River system. The fishery in the Ok Tedi River, as well as agricultural plots near the river’s bank, has been destroyed. The “Ok Tedi
environmental
disaster” has resulted in a lawsuit brought against the
mining
companies by thousands of Papua New Guineans who claim the
environmental
impact of the mine has ruined their livelihoods. One community, the Yonggom, won a $28.6 million settlement from the
mining
company, while another indigenous group, the Ningerum, is seeking $4 billion. The Ok Tedi Mine is scheduled to close in 2012.
Most Pacific
Islands
have very limited
mineral
resources
. New Caledonia contains about 10 percent of the world’s nickel reserves and is the world’s fifth-largest producer of the
metal
. Fiji’s second-largest export is gold (behind sugar cane) and the gold
mining
industry is a major employer in the country.
Oil
and natural gas
resources
are relatively low throughout Australia and
Oceania
. There are some
offshore
facilities surrounding Australia and New Zealand, although both of these developed countries consume more
oil
than they produce.
Island
nations in Australia and
Oceania
must import almost all their
oil
and gas, often across great distances. The cost of
oil
and gas is very high in the Pacific
Islands
, slowing the
development
process.
The Built Environment
Australia and
Oceania
’s
built
environment
is divided between the large
continental
islands
and the smaller high and low
islands
. The urban areas of Sydney, Port Moresby, and Suva illustrate the diversity of the
built
environment
in Australia and
Oceania
.
Sydney, Australia, is the largest city in Australia and
Oceania
, supporting about 4.5 million people in its metropolitan area. Sydney is considered one of the most livable cities in the world and is the second-wealthiest
city
in terms of the purchasing power of its inhabitants. (Zurich, Switzerland, is the wealthiest
city
.) Sydney is home to more than half of Australia’s top companies, the headquarters of 90 banks, and the regional headquarters of approximately 500 multinational corporations. It also has a reputation as an international center of
culture
, arts, education, tourism, and sports.
The
city
is culturally
diverse
. In addition to native Australians and European immigrants, Australians of Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Lebanese descent call Sydney home. Sydney has played host to many international events, such as the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
One of the most famous buildings in the world is the Sydney Opera House, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean in Sydney Harbor. The building’s defining
characteristic
is a series of large, white triangular “shells,” which reflect the abundance of sailboats in the region. More than 8 million people visit this performing arts center every year. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.
Port Moresby is Papua New Guinea’s capital and largest
city
, with a population of more than 300,000. The
city
reflects the more
rural
and impoverished makeup of the country. Port Moresby sprawls along coastal bays and hillsides and is surrounded by plantations,
livestock
, and
dairy
farms. It is the main shipping terminal for the country and supports sawmills, tobacco processing, and the manufacture of handicrafts and concrete.
Port Moresby is consistently ranked as one of the world’s least livable
capital
cities. Like many cities in the developing world, Port Moresby has poor
infrastructure
and
government
services, and high rates of rape, robbery, and murder. A poor
economy
, lack of jobs, and ineffective local
government
have left large areas of the
city
controlled by gangs, known as raskols.
Suva, Fiji, is the Pacific Islands’ largest urban area, with a population of about 326,000—more than a third of the nation’s total population. Suva has developed as a hub of the island regions of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.
Suva is home to the Pacific headquarters of many banks and financial institutions. The city is the main campus of the University of the South Pacific, which has campuses in 12 Pacific Island countries. USP is one of two international regional universities. (The University of the West Indies, serving 15 island countries in the Caribbean Sea, is the other.) USP is the international center of teaching, research, and training on all aspects of Pacific culture, environment, economy, and society.
Fast Fact
Population Density
Eight people per square kilometer
Fast Fact
Highest Elevation
Mount Kosciuszko, Australia (2,228 meters/7,310 feet)
Fast Fact
Most Renewable Electricity Produced
New Zealand (73 percent, including hydropower, geothermal, wind, and biomass)
Fast Fact
Largest Urban Area
Sydney, Australia (four million people)
Fast Fact
Largest Watershed
Murray-Darling river system (one million square kilometers/409,835 square miles)