Most of the Pacific Islands lying south of the Tropic of Cancer are collectively referred to as Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago. These islands are traditionally grouped into the three divisions of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia:

Melanesia means black islands. These islands, south of the equator, include New Guinea (the largest Pacific island and second largest island in the world after Greenland, which is divided into the sovereign nation of Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian provinces of Maluku, Papua and West Papua), New Caledonia, Zenadh Kes (Torres Strait Islands), Vanuatu, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands.

Micronesia means small islands. These include the Northern Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, and the Federated States of Micronesia, although sometimes Nauru and Kiribati’s Banaba island are listed separately from Micronesia. Most of these lie north of the equator.

Polynesia means many islands. These islands, mostly south of the equator, include New Zealand, the Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, the Midway Islands, the Samoan Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, the Cook Islands, Wallis and Futuna, Tokelau, Niue, French Polynesia, and Easter Island.

Laucala Island Resort Fiji:

photo from architects

The islands of Oceania are classified into two groups, high islands and low islands.

Laucala is one of three small islands lying to the east of Thurston Point on the island of Taveuni in Fiji. The privately owned island is the site of the exclusive Laucala Resort. The other two islands in the group are Qamea and Matagi.

Source: Wikipedia – Pacific Islands

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