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About South Pacific
Papeete Travel Tale
by Lorry Patton ...
The words South Pacific evoke romantic images of soft sea breezes and carefree lifestyles, of swaying palms and white sand beaches, of secluded harbors and starlit skies, of emerald islands floating in a blue sea ...
Technically, however, the words refer to an area called Oceania and particularly to the islands that have similar cultures, such as Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.
The land area of Oceania is diminutive in contrast to the ocean. Apart from New Guinea, New
Zealand and Australia, most of the islands are clusters or solitary specks on maps of the Pacific.
Their total land area is only about 42,000 square miles. It is an
area where inhabitants are aware of great distances, solitude and being small in an immense sea.
Most of the islands evolved from either volcanoes or coral. They range from lush and popular
tourist destinations to rocky and uninhabited. In 1994, there were only some 25 million people in
Oceania -- about .5 percent of the world's population -- dwelling mainly in hamlets, villages or
cities.
Obviously, there is tremendous cultural and political diversity in Oceania because of the many
islands and their different histories. Most of the people inhabiting Australasia are of European
descent. In the rest of Oceania, Polynesia has the most people -- the bulk of which live in New
Zealand and Hawaii.
There are 13 independent countries in Oceania, including Fiji, Tonga and Solomon Islands. There
are also numerous protectorates such as Guam and Easter Islands. Some climatic features of the
tropical coasts and islands are heavy rainfall and sea breezes that relieve the ordinarily hot and
muggy conditions. Many islands experience the strongest winds on Earth and are subject to
earthquakes and tremors.
The traditional households on many islands are supported chiefly through agriculture and fishing.
A few islands benefit as ports of call for South Pacific cruises, where the images of soft sea
breezes and carefree lifestyles began.
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