OA - South Pacific Island Groups Lesson

South Pacific Island Groups

The Tropical Realm of the South Pacific with the Three Main Regions of Islands

Map of the South Pacific Islands

Both the Pacific realm and Antarctica would be heavily impacted by increased climate change. Rising temperatures would continue to melt the ice in the polar caps, which in turn could raise sea levels. Changes in precipitation patterns could seriously alter the biodiversity of tropical islands in the Pacific, and changes in temperatures or precipitation could affect agricultural activity and tourism on many islands. Climate change in Antarctica could cause a further decline in the populations of penguins or other organisms.

The Pacific realm of islands can be divided into three main groups based on physical geography, local inhabitants, and location. The groups are Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

Melanesia

The region of the Pacific north of Australia that borders Indonesia to the east is called Melanesia. Its main island groups include the independent countries of Fiji, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea; and New Caledonia, which is under French government control. The island of New Guinea is shared between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

The Region of Melanesia

Map of Melanesia

Papua New Guinea 

Papua New Guinea is the largest country in the Pacific realm. Although it is located near the equator, its mountains reach 14,793 feet in elevation causing snow to fall at the highest elevations. The interior of the island has large areas that have not been exploited by large-scale development projects. Volcanic vents deep under the sea continue to bring hot magma and minerals to the surface of the ocean floor, creating valuable exploitable resources. Papua New Guinea has laid claim to these islands and the underwater resources within their maritime boundaries.

Solomon Islands 

To the east of the island of Guinea are the Solomon Islands, a group of more than one thousand islands. The islands contain several active and dormant volcanoes. Tropical rain forests cover several the islands and are home to rare orchids and other organisms. There is concern that these resources might be harmed by deforestation and the exploitation of resources for economic gain. Shifting tectonic plates are the source of active seismic activity that has created devastating earthquakes and tsunamis. An earthquake of 8.1 magnitude hit the Solomon Islands in 2007, bringing high waves and many aftershocks. The tsunami killed at least fifty-two people, and as many as one thousand homes were destroyed.

Micronesia 

North of the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea is the large region of Micronesia. The "micro" portion of the name refers to the fact that the islands are small—often only one square mile or so in the physical area. The region has more than two thousand islands. Most of the islands are composed of coral and do not extend above sea level to any considerable extent. These low islands are the predominant type of island in Micronesia. The high islands are usually of volcanic origin and reach elevations in the thousands of feet.

Independent Countries of Micronesia

  • Federated States of Micronesia
  • Kiribati (Western)
  • Marshall Islands
  • Nauru
  • Palau

Other Island Groups

  • Guam (US)
  • Gilbert Islands (Kiribati)
  • Northern Mariana Islands (US)
  • Wake Island (US)

Guam 

The largest island in Micronesia is Guam. It is only 210 square miles in area and reaches an elevation of 1,335 feet at its highest point. Coral reefs surround Guam's volcanic center. Guam is not an independent country, but a possession of the US. The island was a strategic location during World War II, and the United States has major military installations located on the island.

Northern Mariana Islands

The Northern Mariana Islands are next to Guam and are current US possessions, along with Wake Island in the northeast. The US administers the United Nations Trust Territory of the Federated States of Micronesia. Implemented in 1986 and renewed again in 2004, the islands entered the Compact of Free Association with the United States and established an independent status.

Nauru

The independent island country of Nauru is only about eight square miles in physical area, but its large phosphate deposits created enormous wealth for its small population. Once the phosphates had been mined, however, there were little means to gain wealth on such a small island with a devastated landscape. Many on Nauru are trying to live off the investments from their mining wealth or have moved to find a livelihood elsewhere.

The majority of islands in Micronesia are low islands composed of coral.

Map of Micronesia

Marshall Islands

Most of the Marshall Islands are atolls. An atoll is a coral island that surrounds a lagoon. Although the Marshall Islands are beautiful, many have been rendered unlivable as a result of U.S. nuclear testing. From 1946 to 1958, the United States conducted sixty-seven atmospheric nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands. The largest of these tests was known as the Bravo test, which included the detonation of a nuclear device over Bikini Atoll that was one thousand times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II. Today, there are still concerns about radioactive fallout and its effect on the people who inhabit nearby atolls.

Polynesia

The largest region of the Pacific is Polynesia, a land of many island groups with large distances between them. The region includes the Hawaiian Islands in the north and the Pitcairn Islands and Easter Island to the east. Polynesia has a mixture of island types ranging from the high mountains of Hawaii, which are more than 13,800 feet, to low-lying coral atolls that are only a few feet above sea level. Islands that have enough elevation to condense moisture from the clouds receive adequate precipitation, but many islands with low elevations have a shortage of freshwater, making habitation or human development difficult. The warm climate and beautiful islands contrast with violent destructive storms and a lack of freshwater or resources, which can make life difficult.

Independent Countries of Polynesia

  • Kiribati (eastern)
  • Samoa
  • Tonga
  • Tuvalu

Main Island Possessions

  • American Samoa (US)
  • Cook Islands (NZ)
  • Hawaiian Islands (US)
  • Pitcairn Islands (UK)
  • French Polynesia (FR)
    • Austral Islands
    • The Marquesas
    • Society Islands and Tahiti
    • Tuamotu Islands

The region of Polynesia has island groups that are high islands with mountainous interiors.

Map of Polynesia

Hawaii

The Hawaiian Islands include more islands than the few usually listed in tourist brochures. Approximately 137 islands and atolls are in the Hawaiian chain, which extends about 1,500 miles. Hawaii is one of the most remote island groups in the Pacific. The islands of the Hawaiian archipelago are a product of volcanic activity from an undersea magma source called a hotspot, which remains stationary as the tectonic plate over it continues to shift creating new volcanoes. Mt. Kilauea, an active volcano on Hawaii, the largest island in the Hawaiian chain, is considered by geologists to be one of the most active volcanoes in the world. The active volcano of Mauna Loa and two dormant volcanoes, Mauna Kea and Hualālai, are on the same island. Mauna Kea is Hawaii's tallest mountain at 13,796 feet above sea level, which is taller than Mt. Everest if measured from its based on the ocean floor.

Hawaii, like most islands of the Pacific realm, has a tropical type A climate, but snow can be found on the tops of its highest mountains during the winter months. The island of Kauai receives more than 460 inches of rain per year and is one of the wettest places on Earth. The rain shadow effect created by Mt. Wai'ale'ale is the reason for the elevated level of precipitation. All the rain falls on the windward side of the mountain, creating a rain shadow on the leeward side of the mountain, which is a semidesert.

Kiribati

Kiribati includes three sets of islands located in both Micronesia and Polynesia. The main component of Kiribati is the Gilbert Island chain in Micronesia, where the capital city and most of the population are located. The other two minor island chains are the Phoenix Islands and the Line Islands in Polynesia. Both island chains were US possessions before being annexed with the Gilbert Islands to become Kiribati. The Line Islands were used for testing of British hydrogen bombs starting in 1957. Three atmospheric nuclear tests were conducted by the British on Malden Island, and six were conducted on Christmas Island. There is concern about how radiation affected people present during the tests and thereafter. The Phoenix Islands have few inhabitants. In 2008, Kiribati declared the entire island group a protected environmental area, which made it the largest protected marine habitat in the world. Kiribati is the only country with land in all four hemispheres: north and south of the equator and on both sides of the 180° meridian.

Samoa

The Samoan Islands are volcanic, and the most active volcano last erupted in 1906. In Samoa, three-quarters of the two hundred thousand people live on the larger of the two main islands.

Tonga

South of Samoa is an archipelago that is home to the Kingdom of Tonga. Only about 36 of the 169 islands are inhabited by a total population of about one hundred twenty thousand people. Tonga is ruled by a monarchy that never lost its governance powers throughout the colonial era. Tonga is the only monarchy in the Pacific. The two main methods of gaining wealth are by remittances from citizens working abroad and tourism.

Tuvalu

The island nation of Tuvalu comprises four reef islands and five atolls for a total land area of about ten square miles. Since Tuvalu's highest point is only fifteen feet in elevation, the islands are susceptible to damage from rising sea levels.

French Polynesia

French Polynesia is comprised of the Austral Islands and the Tuamotu Archipelago. The Austral Islands are the southernmost group of islands in French Polynesia and are home to only about 6,500 people. Tuamotu Archipelago lies between the Society Islands and the Marquesas Islands and is uninhabitable by humans. Like the U.S. use of the Marshall Islands, the French government used the Tuamotu Archipelago as a test site for nuclear weapons. From 1966 to 1974, the French tested forty-one atomic devices above ground in the atmosphere, and from 1974 to 1996, they tested 137 atomic devices below ground. Radiation concerns are the same here as they are on the Marshall Islands. Scientific monitoring will continue to determine the amount of radiation being released by this remote country.

 

RESOURCES IN THIS MODULE ARE OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES (OER) OR CREATED BY GAVS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. SOME IMAGES USED UNDER SUBSCRIPTION.