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List of islands in the Pacific Ocean

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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

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]

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 Continent Subregion
New Guinea 785,753 Indonesia and Papua New Guinea 7,500,000 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 Polynesia
North Island 113,729 New Zealand 3,749,200 33.0 Oceania / Zealandia 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

  • List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands

Asia

North America

Oceania

South America

By country

Canada

Pacific islands of Canada are:

  • British Columbia, Canada (many islands). All of Canada's Pacific islands are located in the province of British Columbia. Vancouver Island is Canada's largest Pacific island.

Chile

Chilean islands:

Colombia

Pacific islands of Colombia:

Cook Islands

The Cook Islands:

Ecuador

Islands of Ecuador:

  • Galapagos Islands

Fiji

Islands of Fiji:

France

Islands of France in the Pacific:

Kiribati

Islands of Kiribati:

Marshall Islands

Islands of the Republic of the Marshall Islands

Mexico

Islands of Mexico:

Micronesia

Islands of Federated States of Micronesia

New Zealand

Islands of New Zealand, including:

Palau

Islands of Palau:

Papua New Guinea

Main islands of Papua New Guinea (see List of islands of Papua New Guinea for more detailed list)

Samoa

Solomon Islands

Tonga

Tuvalu

Tuvalu; Islands of Tuvalu

United States

Pacific islands of United States of America

Vanuatu

(For a complete list see List of islands of Vanuatu)

(Approximately from north to south)

Other islands

North Pacific Islands:

Eastern Pacific Islands:

See also

  • List of Antarctic and subantarctic islands

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
  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)
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