Oceania
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Table of Contents
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"...Oceania is made up of thousands of islands in the Pacific Ocean and divided into four distinct culture groupings. Oceania includes Australasia; Melanesia; Polynesia; and Micronesia. These cultural groupings share a common history in their connected trading networks, and oftentimes a common language family..."
Key Terms
- Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia
- Lapita
- Papuans
- Polynesian Triangle
- Wayfinding
- Ferdinand Magellan
Guided Viewing Questions
- How did Oceania come to be populated?
- What were the primary cultural influences on Melanesia? How was that shaped by geography?
- How did people manage to settle Polynesia given the vast distance between Polynesian islands in the Pacific Ocean? Why was seafaring and navigational technology so important?
- Who settled in Micronesia? How are they connected to the people of Polynesia?
- How did the arrival of the Spanish affect Polynesian culture in the Pacific islands?