Melanesia
Sign in to saveMelanesia is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. Melanesia borders Southeast Asia to the west, Polynesia to the east, Micronesia to the north and Australia to the south.
AI overview
Melanesia is a region in the southwestern Pacific Ocean that stretches from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, positioned between Southeast Asia, Australia, Polynesia, and Micronesia. It matters as a distinct geographic and cultural area that connects and influences multiple major world regions.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Settlement.name
- Melanesia
- Settlement.image_map
- Melanesian Cultural Area.png
- Settlement.map_caption
- Geographical map of Melanesia (cropped)
- Settlement.subdivision_type
- Largest cities
- Settlement.population_demonym
- Melanesian
- Settlement.blank_name_sec1
- Other information
- Settlement.blank1_name_sec1
- Countries
- Settlement.population_total
- 14,373,536
- Settlement.blank2_name_sec1
- Dependencies
- Settlement.blank3_name_sec1
- Languages
- Settlement.blank3_info_sec1
- Over 1,000 languages
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
13 sectionsContents
- Etymology and name ambiguity
- History
- Ancient history
- Demographics
- Languages
- Geography
- Political geography
- Genetic studies
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Citations
- External links
Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. Melanesia borders Southeast Asia to the west, Polynesia to the east, Micronesia to the north and Australia to the south.
The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea. It also includes the Indonesian part of New Guinea, the French overseas collectivity of New Caledonia, and the Torres Strait Islands. Almost all of the region is in the Southern Hemisphere; only a few small islands that are not politically considered part of Oceania—specifically the northwestern islands of Western New Guinea—lie in the Northern Hemisphere.