Pacific islands
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Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands (/pəˈsɪfɪk ˈaɪləndz/) are the islands of the Pacific Ocean. The vast Pacific Ocean, which spans from Asia to the Americas, is home to numerous islands, many of which have unique ecosystems and are inhabited by distinctive indigenous communities.
Etymology
The term "Pacific Islands" refers to the islands located within the Pacific Ocean. The name "Pacific" was given to the ocean by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan during the Spanish circumnavigation of the world in 1521, as he encountered favourable winds on reaching the ocean. He called it Mar Pacífico, which in both Portuguese and Spanish means "peaceful sea".
Related Terms
- Oceania: A geographic region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.
- Polynesia: A subregion of Oceania, made up of more than 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean.
- Melanesia: A subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji.
- Micronesia: A subregion of Oceania, composed of thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean.
- Australasia: A region of Oceania, comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean.
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