Study notes: Oceania
The island countries are tiny on a world map, so zoom in when you practise. Several of them are among the smallest countries on Earth.
Our data covers 14 countries in Oceania. The largest by land area is Australia and the most populous is Australia.
Three island regions
Melanesia (Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji) lies northeast of Australia. Micronesia (Palau, Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Kiribati) is north of the equator for the most part. Polynesia (Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu) lies to the east.
A country in four hemispheres
Kiribati straddles both the equator and the 180° meridian, so it lies in the northern, southern, eastern and western hemispheres.
Capitals that aren’t the biggest city
Australia’s capital is Canberra, not Sydney; New Zealand’s is Wellington, not Auckland. Both are favourite Pin Drop surprises.
Keep going
Ready for a mixed challenge? Try today’s expedition, or practise Africa, Asia, Europe, North America or South America.
Countries of Oceania
Population estimates and capitals from Natural Earth; areas computed from its boundaries.
| Country | Capital | Population | Land area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Canberra | 25.4 million | 7,706,037 km² |
| Fiji | Suva | 889,953 | 18,407 km² |
| Kiribati | South Tarawa | 117,606 | 938 km² |
| Marshall Islands | Majuro | 58,791 | 237 km² |
| Micronesia | Palikir | 113,815 | 524 km² |
| Nauru | Yaren* | 12,581 | 28 km² |
| New Zealand | Wellington | 4.92 million | 266,862 km² |
| Palau | Melekeok | 18,008 | 341 km² |
| Papua New GuineaBorders Indonesia | Port Moresby | 8.78 million | 464,290 km² |
| Samoa | Apia | 197,097 | 2,702 km² |
| Solomon Islands | Honiara | 669,823 | 25,740 km² |
| Tonga | Nuku'alofa | 104,494 | 432 km² |
| Tuvalu | Funafuti | 11,646 | 10 km² |
| Vanuatu | Port Vila | 299,882 | 11,292 km² |
- * Nauru: Nauru has no official capital; government offices are in Yaren District.