Oceania Collection

Oceania, collective name for the islands scattered throughout most of the Pacific Ocean. The term, in its widest sense, embraces the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas. A more common definition excludes the Ryukyu, Kuril, and Aleutian islands and the Japan archipelago.

The most popular usage delimits Oceania further by eliminating Indonesia, Taiwan, and the Philippines, because the peoples and cultures of those islands are more closely related historically to the Asian mainland. Oceania then, in its most restricted meaning, includes more than 10,000 islands, with a total land area (excluding Australia, but including Papua New Guinea and New Zealand) of approximately 317,700 square miles (822,800 square km).

Oceania has traditionally been divided into four parts: Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. As recently as 33,000 years ago no human beings lived in the region, except in Australasia. Although disagreeing on details, scientists generally support a theory that calls for a Southeast Asian origin of island peoples.

By 2000 about 12 million islanders lived in Oceania (excluding Australia), and many indigenous cultures were revolutionized by intensive contact with non-Oceanic groups who had intruded from various parts of the Western world. (The arts of the region are discussed in several articles; see art and architecture, Oceanic; music and dance, Oceanic; and Oceanic literature.) Pop. (2001 est.) including Australia, 31,377,000.

References:

Encyclopaedia Britannica

Regional Sub-Divisions

Available Books

Book Title	Date
An Account of a Voyage to New South Wales	1803
Views in Australia or New South Wales	1825
Vues et Paysages des Regions Equinoxiales	1826
Voyage Pittoresque Autour de Monde	1822
Australian Landscapes	1866
Voyage of H.M.S. Blonde to the Sandwich Islands	1826
Field Sports of the Native Inhabitants of New South Wales	1813
South Australia Illustrated	1847
A Voyage of Discovery, into the South Sea and Beering's Straits Vol. 1	1821
A Voyage of Discovery, into the South Sea and Beering's Straits Vol. 2	1821
A Voyage of Discovery, into the South Sea and Beering's Straits Vol. 3	1821
A Literary & Historical Atlas of Africa and Australasia	1913
The Royal Atlas & Gazetteer of Australasia	1890
New Zealand : Its Physical Geography, Geology, and Natural History	1867
A Voyage to Terra Australis Vol. 1	1814
A Voyage to Terra Australis Vol. 2	1814
A Voyage to Terra Australis [Atlas]	1814
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia Vol. 1	1827
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia Vol. 2	1827
Journals of Expeditions of Discovery into Central Australia Vol. 1	1845
Journals of Expeditions of Discovery into Central Australia Vol. 2	1845
Sketches From Many Shores Visited by H.M.S. Challenger	1878
Polynesia; A Popular Description of the Islands of the Pacific	1866
Savage Life and Scenes in Australia and New Zealand Vol. 1	1847
Savage Life and Scenes in Australia and New Zealand Vol. 2	1847
A Voyage to the South Sea, and Round the World Vol. 1	1712
A Voyage to the South Sea, and Round the World Vol. 2	1712
A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean Vol. 3	1798
A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean Vol. 2	1798
A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean Vol. 1	1798
The Three Voyages of Captain James Cook Round the World Vol. 1	1821
The Three Voyages of Captain James Cook Round the World Vol. 2	1821
The Three Voyages of Captain James Cook Round the World Vol. 3	1821
The Three Voyages of Captain James Cook Round the World Vol. 4	1821
The Three Voyages of Captain James Cook Round the World Vol. 5	1821
The Three Voyages of Captain James Cook Round the World Vol. 6	1821
The Three Voyages of Captain James Cook Round the World Vol. 7	1821
A Voyage Towards the South Pole Vol. 1	1777
A Voyage Towards the South Pole Vol. 2	1777
Narrative of a Visit to Brazil, Chile, Peru, and the Sandwich Islands	1825
Australia Vol. 1	1873
Australia Vol. 2	1873
Sudsee-Erinnerungen	1883
Ten Months in the Fiji Islands	1864
Te Ika a Maui, or, New Zealand and its Inhabitants	1870
New Zealand; or Zealandia	1857
New Zealand, Painted and Described	1908
Na Motu: or, Reef-Rovings in the South Seas	1854
Travels in New Zealand	1846
Travels in New South Wales	1847
New Zealand Graphic and Descriptive	1877
Journal of a Ten Months' Residence in New Zealand	1823
Description of the Barossa Range and its Neighbourhood in South Australia	1849
Entdeckungsreise in die Sudsee und nach der Berings-Strabe Vol. 1	1821
Entdeckungsreise in die Sudsee und nach der Berings-Strabe Vol. 2	1821
Entdeckungsreise in die Sudsee und nach der Berings-Strabe Vol. 3	1821
Journey to the Southern Ocean and the Bering Strait Vol. 1	1821
Journey to the Southern Ocean and the Bering Strait Vol. 2	1821
Journey to the Southern Ocean and the Bering Strait Vol. 3	1823
Notes of Travel in Fiji and New Caledonia	1880
Reminiscences of the South Seas	1912
The Savage South Seas, Painted and Described	1907
Captain Cook's Three Voyages Round the World	1895
The Aryan Maori	1885
Hawaii, Old and New	1943
Pioneers in Australasia	1912
Journal of a Cruise Among the Islands of the Western Pacific	1853
Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in Australia Vol. 1	1841
Journals of Two Expeditions of Discovery in Australia Vol. 2	1841
A Voyage Round the World	1814
Neu-Seeland	1863
Geologisch-Topographischer Atlas von Neu-Seeland	1863
The Geology of New Zealand	1864
Sketches in the Pacific	1851
Moeurs, Usages et Costumes de Tous les Peuples du Monde Vol. 4	1843
Views of the South Seas	1788
Sketches of Australia and the Adjacent Islands	1849
An Account of the State of Agriculture & Grazing in New South Wales	1826
Descriptive Account of the Panoramic View of King George's Sound	1834
An Historical Account of the Colony of New South Wales	1821
Peeps at Many Lands: Oceania	1911
Sketches Illustrative of the Native Inhabitants and Islands of New Zealand	1838
A Visit to the South Seas, in the United States Ship Vincennes Vol. 2	1832
A Visit to the South Seas, in the United States Ship Vincennes Vol. 2	1832
Views in New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land	1830
A Series of Lithographic Drawings from Sketches in New Zealand	1852
New Zealand Scenery	1877
A Narrative of a Nine Months' Residence in New Zealand	1832
Van Dieman's Land : Geographical and Descriptive	1820
Views in the South Seas	1808
Early Voyages to Terra Australis	1859
The World in Miniature: South Sea Islands Vol. 1	1824
The World in Miniature: South Sea Islands Vol. 2	1824
Travel in Aquatint and Lithography Vol. 2	1957
Views of Australian Scenery	1814
The Melbourne Album	1864
Mount Lyell Mines, Tasmania Vol. 1	1896
Mount Lyell Mines, Tasmania Vol. 2	1898
The New Zealanders Illustrated	1847
An Account of the Pelew Islands	1788
Album Pittoresque de la Fregate La Thetis et de la Corvette L'Esperance	1828
A View of the Coasts, Countries and Islands within the Limits of the South-Sea-Company	1711