POP Cultures: Melanesia

New Caledonia is a self-governing territory of France, also known as a Special Collectivity, located about 1210 km (750 mi) east of Australia and 16,136 km (10,025 mi) east of France. The archipelago includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Chesterfield Islands, the Belep archipelago and the Isle of Pines. It is the third largest Pacific island nation behind Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. The total land area is roughly 18,876 sq km (7,172 sq mi). New Caledonia’s population is a mix of Kanak people (descendants of the original inhabitants of New Caledonia), Polynesians, French, Pied-Noir and Maghreban descendants, and Southeast Asian peoples.

The Republic of Vanuatu is a south Pacific island nation comprised of some 80 islands that span over 1,300 kilometers (808 mi). About 65 of these islands are inhabited. The islands have a tropical climate with occasional cyclones or typhoons from January to April. There are also active volcanoes, including several underwater volcanoes.

The Solomon Islands are located east of Papua New Guinea and about three hours by plane north of Australia. Comprised of over 1000 islands, they cover a total land area of almost 28,000 sq km (11,000 sq mi), slightly smaller than the state of Maryland. Honiara, the capital, is located in the island of Guadalcanal. Other islands include Malaita, Choiseul, Sikaiana, the Shortland Islands, the Santa Cruz Islands, and Tikopia. Bougainville is geographically part of the Solomon Islands but politically is part of Papua New Guinea.

In the heart of Melanesia is the nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG), which occupies the eastern half of the land mass New Guinea. PNG is located just 160 km (99 mi) north of Australia, and includes numerous outlying islands such as the islands of Manus, New Britain, New Ireland and Bougainville. The western half of New Guinea is Irian Jaya, a province of Indonesia.

The Republic of Fiji is a Melanesian island nation located about 1,770 km (1,100 miles) northeast of New Zealand. Its closest neighbor countries are Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Tonga, the Samoas, Tuvalu, and Wallis and Futuna. Comprised of about 333 islands and 500 islets, only about 110 of the islands are inhabited. The total land area of Fiji is about 18,000 sq km (7,100 sq mi), with two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, where most of the population resides. The capital, Suva, is located in Viti Levu. There are fourteen provinces and one dependency (Rotuma).

Australia, often touted as the world’s largest island but smallest continent, is home to aboriginal and indigenous oceanic peoples. With a total area of 7.69 million sq km, Australia is divided into six states and two territories. It is the sixth largest nation in the world and the only continent that is governed as a single country. The population is roughly 23 million people.