Location: Indianapolis
Oceania (sometimes Oceanica) is a geographical, and often geopolitical, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity. The term "Oceania" was coined in 1831 by French explorer Dumont d'Urville. The term is also sometimes used to denote a continent comprising Australia and proximate Pacific islands,and is one of eight terrestrial ecozones.
The boundaries of Oceania are defined in a number of ways. Most definitions include Australia, New Zealand and all or part of the Malay Archipelago. Ethnologically, the islands that are included in Oceania are divided into the subregions of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.
Ad ref: 579 | Posted 14 years ago