How Many Awesome Islands Can One Explore?
There are Literary 1000's of Gorgeous South Pacific Islands
The South Pacific lies within the Pacific ocean south of the latitude of Panama. It was called “Mar del Sur” (Southern Ocean) by its discoverer, Vasco Núñez de Balboa in 1513.
The South Pacific is divided into Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.
South Pacific Islands in the World
The South Pacific is littered with many paradise islands of all sizes. As we write these paragraphs, new islands are being formed through volcanic activities in the Tongan oceans. They are creating even more islands to explore in the future.
Three Groups of South Pacific Island States
Culturally and ethnically, the South Pacific is divided into the regions of Polynesia, Melanesia and parts of Micronesia.
This entire island area covers an ocean surface of just over 30 million mi2.
Eastern & Central South Pacific Islands
Polynesia
Polynesia is what one would image paradise to be: turquoise lagoons, magnificent atolls, rugged volcanic landscapes, and ancient Maori traditions with their beautiful Hula dancers.
The land area of these about 1.000 fantastic islands adds up to around 10.000 mi2.
PS: Hawaii is also part of Polynesia, but this group of islands is located in North hemisphere.
Here are the individual island states:
Cook Islands
Western South Pacific Islands
Melanesia
Melanesia – derived from Greek – is the region of the “dark-skinned people”. Because this is where they differ significantly from the lighter-skinned Polynesians.
The region is known for its large number of active volcanoes, unexplored caves, pristine reefs, wonderful beaches and centuries-old cultures.
Melanesia has approximately 2.000 islands, making up 363.000 mi2 of land.
The Melanesian islands states include:
North Western South Pacific Islands
Micronesia
The “small islands” – Micronesia translated from the Greek – are known for its pristine waters and some of the worlds best dive spots.
Micronesia comprises around 2.000 islands, with a land surface of just around 1.150 mi2.
However, only some parts of Micronesia belong to the South Pacific, all others are located in the Western Pacific.
These are the Micronesian island states:
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