Childrens Illustrated Encyclopedia

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Oceans and seas

World war ii

Pacific Ocean 396- P

On a map Of the pacific Ocean, the sunny, tropical pacific islands

look like tiny grains of sand scattered on the sea. the first adventurous

settlers of these islands sailed from Southeast asia. they spread gradually

across the region, traveling over the vast expanses of ocean in their light

wooden sailing boats. today, the islands are divided into three main groups:

micronesia to the north, melanesia to the south, and polynesia to the east.

there are 12 independent countries in the pacific, including fiji, tonga,

and nauru, one of the world’s smallest nations. europeans first arrived in

the pacific in the 16th century, and a number of islands maintain strong

links with europe. new caledonia, for instance, is french. many pacific

islanders lead lives that have barely changed for centuries; but there are a

number of important modern

industries, including large-

scale fishing and mining,

as well as tourism.

iSland life

many pacific islands

are very small.

they are the tops

of submerged

mountains. coral

reefs protect them

from the pacific

waves. On the more

remote islands,

people live much as

their ancestors did.

their simple houses

have thatched roofs

made of palm fronds.

families keep pigs and

chickens and grow fruit

and vegetables. they use

traditional boats for

fishing and for trade

between the islands.

There are

more than

600 of these

huge heads

on Easter

Island, some

over 65 ft

(20 m) tall.

Wake iSland

the United States controls a number

of pacific islands, including Wake

island (above) and midway, which

was the scene of a major battle in

World War ii. the islands of hawaii

form one of the 50 states of the USa.

eaSter iSland

tiny, remote easter island is one of the

farthest east of the pacific islands. a dutch

admiral gave the island its name when he

landed there on easter day in 1722. more

than 1,000 years ago, the islanders’ polynesian

ancestors carved mysterious stone statues,

which still dot the dry, barren landscape.

there are some 25,000 pacific

islands, but only a few thousand are

inhabited. they stretch across the

central part of the pacific Ocean,

straddling the equator and

occupying an area larger than

the whole of asia. to the west

and southwest lie Southeast asia,

australia, and new Zealand; north

and South america are to the east.

Wooden sailing boats called

outriggers have a main hull and

floats on either side.

United States military bases cover

virtually all of some Pacific Islands,

mainly in Micronesia.

papUa neW GUinea

new Guinea, one of the world’s largest islands,

is part of melanesia. half of it belongs to

indonesia and is called irian Jaya. the other

half is a mountainous independent country

called papua new Guinea. its thick tropical

forests are the home of many remote tribes

who have little contact with the outside world.

Those taking part in the

spectacular traditional dances

of Papua New Guinea wear

costumes decorated with

feathers and beads.

US_396_Pacific_Ocean_1.indd 396 29/01/16 10:30 am