How many countries are in Oceania?

YearMaps maps 19 countries and territories in Oceania: Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Samoa, Guam, Kiribati, Micronesia, and others.

What is the largest country in Oceania?

Australia is the largest by area at 7.69M km². Australia has the largest population, about 27.61 million.

What is the largest city in Oceania?

Sydney is the largest city recorded for Oceania, with a metropolitan population of about 4.63 million.

What is the highest mountain in Oceania?

Mount Wilhelm is the highest summit recorded for Oceania in YearMaps, at 4,509 m.

What is the largest lake in Oceania?

Lake Eyre North is the largest lake recorded in Oceania, at about 8,144 km².

Map of Oceania — Countries, Cities & Geography

Interactive Map of Oceania

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About Oceania

Oceania is a geographical region — or, in certain classifications, one of the world’s continents — including Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, at the centre of the water hemisphere, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of about 9,000,000 square kilometres (3,500,000 sq mi) and a population of around 46.3 million as of 2024, when including Australia but excluding the Malay Archipelago. When compared against other continental land areas, Oceania is the smallest and the second-least populated after Antarctica. It is home to Earth's third-largest remaining area of tropical rainforest, which covers much of the island of New Guinea.

Oceania has a diverse mix of economies from the highly developed and globally competitive financial markets of Australia, French Polynesia, Hawaii, New Caledonia, and New Zealand, which rank high in quality of life and Human Development Index, to the much less developed economies of Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Western New Guinea. The largest and most populous country in Oceania is Australia, and the largest city is Sydney. Puncak Jaya in Indonesia is the highest peak in Oceania at 4,884 m (16,024 ft).

The first settlers of Australia, New Guinea, and the large islands just to the east arrived more than 60,000 years ago. Oceania was first explored by Europeans from the 16th century onward. Portuguese explorers, between 1512 and 1526, reached the Tanimbar Islands, some of the Caroline Islands, and west New Guinea. Spanish and Dutch explorers followed, then British and French. On his first voyage in the 18th century, James Cook, who later arrived at the highly developed Hawaiian Islands, went to Tahiti and followed the east coast of Australia for the first time. The arrival of European settlers in subsequent centuries resulted in a significant alteration in the social and political landscape of Oceania. The Pacific theatre saw major action during the First and Second World Wars.

The rock art of Aboriginal Australians is the longest continuously practiced artistic tradition in the world.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Oceania (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Visiting Oceania

Oceania is sometimes described as a continent; however, it is a vast region where the waters of the Pacific Ocean — rather than land borders — separate nations. Indeed the only land border here, on the island of New Guinea, does not separate two Oceanian countries but an Oceanian and an Asian one.

The countless small islands are known for their white sand with swaying palm trees, astounding coral reefs, and rugged volcanoes. Oceania also contains the deserts of Australia and the highland rainforests of Papua New Guinea, and is a region where one can find indigenous communities and modern metropolises side by side.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Oceania (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Countries in Oceania

Ranked by population. Each links to that country's own map.

Countries in Oceania
#	Country	Population	Area	Capital
1	Australia	27.61 million	7.69M km²	Canberra
2	Papua New Guinea	10.76 million	462,840 km²	Port Moresby
3	New Zealand	5.32 million	268,021 km²	Wellington
4	Fiji	933,154	18,274 km²	Suva
5	Solomon Islands	838,645	28,400 km²	Honiara
6	Vanuatu	335,169	12,190 km²	Port Vila
7	New Caledonia	295,333	18,576 km²	Nouméa
8	French Polynesia	282,465	4,167 km²	Papeete
9	Samoa	219,306	2,842 km²	Apia
10	Guam	168,999	544 km²	Hagåtña
11	Kiribati	136,488	811 km²	South Tarawa
12	Micronesia	113,683	702 km²	Palikir
13	Tonga	103,742	749 km²	Nukuʻalofa
14	American Samoa	46,029	199 km²	Pago Pago
15	Northern Mariana Islands	43,541	464 km²	Saipan
16	Marshall Islands	36,282	181 km²	Majuro
17	Palau	17,663	466 km²	Ngerulmud
18	Cook Islands	14,222	240 km²	Avarua
19	Tuvalu	9,492	25 km²	Funafuti

Largest Cities in Oceania

Top 15 of 325 recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in Oceania
#	Name	Population	Region	Role
1	Sydney	4.63 million	New South Wales	Admin-1 capital
2	Melbourne	4.17 million	Victoria	Admin-1 capital
3	Brisbane	1.86 million	Queensland	Admin-1 capital
4	Perth	1.53 million	Western Australia	Admin-1 capital
5	Auckland	1.38 million	Auckland	Admin-1 capital
6	Adelaide	1.15 million	South Australia	Admin-1 capital
7	Newcastle	1.13 million	New South Wales	Populated place
8	Gold Coast	527,660	Queensland	Populated place
9	Cranbourne	460,491	Victoria	Populated place
10	Wellington	393,400	Manawatu-Wanganui	National capital
11	Manukau	375,600	Auckland	Populated place
12	Christchurch	363,200	Canterbury	Admin-1 capital
13	Canberra	327,700	Australian Capital Territory	National capital
14	Port Moresby	283,733	Central	National capital
15	Wollongong	260,914	New South Wales	Populated place

Highest Mountains in Oceania

Top 15 of 42 recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.

Highest Mountains in Oceania
#	Name	Elevation	Feet	Region
1	Mount Wilhelm	4,509 m	14,793 ft	Oceania
2	Mount Victoria	4,038 m	13,248 ft	Oceania
3	Aoraki/Mount Cook	3,754 m	12,316 ft	Oceania
4	Tapuaenuku	2,885 m	9,465 ft	Oceania
5	Mount Ruapehu	2,797 m	9,177 ft	Oceania
6	Mount Balbi	2,715 m	8,907 ft	Oceania
7	Mount Taranaki	2,518 m	8,261 ft	Oceania
8	Mount Popomanaseu	2,335 m	7,661 ft	Oceania
9	Ulawun	2,334 m	7,657 ft	Oceania
10	Takuan	2,243 m	7,359 ft	Oceania
11	Mont Orohena	2,241 m	7,352 ft	Oceania
12	Mount Kosciuszko	2,228 m	7,310 ft	Oceania
13	Mount Bogong	1,986 m	6,516 ft	Oceania
14	Mount Tabwemasana	1,877 m	6,158 ft	Oceania
15	Mauga Silisili	1,858 m	6,096 ft	Oceania

Largest Lakes in Oceania

Top 15 of 45 recorded. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake.

Largest Lakes in Oceania
#	Name	Surface Area	Type
1	Lake Eyre North	8,144 km²	Alkaline Lake
2	Lake Torrens	5,158 km²	Alkaline Lake
3	Lake Gairdner	4,241 km²	Alkaline Lake
4	Lake Mackay	3,594 km²	Alkaline Lake
5	Lake Frome	2,582 km²	Alkaline Lake
6	Lake Barlee	2,101 km²	Alkaline Lake
7	Lake Argyle	1,818 km²	Reservoir
8	Lake Carnegie	1,524 km²	Alkaline Lake
9	Lake Moore	1,290 km²	Alkaline Lake
10	Lake Everard	1,267 km²	Alkaline Lake
11	Lake Disappointment	1,239 km²	Alkaline Lake
12	Lake Amadeus	1,067 km²	Alkaline Lake
13	Lake Carey	1,032 km²	Alkaline Lake
14	Lake Cowan	882 km²	Alkaline Lake
15	Lake Wells	709 km²	Alkaline Lake

Ports in Oceania

Top 15 of 134 recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.

Ports in Oceania
#	Name	Channel Depth	Class	Sea	Max Vessel
1	Welshpool	56.7 m	Very Small	Australia & New Zealand	medium vessels
2	Collingwood	56.7 m	Very Small	Australia & New Zealand	point_of_interest
3	Savusavu Bay	56.7 m	Very Small	Pacific Islands & Hawaii	medium vessels
4	Launceston	56.7 m	Small	Australia & New Zealand	large vessels
5	Greymouth	56.7 m	Very Small	Australia & New Zealand	medium vessels
6	Kingscote	53 m	Very Small	Australia & New Zealand	point_of_interest
7	Tarakohe	53 m	Very Small	Australia & New Zealand	medium vessels
8	Manukau Harbor	53 m	Minor	Australia & New Zealand	large vessels
9	Wanganui	53 m	Very Small	Australia & New Zealand	medium vessels
10	Ballina	53 m	Small	Australia & New Zealand	medium vessels
11	Westport	53 m	Very Small	Australia & New Zealand	medium vessels
12	Thursday Island	49.4 m	Small	Australia & New Zealand	medium vessels
13	Opua	49.4 m	Very Small	Australia & New Zealand	medium vessels
14	Pangai	49.4 m	Very Small	Pacific Islands & Hawaii	medium vessels
15	Baie de Kouaoua	49.4 m	Very Small	Pacific Islands & Hawaii	medium vessels

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Oceania

Top 15 of 29 recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Oceania
#	Name	Inscribed	Type	Criteria
1	Great Barrier Reef	1981	Natural	(vii) (viii) (ix) (x)
2	Kakadu National Park	1981	Mixed	(i) (vi) (vii) (ix) (x)
3	Willandra Lakes Region	1981	Mixed	(iii) (viii)
4	Lord Howe Island Group	1982	Natural	(vii) (x)
5	Tasmanian Wilderness	1982	Mixed	(iii) (iv) (vi) (vii) (viii) (ix) (x)
6	Gondwana Rainforests of Australia	1986	Natural	(viii) (ix) (x)
7	Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park	1987	Mixed	(v) (vi) (vii) (viii)
8	Wet Tropics of Queensland	1988	Natural	(vii) (viii) (ix) (x)
9	Te Wahipounamu	1990	Natural	(vii) (viii) (ix) (x)
10	Tongariro National Park	1990	Mixed	(vi) (vii) (viii)
11	Shark Bay	1991	Natural	(vii) (viii) (ix) (x)
12	K'gari	1992	Natural	(vii) (viii) (ix)
13	Australian Fossil Mammal Sites (Riversleigh / Naracoorte)	1994	Natural	(viii) (ix)
14	East Rennell	1998	Natural	(ix)
15	New Zealand Subantarctic Islands	1998	Natural	(ix) (x)

Largest Islands of Oceania

Top 15 of 114 recorded. Ranked by mapped area. An island divided between countries is listed under each, with the area of the whole island.

Largest Islands of Oceania
#	Name	Area	Type
1	Caroline Islands	1.75M km²	Island group
2	Marshall Isands	978,186 km²	Island group
3	New Guinea	785,443 km²	Island
4	Archipel Des Tuamotu	710,109 km²	Island group
5	Bismarck Archipelago	534,907 km²	Island group
6	New Zealand	534,847 km²	Island group
7	Solomon Isands	532,701 km²	Island group
8	Northern Cook Islands	288,063 km²	Island group
9	Nouvelle-CaléDonie	193,135 km²	Island group
10	Southern Cook Islands	173,585 km²	Island group
11	Vanuatu	160,846 km²	Island group
12	South Island	149,338 km²	Island
13	Tonga Islands	137,839 km²	Island group
14	Phoenix Islands	117,566 km²	Island group
15	îLes de la SociéTé	115,956 km²	Island group

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Oceania

Top 15 of 41 recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.

Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Oceania
#	Name	Area	Type	Region
1	Australia	8.82M km²	Continent	Oceania
2	Western Plateau	1.75M km²	Plateau	Oceania
3	Great Artesian Basin	1.03M km²	Basin	Oceania
4	Great Dividing Range	793,951 km²	Range/mtn	Oceania
5	Murray-Darling Basin	691,792 km²	Basin	Oceania
6	New Guinea Highlands	222,321 km²	Range/mtn	Oceania
7	Nullarbor Plain	167,047 km²	Plain	Oceania
8	Great Sandy Desert	161,048 km²	Desert	Oceania
9	Arnhem Land	127,209 km²	Pen/cape	Oceania
10	Kimberley Plateau	117,820 km²	Plateau	Oceania
11	Barkly Tableland	117,367 km²	Plateau	Oceania
12	Gibson Desert	105,825 km²	Desert	Oceania
13	Great Victoria Desert	72,565 km²	Desert	Oceania
14	Strzelecki Desert	67,844 km²	Desert	Oceania
15	CAPE YORK Peninsula	63,720 km²	Pen/cape	Oceania

Oceania: Quick Answers

How many countries are in Oceania?: YearMaps maps 19 countries and territories in Oceania: Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Samoa, Guam, Kiribati, Micronesia, and others.
What is the largest country in Oceania?: Australia is the largest by area at 7.69M km². Australia has the largest population, about 27.61 million.
What is the largest city in Oceania?: Sydney is the largest city recorded for Oceania, with a metropolitan population of about 4.63 million.
What is the highest mountain in Oceania?: Mount Wilhelm is the highest summit recorded for Oceania in YearMaps, at 4,509 m.
What is the largest lake in Oceania?: Lake Eyre North is the largest lake recorded in Oceania, at about 8,144 km².