Cultural Background

Part of Southeast Asia, the islands of Oceania, or the Pacific Islands, are divided into four major regions: Austrailasia (Australia and New Zealand), Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Oceania covers the area between Asia and the Americas and is made up of more than 10,000 islands.

The people of Oceania who navigated the Pacific Ocean from one island to another using their knowledge of the stars and the sea are known as the Wayfinders. They did not use any instruments to navigate.

Time Period: 1000 AD to the present.

Location: Oceania encompasses the islands of the Pacific Ocean, generally between Asia and the Americas.

Geography: Most of the are volcanic islands and atolls. An atoll is a ring of rocks rising out of the ocean with a lagoon in the center.

The islands are located near a tectonic plate. The earth's crust is broken up into large plates that are constantly shifting. The sifting of these plates cause earthquakes. The shifting also allows gases and other materials to escape from deep inside the earth. Because the islands are in an area of high geologic activity, there are many active volcanoes that spew material from deep within the earth.

The climate is tropical, which means that it is very hot and humid.

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