Documents for "Pacific Islands Political Geography":

• Admiralty Islands group of 40 volcanic islands, c.800 sq mi (2,070 sq km), SW Pacific, in the Bismarck Archipelago and part of Papua New Guinea. Lorengau, the chief port and administrative center of the group, is on Manus, the largest island. Copra, pearls, and marine shells are the principal products...

• Agaña Guam: see Hagåtña.

• American Samoa officially Territory of American Samoa, unincorporated territory of the United States (2000 pop. 57,291), comprising the eastern half of the Samoa island chain in the South Pacific. The group (76 sq mi/197 sq km) consists of several major islands: Tutuila , the Manu'a group (Ta'u, Ofu, and Olosega), Rose and Sand Islands, and Swains Island. Pago Pago , the capital, is on Tutuila. Most of the islands are mountainous, heavily wooded, and surrounded by coral reefs. Polynesians account for a large majority of the population. Christian...

• Anatahan uninhabited volcanic island, 12.5 sq mi (32 sq km), Saipan dist., Northern Mariana Islands, in the W Pacific Ocean some 85 mi (140 km) N of Saipan. The island is dominated by two overlapping...

• Antipodes rocky uninhabited islands, 24 sq mi (62 sq km), South Pacific, c.550 mi (885 km) SE of New Zealand, to which they belong. Explored by British seamen in 1800, the Antipodes are so named because...

• Apia town (1983 est. pop. 35,000), capital of Samoa , on the northern coast of Upolu island. The economic, social, and political center of Samoa, Apia is the nation's only port and city. Through its harbor bananas, copra, and cocoa are exported, and cotton goods, motor vehicles,...

• Ascension Island Caroline Islands: see Pohnpei.

• Atuona or Atuana , town, in the Marquesas Islands , South Pacific, in French Polynesia. Situated on the southern coast of the island of Hiva Oa , Atuona overlooks the Bay of Traitors. Gauguin lived...

• Auckland Islands small uninhabited group (234 sq mi/606 sq km), S Pacific, c.300 mi (480 km) S of Stewart Island, New Zealand, to which they belong. There is a nature preserve for birds and sea mammals. The islands...

• Austral Islands volcanic island group (2002 pop. 6,386), South Pacific, part of French Polynesia. They are sometimes known as the Tubuai Islands. The group comprises seven islands, plus islets, with a total land area of c.115 sq mi (300 sq km). Tubuai, the largest island (c.17 sq mi/44 sq km),...

• Baker Island uninhabited island, 1 sq mi (2.6 sq km), central Pacific, near the equator, c.1,650 mi (2,660 km) SW of Honolulu. The arid coral island was discovered in 1832 by Capt. Michael Baker, an American,...

• Banaba or Ocean Island, island (1990 pop. 284), 2.2 sq mi (5.7 sq km), central Pacific, in the Republic of Kiribati , in the Gilbert Islands. The island was first visited by the British in 1804, was annexed in 1900, and from 1907 was the administrative capital of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands until World War II...

• Bikini atoll, c.2 sq mi (5.2 sq km), W central Pacific, one of the Ralik Chain, Marshall Islands. It comprises 36 islets on a reef 25 mi (40 km) long. After its inhabitants were removed (1946) to Rongerik, Bikini was the scene of 23 U.S. atomic and hydrogen bomb tests (1946-58). The natives...

• Bismarck Archipelago volcanic island group, 19,200 sq mi (49,730 sq km), SW Pacific, a part of Papua New Guinea. The group includes New Britain (the largest island), New Ireland , the Admiralty Islands , the Mussau Islands, New Hanover , the Vitu Islands , and the Duke of York Islands. The islands are generally mountainous and have several active volcanoes. The chief agricultural products are copra, cacao, coffee, tea, and rubber. Some copper and gold are mined. The inhabitants...

• Bora-Bora volcanic island, 15 sq mi (39 sq km), South Pacific, in the Leeward group of the Society Islands , French Polynesia. It is a mountainous island, with Mt. Otemanu (2,379 ft/725 m) the highest peak. Bora-Bora has a good harbor, which is a large lagoon surrounded by coral islets. Copra, oranges, and vanilla are...

• Bougainville volcanic island (1990 est. pop. 154,000), c.3,880 sq mi (10,050 sq km), SW Pacific, largest in the Solomon Islands chain. With Buka and smaller neighboring islands, it forms an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea. Bougainville is rugged and densely forested. There are several good harbors, with the main port at Kieta. The economy is mainly agricultural; major exports are copra, ivory nuts, green snails,...

• Butaritari also known as Makin , triangular atoll (4.5 sq mi/11.7 sq km; 1990 pop. 3,786), central Pacific, in the Gilbert Islands and part of the Republic of Kiribati. The town of Butaritari on the southernmost islet is a port of entry. Butaritari became a part of the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in 1915. During World War II it was the first...

• Canton Island see Kanton.

• Caroline Islands archipelago, c.830 sq mi (2,150 sq km), W Pacific, just north of the equator. The largest islands are Palau (Belau), Yap , Chuuk (Truk), Pohnpei (Ponape), and Kosrae. The islands are fertile and rich in minerals. There are deposits of phosphate, guano, bauxite, and iron; coconuts, sugarcane, and tapioca are produced. The chief exports are...

• Chatham Island see Savai'i.

• Chatham Islands island group, 373 sq mi (966 sq km), South Pacific, c.500 mi (800 km) E of New Zealand, to which it belongs. The two largest islands are Chatham Island, which has a large central lagoon, and Pitt...

• Christmas Island atoll: see Kiritimati.

• Chuuk or Truk , state (1990 est. pop. 48,853), c.39 sq mi (100 sq km), Federated States of Micronesia, W Pacific, in the E Caroline Islands. One of four states comprising the Federated States of Micronesia , Chuuk consists of c.55 volcanic islands surrounded by an atoll reef and many islets. The chief products are copra and dried fish. During World War II, Chuuk was the site of an important Japanese...

• Clipperton Island uninhabited atoll, c.2 sq mi (5.2 sq km), in the Pacific Ocean, c.800 mi (1,290 km) SW of Mexico. It was used as a base by John Clipperton, an English pirate. The French claimed it in 1858, the...

• Cocos Islands or Keeling Islands, officially Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands, two separate atolls comprising 27 coral islets (2001 pop. 621), 5.5 sq mi (14.2 sq km), in the Indian Ocean, c.1,400 mi (2,250 km) SE of Sri Lanka...

• Cook Islands island group (2003 est. pop. 13,200), 90 sq mi (234 sq km), S Pacific, SE of Samoa; a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand. It consists of 15 small islands and is comprised of...

• Dangerous Archipelago see Tuamotu Archipelago.

• D'Entrecasteaux Islands volcanic group, SW Pacific, SE of New Guinea, part of Papua New Guinea. Comprising the Fergusson, Goodenough, and Normanby islands, the group, with a total land area of c.1,200 sq mi (3,110 sq...

• Duke of York Islands group of 13 coral islands, 23 sq mi (60 sq km), SW Pacific, in the Bismarck Archipelago , part of Papua New Guinea. There are several coconut plantations. Duke of York Island is the largest of the group,...

• Easter Island Span. Isla de Pascua, Polynesian Rapa Nui, remote island (1992 pop. 2,770), 66 sq mi (171 sq km), in the South Pacific, c.2,200 mi (3,540 km) W of Chile, to which it belongs. Of volcanic origin, Easter Island is mostly covered with...

• Efate Fr. Vaté , volcanic island, c.300 sq mi (780 sq km), South Pacific, most important island of Vanuatu and seat of Vila (1994 pop. 30,868), the capital and administrative center. Efate produces...

• Ellice Islands or Lagoon Islands: see Tuvalu.

• Enderbury Island see Phoenix Islands.

• Entrecasteaux Islands, D' see D'Entrecasteaux Islands.

• Equatorial Islands see Line Islands.

• Escholtz Islands see Bikini.

• Espíritu Santo or Santo, volcanic island, 1,485 sq mi (3,846 sq km), South Pacific, largest and westernmost island of Vanuatu (formerly New Hebrides). Generally mountainous and fertile, the island produces copra, coffee, and cocoa. Its indigenous population is mainly Melanesian. Espiritu Santo was explored in 1606 by the...

• Fanning Island see Tabuaeran.

• Fiji or Viti , officially Republic of the Fiji Islands, republic made up of a Melanesian island group (2005 est. pop. 893,000), c.7,000 sq mi (18,130 sq km), South Pacific. Suva is the capital. ...

• Fly largest river of the island of New Guinea, c.650 mi (1,050 km) long, rising in the Star Mts. and flowing generally SE through Papua New Guinea to the Gulf of Papua. The Fly is navigable for...

• French Polynesia officially Territory of French Polynesia, internally self-governing overseas country (2002 pop. 245,516) of France, consisting of 118 islands in the South Pacific. The capital is Papeete , on Tahiti...

• Friendly Islands see Tonga.

• Funafuti chief atoll of Tuvalu , S Pacific. It comprises 30 islets of a reef 13 mi (21 km) long, with a land area of c.1 sq mi (2.6 sq km). The island was discovered in 1819 and became part of a British colony in 1915. An...

• Galápagos Islands [Span.,=tortoises], archipelago and province (1990 pop. 9,785), 3,029 sq mi (7,845 sq km), Ecuador, in the Pacific Ocean c.650 mi (1,045 km) W of South America on the equator. There are 13 large...

• Gambier Islands volcanic islands (6 sq mi/15.5 sq km; 2002 pop. 1,097), South Pacific, near the southeast end of the Tuamotu Archipelago. The group is a part of French Polynesia. It comprises a cluster of four inhabited islands known as Mangareva and many uninhabited atolls. The Mangareva cluster is within a barrier reef having a circumference of c.40 mi (60 km). The...

• Gilbert and Ellice Islands former British colony in the central and S Pacific. See: Kiribati and Tuvalu.

• Gilbert Islands group of 16 islands, central Pacific, one of the island groups that form the Republic of Kiribati. The group includes Tarawa , Butaritari , Makin, Little Makin, Marakei, Abaiang, Maiana, Abemama, Kuria, and Aranuka in the north; Nonouti and Tabiteuea in the central region; and Beru, Nikunau, Onotoa, Tamana, and Arorae in the south...

• Goodenough's Island see Rarotonga.

• Guadalcanal volcanic island (1992 est. pop. 63,633), c.2,510 sq mi (6,500 sq km), South Pacific, largest of the Solomon Islands. Honiara , capital of the Solomon Islands, is there. The island is largely jungle. Mt. Makarakombou rises to 8,028 ft (2,447 m). There are coconut and oil palm plantations and some gold mining. The...

• Guam Chamorro Guåhan, the largest, most populous, and southernmost of the Mariana Islands (see also Northern Mariana Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States (2005 est. pop. 168,000), 209 sq mi (541 sq km), W Pacific. The southern part of the island is mountainous, rising on Mt. Lamlam to 1,332 ft (406...

• Hagåtña or Agaña , city (1990 pop. 4,785), capital of the island of Guam , W Pacific, in the Mariana Islands. It is the administrative center of Guam, and many of the city's economic activities are related to the provision of goods and services to the large U.S. military...

• Hiva Oa volcanic island, 154 sq mi (399 sq km), South Pacific, second largest and the most important of the Marquesas Islands , French Polynesia. Hiva Oa is the seat of Atuona, former capital of the Marquesas....

• Honiara town (1986 pop. 30,413), capital of the Solomon Islands. Located on Guadalcanal in the SW Pacific, Honiara was rebuilt to replace the former capital of Tulaghi at the end of World War II and...

• Howland Island uninhabited island (.73 sq mi/1.89 sq km), central Pacific near the equator, c.1,620 mi (2610 km) SW of Honolulu. The island was discovered by American traders and was claimed by the United States...

• Humphrey Island see Manihiki.

• Iwo Jima Jap. Io-jima, volcanic island, c.8 sq mi (21 sq km), W Pacific, largest and most important of the Volcano Islands. Mt. Suribachi, 546 ft (166 m) high, on the south side of the island, is an extinct volcano. The main industries are sulfur mining and sugar refining. During World War II, the island, site of a...

• Jaluit atoll, c.40 mi (60 km) long and c.20 mi (30 km) wide, central Pacific, one of the Ralik Chain in the U.S. Marshall Islands. It comprises some 85 islets, of which Jaluit Island (4 sq mi/10.4 sq km) is the largest. In World War II it was the headquarters of the Japanese admiralty for the Marshall Islands. U.S. forces...

• Jarvis Island island, 1.7 sq mi (4.4 sq km), central Pacific, one of the Line Islands , just south of the equator and c.1,300 mi (2,090 km) S of Honolulu. Known to British and American mariners, it was claimed in...

• Johnston Atoll atoll, 2.8 sq mi (7.25 sq km), central Pacific, c.700 nautical mi (1,300 km) SW of Honolulu, central Pacific, an uninc. territory of the United States. It consists of four islands and reefs. The...

• Johnston Island see Johnston Atoll.

• Kaiser-Wilhelmsland see Papua New Guinea.

• Kanton coral atoll, 3.5 sq mi (9 sq km), central Pacific, largest of the Phoenix Islands , which comprise part of Kiribati , c.2,000 mi (3,220 km) SE of Honolulu, Hawaii. Annexed by the British at the end of the 19th cent., the island was also claimed by American guano companies. In 1937 the British built a radio...

• Kazan-retto see Volcano Islands.

• Keeling Islands see Cocos Islands.

• Kermadec Islands almost uninhabited, active volcanic group (c.13 sq mi/34 sq km), South Pacific, 450 mi (720 km) NE of New Zealand, of which they are a dependency. Raoul, or Sunday, Island, the largest, is...

• Kingman Reef uninhabited reef, less than 1 sq mi (2.6 sq km), central Pacific, one of the Line Islands , 1,075 mi (1,730 km) SW of Honolulu. It was discovered by Americans in 1798 and annexed by the United States in 1922. Formerly an airport on the route from Honolulu to Pago Pago, Kingman Reef is...

• Kiribati officially Republic of Kiribati (2005 est. pop. 103,000), 342 sq mi (886 sq km), consisting of 33 islands scattered across 2,400 mi (3,860 km) of the Pacific Ocean near the equator. It includes 8...

• Koror Palau: see Oreor.

• Kwajalein coral atoll, 6.5 sq mi (16.8 sq km), central Pacific, in the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. The largest atoll of the Marshalls, Kwajalein, consists of a group of 97 islets surrounding a lagoon. A large Japanese naval and air base was located there during World War II, and after the U.S...

• Ladrones Islands see Northern Mariana Islands.

• Lae town (1990 pop. 88,172), Papua New Guinea, on NE New Guinea island, at the head of the Huon Gulf. Lae is an important administrative and commercial center of Papua New Guinea. Founded in 1927 to...

• Lagoon Islands see Tuvalu.

• Lavongai Papua New Guinea: see New Hanover.

• Line Islands or Equatorial Islands, coral group, 43 sq mi (111 sq km), central and S Pacific. Once valuable for their guano deposits, the islands now have coconut groves, airfields, and meteorological stations. Of the 11 islands in...

• Lord Howe Island volcanic island (1991 pop. 371), 5 sq mi (12.9 sq km), S Pacific, a dependency of New South Wales, Australia. It is a resort c.300 mi (480 km) E of the Australian coast. The island was explored in...

• Louisiade Archipelago SW Pacific, part of Papua New Guinea. The archipelago comprises c.10 volcanic islands and numerous coral reefs. The major islands are Tagula (the largest), Rossel, Misima, and Panaeati. The inhabitants are Papuans. Bwagaoia, on Misima...

• Low Archipelago see Tuamotu Archipelago.

• Loyalty Islands coral group (1989 pop. 17,900), S Pacific, a part of the French overseas territory of New Caledonia. The group comprises three islands (Lifou, Maré, and Ouvéa) and many islets and has...

• Madang town (1990 pop. 27,181), Papua New Guinea, on NE New Guinea island. A seaport on Astrolabe Bay, Madang exports copra and gold. It was an important Japanese air base during World War II. Madang was...

• Majuro atoll and town (c.4 sq mi/10 sq km; 1988 pop. 19,664), capital of the Republic of the Marshall Islands. Located in the Ratak Chain in the W central Pacific, Majuro has port facilities and an...

• Makatea formerly Aurora , island, South Pacific, one of the most northwesterly of the Tuamotu Archipelago , French Polynesia. The center of the island was once a solid mass of phosphate that was mined jointly by the British and the French until 1966, when the phosphate reserves were depleted. Makatea is administered as...

• Mangareva see Gambier Islands.

• Manihiki atoll, c.2 sq mi (5.2 sq km), South Pacific, in the Cook Islands. It comprises 12 islets; the whole group that includes Manihiki and Penrhyn is also often designated Manihiki. Manihiki was discovered in 1822 by Americans and became a British protectorate in...

• Manu'a island group and district (1990 pop. 1,714) of American Samoa comprising Ta'u, Ofu, and Olosega islands, with a total area of 22 sq mi (57 sq km). According to Samoan tradition, the Manu'a group is the cradle of the race. The main settlement is Luma, on Ta'u...

• Mariana Islands see Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.

• Marianas see Northern Mariana Islands and Guam.

• Marquesas Islands volcanic group (2002 pop. 8,712), South Pacific, a part of French Polynesia. There are 12 islands in the group, which lies c.740 mi (1,190 km) NE of Tahiti. The largest island is Nuku Hiva , the seat of the capital, Taiohae; the second largest, Hiva Oa , is the site of Atuona , the former capital. The Marquesas, famous for their rugged beauty, are fertile and mountainous, rising to 3.904 ft (1,190 m) on Hiva Oa. There are breadfruit, pandanus, and coconut trees; the...

• Marshall Islands officially Republic of the Marshall Islands, independent nation (2005 est. pop. 59,000), in the central Pacific. The Marshalls extend over a 700-mi (1,130-km) area and comprise two major groups:...

• Melanesia one of the three main divisions of Oceania , in the SW Pacific Ocean, NE of Australia and S of the equator. Melanesia includes the Solomon Islands , Vanuatu , New Caledonia , Tuvalu , the Bismarck...

• Micronesia one of the three main divisions of Oceania , in W Pacific Ocean, north of the equator. Micronesia includes the Caroline Islands , Marshall Islands , Mariana Islands (see Northern Mariana Islands...

• Micronesia, Federated States of independent nation (2005 est. pop. 108,000), c.271 sq mi (702 sq km), an island group in the W Pacific Ocean. It comprises four states: Kosrae, Pohnpei (formerly Ponape), Chuuk (formerly Truk), and...

• Midway island group (2 sq mi/5.2 sq km), central Pacific, c.1,150 mi (1,850 km) NW of Honolulu, comprising Sand and Eastern islands with the surrounding atoll. Discovered by Americans in 1859, Midway was...

• Moorea volcanic island (2002 pop. 14,226), c.50 sq mi (130 sq km), South Pacific, second largest of the Windward group of the Society Islands , French Polynesia. The island is mountainous, with Mt. Tohivea (3,975 ft/1,212 m) the highest peak. On the northern coast are Cook Bay and Papetoai Bay. Paopao, Haapiti, and Afareaitu are the chief towns. Tourism is...

• Nauru officially Republic of Nauru, atoll and independent republic (2005 est. pop. 13,000), c.8 sq mi (20 sq km), central Pacific, just south of the equator and west of the Gilbert Islands of Kiribati. It was formerly called Pleasant Island. Yaren is the capital. There is a narrow band of habitable land along the coast; the island's interior is environmentally devastated as a result of phosphate...

• Navigators' Islands see Samoa.

• Neu Hannover see New Hanover.

• Neu Lauenberg see Duke of York Islands.

• Neu Mecklenburg see New Ireland.

• Neu Pommern see New Britain.

• New Britain volcanic island (1990 pop. 315,649), c.14,600 sq mi (37,810 sq km), SW Pacific, largest island of the Bismarck Archipelago and part of Papua New Guinea, in which it forms two provinces (East and West New Britain). Rabaul is the chief town and port. The island is mountainous, with active volcanoes, hot springs, and peaks over 7,000 ft (2,130 m) high. The major export is copra, and some copper, gold, iron, and coal...

• New Caledonia Fr. Nouvelle Calédonie, internally self-governing territory of France (2005 est. pop. 216,000), land area 7,241 sq mi (18,760 sq km), South Pacific, c.700 mi (1,130 km) E of Australia. It comprises the island of New...

• New Guinea island, c.342,000 sq mi (885,780 sq km), SW Pacific, N of Australia; the world's second largest island after Greenland. Politically it is divided into two sections: the Indonesian provinces of Papua...

• New Guinea, Territory of see Papua New Guinea.

• New Hanover or Lavongai , volcanic island, c.460 sq mi (1,190 sq km), in the Bismarck Archipelago , part of Papua New Guinea. New Hanover is mountainous and densely forested. Coconuts, fishing, and timber are economically important. The island is known for long canoes, capable of holding 30...

• New Hebrides Fr. Nouvelles Hébrides : see Vanuatu.

• New Ireland volcanic island (1990 pop. 64,615), c.3,340 sq mi (8,650 sq km), SW Pacific, in the Bismarck Archipelago , part of Papua New Guinea. New Ireland is largely mountainous, rising to c.4,000 ft (1,220 m). Much of the island is under cultivation, especially the east coast. Kavieng is the chief town and...

• Niue coral island (2004 pop. 1,761), c.100 sq mi (260 sq km), South Pacific, freely associated with New Zealand. Alofi is the capital. The inhabitants are mainly Protestant Polynesians. Niue, once...

• Norfolk Island island (2005 est. pop. 1,800), 13 sq mi (34 sq km), South Pacific, a territory of Australia, c.1,035 mi (1,670 km) NE of Sydney. Now a resort, Norfolk has luxuriant vegetation and is known for its "pine" trees, which are not true pines but evergreens of the araucaria family. Explored in 1774 by Capt. James Cook , the island was claimed by Great Britain in the hope that the trees would provide masts for the navy. When the wood proved unsatisfactory, Norfolk was made into a prison island (1788-1855). In 1856...

• Northern Mariana Islands commonwealth associated with the United States (2005 est. pop. 80,400), c.185 sq mi (479 sq km), comprising 16 islands (6 inhabited) of the Marianas chain (all except Guam ), in the W Pacific Ocean; formerly part of the U.S. Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. The islands lie E of the Philippines and S of Japan and extend 350 mi (563 km) from north to south. The...

• Nouméa town (1992 est. pop. 75,000), chief port and capital of the French overseas territory of New Caledonia , on New Caledonia island, South Pacific. Local industry, dominated by the nearby Doniambo nickel smelter, include cementworks, foods and beverages, agricultural processing, and apparel production...

• Nuku Hiva volcanic island, 127 sq mi (329 sq km), South Pacific, largest of the Marquesas Islands , French Polynesia. The island is fertile, with well-watered valleys; its highest point is c.4,000 ft (1,220 m). There are eight harbors, the best of which is Taiohae Bay on the southern coast. Copra is the chief...

• Nukualofa town (1986 pop. 21,300), capital and chief port of the Kingdom of Tonga , on the northern coast of Tongatapu island. The city has a deep harbor; copra, bananas, vanilla, and handicrafts are exported....

• Ocean Island Kiribati: see Banaba.

• Oceania or Oceanica , collective name for the approximately 25,000 islands of the Pacific, usually excluding such nontropical areas as the Ryukyu and Aleutian islands and Japan, as well as Taiwan, Indonesia, and the...

• Oreor or Koror , volcanic island (c.3 sq mi/7.8 sq km; 1990 pop. 10,501), capital of Palau, in the W Caroline Islands, W Pacific. Most of the republic's population lives there. Palau's main airport, Airai, is...

• Pago Pago town (1990 pop. 10,640) and capital of American Samoa , on the Southern shore of Tutuila island. Pago Pago has an excellent, landlocked harbor and is the only port of call in American Samoa. Tourism and tuna canning are important industries. From 1878 to 1951 it was a coaling and...

• Palau officially Republic of Palau, independent nation (2005 est. pop. 20,300), c.192 sq mi (497 sq km), W Pacific, in the W Caroline Islands. Belau, the native form of Palau, is sometimes used. Until 1994, Palau was administered by the United States as the last UN trust territory. It consists of about 200 islands and islets, of which...

• Palmyra atoll (2 sq mi/5.2 sq km), central Pacific, one of the Line Islands , c.1,100 mi (1,770 km) SW of Honolulu. Palmyra has no permanent inhabitants. First visited by Americans in 1802, and later claimed by the Hawaiian kingdom (1862) and Great Britain (1889), it was...

• Pangopango see Pago Pago.

• Papeete town (2002 pop. 26,181), capital of Tahiti and of French Polynesia , South Pacific. A port on the NW coast of Tahiti, Papeete ships copra, vanilla, and mother-of-pearl. The town has an important...

• Papua New Guinea officially Independent State of Papua New Guinea, independent Commonwealth nation (2005 est. pop. 5,545,000), 183,540 sq mi (475,369 sq km), SW Pacific. It encompasses the eastern half of the...

• Papua, Territory of see Papua New Guinea.

• Paumotu see Tuamotu Archipelago.

• Penrhyn see Cook Islands.

• Phoenix Islands group of eight islands, 11 sq mi (28 sq km), central Pacific, N of Samoa. The chain comprises a portion of Kiribati. The two most important are Kanton (or Abariringa) and Enderbury Island. The other islands include Rawaki (formerly Phoenix), Manra (formerly Sydney), Birnie, McKean, Nikumaroro (formerly Gardner), and Orona (formerly Hull). The...

• Pines, Isle of or Kunié , island (1989 pop. 1,465), c.58 sq mi (150 sq km), South Pacific, a part of the French overseas territory of New Caledonia. The Isle of Pines, formerly a penal colony, is now a...

• Pitcairn Island volcanic island (2005 est. pop. 45), 2.5 sq mi (6.5 sq km), South Pacific, SE of Tuamotu Archipelago. Adamstown is the capital and only settlement. The first British Pacific Islands possession...

• Pitt Island see Butaritari.

• Pohnpei state and island (1991 est. pop. 52,000), 129 sq mi (334 sq km), W Pacific, in the E Caroline Islands. It is one of four states comprising the Federated States of Micronesia. A volcanic island, Pohnpei is a flat dome of black basaltic rock, rising to 2,595 ft (791 m), with a rim of fertile coastal land. Copra, dried bonito, and handicrafts are the chief products. Ruins...

• Polynesia [Gr.,=many islands], one of the three main divisions of Oceania , in the central and S Pacific Ocean. The larger islands are volcanic; the smaller ones are generally coral formations. The principal...

• Ponape see Pohnpei.

• Port Moresby town (1990 pop. 193,242), capital of Papua New Guinea, on New Guinea island and on the Gulf of Papua. Rubber, gold, and copra are exported. Port Moresby was founded by Capt. John Moresby, who...

• Rabaul town (1990 pop. 17,044), on New Britain island, Bismarck Archipelago , a part of Papua New Guinea. Situated within an active caldera surrounded by volcanoes, the city has long been vulnerable to volcanic eruptions. It was nearly destroyed in 1937, but after being...

• Rai'atea volcanic island, 92 sq mi (238 sq km), South Pacific, largest and most important of the Leeward group of the Society Islands , French Polynesia. The island is mountainous, with Mt. Toomaru (3,389 ft/1,033 m) the highest peak. Uturoa is the chief port and seat of government of the Leeward Islands; it has a fruit cannery, a government...

• Ralik Chain see Marshall Islands.

• Rarotonga formerly Goodenough's Island, volcanic island (1994 est. pop. 9,700), 26 sq mi (67 sq km), South Pacific, capital of the Cook Islands. It is the largest, most important, and most southwesterly of the group. Avarua is the administrative seat and chief town and port of Rarotonga. Citrus fruit, copra, and pearl shell are exported...

• Ratak Chain see Marshall Islands.

• Saipan volcanic island (2000 pop. 62,392), 47 sq mi (122 sq km), W Pacific, capital of the Northern Mariana Islands. It is mountainous; the highest peak is Mt. Tagpochau (1,526 ft/465 m). Clothing is the main export, but sugarcane, coffee, citrus fruits, and coconuts are grown, and the island has phosphate and...

• Samarai small island (59 acres/23.9 hectares), at the southeastern tip of Papua New Guinea, New Guinea island. It is a commercial and shipping center and a port of entry. An important European settlement...

• Samoa chain of volcanic islands in the South Pacific, comprising the independent nation of Samoa (formerly Western Samoa), and E of long. 171° W, the islands of American Samoa , under U.S. control. The Samoan islands extend c.350 mi (560 km), with a total land area of c.1,200 sq mi (3,110 sq km), and lie midway between Honolulu, Hawaii, and Sydney, Australia. The major...

• Samoa formerly Western Samoa, officially Independent State of Samoa, constitutional monarchy (2005 est. pop. 177,000), South Pacific, comprising the western half of the Samoa island chain. There are...

• Sandalwood Island see Vanua Levu.

• Santo New Hebrides: see Espíritu Santo.

• Savai'i volcanic island (1981 pop. 43,150), Samoa. It is the largest (c.700 sq mi/1,810 sq km) and most westerly of the Samoan islands. Savai'i, fertile and mountainous, has the highest peak in Samoa, Mt. Silisili (6,070 ft/1,850 m). Bananas,...

• Society Islands island group (2002 pop. 214,445), South Pacific, a part of French Polynesia. The group comprises the Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands (total land area c.650 sq mi/1,680 sq km), two clusters of volcanic and coral islands lying in a 450-mi (724-km) chain. Only eight...

• Solomon Islands independent Commonwealth nation (2005 est. pop. 538,000), c.15,500 sq mi (40,150 sq km), SW Pacific, E of New Guinea. The islands that constitute the nation of the Solomon Islands— Guadalcanal , Malaita, New Georgia, the Santa Cruz Islands, Choiseul, Ysabel (Santa Isabel), San Cristobal (Makira), the Shortland Islands, and countless smaller islands—are only part of the 900-mi (1,448-km)...

• Sulphur Island see Iwo Jima.

• Suva city (1993 est. pop. 80,000), capital of Fiji , on the southeastern coast of Viti Levu island, S Pacific. It is a major shipping and commercial center of the S Pacific producing a variety of manufactures. Coconut oil and soap are manufactured; sugar, copra, gold, and tropical fruits...

• Swains Island island, 1 sq mi (2.59 sq km), district of American Samoa , c.200 mi (320 km) N of Tutuila. It is a ring of sand and coral with luxuriant vegetation. Swains Island has been privately owned by the same family for more than 100 years. Local government was ordered for the indigenous...

• Tahiti island (2002 pop. 169.674), South Pacific, in the Windward group of the Society Islands , French Polynesia. The capital is Papeete. Tahiti is the largest (402 sq mi/1,041 sq km) and most important of the French Pacific islands. The peninsula of Taiarapu, which forms E Tahiti, is joined to the western part of the island by the...

• Tarawa atoll (1990 pop. 28,802), capital of Kiribati , central Pacific, previously capital of the former British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. The administrative center of the atoll is Bairiki island. Betio island, the chief commercial...

• Tetepare raised coral island 46 sq mi (118 sq km), S Western prov., Solomon Islands, SW Pacific, separated from New Georgia by the Blanche Channel. It is the largest uninhabited island in the South...

• Tinian island (2000 pop. 3,540), 39 sq mi (101 sq km), W Pacific, one of the Northern Mariana Islands. The island lies immediately SW of Saipan. The inhabitants are of mixed Micronesian, Filipino, and Spanish descent. Tinian's once large phosphate deposits have been depleted. Vegetable gardening is...

• Tokelau formerly Union Islands, island group (2005 est. pop. 1,400), c.5 sq mi (c.12 sq km), South Pacific, a territory of New Zealand. It is composed of three small atolls, Atafu, Nukunono (the largest),...

• Tonga officially Kingdom of Tonga, island kingdom (2005 est. pop. 112,000), 270 sq mi (699 sq km), South Pacific, c.2000 mi (3,220 km) NE of Sydney, Australia. Tonga is the only surviving independent...

• Trobriand Islands small volcanic island group off SE New Guinea, part of Papua New Guinea. Kiriwana is the largest of the group's 22 islands. Yams, pearl shell, and trepang are the major products. The islands were...

• Truk see Chuuk.

• Tuamotu Archipelago or Low Archipelago, coral island group (2002 pop. 14,876), South Pacific, part of French Polynesia. They comprise c.80 atolls in a 1,300-mi (2,092-km) chain, with a total land area of c.330 sq mi (850 sq km). Rangiroa is the largest island; Fakarava is the most important commercially. The...

• Tubuai Islands see Austral Islands.

• Tutuila island (1990 pop. 45,043), 52 sq mi (135 sq km), largest island of American Samoa. The capital and principal harbor is Pago Pago. The island has a rugged eastern area, with a plain in the southwest. Near the center is Matafao Peak (2,141 ft/653 m), the highest point on Tutuila. Copra, canned fish, and handicrafts are the...

• Tuvalu independent Commonwealth nation (2005 est. pop. 11,600), 10 sq mi (26 sq km), composed of nine low coral atolls, formerly known as the Ellice (or Lagoon) Islands, scattered over the W Pacific...

• Ulithi atoll comprising 40 islets, 1.75 sq mi (4.53 sq km), W Pacific, in the W Caroline Islands. Ulithi is part of the Federated States of Micronesia ; Mokomok is the chief village. The atoll became (1920) part of the Japanese mandate in the Pacific and was strongly fortified. The main atoll has an excellent lagoon for anchoring large ships, and...

• Upolu volcanic island (1986 est. pop. 163,000), Samoa , S Pacific, the most populous of the Samoan islands. Upolu's land area is c.430 sq mi (1,110 sq km); the highest peak is Vaaifetu (c.3,600 ft/1,100 m). The island is well watered, and its fertile...

• Vanua Levu or Sandalwood Island, volcanic island, 2,137 sq mi (5,535 sq km), S Pacific, second largest of the Fiji Islands. Nasoro Levu, or Mt. Thurston (3,139 ft/960 m), is the highest peak. The Dreketi is the principal river. The large east peninsula is connected with the rest of the island by a narrow...

• Vanuatu formerly New Hebrides , officially Republic of Vanuatu, independent republic (2005 est. pop. 206,000), c.5,700 sq mi (14,760 sq km), South Pacific, E of Australia. Vanuatu is a 450-mi (724-km) chain of 80 islands, of...

• Viti see Fiji.

• Viti Levu or Naviti Levu , volcanic island, 4,010 sq mi (10,386 sq km), S Pacific, largest and most important of the Fiji Islands. On Viti Levu are Suva , the capital and chief port of Fiji, and Lautoka, an important town. Tomaniivi, or Mt. Victoria (c.4,340 ft/1,320 m), the highest peak in Fiji, is on the island. Sugarcane, pineapples, rice,...

• Vitu Islands volcanic group, 37 sq mi (96 sq km), in the Bismarck Archipelago , part of Papua New Guinea. Garove and Unea are the largest islands. The group is the chief copra center of Papua New Guinea. Formerly called the French Islands, the group is sometimes known as the...

• Volcano Islands Jap. Kazan-retto, island group, c.11 sq mi (30 sq km), W Pacific. The group consists of three islands, of which Iwo Jima is the most important. The highest peak (3,181 ft/970 m) is on Minami-iwo-jima. There are sugarcane plantations and sulfur mines on the Volcano Islands. The inhabitants are Japanese and Koreans...

• Wake Island atoll with three islets (Wake, Wilkes, and Peale), 3 sq mi (7.8 sq km), central Pacific, between Hawaii and Guam. It is a U.S. commercial and military base under the jurisdiction of the Federal...

• Wallis and Futuna Islands French overseas territory (2005 est. pop. 16,000), 106 sq mi (274 sq km), South Pacific, W of Samoa and NE of Fiji. Comprising two small groups, the Wallis Islands and the Hoorn Islands, which are...

• Washington Island see Teraina.

• Western Samoa former name of the nation of Samoa.

• Witu Islands see Vitu Islands.

• Yap state (1990 pop. 10,886), c.47 sq mi (121 sq km), in the W Caroline Islands , W Pacific. One of four states comprising the Federated States of Micronesia , the island group was formerly part of the U.S. Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. Yap is a communications center, the principal cable station of the Pacific and an important radio...