Oceania is dominated by the nation of Australia, most of which lies under the Pacific Ocean, a body of water larger than all the islands and landmasses on Earth combined. The other two major landmasses in Oceania are the microcontinent of Zealand, which includes New Zealand, and the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, made up of the nation of Papua New Guinea.
This unimaginably vast region stretches for many miles, often with just a few bits of land poking out of the great blue ocean. And it is that Oceania is a geographically huge region. By some estimates, there are about 10,000 such islands with just 8 million square kilometers of land.
Unique features of Oceania
The highest mountain in Oceania is Mount Cook, which is located in New Zealand. Also known as Aoraki, at its highest point, this imposing mountain reaches a maximum elevation of 3,724 meters above sea level. It is so high that the local Maori of the South Island refer to the mountain as “cloud piercer”.
It should not surprise us that most of Oceania is under water, since water is the characteristic that defines this continent. Only 8% is on solid ground. Most of the region is under water, with 100 million square kilometers of ocean.
Given its small percentage of land mass, it is perhaps not surprising that Oceania’s population density is only eight people per square kilometer .
In favor of its enormous diversity of fauna and flora. Animals native to the region include the common wombat, a marsupial that generally inhabits the southern and eastern regions of Australia, as well as Tasmania; emus, the second largest bird species in the world by height; koalas, a herbivorous marsupial; the platypus, the kookaburra or the red kangaroo, the largest land mammal native to Australia. From its flora we could highlight the waratah, a vibrant red flower native to Australia.
Will you join us on this journey?
