Oceania Overview
Oceania, or Oceanica, is a continent that includes islands in the tropical Pacific Ocean. There is no precise definition of the exact range of the region, which may include at a minimum of three subregions of Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia, or the entire region between the Americas and Asia, which includes Australasia and the Malay Archipelago. Many also use the term Oceania to refer to Australia and its nearby islands.
The wider Oceania has an estimated population of 38.82 million in 2014. The narrower definition that includes Micronesia, Island Melanesia, and Polynesia (not New Zealand) has a population estimated at 6 million in 2014. The total population of Oceania minus mainland Australia is about 18 million.
Largest Cities in Oceania
Using the most common definition of Oceania that excludes Indonesia and the Philippines, the top 4 largest cities in Oceania are all in Australia.
- Sydney, Australia: 4.76 million. Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales and the largest city in Australia.
- Melbourne, Australia: 4.35 million.
- Brisbane, Australia: 2.24 million.
- Perth, Australia: 1.97 million.
- Auckland, New Zealand: 1.41 million. Auckland accounts for 32% of New Zealand’s total population.
- Adelaide, Australia: 1.29 million.
- Wellington, New Zealand: 397,000. Wellington is the capital of New Zealand.
- Honolulu, Hawaii: 390,000.
- Canberra, Australia: 381,000. Canberra is the capital of Australia.
- Christchurch, New Zealand: 341,500.
- Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea: 365,000.
If Oceania is defined by its most broad borders, the largest city is Jakarta, Indonesia, which has a population of 9.8 million. It’s the most populous city in Southeast Asia and one of the largest urban agglomerations n the world with a metropolitan population of more than 28 million. The second-largest city is Manila, the Philippines with an urban population of more than 21 million.
Most Populous Countries in Oceania
Least Populous Countries in Oceania