Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from New Guinea island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji.

The region includes the four countries of Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea.
Besides these independent countries, Melanesia also includes:

The name "Melanesia" (in French "Melanesie" from the Greek , "black", and , "islands") was first used by Jules Dumont d'Urville in 1832 to denote an ethnic and geographical grouping of islands whose inhabitants he thought were distinct from those of Micronesia and Polynesia.

The name "Melanesia" ("islands of dark [people]") is one of several toponyms sharing similar etymologies, ultimately meaning "land of the blacks" or similar meanings, in reference to the dark skin of the inhabitants. The concept among Europeans of Melanesia as a distinct region evolved gradually over time as their expeditions mapped and explored the Pacific. Early European explorers noted the physical differences among groups of Pacific Islanders. In 1756 Charles de Brosses theorized that there was an 'old black race' in the Pacific who were conquered or defeated by the peoples of what is now called Polynesia, whom he distinguished as having lighter skin. In the first half of the nineteenth century Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent and Jules Dumont d'Urville identified Melanesians as a distinct racial group. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. What area of the world is Melanesia in?
2. Which island starts it?
3. Which place ends it?
4. How many countries are in it?
5. Is Vanuatu one of them?
6. Which language is the name from?
7. What does the name mean?
8. Who created the term?
9. When?
10. To label what?
11. Did he think they were different from other groups?
12. How many other groups?
13. What were their names?
14. Who described these people as different from others?
15. Who else?
16. When did de Brosses make his theory?
17. What did he think had existed?
18. What happened to them?
19. By whom?
20. What was different about the Polynesians?
Answer: 1. Oceania
2. New Guinea
3. Fiji
4. four
5. yes
6. French
7. islands of dark [people]
8. Jules Dumont d'Urville
9. in 1832
10. an ethnic and geographical grouping of islands
11. yes
12. two
13. Micronesia and Polynesia
14. Jules Dumont d'Urville
15. Charles de Brosses
16. In 1756
17. an 'old black race'
18. they were conquered or defeated
19. the peoples of what is now called Polynesia
20. they had lighter skin

New York (CNN) -- A 35-year-old woman on a first date plummeted to her death early Thursday morning when she fell from the balcony of her 17th floor New York City apartment.

Jennifer Rosoff went outside on her balcony around 12:50 a.m. Thursday to talk and smoke a cigarette with her date when the balcony's railing broke, according to police.

It's unclear whether Rosoff leaned on the balcony, causing it to give way.

She landed on a second-story construction scaffolding of the building and was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Rosoff's employer, online advertising startup TripleLift, released a statement expressing sorrow at the news of her death.

"We are all deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic loss of our dear friend and co-worker," the statement said. "Her tremendous energy and humor brought so much joy to the office."

Richard Dansereau, managing director of Stonehenge Management LLC, the company that manages the building, also released a statement.

"This is a tragedy, and our sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of Ms. Rosoff," he said. "We are cooperating fully with the investigation into the cause of this terrible accident."

A statement provided to CNN from the New York City Department of Buildings said the agency is investigating and issued a vacate order for all balconies in the building as a precaution.

According to her Linkedin profile, Rosoff worked as director of sales at TripleLift for the past five months and had previously held positions at The New Yorker, Conde Nast and Cosmopolitan magazine. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. Man or woman?
2. Was she a positive person?
3. Did he get to third base?
4. How did her coworkers feel?
5. What was her name?
6. Did she live in a house?
7. Where did she live?
8. What level?
9. What did she do there?
Answer: 1. woman
2. Yes
3. unknown
4. deeply saddened
5. Jennifer Rosoff
6. No
7. New York City apartment
8. 17th floor
9. went outside on her balcony

(CNN) -- Felipe Massa has been forced to backtrack on comments he made claiming that new Ferrari teammate Fernando Alonso was aware of Renault's plans to deliberately crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

Felipe Massa is still showing the scars of his horror crash at the Hungarian GP in July.

Alonso won that race after the safety car was brought out when Renault's No. 2 driver Nelson Piquet Jr spun out on lap 14, and Massa subsequently claimed it cost him that year's world title as he finished one point behind champion Lewis Hamilton.

Motorsport's ruling body the FIA cleared Alonso of any wrongdoing as it banned Renault boss Flavio Briatore, who quit his role before the ruling, while Piquet was immune from prosecution in return for giving evidence.

Massa told reporters in his native Brazil on Wednesday that he believed two-time world champion Alonso -- who is replacing Kimi Raikkonen at Ferrari next year -- must have known about Renault's race plan.

"It was the team and Nelson -- but Alonso was part of the problem. He knew. We cannot know it, but of course he knew. It's an absolute certainty," he said ahead of this weekend's Brazilian Grand Prix.

However, the 28-year-old later released a statement on the official Ferrari Web site in a bid to avoid conflict with his future teammate.

"What I've said is the outcome of a hunch I've had and is not based on any concrete evidence," Felipe said.

"The FIA World Council announced that there was no indication that Fernando may have been informed of what had happened and I respect this outcome. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. What sport is Felipe Massa involved in?
2. Who was his teammate?
3. What driver got in a wreck?
4. Who did he race for?
5. When did that happen?
6. What year was it?
7. What race was it?
8. Did he wreck on purpose?
9. Was anyone banned?
10. Who?
11. What was his position?
12. Was Piquet banned?
13. Why not?
14. Who did Massa give the interview to?
15. Where?
16. When?
Answer:
1. Grand Prix.
2. Fernando Alonso
3. Nelson Piquet Jr
4. Renault
5. lap 14
6. 2008
7. Singapore Grand Prix
8. Yes
9. Yes
10. Flavio Briatore,
11. Renault boss
12. No.
13. He was immune for giving evidence.
14. reporters
15. Brazil
16. Wednesday