List of islands in the Pacific Ocean

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Three of the major groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Islands are the islands of the Pacific Ocean. Three major groups of islands in the Pacific Ocean are Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia. 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 is a list of many of the major Pacific islands, 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[edit]

The umbrella term Pacific Islands may take on several meanings.[1] Sometimes it refers to only those islands covered by Oceania.[2][3] In some common uses, the term "Pacific Islands" refers to the islands of the Pacific Ocean once colonized by the British, French, Spaniards, Portuguese, Dutch, United States and Japanese, such as the Pitcairn Islands, Taiwan, and Borneo.[4] In other uses it may refer to islands with Austronesian linguistic heritage like Taiwan, Indonesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, Myanmar islands, which found their genesis in the Neolithic cultures of the island of Taiwan.[5]

Largest Pacific islands[edit]

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

Name Area (km2) Country/Countries Population Population density Region
New Guinea 785,753 Indonesia and Papua New Guinea 7,500,000 9.544 Oceania – Melanesia
Honshu 227,960 Japan 103,000,000 451.8 East Asia
Sulawesi 174,600 Indonesia 18,455,000 105.7 Southeast Asia
South Island 150,437 New Zealand 1,135,500 7.5 Oceania – Polynesia
North Island 113,729 New Zealand 3,749,200 33.0 Oceania – Polynesia
Luzon 109,965 Philippines 48,520,000 441.2 Southeast Asia
Mindanao 104,530 Philippines 25,281,000 241.9 Southeast Asia
Tasmania 90,758 Australia 514,700 5.671 Oceania – Melanesia
Hokkaido 77,981 Japan 5,474,000 70.2 East Asia
Sakhalin 72,493 Russia 580,000 8.001 North Asia
Taiwan (Formosa) 35,883 Taiwan 23,000,000 641 East Asia
Kyushu 35,640 Japan 13,231,000 371.2 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
Shikoku 18,800 Japan 4,141,955 220.3 East Asia
New Caledonia 16,648 France 208,709 12.54 Oceania – Melanesia
Palawan 12,189 Philippines 430,000 35.28 Southeast Asia
Viti Levu 10,531 Fiji 600,000 56.97 Oceania – Melanesia
Hawaii 10,434 United States of America 185,079 17.74 Oceania – Polynesia

Pacific islands by region[edit]

Antarctica[edit]

Asia[edit]

North America[edit]

Oceania[edit]

South America[edit]

By country[edit]

Canada[edit]

Pacific islands of Canada are:

Chile[edit]

Chilean islands:

Colombia[edit]

Pacific islands of Colombia:

Cook Islands[edit]

The Cook Islands:

Ecuador[edit]

Islands of Ecuador:

Fiji[edit]

Islands of Fiji:

France[edit]

Islands of France in the Pacific:

Kiribati[edit]

Islands of Kiribati:

Marshall Islands[edit]

Islands of the Republic of the Marshall Islands

Mexico[edit]

Islands of Mexico:

Micronesia[edit]

Islands of Federated States of Micronesia

New Zealand[edit]

Islands of New Zealand, including:

Palau[edit]

Islands of Palau:

Papua New Guinea[edit]

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

Samoa[edit]

Solomon Islands[edit]

Tonga[edit]

Tuvalu[edit]

Tuvalu; Islands of Tuvalu

United States of America[edit]

Pacific islands of United States of America

Vanuatu[edit]

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

(Approximately from north to south)

Other islands[edit]

North Pacific Islands:

Eastern Pacific Islands:

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  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)
  5. ^ Compare: Blundell, David (January 2011). "Taiwan Austronesian Language Heritage Connecting Pacific Island Peoples: Diplomacy and Values" (PDF). International Journal of Asia-Pacific Studies. 7 (1): 75–91. Retrieved 2 May 2015. Taiwan associations are based on almost forgotten old connections with far-reaching Pacific linguistic origins. The present term Austronesia is based on linguistics and archaeology supporting the origins and existence of the Austronesian Language family spread across the Pacific on modern Taiwan, Indonesia, East Timor, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Brunei, Micronesia, Polynesia, the non-Papuan languages of Melanesia, the Cham areas of Vietnam, Cambodia, Hainan, Myanmar islands, and some Indian Ocean islands including Madagascar. Taiwan is in the initiating region.
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