List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Oceania
Sovereign states -- United Nations member states
Table:
Flag

Coat of Arms / National Emblem

Map

English short and formal names
[5][6][7]

Domestic short and formal names[5][6]

Capital
[7][8][9]

Population
[10]

Area
[11]

Australia[note 1]
Commonwealth of Australia

English: Australia — Commonwealth of Australia

Canberra

23,268,319

7,741,220 km2 (2,988,902 sq mi)

Federated States of Micronesia

English: Federated States of Micronesia

Palikir

106,487

702 km2 (271 sq mi)

Fiji
Republic of Fiji

English: Fiji — Republic of Fiji
Fijian: Viti — Matanitu ko Viti
Fiji Hindi फीजी/Fiji - रिपब्लिक ऑफ फीजी/ Ripablik ăph Phījī

Suva

890,057

18,274 km2 (7,056 sq mi)

Kiribati
Republic of Kiribati

English: Kiribati — Republic of Kiribati
Gilbertese: Kiribati — Ribaberiki Kiribati

South Tarawa

Bairiki

101,998

811 km2 (313 sq mi)

Marshall Islands
Republic of the Marshall Islands

English: Marshall Islands — Republic of the Marshall Islands
Marshallese: Aelōn̄ in M̧ajeļ - Aolepān Aorōkin M̧ajeļ

Majuro

68,480

181 km2 (70 sq mi)

Nauru
Republic of Nauru

English: Nauru — Republic of Nauru
Nauruan: Naoero - Repubrikin Naoero

No official Capital

Government offices are in Yaren

9,378

21 km2 (8 sq mi)

New Zealand[note 2]

English: New Zealand
Māori: Aotearoa

Wellington

4,570,038

267,710 km2 (103,363 sq mi)

Palau
Republic of Palau

English: Palau — Republic of Palau
Palauan: Belau — Beluu er a Belau

Ngerulmud

21,032

459 km2 (177 sq mi)

Papua New Guinea
Independent State of Papua New Guinea

English: Papua New Guinea — Independent State of Papua New Guinea
Tok Pisin: Papua Niugini — Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini

Port Moresby

6,310,129

462,840 km2 (178,704 sq mi)

Samoa
Independent State of Samoa

English: Samoa — Independent State of Samoa
Samoan: Samoa — Malo Sa‘oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa

Apia

194,320

2,831 km2 (1,093 sq mi)

Solomon Islands

English: Solomon Islands

Honiara

584,578

28,896 km2 (11,157 sq mi)

Tonga
Kingdom of Tonga

English: Tonga — Kingdom of Tonga
Tongan: Tonga — Pule'anga Tonga

Nukuʻalofa

106,146

747 km2 (288 sq mi)

Tuvalu

English: Tuvalu
Tuvaluan: Tuvalu

Funafuti

10,619

26 km2 (10 sq mi)

Vanuatu
Republic of Vanuatu

Bislama: Vanuatu — Ripablik blong Vanuatu
English: Vanuatu — Republic of Vanuatu
French: Vanuatu — République de Vanuatu

Port Vila

256,155

12,189 km2 (4,706 sq mi)

Looking at the given table together with the textual context below.

State the answer to the question: Which country has a lower population ? The largest country in Oceania and also the world 's sixth-largest country by total area , or the smallest state in all of the South Pacific Ocean ? Respond with the correct answer (omit explanations) in JSON format as {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Use only the information given.

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia , is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent , the island of Tasmania , and numerous smaller islands . It is the largest country in Oceania and the world 's sixth-largest country by total area . The population of 26 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard . Australia 's capital is Canberra , and its largest city is Sydney . The country 's other major metropolitan areas are Melbourne , Brisbane , Perth , and Adelaide . Indigenous Australians inhabited the continent for about 65,000 years prior to the first arrival of Dutch explorers in the early 17th century , who named it New Holland . In 1770 , Australia 's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788 , a date which became Australia 's national day . The population grew steadily in subsequent decades , and by the time of an 1850s gold rush , most of the continent had been explored and an additional five self-governing crown colonies established . On 1 January 1901 , the six colonies federated , forming the Commonwealth of Australia . Australia has since maintained a stable liberal democratic political system that functions as a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy , comprising six states and ten territories . Australia is the oldest , flattest , and driest inhabited continent , with the least fertile soils . It has a landmass of 7,617,930 square kilometres ( 2,941,300 sq mi ) .
Canberra ( /ˈkænbərə/ ( listen ) ) is the capital city of Australia . Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation , it is Australia 's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall . The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory ; 280 km ( 170 mi ) south-west of Sydney and 660 km ( 410 mi ) north-east of Melbourne . On 1 January 1901 , federation of the colonies of Australia was achieved . Section 125 of the new Australian Constitution provided that land , situated in New South Wales and at least 100 miles ( 160 km ) from Sydney , would be ceded to the new federal government . Following discussion and exploration of various areas within New South Wales , the Seat of Government Act 1908 was passed in 1908 which specified a capital in the Yass-Canberra region . The land was transferred to the Commonwealth by New South Wales in 1911 , creating the Australian Capital Territory , two years prior to the capital city being founded and formally named as Canberra in 1913 . It is unusual among Australian cities , being an entirely planned city outside of any state , similar to Washington , D.C. in the United States or Brasília in Brazil . Following an international contest for the city 's design , a blueprint by American architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin was selected and construction commenced in 1913 . The Griffins ' plan featured geometric motifs such as circles , hexagons and triangles , and was centred on axes aligned with significant topographical landmarks in the Australian Capital Territory . The city 's design was influenced by the garden city movement and incorporates significant areas of natural vegetation . As the seat of the government of Australia , Canberra is home to many important institutions of the federal government , national monuments and museums .
The Federated States of Micronesia ( /ˌmaɪkroʊˈniːʒə/ ( listen ) ; abbreviated FSM and also known simply as Micronesia ) is an independent republic associated with the United States . It consists of four states - from west to east , Yap , Chuuk , Pohnpei and Kosrae - that are spread across the Western Pacific Ocean . Together , the states comprise around 607 islands ( a combined land area of approximately 702 km2 or 271 sq mi ) that cover a longitudinal distance of almost 2,700 km ( 1,678 mi ) just north of the equator . They lie northeast of New Guinea , south of Guam and the Marianas , west of Nauru and the Marshall Islands , east of Palau and the Philippines , about 2,900 km ( 1,802 mi ) north of eastern Australia and some 4,000 km ( 2,485 mi ) southwest of the main islands of Hawaii . While the FSM 's total land area is quite small , it occupies more than 2,600,000 km2 ( 1,000,000 sq mi ) of the Pacific Ocean , giving the country the 14th-largest exclusive economic zone in the world . The sovereign island nation 's capital is Palikir , located on Pohnpei Island , while the largest city is Weno , located in the Chuuk Atoll . Each of its four states is centered on one or more main high islands , and all but Kosrae include numerous outlying atolls . The Federated States of Micronesia is spread across part of the Caroline Islands in the wider region of Micronesia , which consists of thousands of small islands divided among several countries . The term Micronesia may refer to the Federated States or to the region as a whole . The FSM was formerly a part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands ( TTPI ) , a United Nations Trust Territory under U.S. administration , but it formed its own constitutional government on May 10 , 1979 , becoming a sovereign state after independence was attained on November 3 , 1986 , under a Compact of Free Association with the United States . Other neighboring island entities , and also former members of the TTPI , formulated their own constitutional governments and became the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( RMI ) and the Republic of Palau ( ROP ) . The FSM has a seat in the United Nations and has been a member of the Pacific Community since 1983 .
Palikir ( /ˈpælɪˌkɪər/ ) is a town with about 4,600 people and the capital of the Federated States of Micronesia in the western Pacific Ocean . It is part of the larger Sokehs municipality , which had a population of 7,000 as of 2009 [ update ] , out of the nation 's total population of 106,487 . It is situated on the northwest side of Pohnpei island ( population 33,000 ) , a high volcanic island surrounded by a fringing coral reef . Nearby to the northeast is the island 's largest settlement , the coastal town of Kolonia .
Fiji ( /ˈfiːdʒi/ ( listen ) FEE-jee ; Fijian : Viti [ ˈβitʃi ] ; Fiji Hindi : फ़िजी , Fijī ) , officially the Republic of Fiji ( Fijian : Matanitu Tugalala o Viti ; Fiji Hindi : फ़िजी गणराज्य , Fijī Gaṇarājya ) , is an island country in Melanesia , part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean about 1,100 nautical miles ( 2,000 km ; 1,300 mi ) northeast of New Zealand 's North Island . Its closest neighbours are Vanuatu to the west , New Caledonia to the southwest , New Zealand 's Kermadec Islands to the southeast , Tonga to the east , the Samoas and France 's Wallis and Futuna to the northeast , and Tuvalu to the north . Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands - of which 110 are permanently inhabited - and more than 500 islets , amounting to a total land area of about 18,300 square kilometres ( 7,100 sq mi ) . The most outlying island is Ono-i-Lau . The two major islands , Viti Levu and Vanua Levu , account for 87% of the total population of 883,483 . The capital , Suva , on Viti Levu , serves as the country 's principal cruise-ship port . [ failed verification ] About three-quarters of Fijians live on Viti Levu 's coasts , either in Suva or in smaller urban centres such as Nadi - where tourism is the major local industry - or Lautoka , where the sugar-cane industry is paramount . Due to its terrain , the interior of Viti Levu is sparsely inhabited . The majority of Fiji 's islands formed through volcanic activity starting around 150 million years ago . Some geothermal activity still occurs today , on the islands of Vanua Levu and Taveuni . The geothermal systems on Viti Levu are non-volcanic in origin , with low-temperature ( c. 35-60 degrees Celsius ) surface discharges . Sabeto Hot Springs near Nadi is a good example .
Fijian ( Na vosa vaka-Viti ) is an Austronesian language of the Malayo-Polynesian family spoken by some 350,000-450,000 ethnic Fijians as a native language . The 2013 Constitution established Fijian as an official language of Fiji , along with English and Fiji Hindi , and there is discussion about establishing it as the national language . Fijian is a VOS language .
Fiji Hindi or Fijian Hindi ( Fiji Hindi : फ़िजी हिंदी ) , also known locally as simply Hindustani , is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by most Fijian citizens of Indian descent , though a few speak other languages at home . It is an Eastern Hindi language , generally considered to be an older dialect of the Awadhi language spoken in central and east Uttar Pradesh that has been subject to considerable influence by Bhojpuri , Magahi and other Bihari languages . It has also borrowed some words from the English and Fijian languages . Many words unique to Fiji Hindi have been created to cater for the new environment that Indo-Fijians now live in . First-generation Indians in Fiji , who used the language as a lingua franca in Fiji , referred to it as Fiji Baat , Fiji talk . It is closely related to Caribbean Hindustani and the Hindustani language spoken in Mauritius and South Africa .
Suva ( Fijian pronunciation : [ ˈsuβa ] ) is the capital and largest metropolitan city in Fiji . It is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu , in the Rewa Province , Central Division . In 1877 , it was decided to make Suva the capital of Fiji , as the geography of former main European settlement at Levuka on the island of Ovalau , Lomaiviti province proved too restrictive . The administration of the colony was moved from Levuka to Suva in 1882 . At the 2007 census , the city of Suva had a population of 85,691 . Including independent suburbs , the population of the Greater Suva urban area was 172,399 at the 2007 census . Suva , along with the bordering towns of Lami , Nasinu , and Nausori have a total urban population of around 330,000 , over a third of the nation 's population . This urban complex ( not including Lami ) is known also as the Suva-Nausori corridor . Suva is the political , economic , and cultural centre of Fiji . It is also the economic and cultural capital of the South Pacific , hosting the majority of regional headquarters of major corporations , as well as international agencies and diplomatic missions in the region . The city also has a thriving arts and performance scene , with a growing reputation as the region 's fashion capital .
Kiribati ( /ˌkɪrɪˈbæs , -ˈbɑːti/ ) , officially the Republic of Kiribati ( Gilbertese : Ribaberiki Kiribati ) , is a country in the central Pacific Ocean . The permanent population is just over 110,000 ( 2015 ) , more than half of whom live on Tarawa atoll . The state comprises 32 atolls and one raised coral island , Banaba . They have a total land area of 800 square kilometres ( 310 sq mi ) and are dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometres ( 1.3 million square miles ) . In terms with its Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific , it straddles all three primary geographic regions ; Banaba ( Melanesian-Micronesian Border ) , the Gilbert Islands ( Micronesia ) and the Line and Phoenix Islands ( Polynesia ) . Their spread straddles the equator and the 180th meridian , although the International Date Line goes round Kiribati and swings far to the east , almost reaching the 150°W meridian . This brings the Line Islands into the same day as the Kiribati Islands . Kiribati 's easternmost islands , the southern Line Islands , south of Hawaii , have the most advanced time on Earth : UTC+14 hours . Kiribati is the only country in the world to be situated in all four hemispheres . Kiribati gained its independence from the United Kingdom , becoming a sovereign state in 1979 . The capital , South Tarawa , now the most populated area , consists of a number of islets , connected by a series of causeways . These comprise about half the area of Tarawa Atoll .
Taetae ni Kiribati or Gilbertese , also Kiribati ( sometimes Kiribatese ) , is a Micronesian language of the Austronesian language family . It has a basic verb-object-subject word order .
South Tarawa ( in Gilbertese Tarawa Teinainano ) is the capital and hub of the Republic of Kiribati and home to approximately half of Kiribati 's population . The South Tarawa population centre consists of all the small islets from Betio in the west to Bonriki and Tanaea in the east , connected by the South Tarawa main road , with a population of 50,182 as of 2010 [ update ] . South Tarawa is home to most of the government , commercial and education facilities in Kiribati including the Port and the High Court at Betio , the State House , Government Ministries and foreign High Commissions in Bairiki , a University of the South Pacific campus in Teaorereke , the House of Assembly in Ambo , the Kiribati Teacher College and King George V and Elaine Bernachi School , the Government High School , is in Bikenibeu , and the central hospital in Nawerewere . The Roman Catholic diocese is based in Teaorereke , the Kiribati Protestant Church ( Congregational ) in Antebuka , and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Eita .
Bairiki is one of the largest towns in South Tarawa of Kiribati . The State House , the National Stadium , the High Commissions of Australia and New Zealand as well as the embassy of Taiwan , and most of the Government Ministries are based in Bairiki . Bairiki is administered by the Teinainano Urban Council or TUC . As at the 2010 Census the population of Bairiki was 3,524 .
The Marshall Islands , officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( Marshallese : Aolepān Aorōkin M̧ajeļ ) , [ note 1 ] is an island country and a United States associated state near the equator in the Pacific Ocean , slightly west of the International Date Line . Geographically , the country is part of the larger island group of Micronesia . The country 's population of 58,413 people ( at the 2018 World Bank Census ) is spread out over 29 coral atolls , comprising 1,156 individual islands and islets . The capital and largest city is Majuro . The islands share maritime boundaries with the Wake Island to the north , [ note 2 ] Kiribati to the southeast , Nauru to the south , and Federated States of Micronesia to the west . About 52.3% of Marshall Islanders ( 27,797 at the 2011 Census ) live on Majuro . Data from the United Nations indicates an estimated population in 2018 of 58,413 . In 2016 , 73.3% of the population were defined as being urban . The UN also indicates a population density of 295 per km2 ( 765 people per mi2 ) and its projected 2020 population is 59,190 . Micronesian colonists reached the Marshall Islands using canoes circa 2nd millennium BC , with interisland navigation made possible using traditional stick charts . They eventually settled here . Islands in the archipelago were first explored by Europeans in the 1520s , starting with Ferdinand Magellan , a Portuguese explorer in the service of Spain , Juan Sebastián Elcano and Miguel de Saavedra .
The Marshallese language ( Marshallese : new orthography Kajin M̧ajeļ or old orthography Kajin Majōl [ kɑzʲinʲ ( i ) mˠɑːzʲɛlˠ ] , also known as Ebon , is a Micronesian language spoken in the Marshall Islands . The language is spoken by about 44,000 people in the Marshall Islands , making it the principal language of the country . There are also roughly 6,000 speakers outside of the Marshall Islands , including those in Nauru and the United States . There are two major dialects : Rālik ( western ) and Ratak ( eastern ) .
Majuro ( /ˈmædʒəroʊ/ ; Marshallese : Mājro [ mʲæzʲ ( e ) rˠo ] ) is the capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands . It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean . It forms a legislative district of the Ratak ( Sunrise ) Chain of the Marshall Islands . The atoll has a land area of 9.7 square kilometres ( 3.7 sq mi ) and encloses a lagoon of 295 square kilometres ( 114 sq mi ) . As with other atolls in the Marshall Islands , Majuro consists of narrow land masses . The main population center , Delap-Uliga-Djarrit ( DUD ) , is made up of three contiguous motus and has a population of 20,301 people as of 2012 [ update ] . Majuro has a port , shopping district and hotels . Majuro has an international airport with scheduled international flights to Hawaii , Micronesia , Kiribati , and Nauru , and flights to domestic destinations around the country [ citation needed ] .
Nauru ( /nɑːˈuːruː/ nah-OO-roo or /ˈnaʊruː/ NOW-roo ; Nauruan : Naoero ) , officially the Republic of Nauru ( Nauruan : Repubrikin Naoero ) and formerly known as Pleasant Island , is an island country in Micronesia , a subregion of Oceania , in the Central Pacific . Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Kiribati , 300 km ( 190 mi ) to the east . It further lies northwest of Tuvalu , 1,300 km ( 810 mi ) northeast of the Solomon Islands , east-northeast of Papua New Guinea , southeast of the Federated States of Micronesia and south of the Marshall Islands . With only a 21 km2 ( 8.1 sq mi ) area , Nauru is the third-smallest country in the world behind Vatican City , and Monaco , making it the smallest state in the South Pacific Ocean , the smallest state outside Europe , the smallest island state , and the smallest republic . Additionally , its population of 10,670 is the world 's third smallest , after Vatican City and Tuvalu . Settled by people from Micronesia and Polynesia c. 1000 BCE , Nauru was annexed and claimed as a colony by the German Empire in the late 19th century . After World War I , Nauru became a League of Nations mandate administered by Australia , New Zealand and the United Kingdom . During World War II , Nauru was occupied by Japanese troops , and was bypassed by the Allied advance across the Pacific . After the war ended , the country entered into United Nations trusteeship . Nauru gained its independence in 1968 , and became a member of the Pacific Community ( SPC ) in 1969 . Nauru is a phosphate-rock island with rich deposits near the surface , which allowed easy strip mining operations . Its remaining phosphate resources are not economically viable for extraction .
The Nauruan or Nauru language ( dorerin Naoero ) is an Austronesian language , spoken natively by around 6,000 people in the island country of Nauru . Its relationship to the other Micronesian languages is not well understood .
Yaren ( in earlier times Makwa/Moqua ) , is a district of the Pacific nation of Nauru . It is no longer capital of Nauru and is coextensive with Yaren Constituency .
New Zealand ( Māori : Aotearoa [ aɔˈtɛaɾɔa ] ) is a sovereign island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean . The country has two main landmasses - the North Island ( Te Ika-a-Māui ) , and the South Island ( Te Waipounamu ) - and around 600 smaller islands . It has a total land area of 268,000 square kilometres ( 103,500 sq mi ) . New Zealand is about 2,000 kilometres ( 1,200 mi ) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and 1,000 kilometres ( 600 mi ) south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia , Fiji , and Tonga . Because of its remoteness , it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans . During its long period of isolation , New Zealand developed a distinct biodiversity of animal , fungal , and plant life . The country 's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks , such as the Southern Alps , owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions . New Zealand 's capital city is Wellington , and its most populous city is Auckland . Sometime between 1250 and 1300 , Polynesians settled in the islands and developed a distinctive Māori culture . In 1642 , Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight New Zealand . In 1840 , representatives of the United Kingdom and Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi , which declared British sovereignty over the islands . In 1841 , New Zealand became a colony within the British Empire and in 1907 it became a dominion ; it gained full statutory independence in 1947 and the British monarch remained the head of state .
Māori ( /ˈmaʊri/ ; Māori pronunciation : [ ˈmaːɔɾi ] listen ) , also known as te reo ( 'the language ' ) , is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by the Māori people , the indigenous population of New Zealand . Closely related to Cook Islands Māori , Tuamotuan , and Tahitian , it gained recognition as one of New Zealand 's official languages in 1987 . The number of speakers of the language has declined sharply since 1945 , but a Māori language revitalisation effort slowed the decline , and the language has experienced a revival , particularly since about 2015 . A national census undertaken in 2013 reported that about 149,000 people , or 3.7% of the New Zealand population , could hold a conversation in Māori about everyday things . As of 2015 [ update ] , 55% of Māori adults reported some knowledge of the language ; of these , 64% use Māori at home and around 50,000 people can speak the language very well or well . The Māori language did not have an indigenous writing system . Missionaries arriving from about 1814 learned to speak Māori , and introduced the Latin alphabet . In 1817 Tītore , and his junior relative , Tui , sailed to England . They visited Professor Samuel Lee at Cambridge University and assisted him in the preparation of a grammar and vocabulary of Māori . Kendall travelled to London in 1820 with Hongi Hika and Waikato ( a lower ranking Ngāpuhi chief ) during which time further work was done with Professor Lee , who gave phonetic spellings to a written form of the language , which resulted in a definitive orthography based on Northern usage . By 1830 the Church Missionary Society ( CMS ) missionaries had revised the orthography for writing the Māori language ; for example , Kiddeekiddee became , what is the modern spelling , Kerikeri . Māori distinguishes between long and short vowels ; modern written texts usually mark the long vowels with a macron .
Wellington ( Māori : Te Whanganui-a-Tara [ tɛ ˈfaŋanʉi a taɾa ] ) is the capital and second-most populous urban area of New Zealand , with 418,500 residents . It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island , between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range . Wellington is the major population centre of the southern North Island , and is the administrative centre of the Wellington Region , which also includes the Kapiti Coast and the Wairarapa . It is the world 's southernmost capital of a sovereign state . Wellington features a temperate maritime climate , and is the world 's windiest city by average wind speed . The Wellington metropolitan area comprises four local authorities : Wellington City , on the peninsula between Cook Strait and Wellington Harbour , contains the central business district and about half the population ; Porirua on Porirua Harbour to the north is notable for its large Māori and Pacific Island communities ; Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt are largely suburban areas to the northeast , together known as the Hutt Valley . As the nation 's capital since 1865 , the New Zealand Government and Parliament , Supreme Court and most of the public service are based in the city . Architectural sights include The Old Government Buildings - one of the largest wooden buildings in the world - as well as the iconic Beehive , the executive wing of the New Zealand Parliament . Wellington is also home to several of the largest and oldest cultural institutions in the nation , such the National Archives , the National Library , the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa , and numerous theatres . It plays host to many artistic and cultural organisations , including the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Royal New Zealand Ballet . One of the world 's most liveable cities , the 2016 Mercer Quality of Living Survey ranked Wellington 12th in the world , and was first in the world for both liveability and non-pollution by Deutsche Bank , from 2017-18 . Wellington 's economy is primarily service-based , with an emphasis on finance , business services , and government .
Palau ( /pəˈlaʊ/ ( listen ) , historically Belau , Palaos , or Pelew ) , officially the Republic of Palau ( Palauan : Beluu er a Belau ) , is an island country located in the western Pacific Ocean . The country contains approximately 340 islands , and together with parts of the Federated States of Micronesia , forms the western chain of the Caroline Islands . Its area is 466 square kilometers ( 180 sq mi ) . The most populous island is Koror . The capital Ngerulmud is located on the nearby island of Babeldaob , in Melekeok State . Palau shares maritime boundaries with the Philippines , Indonesia , and Micronesia . The country was originally settled approximately 3,000 years ago by migrants from Insular Southeast Asia . The islands were first explored by Europeans in the 16th century , and were made part of the Spanish East Indies in 1574 . Following Spain 's defeat in the Spanish-American War in 1898 , the islands were sold to Imperial Germany in 1899 under the terms of the German-Spanish Treaty , where they were administered as part of German New Guinea . After World War I , the islands were made a part of the Japanese-ruled South Seas Mandate by the League of Nations . During World War II , skirmishes , including the major Battle of Peleliu , were fought between American and Japanese troops as part of the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign . Along with other Pacific Islands , Palau was made a part of the United States-governed Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in 1947 .
Palauan ( a tekoi er a Belau ) is a Malayo-Polynesian language native to the Republic of Palau , where it is one of the two official languages , alongside English . It is widely used in day-to-day life in the country . Palauan is not closely related to other Malayo-Polynesian languages and its exact classification within the Austronesian languages is unclear .
Ngerulmud is the seat of government of the Republic of Palau , an island nation in the Pacific Ocean . It replaced Koror City , Palau 's largest city , as capital in 2006 . The settlement is located in the state of Melekeok on Babeldaob , the country 's largest island , located 20 kilometres ( 12 miles ) northeast of Koror City and 2 km ( 1 mile ) northwest of Melekeok City . It is the smallest capital city in the world .
Papua New Guinea ( PNG ; /ˈpæp ( j ) uə . ˈɡɪni , ˈpɑː-/ , also US : /ˈpɑːpwə- , ˈpɑːpjə- , ˈpɑːpə-/ ; Tok Pisin : Papua Niugini ; Hiri Motu : Papua Niu Gini ) , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( Tok Pisin : Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini ; Hiri Motu : Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini ) , is a country in Oceania that occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and its offshore islands in Melanesia , a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean north of Australia . Its capital , located along its southeastern coast , is Port Moresby . The western half of New Guinea forms the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua . It is the world 's 3rd largest island country with 462,840 km2 ( 178,700 sq mi ) . At the national level , after being ruled by three external powers since 1884 , Papua New Guinea established its sovereignty in 1975 . This followed nearly 60 years of Australian administration , which started during World War I . It became an independent Commonwealth realm in 1975 with Elizabeth II as its queen . It also became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations in its own right . Papua New Guinea is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world . It is also one of the most rural , as only eighteen per cent of its people live in urban centres . There are 851 known languages in the country , of which 11 now have no known speakers .
Tok Pisin ( English : /tɒk ˈpɪsɪn/ , Tok Pisin /ˌtok piˈsin/ ) is a creole language spoken throughout Papua New Guinea . It is an official language of Papua New Guinea and the most widely used language in the country . However , in parts of Western , Gulf , Central , Oro Province and Milne Bay Provinces , the use of Tok Pisin has a shorter history , and is less universal , especially among older people . While it likely developed as a trade pidgin , Tok Pisin has become a distinct language in its own right . It is often referred to by Anglophones as New Guinea Pidgin or Pidgin English . [ citation needed ] Between five and six million people use Tok Pisin to some degree , although not all speak it well . Many now learn it as a first language , in particular the children of parents or grandparents who originally spoke different vernaculars ( for example , a mother from Madang and a father from Rabaul ) . Urban families in particular , and those of police and defence force members , often communicate among themselves in Tok Pisin , either never gaining fluency in a vernacular ( tok ples ) , or learning a vernacular as a second ( or third ) language , after Tok Pisin ( and possibly English ) . Perhaps one million people now use Tok Pisin as a primary language . Tok Pisin is slowly crowding out other languages of Papua New Guinea .
The Motuan people of the area now known as Port Moresby traded their pots for sago , other food and canoe logs , sailing from Hanuabada and other villages built on stilts above the waters of the bay . Their language , Motu , was the basis of Hiri Motu , an official language of Papua New Guinea . It has been steadily in decline since the 1960s when Tok Pisin ( till then confined to the northern side of the former border between Papua , British New Guinea until 1905 , and New Guinea , which was German New Guinea until 1914 ) began to grow in popularity . The Hiri expeditions were large scale . As many as 20 multi-hulled canoes or lakatoi , crewed by some 600 men , carried about 20,000 clay pots on each journey . To the Motuans , the Hiri was an economic enterprise and it confirmed their tribal identity through its long and dangerous voyages . [ citation needed ]
Samoa ( /səˈmoʊə/ ) , officially the Independent State of Samoa ( Samoan : Malo Saʻoloto Tutoʻatasi o Sāmoa ; Samoan : Sāmoa , IPA : [ ˈsaːmoa ] ) and , until 4 July 1997 , known as Western Samoa , is a country consisting of two main islands , Savai ' i and Upolu , and four smaller islands ( Manono , Apolima , Fanuatapu , and Namua ) . The capital city is Apia . The Lapita people discovered and settled the Samoan Islands around 3,500 years ago . They developed a Samoan language and Samoan cultural identity . Samoa is a unitary parliamentary democracy with eleven administrative divisions . The sovereign state is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations . Western Samoa was admitted to the United Nations on 15 December 1976 . The entire island group , which includes American Samoa , was called Navigator Islands by European explorers before the 20th century because of the Samoans ' seafaring skills . The country was governed by New Zealand until its independence in 1962 . In July 2017 , Va'aletoa Sualauvi II became the head of state , succeeding Tui Ātua Tupua Tamasese Efi . The Prime Minister Tuila'epa came back to power after a landslide victory in March 2016 , beginning a fifth term for the premier .
Samoan ( Gagana faʻa Sāmoa or Gagana Sāmoa ; IPA : [ ŋaˈŋana ˈsaːmʊa ] ) is the language of the Samoan Islands , comprising Samoa and the United States territory of American Samoa . It is an official language , alongside English , in both jurisdictions . Samoan , a Polynesian language , is the first language for most of the Samoa Islands ' population of about 246,000 people . With many Samoan people living in other countries , the total number of speakers worldwide is estimated at 510,000 in 2015 . It is the third most widely spoken language in New Zealand , where more than 2% of the population , 86,000 people , were able to speak it as of 2013 . The language is notable for the phonological differences between formal and informal speech as well as a ceremonial form used in Samoan oratory .
Apia is the capital and the largest city of Samoa . From 1900 to 1919 , it was the capital of German Samoa . The city is located on the central north coast of Upolu , Samoa 's second largest island . Apia is the only city in Samoa and falls within the political district ( itūmālō ) of Tuamasaga . The Apia Urban Area has a population of 36,735 ( 2011 census ) and is generally referred to as the City of Apia . The geographic boundaries of Apia Urban Area is mainly from Letogo village to the new industrialized region of Apia known as Vaitele .
The Solomon Islands are a sovereign state consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania lying to the east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu and covering a land area of 28,400 square kilometres ( 11,000 sq mi ) . The country 's capital , Honiara , is located on the island of Guadalcanal . The country takes its name from the Solomon Islands archipelago , which is a collection of Melanesian islands that also includes the North Solomon Islands ( part of Papua New Guinea ) , but excludes outlying islands , such as Rennell and Bellona , and the Santa Cruz Islands . In 1568 , the Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña was the first European to visit them , naming them the Islas Salomón . Britain defined its area of interest in the Solomon Islands archipelago in June 1893 , when Captain Gibson R.N. , of HMS Curacoa , declared the southern Solomon Islands a British protectorate . During World War II , the Solomon Islands campaign ( 1942-1945 ) saw fierce fighting between the United States and the Empire of Japan , such as in the Battle of Guadalcanal . The official name of the then British administration was changed from the British Solomon Islands Protectorate to the Solomon Islands in 1975 , and self-government was achieved the following year . Independence was obtained , and the name changed to just Solomon Islands ( without the definite article ) , in 1978 . At independence , Solomon Islands became a constitutional monarchy . The Queen of Solomon Islands is Elizabeth II , represented by the Governor-General .
Honiara ( /ˌhoʊniˈɑːrə/ ) is the capital city of Solomon Islands , situated on the northwestern coast of Guadalcanal . As of 2017 [ update ] , it had a population of 84,520 people .
Tonga ( /ˈtɒŋ ( ɡ ) ə/ ; Tongan : [ ˈtoŋa ] Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga ) , officially named the Kingdom of Tonga , is a Polynesian sovereign state and archipelago comprising 169 islands , of which 36 are inhabited . The total surface area is about 750 square kilometres ( 290 sq mi ) scattered over 700,000 square kilometres ( 270,000 sq mi ) of the southern Pacific Ocean . The state has a population of 100,651 people , of whom 70% reside on the main island of Tongatapu . Tonga stretches across approximately 800 kilometres ( 500 mi ) in a north-south line . It is surrounded by Fiji and Wallis and Futuna ( France ) to the northwest , Samoa to the northeast , Niue to the east ( which is the nearest foreign territory ) , Kermadec ( part of New Zealand ) to the southwest , and New Caledonia ( France ) and Vanuatu to the farther west . It is about 1,800 kilometres ( 1,100 mi ) from New Zealand 's North Island . From 1900 to 1970 , Tonga had British protected state status , with the United Kingdom looking after its foreign affairs under a Treaty of Friendship . The country never relinquished its sovereignty to any foreign power . In 2010 , Tonga took a decisive path towards becoming a constitutional monarchy rather than a traditional absolute kingdom , after legislative reforms passed a course for the first partial representative elections .
Tongan ( /ˈtɒŋən/ ; lea fakatonga ) is an Austronesian language of the Polynesian branch spoken in Tonga . It has around 187,000 speakers and is a national language of Tonga . It is a VSO ( verb-subject-object ) language .
Nukuʻalofa is the capital of Tonga . It is located on the north coast of the island of Tongatapu , in the country 's southernmost island group .
Tuvalu ( /tuːˈvɑːluː/ too-VAH-loo ) ( formerly known as the Ellice Islands ) , is a country in Polynesia , located in the Pacific Ocean , situated in Oceania and about midway between Hawaii and Australia . The island country lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands ( which belong to the Solomon Islands ) , southeast of Nauru , south of Kiribati , west of Tokelau , northwest of Samoa and Wallis and Futuna , and north of Fiji . It is composed of three reef islands and six true atolls spread out between the latitude of 5° to 10° south and longitude of 176° to 180° , west of the International Date Line . Tuvalu has a population of 11,192 ( 2017 census ) . The total land area of the islands of Tuvalu is 26 square kilometres ( 10 sq mi ) . The first inhabitants of Tuvalu were Polynesians . The origins of the people of Tuvalu are addressed in the theories regarding migration into the Pacific that began about three thousand years ago . During pre-European-contact times there was frequent canoe voyaging between the islands as Polynesian navigation skills are recognised to have allowed deliberate journeys on double-hull sailing canoes or outrigger canoes . The pattern of settlement that is believed to have occurred is that the Polynesians spread out from Samoa and Tonga into the Tuvaluan atolls , with Tuvalu providing a stepping stone to further migration into the Polynesian outliers in Melanesia and Micronesia . In 1568 , Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña was the first European to sail through the archipelago , sighting the island of Nui during his expedition in search of Terra Australis . The island of Funafuti was named Ellice 's Island in 1819 ; the name Ellice was applied to all of the nine islands after the work of English hydrographer Alexander George Findlay . The Ellice Islands came into Great Britain 's sphere of influence in the late 19th century , as the result of a treaty between Great Britain and Germany relating to the demarcation of the spheres of influence in the Pacific Ocean .
Tuvaluan /tuːvəˈluːən/ , often called Tuvalu , is a Polynesian language of or closely related to the Ellicean group spoken in Tuvalu . It is more or less distantly related to all other Polynesian languages , such as Hawaiian , Maori , Tahitian , Samoan , and Tongan , and most closely related to the languages spoken on the Polynesian Outliers in Micronesia and Northern and Central Melanesia . Tuvaluan has borrowed considerably from Samoan , the language of Christian missionaries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries . The population of Tuvalu is approximately 10,837 people ( 2012 Population & Housing Census Preliminary Analytical Report ) There are estimated to be more than 13,000 Tuvaluan speakers worldwide . In 2015 it was estimated that more than 3,500 Tuvaluans live in New Zealand , with about half that number born in New Zealand and 65 percent of the Tuvaluan community in New Zealand is able to speak Tuvaluan .
Funafuti is an atoll and the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu . It has a population of 6,025 people , making it the country 's most populated atoll , with 56.6 percent of Tuvalu 's population . It is a narrow sweep of land between 20 and 400 metres ( 66 and 1,312 feet ) wide , encircling a large lagoon ( Te Namo ) 18 km ( 11 miles ) long and 14 km ( 9 miles ) wide . The average depth in the Funafuti lagoon is about 20 fathoms ( 36.5 metres or 120 feet ) . With a surface of 275 square kilometres ( 106.2 sq mi ) , it is by far the largest lagoon in Tuvalu . The land area of the 33 islets aggregates to 2.4 square kilometres ( 0.9 sq mi ) , less than one percent of the total area of the atoll . Cargo ships can enter Funafuti 's lagoon and dock at the port facilities on Fongafale . The capital of Tuvalu is sometimes given as Fongafale or Vaiaku , however , the entire atoll of Funafuti is officially the capital [ citation needed ] since it comprises a single local government .
Vanuatu ( English : /ˌvɑːnuˈɑːtuː/ ( listen ) VAH-noo-AH-too or /vænˈwɑːtuː/ van-WAH-too ; Bislama and French pronunciation [ vanuatu ] ) , officially the Republic of Vanuatu ( French : République de Vanuatu , Bislama : Ripablik blong Vanuatu ) , is a Pacific island country located in the South Pacific Ocean . The archipelago , which is of volcanic origin , is 1,750 kilometres ( 1,090 mi ) east of northern Australia , 540 kilometres ( 340 mi ) northeast of New Caledonia , east of New Guinea , southeast of the Solomon Islands , and west of Fiji . Vanuatu was first inhabited by Melanesian people . The first Europeans to visit the islands were a Spanish expedition led by Portuguese navigator Fernandes de Queirós , who arrived on the largest island , Espíritu Santo , in 1606 . Since the Portuguese and Spanish monarchies had been unified under the king of Spain in 1580 ( following the vacancy of the Portuguese throne , which lasted for sixty years , until 1640 , when the Portuguese monarchy was restored ) , Queirós claimed the archipelago for Spain , as part of the colonial Spanish East Indies , and named it La Austrialia del Espíritu Santo . In the 1880s , France and the United Kingdom claimed parts of the archipelago , and in 1906 , they agreed on a framework for jointly managing the archipelago as the New Hebrides through an Anglo-French condominium . An independence movement arose in the 1970s , and the Republic of Vanuatu was founded in 1980 . Since independence , the country has become a member of the United Nations , Commonwealth of Nations , Organisation internationale de la Francophonie and the Pacific Islands Forum .
Bislama ( English : /ˈbɪsləmɑː/ ; Bislama : [ bislaˈma ] ; also known by its earlier French name , bichelamar [ biʃlamaʁ ] ) , is a creole language , and one of the official languages of Vanuatu . It is the first language of many of the Urban ni-Vanuatu ( citizens who live in Port Vila and Luganville ) , and the second language of much of the rest of the country 's residents . The lyrics of Yumi , Yumi , Yumi , the country 's national anthem , are composed in Bislama . More than 95% of Bislama words are of English origin , whilst the remainder comprises a few dozen words from French , as well as some specific vocabulary inherited from various languages of Vanuatu ; though these are essentially limited to flora and fauna terminology . While the influence of these vernacular languages is low on the vocabulary side , it is very high in the morphosyntax . As such , Bislama can be described simply as a language with an English vocabulary and an Oceanic grammar and phonology .
French ( le français [ lə fʁɑ̃sɛ ] or la langue française [ la lɑ̃ɡ fʁɑ̃sɛːz ] ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family . It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire , as did all Romance languages . French evolved from Gallo-Romance , the spoken Latin in Gaul , and more specifically in Northern Gaul . Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl - languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium , which French ( Francien ) has largely supplanted . French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the ( Germanic ) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders . Today , owing to France 's past overseas expansion , there are numerous French-based creole languages , most notably Haitian Creole . A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French . French is an official language in 29 countries across multiple continents , most of which are members of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie ( OIF ) , the community of 84 countries which share the official use or teaching of French . It is spoken as a first language ( in descending order of the number of speakers ) in France , the Canadian provinces of Quebec , Ontario and New Brunswick as well as other Francophone regions , Belgium ( Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region ) , western Switzerland ( cantons of Bern , Fribourg , Geneva , Jura , Neuchâtel , Vaud , Valais ) , Monaco , partly in Luxembourg , the states of Louisiana , Maine , New Hampshire and Vermont in the United States , and in northwestern Italy ( region of Aosta Valley ) , and by various communities elsewhere . In 2015 , approximately 40% of the francophone population ( including L2 and partial speakers ) lived in Europe , 35% in sub-Saharan Africa , 15% in North Africa and the Middle East , 8% in the Americas , and 1% in Asia and Oceania . French is the fourth most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union . Of Europeans who speak other languages natively , approximately one-fifth are able to speak French as a second language .
Port Vila ( French : Port-Vila ) , or simply Vila ( English : /ˈviːlə/ ; French : Vila ; Bislama : Vila [ viˈla ] ) , is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu and is on the island of Efate . Its population in the last census ( 2009 ) was 44,040 , an increase of 35% on the previous census result ( 29,356 in 1999 ) . In 2009 , the population of Port Vila formed 18.8% of the country 's population , and 66.9% of the population of Efate . On the south coast of the island of Efate , in Shefa Province , Port Vila is the economic and commercial centre of Vanuatu . The mayor is Mambo Albert Sandy Daniel , of the Vanua'aku Pati , elected in January 2018 ; his deputy is Eric Puyo Festa , of the Grin Confederation . On March 13 , 2015 , Port Vila bore extensive damage from Cyclone Pam .