Pacific Islands

The Pacific Ocean contains an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 islands (the exact number has yet to be precisely determined). Those islands lying south of the tropic of Cancer but excluding Australia are traditionally grouped into three divisions: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Inhabitants are sometimes referred to as Pacific Islanders.

Pacific islands are also sometimes collectively called "Oceania" [Collins Atlas of the World, Page 83] (although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago),

Melanesia means "black islands". These include New Guinea (the largest Pacific island, 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 Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, and the Federated States of Micronesia. Most of these lie north of the equator. Polynesia means "many islands". These include New Zealand, the Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, the Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and Easter Island. It is the largest of the three zones.

The region's islands are classified into two groups, high islands and low islands. Volcanoes form high islands, which generally can support more people and have a more fertile soil. Low islands are reefs or atolls, and are relatively small and infertile. Melanesia, the most populated of the three regions, contains mainly high islands, while most of Micronesia and Polynesia are low islands.

There are also many other islands located within the boundaries of the Pacific Ocean, but these are not considered part of Oceania. These islands include the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador; the Aleutian Islands in Alaska; the Russian islands of Sakhalin and Kuril Islands; Taiwan; the Philippines; the South China Sea Islands; most of the islands of Indonesia; and the island nation of Japan, which includes the Ryukyu Islands. The inhabitants of these islands are not considered to be Pacific Islanders and are usually identified with their nearest continent.

List of islands

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. Note: many Polynesian languages have a glottal stop, which in most of them is seldomly written, however. If a name with a < okina > cannot be found, try to rewrite it without it. See 'okina for more info.

* American Samoa (United States)
**Aunuokinau
**Ofu
**Olosega
**Rose Island
**Swains Island (Olosenga, Olohega) (disputed)
**Taokinau
**Tutuila

*Baker Island (United States)

*Caroline Islands (Federated States of Micronesia; Palau)
**Federated States of Micronesia
***Pohnpei
***Yap
****Ulithi
***Chuuk
****Puluwat
***Kosrae
**Palau
***Babeldaob
***Ioueldaob
****Koror
***Southwest Islands

*Clipperton Island (France)

* Cook Islands
**Aitutaki
**Atiu
**Palmerston
**Mangaia
**Manihiki (Humphrey)
**Manuae (Hervey)
**Mauke (Parry)
**Mitiaro
**Nassau
**Pukapuka (Danger)
**Rakahanga (Reirson)
**Rarotonga
**Suwarrow (Anchorage)
**Takutea
**Tongareva (Penrhyn)

*Desventuradas Islands (Chile)

*East Timor

*Easter Island/Rapa Nui (Chile)

*Fiji Islands
** Principal islands:
***Viti Levu
***Vanua Levu
** Significant outliers:
***Conway Reef
***Kadavu
***Taveuni
***Rotuma
** Archipelagos:
***Kadavu Group
***Lau Islands
***Lomaiviti Islands
***Mamanuca Islands
***Moala Islands
***Ringgold Isles
***Rotuma Group
***Vanua Levu Group
***Viti Levu Group
***Yasawa Islands

*French Polynesia ("Tahiti", Autonomous Overseas Territory of France)
**Austral Islands
***Tubuai
**Society Islands
***Iles du Vent (Windward Islands)
****Moorea
****Tahiti
****Tetiaroa
****Maiao
****Mehetia
***Iles Sous le Vent (Leeward Islands)
****Bora Bora
****Huahine
****Maupiti
****Raiatea & Tahaa
****Tupai
****Mopelia (aka Maupihaa)
****Manuae (aka Scilly Atoll)
****Motu One (aka Bellinghausen)
**Marquesas
***Fatu Hiva
***Hiva Oa
***Nuku Hiva
***Tahuata
***Ua Huka
***Ua Pou
**Tuamotus
***Rangiroa
***Fakarava
***Moruroa
***Fangataufa
**Gambier Islands
***Mangareva
***Helena Island
*Galapagos Islands (Ecuador)
*Gilbert Islands (Kiribati)

*Hawaii (United States; see also Hawaiian Islands)
**Main islands
***Hawaiokinai
***Kahookinaolawe
***Kauaokinai
***Lanaokinai
***Maui
***Molokaokinai
***Niokinaihau
***Ookinaahu
**Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
***Kaʻula
***Nihoa
***Necker
***French Frigate Shoals
***Gardner Pinnacles
***Maro Reef
***Laysan
***Lisianski
***Pearl and Hermes Reef
***Midway
***Kure

*Howland Island (United States)

*Johnston Atoll (United States)

*Juan Fernández Islands (Chile)

*Kermadec Islands (New Zealand)
**Macauley Island
**Raoul Island

*Line Islands
**Caroline Island
**Flint Island (Kiribati)
**Jarvis Island (United States)
**Kingman Reef (United States)
**Kiritimati/Christmas Island (Kiribati)
**Malden Island (Kiribati)
**Palmyra Atoll (United States)
**Starbuck Island (Kiribati)
**Tabuaeran/Fanning Island (Kiribati)
**Teraina/Washington Island (Kiribati)
**Tongareva/Penhryn Island (Cook Islands)
**Vostok Island (Kiribati)

*Lord Howe Island (Australia)

*Marcus Island (Japan)

*Marianas Islands (United States)
**Guam
**Northern Marianas Islands
***Saipan
***Rota
***Tinian
***Maug
***Pagan Island
***Alamagan
***Farallon de Pajaros

*Marshall Islands
**Bikini
**Enewetak
**Kwajalein
**Rongelap
**Majuro

*Norfolk Island (Australia)

*Federated States of Micronesia (Caroline Islands)
**Chuuk (Truk)
***Puluwat
**Pohnpei
**Kosrae
**Yap
***Ulithi

*Nauru

*New Caledonia ("Kanaky", France)
**Chesterfield Islands
**Ilots du Mouillage
**New Caledonia
***Isle of Pines
***Belep Islands
***New Caledonia
**Loyalty Islands
***Bagao
***Lifou Island
***Maré Island
***Ouvéa Island
***Tiga Island

*New Zealand ("Aotearoa", see also Islands of New Zealand)
**Chatham Islands
***Chatham Island
***Pitt Island
**D'Urville Island
**Great Barrier Island
**Kapiti Island
**North Island
**South Island
**Stewart Island/Rakiura
**Waiheke Island

*Niue (Savage Island)

*Papua New Guinea
**Bismarck Archipelago
***Admiralty Islands
***New Britain
***New Ireland
***Saint Matthias Group
**Bougainville
**D'Entrecasteaux Islands
**Louisiade Archipelago
**Trobriand Islands

*Phoenix Islands (Kiribati)

*Pitcairn Islands (UK)

*Revillagigedo Islands (Mexico)

*Samoa
**Savaiokinai
**okinaUpolu
**Apolima

*Solomon Islands (see also Islands of the Solomon Islands)
**Bellona
**Choiseul
**Florida Island
**Guadalcanal
**Malaita
**Maramasike
**New Georgia Islands
**Rennell
**Russell Islands
**San Cristobal
**Santa Cruz Islands
**Santa Isabel
**Shortland Islands
**Sikaiana (Stewart Islands)
**Tulagi
**Ulawa
**Uki

*Tokelau
**Atafu (Duke of York Island)
**Fakaofo (Bowditch Island)
**Nukunonu (Duke of Clarence Island)
**Olohega (Swains island) (disputed)

*Tonga (only main islands or groups, on north-south order. See also complete list of islands in Tonga)
**Niuafookinaou
**Niuatoputapu (Keppel's Island)
**Vavaokinau
**Kao
**Tofua
**Haokinaapai
**Tongatapu
**okinaEua

*Torres Strait Islands (Australia)

*Tuvalu (see also Islands of Tuvalu)
**Funafuti (atoll of at least 30 islands)
**Nanumanga (or "Nanumaga")
**Nanumea (atoll of at least 6 islands)
**Niulakita
**Niutao
**Nui (atoll of at least 21 islands)
**Nukufetau (atoll of at least 33 islands)
**Nukulaelae (atoll of at least 15 islands)
**Vaitupu (atoll of at least 9 islands)

*Vanuatu (New Hebrides; see also Islands of Vanuatu)
**Ambrym
**Anatom
**Aoba
**Éfaté
**Erromango
**Espiritu Santo
**Futuna
**Hunter (claimed by France and Vanuatu)
**Îles Banks
**Îles Torres
**Maéwo
**Matthew (claimed by France and Vanuatu)
**Malakula
**Pentecóte
**Tanna

*Wake Island (United States)

*Wallis and Futuna (France)
**Alofi
**Futuna
**Wallis (okinaUvea)

*Willis Island (Australia)

See also

*List of islands
*List of islands in the United States
*List of islands in the Arctic Ocean
*List of islands in the Atlantic Ocean
*List of islands in the Caribbean
*List of islands in the Indian Ocean
*List of islands of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
*List of islands of Australia
*List of islands of Asia
*List of islands belonging to Kiribati
*List of islands of New Zealand
*List of islands of North America
*List of islands of South America
*List of islands in Tonga

Footnotes

References

*Citation
last = William Collins Sons & Co Ltd
first =
author-link =
year = 1983
title = Collins Atlas of the World
place = London W6 8JB
publisher = HarperCollins
edition = revised 1995
isbn = 0 00 448227 1