Micronesia includes Palau, Federated States of Micronesia , Northern Marina Islands, Republic of Marshall Islands and Guam , Nauru, Western Kiribati. Polynesia includes the Hawaiian Islands, Western Samoa, American Samoa, Tuvalu, Tonga, Eastern Kiribati, Cook and other New Zealand. Administered islands include French Polynesia . Melanesia is the western end of a Pacific region that extends eastward to Fiji and includes the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Dark skinned and dark hair are characteristics of the people.
New Guinea is among worlds poorest nations.
Despite mineral resources the country is beset by centrifugal forces such as the Bouganville Revolutionary Army. Despite the competion for natural resources,the claimant states along with the United States and Russia, have recognized the need for cooperation in this harsh environment. In 1961 the Antarctic Treaty was singed which ensures continued cooperation, prohibits military activities, protects the environment and suspended national claims. Little is known about the land beneath the ice sheet,although the land and nearby ocean contain raw materials that one day may become valuable, especially fossil fuels. Although claims from competing countries are held in abeyance as per the 1961 treaty, most keep their stakes here despite the difficult environment.