Palau , located in western Micronesia, has a population of about twenty thousand people and an area of about square miles. Its early inhabitants included people from Asia and from the Pacific realm. British explorers arrived early on the island, but Spain dominated it during the colonial era.
After losing the Spanish-American War, Spain sold the island to Germany, which implemented mining operations on the island. Japan used it as a strategic outpost but was defeated in World War II and had to give up all its external possessions. In , the island opted for independence and retained an agreement of free association with the United States. The United States has held strategic military installations on Palau and other islands in Micronesia.
The Marshall Islands became a testing ground for US nuclear weapons. Atomic bombs were tested on various atolls, rendering them uninhabitable. An atoll is a coral island that surrounds a lagoon. From to , the United States conducted sixty-seven atmospheric nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands.
The largest was known as the Bravo test, which included the detonation of a nuclear device over Bikini Atoll that was one thousand times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II.
There are concerns about radioactive fallout that may still affect the people who inhabit nearby atolls. The Marshall Islands were granted independence in with an agreement with the United States to provide aid and protection in exchange for the use of US military bases on the islands.
The largest region of the Pacific is Polynesia, a land of many island groups with large distances between them. New Zealand is now studied as a part of the Austral realm, but the Maori living there are originally from Polynesia. Polynesia has a mixture of island types ranging from the high mountains of Hawaii, which are more than 13, feet, to low-lying coral atolls that are only a few feet above sea level. Islands that have enough elevation to condense moisture from the clouds receive adequate precipitation, but many islands with low elevations have a shortage of fresh water, making habitation or human development difficult.
Polynesian culture stems from island resources. Fishing, farming, and an understanding of the seas created a way of life that gave Polynesia its identity. Polynesians created innovative maps that provided a means of sailing across large expanses of open seas to connect with distant islands. Their lifestyle revolved around natural resources and the creative use of natural materials.
Polynesian art, music, and language reflect a diversity of cultural trends derived from a common heritage. The warm climate and beautiful islands contrast with violent destructive storms and a lack of fresh water or resources, which can make life difficult.
The region of Polynesia has island groups that are high islands with mountainous interiors. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Polynesia only had four independent island groups: Kiribati , Samoa , Tonga , and Tuvalu. The rest of the many islands and island groups in Polynesia are claimed by or under the control or jurisdiction of other countries: mainly the United States, France, Great Britain, or New Zealand.
Hawaii was a sovereign and independent kingdom from to , when the monarchy was overthrown and the islands became a republic that was annexed as a US territory. Hawaii became the fiftieth US state in According to the US Census, Hawaii had a population of 1. More than one-third of the people are of Asian descent, and at least 10 percent are native Hawaiians or Pacific Islanders. The United States has a number of additional possessions in Polynesia that include various small islands, atolls, or uninhabited reefs.
The Hawaiian Islands include more islands than the few usually listed in tourist brochures. Approximately islands and atolls are in the Hawaiian chain, which extends about 1, miles.
Hawaii is one of the most remote island groups in the Pacific. The islands of the Hawaiian archipelago are a product of volcanic activity from an undersea magma source called a hotspot, which remains stationary as the tectonic plate over it continues to shift creating new volcanoes. Kilauea, an active volcano on Hawaii, the largest island in the Hawaiian chain, is considered by geologists to be one of the most active volcanoes in the world.
Everest if measured from its base on the ocean floor. Hawaii, like most islands of the Pacific realm, has a tropical type A climate, but snow can be found on the tops of its highest mountains during the winter months.
The island of Kauai receives more than inches of rain per year and is one of the wettest places on Earth. The rain shadow effect created by Mt. All the rain falls on the windward side of the mountain, creating a rain shadow on the leeward side of the mountain, which is a semidesert.
Kiribati includes three sets of islands located in both Micronesia and Polynesia. The main component of Kiribati is the Gilbert Island chain in Micronesia, where the capital city and most of the population are located. Both island chains were US possessions before being annexed with the Gilbert Islands to become Kiribati. The Line Islands were used for testing of British hydrogen bombs starting in Three atmospheric nuclear tests were conducted by the British on Malden Island, and six were conducted on Christmas Island.
There is concern about how radiation affected people present during the tests and thereafter. The Phoenix Islands have few inhabitants. In , Kiribati declared the entire island group a protected environmental area, which made it the largest protected marine habitat in the world.
The United States controlled the eastern islands, which are referred to as American Samoa. Before World War I, Germany gained control of the larger, more extensive western islands only to lose them to New Zealand after the war. Western Samoa was under the New Zealand government until , when it gained independence.
The name was officially changed from Western Samoa to Samoa in The Samoan Islands are volcanic, and the most active volcano last erupted in In Samoa, three-quarters of the nearly two hundred thousand people live on the larger of the two main islands. Colonialism has had a major impact on the culture, especially in the case of religion. Christianity became widespread once it was introduced and is now the religion of about 99 percent of the population.
American music and societal trends are also a major influence on the islands because of migration between Hawaii and the US mainland. Many Samoans have moved to the United States and established communities.
Cultural traditions have been preserved and are often integrated into modern society. Samoa has some of the oldest history and traditions of Polynesia. American Samoa became a key military post for the United States. South of Samoa is an archipelago that is home to the Kingdom of Tonga. Only about 36 of the islands are inhabited by a total population of about one hundred twenty thousand people. Tonga is ruled by a monarchy that never lost its governance powers throughout the colonial era.
Tonga is the only monarchy in the Pacific. The two main methods of gaining wealth are by remittances from citizens working abroad and tourism. The island nation of Tuvalu comprises four reef islands and five atolls for a total land area of about ten square miles. In , it had a population of about twelve thousand people. These statistics indicate that Tuvalu is one of the four smallest countries in the world.
Nauru is only about eight square miles in area. Only the Vatican and Monaco are smaller. The low elevation of the islands of Tuvalu make them susceptible to damage from rising sea levels. The highest point is only fifteen feet in elevation. Any increase in ocean levels as a result of climate change could threaten the existence of this country.
The South Pacific is home to many islands and island groups that are not independent countries. The biggest and most significant group in the southern region is French Polynesia. France colonized a large number of islands in the South Pacific and has continued to hold them in its control or possession as external departments or colonies. In western Polynesia, the French maintain control over the islands of Wallis and Futuna.
There are around islands in French Polynesia, and many are too small or lack resources to be inhabited. The only ways to get to the islands are by aircraft or by ship. Transportation costs can be high for imported goods or for tourism development. Tahiti , located in the Society Islands , is the central hub of French Polynesia. Papeete is the capital and main city with a population of almost thirty thousand. Most of the people live along the coastal areas; the interior is almost uninhabited.
The Society Islands include the island of Bora Bora , which is considered by many to be a tropical paradise and one of the most exotic tourist destinations in the world. Bora Bora is a world-class tourist destination catering to the international traveler. The volcanic Marquesas Islands to the northeast are the second-most remote islands in the world after the Hawaiian Islands. The weather pattern in the Pacific does not bring enormous amounts of precipitation to the Marquesas, a reality that restricts human expansion in the archipelago.
The higher elevations in the mountains—the highest is 4, feet—draw some precipitation from the rain shadow effect, giving rise to lush rain forests on portions of the islands. With less than ten thousand people, the Marquesas do not have a large population to support and rely on financial support from outside to sustain them. French painter Paul Gauguin is buried there, and the islands are remembered as his home during the last years of his life.
The Austral Islands are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia and are home to only about 6, people. French Polynesia also includes the Tuamotu Archipelago , between the Society Islands and the Marquesas, which comprises about 75 atolls and an uncounted number of coral reefs that extend for about nine hundred miles.
The islands have a population of fewer than twenty thousand people, and the main economic activity is the cultivation of black pearls and coconuts.
The French government used islands in the Tuamotu Archipelago as test sites for nuclear weapons. From to , the French tested 41 atomic devices above ground in the atmosphere, and from to , they tested atomic devices below ground. Radiation concerns are the same here as they are on the Marshall Islands, where the United States tested atomic weapons. Scientific testing monitored by the World Health Organization has determined the humans living closest to the atolls are not presently in danger of radioactive materials either in the environment or in their food supply.
The long-term effects of the underground tests continue to be monitored. The main island, Pitcairn, is the only inhabited island in this chain and is one of the least inhabited islands in the world; the total population is fewer than fifty people.
Even farther east than Pitcairn, on the edge of Polynesia, is Easter Island. Now under the government of Chile, Easter Island was historically inhabited by Polynesians who built large stone heads that remain somewhat of a mystery. At the center of Polynesia are the fifteen small Cook Islands , which are controlled by New Zealand and are home to about twenty thousand people, many of whom claim Maori ethnicity. Previous Section. Table of Contents. Next Section. Distinguish between low islands and high islands.
Describe the primary economic activities of the islands in the realm. Summarize the main environmental concerns of the islands in each region. Introducing the Realm The Pacific realm is home to many islands and island groups. Melanesia The region of the Pacific north of Australia that borders Indonesia to the east is called Melanesia.
Solomon Islands To the east of the island of Guinea are the Solomon Islands, a group of more than one thousand islands. Vanuatu Figure Fiji Fiji is located in the eastern sector of Melanesia and has almost one million people. Guam The largest island in Micronesia is Guam. Nauru The independent island country of Nauru is only about eight square miles in physical area, but its large phosphate deposits created enormous wealth for its small population.
Palau Palau , located in western Micronesia, has a population of about twenty thousand people and an area of about square miles. Polynesia The largest region of the Pacific is Polynesia, a land of many island groups with large distances between them. Throughout the Pacific, nature supports the daily livelihoods of island communities. Nature is both culturally significant and the primary source of food, water and income. However, increasing pressures from growing populations, extractive industries, infrastructure developments and invasive species are increasing the risk of biodiversity loss in many countries.
The countries and territories of the Pacific Islands have also made progress in recent years in building environmental governance and policy. Our Team in Oceania Strategic Engagement. Follow us.
0コメント