List of islands in the Pacific Ocean

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See also: List of seas § Pacific Ocean
Three of the major groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean

This is a list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, collectively called the Pacific Islands. Three major groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean are Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Depending on the context, Pacific Islands may refer to countries and islands with common Austronesian origins, islands once or currently colonized, or Oceania. The indigenous inhabitants of the Pacific Islands are referred to as Pacific Islanders. This list is organized by archipelago or political unit. In order to keep this list of moderate size, links are given to more complete lists for countries with large numbers of small or uninhabited islands.

Name ambiguity and groupings[]

The umbrella term Pacific Islands has taken on several meanings.[1] Sometimes it is used to refer only to the islands defined as lying within Oceania.[2][3] More commonly, it is used to refer to the islands of the Pacific Ocean that were previously colonized by the British, French, Spaniards, Portuguese, Dutch, or Japanese, or by the United States. Examples include the Pitcairn Islands, Taiwan, and Borneo.[4]

A commonly applied biogeographic definition includes oceanic islands within Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia and the eastern Pacific.[5][6][7][8][9][10] Authors Dieter Mueller-Dombois and Frederic Raymond Fosberg consider these to be the "Tropical Pacific Islands". They broke them up into the following subdivisions:[11]

  • Western Melanesia
    • The Bismarck Archipelago and other islands directly east of New Guinea
    • Bougainville and Buka Island
    • The Solomon Islands
  • Eastern Melanesia
  • Subtropical islands in the Australia/New Zealand region
    • Lord Howe Island
    • Norfolk Island
  • Micronesia
    • The Bonin Islands and Volcano Islands
    • Marcus Island
    • The Northern Marianas
    • The Southern Marianas
    • The Caroline Islands
    • Nauru and Banaba
    • Wake Island
    • The Marshall Islands
    • The Gilbert Islands (Kiribati)
  • Central Polynesia
    • Johnston Atoll
    • The Phoenix Islands
    • The Line Islands
    • Howland Island, Baker Island, Jarvis Island, Malden Island and Starbuck Island
    • Tuvalu, Tokelau and the Northern Cook Islands (Pukapuka, Nassau, Rakahanga, Manihiki, Penrhyn, Suwarrow and Palmerston)
  • Western Polynesia
    • Tonga
    • Samoa
    • Wallis and Futuna
    • Niue
  • Eastern Polynesia
    • The rest of the Cook Islands
    • The Austral Islands
    • The Society Islands
    • The Tuamotu Archipelago and the Pitcairn Islands
    • Easter Island and Salas y Gómez
    • The Marquesas Islands
  • Northern Polynesia
    • The Hawaiian Islands
  • Oceanic islands of the Eastern Pacific

Oceania grouping[]

Main article: Oceania
Oceania and adjacent areas

Since the beginning of the 19th century, Australia and the islands of the Pacific have been grouped into a region called Oceania.[12][13] It is often considered a proper continent, with the Pacific Ocean being the defining characteristic.[14] 19th century definitions encompassed the region as beginning in the Malay Archipelago, and as ending near the Americas.[13][15][16][17][18] Islands with historical ties to the Asian mainland (such as those in the Malay Archipelago) are rarely included in present definitions of Oceania, nor are islands near Alaska and Canada with historically Indigenous American populations.[19][20] Many consider Australia to be a continent-sized landmass, although they are still sometimes viewed as a Pacific Island;[21] this is partly due to their Indigenous population, who have been associated with the natives of areas such as Melanesia.[22] Australia is a founding member of the Pacific Islands Forum, which is now recognized as the main governing body for the Oceania region.[23] By 2021, the Pacific Islands Forum included all sovereign Pacific Island nations, such as Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji and Tonga, in addition to dependencies of other nations, such as American Samoa, French Polynesia and Guam. Islands which have been fully integrated into other nations, including Easter Island (Chile) and Hawaii (United States), have also shown interest in joining.[24] Tony deBrum, Foreign Minister for the Marshall Islands, stated in 2014, "Not only [is Australia] our big brother down south, Australia is a member of the Pacific Islands Forum and Australia is a Pacific island, a big island, but a Pacific island."[21]

List of the largest Pacific islands[]

Islands of the Pacific Ocean proper, with an area larger than 10,000 km2.

Name Area (km2) Country/Countries Population Population density Region Subregion
New Guinea 785,753 Indonesia and Papua New Guinea 15,000,000 9.544 Oceania / Australia Melanesia
Honshu 227,960 Japan 103,000,000 451.8 Asia East Asia
Sulawesi 174,600 Indonesia 18,455,000 105.7 Asia Southeast Asia
South Island 150,437 New Zealand 1,135,500 7.5 Oceania / Zealandia Australasia / Polynesia
North Island 113,729 New Zealand 3,749,200 33.0 Oceania / Zealandia Australasia / Polynesia
Luzon 109,965 Philippines 48,520,000 441.2 Asia Southeast Asia
Mindanao 104,530 Philippines 25,281,000 241.9 Asia Southeast Asia
Tasmania 90,758 Australia 514,700 5.671 Oceania / Australia Australasia
Hokkaido 77,981 Japan 5,474,000 70.2 Asia East Asia
Sakhalin 72,493 Russia 580,000 8.001 Asia North Asia
Taiwan Island (Formosa) 35,883 Taiwan 23,000,000 641 Asia East Asia
Kyushu 35,640 Japan 13,231,000 371.2 Asia East Asia
New Britain 35,145 Papua New Guinea 513,926 14.62 Oceania Melanesia
Vancouver Island 31,285 Canada 759,366 24.27 North America Northern America
Shikoku 18,800 Japan 4,141,955 220.3 Asia East Asia
Grande Terre 16,648 New Caledonia (France) 208,709 12.54 Oceania / Zealandia Melanesia
Palawan 12,189 Philippines 430,000 35.28 Asia Southeast Asia
Hawaii 10,434 United States of America 185,079 17.74 Oceania Polynesia
Viti Levu 10,388 Fiji 600,000 56.97 Oceania Melanesia

Pacific islands by region[]

Antarctica[]

Asia[]

North and Central America[]

Oceania[]

South America[]

By country[]

Australia[]

Canada[]

  • List of islands of British Columbia, many islands including:
    • Haida Gwaii, some 400 islands near Alaska
    • Vancouver Island, Canada's largest Pacific island
      • Gulf Islands, numerous islands off the southeast coast of V.I. near the U.S. San Juan Islands

Chile[]

China[]

Colombia[]

  • Gorgona Island
  • Malpelo Island

Cook Islands[]

  • Aitutaki
  • Atiu
  • Pamati (Palmerston)
  • Mangaia
  • Manihiki (Humphrey)
  • Manuae (Hervey)
  • Mauke (Parry)
  • Mitiaro (Nukuroa)
  • Nassau
  • Pukapuka (Danger)
  • Rakahanga (Reirson)
  • Rarotonga
  • Suwarrow (Anchorage)
  • Takutea
  • Tongareva (Penrhyn)

Costa Rica[]

  • Cocos Island

Ecuador[]

Fiji[]

France[]

Indonesia[]

  • Western New Guinea

Japan[]

  • List of islands of Japan, including:
  • The five main islands:
    • Hokkaido - the northernmost and second largest main island.
    • Honshu - the largest and most populous island; home of the capital Tokyo.
    • Kyushu - the third largest main island and closest to the Asian continent.
    • Shikoku - the second smallest main island after Okinawa; between Honshu and Kyushu
    • Okinawa Island - the smallest and southernmost of the main islands
  • Other notable islands:
    • Marcus Island
    • Okinotori Islands

Kiribati[]

  • Caroline Island
  • Flint Island
  • Gilbert Islands
  • Line Islands (8 of 11)
    • Kiritimati/Christmas Island
  • Malden Island
  • Phoenix Islands
  • Starbuck Island
  • Tabuaeran/Fanning Island
  • Teraina/Washington Island
  • Vostok Island

Malaysia[]

Marshall Islands[]

  • Marshall Islands
    • Bikini
    • Enewetak
    • Kwajalein
    • Rongelap
    • Majuro

Mexico[]

Micronesia[]

Islands of Federated States of Micronesia

  • Caroline Islands
  • Pohnpei
  • Yap
    • Ulithi
  • Chuuk
    • Puluwat
  • Kosrae

Nauru[]

  • Nauru, a country and single island

New Zealand[]

  • Islands of New Zealand, around 600 islands including:
  • Tokelau (mostly autonomous), three coral atolls with about 25 islands combined, including:
    • Olohega (Swains Island), administered by the United States as part of American Samoa, but claimed by Tokelau due to geography, history and language

Niue[]

  • Niue, a country and single island

Palau[]

Palau has over 250 islands, including:

Panama[]

Papua New Guinea[]

Philippines[]

Russia[]

Samoa[]

Solomon Islands[]

Taiwan[]

Tonga[]

Tuvalu[]

  • Islands of Tuvalu
    • Funafuti (atoll of at least 30 islands)
    • Nanumanga (or Nanumaga)
    • Nanumea (atoll of at least 6 islands)
    • Niulakita
    • Niutao
    • Nui (atoll of at least 21 islands)
    • Nukufetau (atoll of at least 33 islands)
    • Nukulaelae (atoll of at least 15 islands)
    • Vaitupu (atoll of at least 9 islands)

United Kingdom[]

Main article: List of islands of the United Kingdom § Overseas Territories
  • Pitcairn Islands, four islands:
    • Pitcairn Island
    • Henderson Island
    • Oeno Island
    • Ducie Island

United States[]

Vanuatu[]

  • Disputed:
    • Matthew Island and Hunter Island, administered by France as part of New Caledonia but also claimed by Vanuatu


Notes[]

  1. ^ William Collins Sons & Co Ltd (1983), Collins Atlas of the World (revised 1995 ed.), London W6 8JB: HarperCollins, ISBN 0-00-448227-1{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  2. ^ D'Arcy, Paul (March 2006). The People of the Sea: Environment, Identity, and History in Oceania. University Of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-3297-1. Archived from the original on 2014-10-30. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
  3. ^ Rapaport, Moshe (April 2013). The Pacific Islands: Environment and Society, Revised Edition. University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-6584-9. JSTOR j.ctt6wqh08. This is the only contemporary text on the Pacific Islands that covers both environment and sociocultural issues and will thus be indispensable for any serious student of the region. Unlike other reviews, it treats the entirety of Oceania (with the exception of Australia) and is well illustrated with numerous photos and maps, including a regional atlas. – via JSTOR (subscription required)
  4. ^ Wright, John K. (July 1942). "Pacific Islands". Geographical Review. 32 (3): 481–486. doi:10.2307/210391. JSTOR 210391. – via JSTOR (subscription required)
  5. ^ R. Zug, George (2013). Reptiles and Amphibians of the Pacific Islands: A Comprehensive Guide. University of California Press. p. 10. One cannot refer to “Pacific islands” and ignore the Galapagos Islands and other eastern Pacific islands.
  6. ^ Hinz, Earl R. (1999). Landfalls of Paradise: Cruising Guide to the Pacific Islands (4th ed.). University of Hawai'i Press. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  7. ^ "Classifying Pacific islands | Geoscience Letters | Full Text". Geoscienceletters.springeropen.com. 2016-03-02. doi:10.1186/s40562-016-0041-8. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  8. ^ Udvardy, Miklos D.F. "A Classification of the Biogeographical Provinces of the World" (PDF). UNESCO. Retrieved 7 March 2022.
  9. ^ Doran, Edwin B. (1959). Handbook of Selected Pacific Islands. The University of California. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  10. ^ Lal, Brij V.; Fortune, Kate (2000). The Pacific Islands: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1. University of Hawaii Press. p. 60. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  11. ^ Mueller-Dombois, Dieter; Fosberg, Frederic R. (1998). Vegetation of the Tropical Pacific Islands. Springer. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  12. ^ Barrington-Ward, Mark James (1879). The child's geography. Oxford University. p. 56. Retrieved 13 March 2022. There are six great divisions of the earth— Asia, Africa, Europe, North and South America and Oceania. Of these, Asia is largest, Europe smallest. Oceania is made up of Australia and many scattered islands
  13. ^ a b Brown, Robert (1876). "Oceania: General Characteristics". The countries of the world. Oxford University. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  14. ^ Society, National Geographic (4 January 2012). "Australia and Oceania: Physical Geography". National Geographic Society.
  15. ^ Ireland, A. (1863). The Geography and History of Oceania. p. 1. Retrieved 12 March 2022. Oceania, the fifth great division of the earth's surface, includes the numerous islands scattered over the great ocean which extends from the south - eastern shores of Asia to the western coast of America.
  16. ^ Wallace, Alfred Russel (1879). Australasia. The University of Michigan. p. 2. Retrieved 12 March 2022. Oceania is the word often used by continental geographers to describe the great world of islands we are now entering upon [...] This boundless watery domain, which extends northwards of Behring Straits and southward to the Antarctic barrier of ice, is studded with many island groups, which are, however, very irregularly distributed over its surface. The more northerly section, lying between Japan and California and between the Aleutian and Hawaiian Archipelagos is relived by nothing but a few solitary reefs and rocks at enormously distant intervals.
  17. ^ Chambers, William (1856). Chambers's Parlour Atlas with Descriptive Introduction and Copious Consulting Index. The University of Virginia. Oceania, the fifth great division of the earth's surface, includes the numerous islands scattered over the great ocean which extends from the south - eastern shores of Asia to the western coast of America. It is separated from Asia by the Str. of Malacca, the Chinese Sea, and the Channel of Formosa; and from America by a broad belt of ocean comparatively free of islands.
  18. ^ Chambers's New Handy Volume American Encyclopædia: Volume 9. The University of Virginia. 1885. p. 657. Retrieved 13 March 2022. the whole region has sometimes been called Oceania, and sometimes Australasia—generally, however, in modern times, to the exclusion of the islands in the Indian archipelago, to which certain writers have given the name of Malaysia [...] we have the three geographical divisions of Malaysia, Australasia and Polynesia, the last mentioned of which embraces all the groups and single islands not included under the other two. Accepting this arrangement, still the limits between Australasia and Polynesia have not been very accurately defined; indeed, scarcely any two geographers appear to be quite agreed upon the subject; neither shall we pretend to decide in the matter. The following list, however, comprises all the principal groups and single island not previously named as coming under the division of Australasia: 1. North of the equator—The Ladrone or Marian islands. the Pelew islands, the Caroline islands, the Radack and Ralick chains, the Sandwich islands, Gilbert's or Kingstnill's archipelago. and the Galapagos. 2. South of the equator—The Ellice group, the Phoenix and Union groups. the Fiji islands, the Friendly islands, the Navigator's islands. Cook's or Harvey islands, the Society islands. the Dangerous archipelago, the Marquesas islands, Pitcairn island, and Easter island.
  19. ^ Henderson, John William (1971). Area Handbook for Oceania. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 5. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
  20. ^ "Oceania | Definition, Population, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com.
  21. ^ a b O'Malley, Nick (September 21, 2014). "'Australia is a Pacific island - it has a responsibility'". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  22. ^ Ernst, Manfred; Anisi, Anna (1 February 2016). "The Historical Development of Christianity in Oceania". Sanneh/Wiley: 588–604 – via www.academia.edu.
  23. ^ "Consultations on Pacific Islands Forum 2050 Strategy". Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
  24. ^ "Pacific forum looks to widen entry - ABC News". Abc.net.au. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
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