Category Archives: Oceania

For 50 years the University of the South Pacific (USP) has been seen as a jewel in the crown of Pacific regionalism. With campuses in 12 island nations, about 20,000 students and 1,500 staff, USP is one of the great connective tissues for the large blue continent that is the Pacific. Its alumni have gone on to become heads of state and business leaders in all Pacific nations. As renowned University of Hawaii academic Dr Tarcisius Kabutaulaka puts it:

USP was the place where we learned to navigate the academic ocean; where we tried out ideas; where we made mistakes and learned to correct them; where we met, got to know and befriend people from other parts of Oceania; where we first fell in love and made love for the first time; where we first experienced heartbreaks; where some met our spouses; where some had our first child and buried their umbilical cord.USP is therefore a sacred place of learning and where we weave and maintain relationships across Oceania.

Over the last few weeks the status of this venerable institution has become imperilled by claims and counter-claims of corruption and infighting at the most senior levels.

The story stretches back to last year, with the arrival of outsider Professor Pal Ahluwalia to the position of Vice Chancellor following an international recruitment effort. Ahluwalia came with a reform and modernising agenda that had the support of the universitys senior management and governing council.

While senior leadership has been consumed by the scandal, the general operations of the university have struggled.

But soon after Ahluwalias arrival, a troubling report emerged in Islands Business magazine in May 2019 about allegations of serious cases of mismanagement and abuse of process at USP under the previous Vice Chancellor and current Pro Chancellor Winston Thompson. The magazine has tracked the story closely since as the two men remain at loggerheads, with claims allowances were abused by 25senior USP academics and staff, costing millions, according to a leaked account of a special audit by New Zealand accounting firm BDO that was completed in August last year. The full audit is yet to be released, with a formal commission established under the leadership of Samoas Deputy Prime Minister to implement recommendations.

While senior leadership has been consumed by the scandal, the general operations of the university have struggled. Its understood that there are anywhere from 100150 unfilled academic positions at the university. Many academics are also acting in their current roles, and teaching loads are becoming untenable, which is no doubt having an impact on the quality of education students are receiving.

The public nature of these proceedings, combined with the seriousness and breadth of allegations mounted against USP management, put Ahluwalia on a collision course with the universitys senior leadership.

This turmoil is complicated by the universitys complex governance structure. The USP is owned by 12 Pacific nations, which contribute a total 20% of its annual income. As the host nation Fiji stands out, contributing three quarters of government contributions in 2018. Foreign aid donors are also a key funder, contributing roughly the same amount as Pacific governments. In 2018 Australia contributed 13% of the Universitys income. This leaves the USP with a lot of stakeholders. The USP Council, similar to a Board of Directors where all major decisions must be taken, has 35 members spread across 14 countries.

Because USP Council only meets twice a year a smaller Executive Committee made up of roughly ten Council members, including three members of USPs existing senior leadership, is empowered to act on behalf of the Council. It is this committee that brought this showdown to a head in recent weeks. On 9 June, Ahluwalia was suspended and an investigation launched into accusations of his own apparent misconduct.

The move has thrown the university into chaos. Students and faculty at campuses across the region are protesting. The scandal is a subject of daily news items across Pacific media outlets. Police have been on campus, even hauling the chief librarian in for questioning. Pacific politicians from Samoas Fiame Naomi Mataafa to Naurus Lionel Aingimea to Australias Marise Payne have all spoken out on the matter. A special Council meeting has been arranged for this week on 19 June to weigh in on the Executive Committees controversial decision. The Council will be left with no easy options.

The Council could decide to ratify the Executive Committees decision, keeping Ahluwalia on suspension as they carry out an investigation. This would assuage the universitys senior leadership, many of whom have strong links with and support of the Fijian government. Pro Chancellor Winston Thompson in particular is regarded by many in Fiji as one of the countrys most storied public servants and diplomats. Such a move to ratify the committee decision would cast doubt on serious allegations of misconduct Ahluwalia was reported to have uncovered, generating further schisms in the university. The universitys reputation will suffer greatly, and they will struggle to recruit a high-calibre replacement.

Alternatively, the Council could refute the Executive Committees decision and reinstate the Vice Chancellor. Ahluwalia clearly has the support of the broader faculty and student body. Those that pushed for his suspension, as well as much of the remaining senior leadership, would have to take a step back, creating a significant power vacuum and leaving the university in even more disarray. The lack of faith from the senior leadership, and clear distrust from the Fiji government who have significant influence over the Executive Committee and USP Council, would still likely make his position untenable in the long-run without further Council intervention.

A third and more radical option could be to clean house at the top entirely. Acknowledging that the situation has become completely untenable, the Council could pay out Ahluwalia and the Pro Chancellor and appoint a special administrator to carry forward a reform agenda.

There are no offramps from the unmitigated mess that the universitys leadership now finds itself in. Whatever the outcome of this weeks council deliberations it will only be the start of more reforms needed to overhaul governance, management and oversight at the universitys highest levels.

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Hard knocks at University of the South Pacific - The Interpreter

At a time when the whole word is fighting a life and death battle against a pandemic, the way people are being rounded up and sent to jail bears part resemblance to the country of Oceania in George Orwells book 1984. We are hopeful of finding a vaccine for Covid-19, which is acting like a death warrant, soon, but liberty may not come back in public life, as we have so long known it. The new normal in democracy is frightening.

Recently, two prominent human rights activistsGautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde were arrested for their alleged involvement in Bhima Koregaon case. Police knock at the door of activists and journalists alike because they are perceived to be opposing the ideology of Hindutva or speaking up against detention of those who protest against controversial laws.

Compared to Oceania, though, India has a Constitution with a chapter on fundamental rights enforceable by the judiciary. However, when Navlakha and Teltumbde sought additional time from the Supreme Court to surrender before the trial court in the Bhima Koregaon case,the court rejected it, rescindingits own observation earlier, i.e.,bail, not jail to the accused, therebyconcurring with the government, effacing its own purpose under the Constitution. The court overlooked that the government of the day is representative of a tiny minority (considering statistical absolutes), but the judiciary represented constitution and citizens of all ideological persuasions.

In Oceania, the ruling partys ideology is socialism that rejects and vilifies every principle for which the socialist movement originally stood, and it does so in the name of socialism." Similarly, Hindutva rejects foundational principle of Hinduism, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family), in the name of Hinduism.

Doublespeak

The government claimed that the CAA is neither anti-Muslim nor anti-human, though, it has no logical answers on reports of building detention camps across the country.

Oceania is a state where doublethink is the norm, which Orwell defined as the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in ones mind simultaneously and accepting both of them, such as, India is home to diverse cultures, India is a Hindu Rashtra; Gandhian principles are foundation of constitution, constitution does not reflect Indian ethos.

While at play, this doublethink becomes doublespeak that Orwell describes as, to tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just as long as it is needed. In Oceania, the ruling party members distort reality and doublethink is method to achieve it.

Presently, the followers of Hindutva are demanding doublethink from its citizens, and those who do not agree with or resist this state of cognitive dissonance are being questioned.

Mass Surveillance

In Oceania, propaganda captures mind of people by constant bombardment of manufactured statistics, stigmatising opposition, and arousing hate. Recent media coverage of Shaheen Bagh protests comesclose to, how Emmanuel Goldstein, the opposition leader in the book, isportrayedas a traitor.

In Oceania Thinkpol (thought police) is entrusted to detect, arrest, and kill thought criminals, citizens whose intellectual, mental, and moral independence challenges the political orthodoxy of Ingsoc. They spy upon the people through ubiquitous two-way telescreens. Indian governments National Intelligence Grid and facial recognition system will perform similar tasks. So, when the police raid peoples house, seizing cell phones and computers, theyalready establish guilt by thought and association as they know, with whom the seditious citizen has spoken. This is possibly going to be a new normal in new India that might find hard topass as anything but democratic.

(The author is a Melbourne-based researcher and author. He earlier taught political science in Delhi University and was the national general secretary of the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties. Views expressed are personal.)

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Orwellian Dystopia Is Here, So Is The New India - Outlook India

The Play! Pokmon Oceania Rating Zone is being updated for the 2021 Championship Series season. This Rating Zone will now comprise only the countries of Australia and New Zealand. Players from these two countries will continue to earn Championship Points and other account-based rewards for Oceania. Players affected by these changes should visit their localized Pokmon websites for details about future events.

Players who competed in the Oceania Rating Zone during the 2020 season and who earned enough Championship Points to qualify for the Pokmon World Championships will have their qualification honored at the 2021 Pokmon World Championships. They will not be eligible for Travel Awards through The Pokmon Company International's Organized Play program.

The timing for the next live Play! Pokmon events will be determined by the health mandates, guidelines, and recommendations from appropriate government agencies to determine when the resumption of events and operations will be safe for our communities. Look forward to more details about the 2021 Championship Series season this August.

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The Oceania Rating Zone is realigning for the 2021 Championship Series season - GoNintendo

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The global textile machinery industry remained below 2018, with shipping figures last year. Textile machinery shipments showed negative in 2019. Significant decreases occurred in almost all machine segments. Deliveries of new short-staple spindles, open-end rotors, and long-staple spindles dropped by -20%, -20%, and -66%, respectively. The number of shipped draw-texturing spindles declined by -4.5% and deliveries of shuttle-less looms shrunk by -0.5%. Shipments of large circular machines contracted by -1.2%, while shipped flat knitting machines fell by -40%. The sum of deliveries in the finishing segment also dropped by -2% on average.

These are the main results of the 42nd annual International Textile Machinery Shipment Statistics (ITMSS) just released by the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF). The report covers six segments of textile machinery, namely spinning, draw-texturing, weaving, large circular knitting, flat knitting and finishing. A summary of the findings for each category is presented below. The 2019 survey has been compiled in cooperation with more than 200 textile machinery manufacturers representing a comprehensive measure of world production.

The total number of shipped short-staple spindles decreased by about 1.7 million units in 2019 to a level of 6.96 million. Most of the new short-staple spindles (92%) were shipped to Asia & Oceania, where delivery decreased by -20%. While levels stayed relatively small, Africa and South America saw shipments increasing by +150% and +120%, respectively. The six largest investors in the short-staple segment were China, India, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

563.600 open-end rotors were shipped worldwide in 2019. This represents a 147.500-units drop compared to 2018. 90% of global shipments went to Asia & Oceania where deliveries decreased by -21% to 517.000 rotors. Indonesia and Pakistan, the worlds 5th and 6th largest investors in open-end rotors, increased their investments by +120% and 15%, respectively. China, Vietnam, India, and Uzbekistan, the worlds 1st to 4th largest investors in 2019 decreased investment by -48% on average.

Global shipments of long-staple (wool) spindles decreased from 120.000 in 2018 to nearly 40.000 in 2019 (-66%). This effect was mainly driven by a fall in deliveries to Europe (-72%) and South America (-80%). 80% of total deliveries where shipped to China and India.

Global shipments of single heater draw-texturing spindles (mainly used for polyamide filaments) increased by +12% from nearly 22.800 in 2018 to 25.500 in 2019. With a share of 88%, Asia & Oceania was the strongest destination for single heater draw-texturing spindles. China and Chinese Taipei were the main investors in this segment with a share of 64% and 12% of global deliveries, respectively.

In the category of double heater draw-texturing spindles (mainly used for polyester filaments) global shipments decreased by -5% to a level of 464.000 spindles. Asias share of worldwide shipments decreased to 90%. Thereby, China remained the largest investor accounting for 77% of global shipments.

In 2019, worldwide shipments of shuttle-less looms decreased by -0.6% to 133.250 units. Thereby, shipments in the categories of air-jet and rapier and projectile fell by -7.7% to 30.200 and -22% to 25.000, respectively. The deliveries of water-jet looms increased by +12% to 78.000.

The main destination for shuttle-less looms in 2019 was Asia & Oceania with 95% of all worldwide deliveries. 98%, 93%, 86% of all water-jet, air-jet, and rapier/projectile looms went to that region. Bangladesh further played an important role in the rapier/projectile segment with 20% of global shipments.

Global shipments of large circular knitting machines fell by -1.2% to 26.400 units in 2019. The region Asia & Oceania was the worlds leading investor in this category with 86% of worldwide shipments. With 61% of all deliveries (i.e. 13.143 units), China was the favoured destination. India and Vietnam ranked second and third with 2.670 and 2.210 units, respectively.

In 2019, the segment of electronic flat knitting machines decreased by -40% to around 96.000 machines. Asia & Oceania was the main destination for these machines with a share of 92% of world shipments. China remained the worlds largest investor with an 80%-share despite a -44%-decrease in investments from 122.550 units to 68.760 units.

Textile machinery shipments showed negative in 2019

In the fabrics continuous segment, shipments of stenters and washing (stand-alone) grew by +34% and +0.6%. The growth in stenter deliveries is mainly explained by the addition of ITMFs estimate for the number of stenters. The total number of shipped stenters of 1.700 units thus represents an estimate of the total market for this category. In the fabrics discontinuous segment, the number of jigger dyeing / beam dyeing shipped rose by +35% to 561 units. Deliveries in all other machine categories in both finishing sub-segments (i.e. continuous and discontinuous) decreased in 2019.

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Textile machinery shipments showed negative in 2019 - Textilegence Magazine and Digital Platform

Kenya was elected a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council by the General Assembly for a two-year term on Wednesday, June 17, 2020 with four other countries to join the 15-member Security Council of the United Nations in 2021.

Fifteen countries sit on the Security Council, the UNs most powerful organ.

Five are permanent members, who have the right to veto resolutions: China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Ten are non-permanent members elected by the General Assembly for two-year terms, five of them are elected each year.

Kenya joins in January 2021 with India, Ireland, Mexico and Norway. They will replace Belgium, Dominican Republic, Germany, Indonesia and South Africa. Estonia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam will remain in the Council till the end of 2021.

The UN Security Council is the organ of the global body charged with maintaining global peace and security.

Its decisions, by law, must be obeyed by all UN member states, giving its prestige and power.

Kenyas membership of the Security Council, however, like the other ten non-permanent members, is meaningless without the necessary and long overdue reform of the UN.

Kenya is now among the 10 non-permanent members, that often worked alongside the permanent five (Russia, China, UK, US, France) to pass resolutions touching on global peace and security.

President Uhuru Kenyatta, who led the campaign to have Kenya elected to the Council, said his country would advance the pan-Africanist agenda of global peace, solidarity and multilateralism. Citing Kenyas long history of contributing troops to peacekeeping interventions, the President said Kenya had the right credentials to represent the African continent in the UNSC.

President Kenyatta spoke in the night of Tuesday June 16 during a virtual campaign meeting with permanent representatives of various countries to the UN hosted by Kenya ahead of the Security Councils elections on Wednesday June 17, 2020.

NON-PERMANENT SEATS IN THE UNSC ARE MEANINGLESS WITHOUT REFORM IN THE UN

The UN needs urgent reform. Without reforms in the General Assembly and in the Security Council, the UN will continue to serve the interests of only few people in the world. This reform needs to come within the framework of two key bodies: The General Assembly and the Security Council.

The Security Council requires expansion to cater for Africa, Latin America and Oceania. These are three regions of the world that were ignored when the Security Council was created on 24 October 1945. Latin America was perceived to be within the sphere of influence of the United States. From the historical precedent of the Monroe Doctrine, it was assumed that Latin Americas interests would be handled by the United States in the UN.

Africa, on its part, was assumed to have its interests covered mainly by the United Kingdom and France. These were the two major powers with vast control over the continent in 1945. The contemporary global order in 2020 has changed.

China was seen as a representative for the interests of Asia and Oceania in the 1945s. With these notions and assumptions now changed, there is the need also to reallocate seats in the Security Council and the power to be heard by majority vote without any veto by any single member.

There is a pressing need to have at least two permanent seats on the Security Council for Africa, two permanent seats for Latin America and two for Oceania region. Or the permanent members can remain the five, with ten members joining to serve two-year term as it is at the moment, but without veto rights from the permanent members. All draft resolutions should have equal rights and should be adopted by majority vote.

The veto power of the permanent members of the Security Council enables them to individually cripple the ability of the UN to enforce its Charter. Specifically, Chapter 7 of the UN Charter to tackle threats to the peace, breaches of the peace and acts of aggression. A veto from any permanent member of Security Council, will block the adoption of a draft resolution.

The number of the permanent members or the current rotation of non-permanent members and a simple majority vote without veto from the permanent members are required to make the UNSC more effective, representative and meaningful body of the world.

Expansion of the number of permanent seats on the Security Council or hold on to the current structure, coupled with a simple majority vote of the council on a draft resolution, without any veto power, will make the organization effective and allow it to have the bite required to handle the plethora of global issues facing the international community.

Currently, the population of all five permanent members on the Security Council is just over 2 billion. One country, China, makes up almost 70% of the 2 billion population of all five permanent members. Two billion represents less than 30% of the global population of 7 billion. Yet this minority of 2 billion uses the UN to dictate international policy to 70% of the rest of the world. This is undemocratic and against the tenets of fairness and international justice.

Africa has a population of 1.3 billion as at May 2020 or 16.72% of the total world population with no permanent membership or veto power in the UNSC; Latin America and the Caribbean is 654 million or 8.42% of the total world population with no membership or power. Oceania is only 42 million or 0.54% of the total world population.

Europe is 748 million or 9.78% of the total world population, and with two members and two veto powers; Asia is 4.6 billion or 59.76% of the total world population, but with one member and veto power; Russia is a country of its own with a population of 146 million or 1.87% of the total world population, a permanent member with veto power.

United States of America does not represent the interest of all the Americas. Currently, the USA has become more nationalistic, fighting for its own interests on global scale and representative for the gulf states and middle-eastern countries than global. The USA does not care for the interests of Middle and South Americas, rather it seeks to elect a wall to confine itself.

UK and France cannot represent Africa, they can represent Europe, but not Africa. Africa has long gained independence from these two colonial masters. For UN to maintain the idea of UK and France representing Africa is an insult to the continent and its people.

1945 is long ago. The 21st Century Africa is not colonial slaves of UK and France, unless the UN wants to remain in its resolution that Africa is still colonized by UK and France.

The UN General Assembly should make all the papers read year by year by all the member nations resolutions that require further and urgent consideration by a working committee of the UN for action and implementation. Until now the messages read by the member states are only ceremonial, decorative and a waste of time.

As at now, the UN General Assembly can only make recommendations to the Security Council, which can easily be vetoed or disregarded by any permanent member of the Security Council; United States, China, Russia, United Kingdom or France.

United States, China, Russia, United Kingdom and France are not good representation of the globe whose votes and vetos should determine the fate of the rest of all the people in the world. The Security Council needs to be democratised to accommodate a majority of the world that is still peripheralised in the decision making of the Council.

The UN must be modernized. The world in 1945 was quiet different from the world in 2020. In 1945, United States, Europe and the two Communist Blocks of Russia and China were the world. In 2020, there are six main blocks forming the globe; these are North America Block, South America Block, Europe Block, Asia Block, Africa Block and the Oceania Block. Each should be represented permanently in the Security Council.

Lastly, in relation to the General Assembly, the resolutions passed by this arm, which includes a majority of the worlds nations, need to be binding. Currently, General Assembly resolutions are considered recommendations. In contrast, resolutions adopted by the Security Council under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, are binding.

The General Assembly not only represents the majority of the worlds population, but also represents majority world opinion on major international issues.

Currently, non-permanent rotating membership seats on the Security Council are provided to developing nations like Kenya, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Vietnam. This comes across as contemptuous tokenism. It does not afford the weaker nations of the world an avenue to advance their interests.

Developing nations are played off against each other by major powers based on the allure of an ineffective non-permanent seat. There is nothing to celebrate over a non-permanent seat on the Security Council under the current UN structure.

Member states elected to be non-permanent members of UNSC only have a moment and national pride to celebrate, but nothing to offer to bring a change of global policies concerning peace and stability. For the vast majority of the world, especially in the developing world, the UN will remain a forum for empty speeches by heads of state that are turgid and needlessly self-congratulatory. The time for UN reform is now.

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United Nations Must Be Reformed - Modern Ghana

Where Is Oceania?

The region of Oceania consists of many islands in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Oceania is further divided into the three subregions of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia. The term Oceania is often used to denote a continent which comprises of Australia and the nearby islands or as a synonym for Australasian ecozone or the Pacific ecozone. As an ecological zone, it includes Micronesia, Polynesia (excluding New Zealand), and Fiji. New Zealand along with other islands constitutes the separate Australasian ecozone. The term Oceania was coined by Conrad Malte-Brun in 1812 with the inhabitants of the region known as the Oceanians.

Oceania initially consisted of land in the Pacific Ocean which stretched from the Strait of Malacca to the coast of the America. The area is made up of four regions including Polynesia, Micronesia, Melanesia, and Malaysia. Parts of the three geological subregions are today part of the term Oceania. Oceania extends to Sumatra, Bonin Island, Hawaiian Island, Rupa Nui Island, and Macquarie Island. The islands at the geographical ends of the area include Bonin, a territory of Japan, Hawaii, a territory of the US, and Easter Island which belongs to Chile. Also, a relatively smaller geographic area includes Indonesian Papua Guinea on the Australian continent but excludes the land on the Sunda Plate. Biogeographically, the region is another name for either the Australasian ecozone or the Pacific ecozone. The region of Oceania is one of the 8 terrestrial ecological zones which form the major ecoregions of the earth. The ecozone covers Micronesia, Fiji, and Polynesia (except New Zealand). Geopolitically, the term Oceania is used by the UN, the International Olympic Committee, and several atlases to include Australia and other Pacific nations such as Papua New Guinea. A wide definition of the region includes the region between Asia and the Americas.

Oceania is divided into the three sub-regions of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia. Melanesia extends from New Guinea Island to the Arafura Sea and Fiji. Melanesia region includes four countries: Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Island, and Vanuatu. It also includes New Caledonia which is a collective of France and the Western New Guinea regions of Indonesia. The islands of Melanesia often have both European and Indigenous names, which results in confusion.

Micronesia consists of several small islands located on the western part of the Pacific Ocean who are shared culturally by Polynesia and Melanesia. Micronesia is politically divided among independent states including three US territories. The islands of Micronesia are estimated to number 2,100, covering a total area of about 1,000 square miles. The largest island, Guam, covers about 225 square miles. Micronesia has four major island groups: Caroline, Gilbert, Mariana, and Marshall.

Polynesia constitutes over 1,000 islands distributed over the central and Southern parts of the Pacific Ocean. The majority of the islands are composed of volcanic islands built by hotspots. Polynesia consists of a largely sank continent of Zealandia which covers a total area of approximately 118,000 square miles with the largest island, New Zealand, Covering approximately 103,000 square miles. Polynesia is defined by the Polynesian Triangle which is drawn by connecting of three islands of Easter Island, Hawaiian Island, and New Zealand.

The history of Oceania is built on that of Australia and other Pacific Islands. The history is also built on the history of the three sub-regions of Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. The region was explored for the first time by the Europeans in the 16th century. Portuguese explorers reached Moluccas, Timor, Tanimbar Island and some parts of the Carolina Island and New Papua Guinea between 1512 and 1525. Between 1527 and 1595, several large Spanish expeditions explored the Pacific Ocean resulting in the discovery of the Marshall Island and Palau on the northern Pacific. The Spanish explorers discovered the Pitcairn and Vanuatu archipelagos in the 17th century. A colony of Guam was then discovered by the Spanish in 1668 and used as a harbor and stop-over for the west-bound vessels. Abel Tasman was the first to reach Tasmania and New Zealand and mapped a substantial portion of Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, and Fiji. James Cook became the second European explorer to visit New Zealand 125 years after Tasman and in 1778 he became the first European first to visit the island of Hawaii.

Oceania was colonized by Europeans and the Americans. Between 1788 and 1872, the British established several colonies including Australia, New Zealand, and Fuji with much of Oceania becoming a British territory. In the 19th century, Kiribati and Tuvalu Islands also came under the British sphere. Tahiti and Tahuata were declared French protectorates in 1842. The French also took over the Tuamotu Archipelago belonging to the Pomare Dynasty in the 1980s. The Netherlands claimed mainly the western half of Oceania. The Dutch government established its first posts in 1898 and 1902 to the South of the border with British New Guinea. Germany established its colony and a trading station on Jaluit and Ebon islands to promote the copra trade. The US expanded into the Pacific in 1857 by taking over Baker and Howland Islands. Hawaii became part of the US in 1898. The Japanese took control of the Marshall Island at the beginning of the World War I. Japan also colonized several Oceanic colonies.

The idea of what constitutes Oceania varies from time to time. The region is defined in several geopolitical and geographic ways. The geopolitical concept used by bodies such as the United Nations, Olympic Committee, and other atlases includes Australia and other Pacific Nations such as Papua New Guinea in their definition of Oceania. The Oceania region has a population 34.7 million people including the population of Australia and 13.4 million people excluding the mainland Australia. Papua New Guinea is the most populated island followed by New Zealand and Hawaii with a population of 5.9 million, 4.2 million, and 1.4 million respectively. Pitcairn Island is the least populated island with only 48 people. Christianity is the major religion within Oceania although there are some other religions including Hindu, Islam, Buddhism, and Indigenous beliefs.

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What Is Oceania? - WorldAtlas.com

Oceania is a region made up of thousands of islands throughout the Central and South Pacific Ocean. It includes Australia, the smallest continent in terms of total land area. Most of Australia and Oceania is under the Pacific, a vast body of water that is larger than all the Earths continental landmasses and islands combined. The name Oceania justly establishes the Pacific Ocean as the defining characteristic of the continent.

Oceaniais dominated by the nation of Australia. The other two major landmasses of Oceania are the microcontinent of Zealandia, which includes the country of New Zealand, and the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, made up of the nation of Papua New Guinea. Oceaniaalso includes three island regions: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia (including the U.S. state of Hawaii).

Oceanias physical geography, environment and resources, and human geography can be considered separately.

Oceaniacan be divided into three island groups: continental islands, high islands, and low islands. The islands in each group are formed in different ways and are made up of different materials. Continental islands have a variety of physical features, while high and low islands are fairly uniform in their physical geography.

Continental Islands

Continental islands were once attached to continents before sea level changes and tectonic activity isolated them. Tectonic activity refers to the movement and collision of different sections, or plates, of the Earths crust.

Australia, Zealandia, and New Guinea are continental islands. These three regions share some physical features. All three have mountain ranges or highlandsthe Great Dividing Range in Australia; the North Island Volcanic Plateau and Southern Alps in New Zealand; and the New Guinea Highlands in Papua New Guinea. These highlands are fold mountains, created as tectonic plates pressed together and pushed land upward. New Zealand and Papua New Guinea also have volcanic features as a result of tectonic activity.

Although they share some landscape features, each of these regions has distinct physical features that resulted from different environmental processes. Australias landscape is dominated by the Outback, a region of deserts and semi-arid land. The Outback is a result of the continents large inland plains, its location along the dry Tropic of Capricorn, and its proximity to cool, dry, southerly winds. New Zealands glaciers are a result of the islands high elevations and proximity to cool, moisture-bearing winds. Papua New Guineas highland rain forests are a result of the islands high elevations, proximity to tropical, moisture-bearing winds, and location right below the warm Equator.

High Islands

High islands, also called volcanic islands, are created as volcanic eruptions build up land over time. These eruptions begin under water, when hot magma is cooled and hardened by the ocean. Over time, this activity creates islands with a steep central peakhence the name high island. Ridges and valleys radiate outward from the peak toward the coastline.

The island region of Melanesia contains many high islands because it is a major part of the Ring of Fire, a string of volcanoes around the boundary of the Pacific Ocean. This part of the Ring of Fire is on the boundary of the Pacific plate and the Australian plate. This is a convergent plate boundary, where the two plates move toward each other. Important volcanic mountains in Melanesia include Mount Tomanivi, Fiji; Mount Lamington, Papua New Guinea; and Mount Yasur, Vanuatu.

Low Islands

Low islands are also called coral islands. They are made of the skeletons and living bodies of small marine animals called corals. Sometimes, coral islands barely reach above sea levelhence the name low island. Low islands often take the shape of an irregular ring of very small islands, called an atoll, surrounding a lagoon. An atoll forms when a coral reef builds up around a volcanic island, then the volcanic island erodes away, leaving a lagoon. Atolls are defined as one island even though they are made up of multiple communities of coral.

The island regions of Micronesia and Polynesia are dominated by low islands. The Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, for example, is composed of 97 islands and islets that surround one of the largest lagoons in the world, with an area of 2,173 square kilometers (839 square miles). The nation of Kiribati is composed of 32 atolls and one solitary island dispersed over 3.5 million square kilometers (1.35 million square miles) of the Pacific Ocean.

Island Flora and Fauna

The evolution of flora and fauna across the islands of Australia and Oceania is unique. Many plants and animals reached the islands from southern Asia during the last glacial period, when sea levels were low enough to allow for travel. After sea levels rose, species adapted to the environment of each island or community of islands, producing multiple species that evolved from a common ancestor. Due to its isolation from the rest of the world, Australia and Oceania has an incredibly high number of endemic species, or species that are found nowhere else on Earth.

Plants traveled between islands by riding wind or ocean currents. Birds carried the seeds of fruits and plants and spread them between islands with their droppings. Ferns, mosses, and some flowering plants rely on spores or seeds that can remain airborne for long distances. Coconut palms and mangroves, common throughout Australia and Oceania, produce seeds that can float on salty water for weeks at a time. Important flowering plants native to Australia and Oceania include the jacaranda, hibiscus, pohutukawa, and kowhai. Other indigenous trees include the breadfruit, eucalyptus, and banyan.

Birds are very common in Australia and Oceania because they are one of the few animals mobile enough to move from island to island. There are more than 110 endemic bird species in Australia and Oceania, including many seabirds. Many flightless birds, such as emus, kiwis, cassowaries, wekas, and takahes, are native to Australia, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand. The Pacific Islands have more than 25 species of birds of paradise, which exhibit colorful plumage.

Lizards and bats make up the majority of Australia and Oceanias native land animals. Lizard species include the goanna, skink, and bearded dragon. Australia and Oceania has more than a hundred different species of fruit bats.

The few native land animals in Australia and Oceania are unusual. Australia and Oceania is the only place in the world that is home to monotremesmammals that lay eggs. All monotremes are native to Australia and Papua New Guinea. There are only five living species: the duckbill platypus and four species of echidna.

Many of the most familiar animals native to Australia and Oceania are marsupials, including the koala, kangaroo, and wallaby. Marsupials are mammals that carry their newborn young in a pouch. Almost 70 percent of the marsupials on Earth are native to Oceania. (The rest are native to the Americas.)

In Australia and Oceania, marsupials did not face threats or competition from large predators such as lions, tigers, or bears. The red kangaroo, the worlds largest marsupial, can grow up to 2 meters (6 feet) tall, and weigh as much as 100 kilograms (220 pounds). In the Americas, marsupials such as possums are much smaller.

Marine Flora and Fauna

The marine environment is an important and influential physical region in Australia and Oceania. The region is composed of three marine realms: Temperate Australasia, Central Indo-Pacific, and Eastern Indo-Pacific. Marine realms are large ocean regions where animal and plant life are similar because of shared environmental and evolutionary factors.

The Temperate Australasia realm includes the seas surrounding the southern half of Australia and the islands of New Zealand. This realm is one of the worlds richest areas for seabirds. Its cold, nutrient-rich waters support a diversity of plants and fish that seabirds feed on. These seabirds include different species of albatross, petrel, and shearwater, as well as the Australasian gannet and rockhopper penguin.

The Central Indo-Pacific realm includes the seas surrounding the northern half of Australia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. This marine realm has the greatest diversity of tropical coral in the world and includes the worlds two largest coral formations: Australias Great Barrier Reef and the New Caledonia Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site off the coast of northeast Australia, is 344,400 square kilometers (133,000 square miles).

The Great Barrier Reef and the New Caledonia Barrier Reef are underwater hotspots for biodiversity. The Great Barrier Reef is home to 30 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises; six species of sea turtles; 215 species of birds; and more than 1,500 species of fish. The New Caledonia Barrier Reef is home to 600 species of sponges, 5,500 species of mollusks, 5,000 species of crustaceans, and at least 1,000 species of fish.

The Eastern Indo-Pacific realm surrounds the tropical islands of the central Pacific Ocean, extending from the Marshall Islands through central and southeastern Polynesia. Like the Central Indo-Pacific realm, this realm is also known for its tropical coral formations. A variety of whale, tortoise, and fish species also inhabit this realm.

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Australia and Oceania: Physical Geography | National ...

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Ex-OVERDRIVE journo and long-term adventure motorcycling enthusiast Martin Alva shares his personal journey on making it to the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2020 Oceania as part of Team Middle East

February of 2020 is a month I will never forget.

For many, motorcycling is a weekend hobby or simply another way to commute. For a select few like me, it is also a way of life. From being a pillion rider on my mom's Kinetic Honda DX to owning a BMW R 1250 GS to qualifying for the International GS Trophy 2020, I have devoted the last 18 years of life to off-road and adventure motorcycling.

They say it all begins with a dream and I have to admit, they are correct. The whole adventure riding bug bit me back in 2005 when I first saw a pirated version of Long Way Round starring Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. Back then, my idea of an adventure motorcycle was a heavily modified Royal Enfield Bullet and to some stretch of my imagination, a Honda Africa Twin XRV750. Growing up in India in the 90s, I had never ever seen an adventure motorcycle before, and therefore, didn't have the slightest clue about its capabilities.

Long Way Round starring Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor

Then I saw the BMW R1150GS which changed everything for me. Watching Long Way Round and seeing these motorcycles in action unlocked a part of my mind which I didn't know existed.

I was an obsessed 18-year-old who just found his calling. I watched the series on repeat that whole year and searched every nook and cranny of the internet for any and all bits of information I could get on the the motorcycles they rode in that series.

Fast forward 15 years and that teenage obsession is as strong as ever. However, in these 15 years I managed to relocate to Dubai, buy, ride and write-off a few versions of the BMW R 1200 GS and hone my off-road riding skills that eventually got me a seat on the Middle East team at the 2020 GS Trophy in New Zealand.

For me personally, my adventure riding hobby has rewarded me in the highest possible way. All these years of sacrifice, learning, reading, practicing and dreaming culminated in an opportunity that I never even thought possible for me.

Most of you might know that buying and owning a BMW GS isn't really cheap and riding one off-road day after day, pounding the daylights out of it and at times breaking things isn't something that helps either.

You would think keeping your balance at low speeds on a behemoth like the GS would be tough. But it's easy once you master the technique of keeping your weight centred on the motorcycle, and is as crucial as going fast when it comes to being competitive at the GS Trophy

Having bought my first R 1200 GS at 23, it required more than just skipped meals to save up for this hobby. It required giving up on vacations, side jobs, giving up on buying other essential things a 23-year-old would otherwise love to own.

The obsession didn't make sense to a lot of people including some of my friends. My weekends soon became too predictable and those house party invitations stopped sooner or later. Keeping in mind the Middle Eastern weekend, I used to crash early on a Thursday night to be awake early on a Friday morning for my rides. Saturdays used to be motorcycle washing and maintenance days and then back to work on Sundays.

In late 2018, BMW finally announced the introduction of the Middle East as a participating region for the GS Trophy 2020. This announcement awakened every adventure rider in the region and was enough to revive the adventure motorcycling scene for the winter of 2019 with winter being the only time we can ride as much as we want before the blistering summer heat kicks in.

Sometimes the tests where you're off the bike can be the most brutal, and a true test of how well you play with others - an essential aspect of adventure riding as a group

All my competitive antennae swung into action. Trying to save money, I've never participated in any official BMW or other third-party off-road training which cost a decent sum of money. However, I knew I had to ace both, technical and high-speed trail riding along with slow speed handling and balance manoeuvres to balance the motorcycle in awkward situations.

YouTube came to my rescue and I practiced whatever I could before the big day arrived in Dubai in March of 2019, almost a whole year before the GS Trophy finals in New Zealand. There was a pre-qualifier round in each country in the Middle East and the top five riders would then fight it out in Lebanon for the final three spots to represent the Middle East.

I stood in line with 43 of the finest GS enduro and adventure riders from the UAE and Oman. I knew some of these chaps well. One was a British special forces (SAS) instructor, a few were veterans from the Baja and Rally scenes, some were regulars at levels 1, 2 and 3 of BMW's off-road training schools and then there was me.

Intimidated and feeling utterly foolish, I decided to give it my best. I had nothing to lose. Having never received any professional assessment of my off-road riding skills, I didn't know where I could fit in. If at all I was bad, how bad was I? It was time to find out.

The qualifiers lasted two days. Day 1 was a warm-up where instructors from the BMW Enduro Park in Hechlingen, Germany, took us around warm-up rides and exercises where we rode our own motorcycles. Day 2 was the actual qualifier where we had to ride a BMW-provided R 1250 GS around set courses where we were judged on our technical abilities.

Four challenges later, I was third overall and that meant I had been selected to represent UAE at the qualifier in Lebanon.

We had five months to prepare for the qualifier. Having never ridden in Lebanon, we didn't know what to expect. The terrain in Lebanon is totally different to what we have in the UAE. Here in Dubai, we have a lot of sand and gravel hill tracks. Lebanon is mostly dirt, slush and mountains. Plus, we had to train all throughout summer. Yikes!

Even though the GS Trophy is a team event, the qualifying rounds are about individual skills and your knowledge of BMW GS' history, legacy and product line-up. It's a mix of theory and practical knowledge along with the basic know-how of how to work on the motorcycles. Each rider at the qualifier level not only has to be good at handling the motorcycle but also needs to know how to fix a flat, change wheels, adjust various technical settings, etc.

All three days in Lebanon were competitive days. Out of the 45 riders who were present, 25 got knocked out on day 1 based on scoring and then 10 more were knocked out on day 2, leaving the final 10 to earn their place in the team on day 3.

The final day was all about trail riding, which is where I'm most comfortable. I had to conjure up all my mental strength and focus on the goal to make it through. Having come this far and being so close to being in the top three, I couldn't afford to screw it up now. Also, the other nine riders were equally good, and some were way more experienced.

Somehow, I managed to pull it off! I made it to the final three and that is when it hit me. I finally did it. I have to reluctantly admit that I got teary-eyed and emotional at this point. I had never imagined I'd ever get here. It was a pipe dream, a fantasy that played in my head before falling asleep but now this was a reality!

A lot of people have played a huge part in supporting and helping me and now is the time to thank them, again. The team at OVERDRIVE back in 2007, 2008 and 2009 played a big part in this. It was during my time with Team OD that I got the opportunity to ride in places I could never dream of.

The GS Trophy in itself is all about the experience. There are no losers here, only winners. All participants have beaten the 'best of the rest' in their respective regions and have nothing more to prove. It's like the World Cup of adventure motorcycling.

The feeling of being a part of this big group of skilled riders, marshals and the BMW Motorrad team on an all-expenses paid trip across the mind-bendingly beautiful landscape of New Zealand is indescribable. I could write a book on those eight days of my life at the GS Trophy but that won't be enough.

I don't think there's anything else out there quite like the GS Trophy that unites the adventure motorcycling enthusiasts. It's a great opportunity for friendly competition, with the chance to make lifelong friendships with other riders from across the globe.

Even though I carry an Indian passport, I wasn't part of team India. I met my compatriot riders for the first time in New Zealand and we soon realised that India had the maximum number of competing riders in the group, apart from having an Indian Marshal and Indian Media representative.

I'd stand in line to qualify for another GS Trophy in a heartbeat, but BMW Motorrad rules don't allow finalists to participate as competitors again, ever.

Team Middle East made its debut at the 2020 edition of the Int. GS Trophy with Elias Abi Antoun (33), Martin Victor Alva (32) and Jorge Osorio Restrepo (32)

My enthusiasm to ride hasn't fizzled out after the GS Trophy was over and neither has my skill level peaked. I continue to ride with local riders and share all my experience and learnings with them. Two years from now, some of these riders will participate and I'll be on the sidelines, cheering them on.

As BMW Motorrad's marketing team rightly puts it, Make Life A Ride.

Price (Ex-Delhi) Starts Rs 15,95,000

Displacement1254cc

Transmission6-Speed

Max Power(ps)136.00

Max Torque(Nm)143.00

Mileage21.05 Kmpl

Price (Ex-Delhi) Starts Rs 16,85,000

Displacement1254cc

Transmission6-Speed

Max Power(ps)136.00

Max Torque(Nm)143.00

Mileage21.05 Kmpl

Price (Ex-Delhi) Starts Rs 1,30,764

Displacement499cc

Transmission5-Speed

Max Power(ps)27.20

Max Torque(Nm)41.30

Mileage-NA-

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BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy 2020 Oceania: The Long Road To New Zealand - Overdrive