Understanding Southern Pacific Region: Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia
As an International Relation scholar, we would say we have known that there are some regions that give big influences to the international system, such as Europe, Asia, America, or even Africa. Those regions have a very wide history, crisis, or tragedy that lending a hand in a history of the world civilization whether by its politic, economy, or cultural aspect. But beside of that, there is one region that not really has an influence in the world politics. It is Oceania or also known as Southern Pacific. In this review, an overview about the territorial condition in the Southern Pacific will be explained. About the regions, the history and the cultural and population also will be elaborated.
Southern Pacific as a whole is located somewhere in between three big continents : Asia, America, and Australia. It is more than 30 million square kilometers wide territory[1] placed in the middle of Asia, America and Australia[2]. This territory have large amount of watery area which has the comparison of 54 seas against 1 land. As a whole, the climate of this region is very unstable,. In this area, there are many resultant wind patterns so that it is possible tropical cyclones or hurricane may form from June to October [3]. Because of a tropical area, some area in the southern pacific where has high temperature of weather such as Solomon Island. In the other side, Fiji, Guam, and Samoa has warmer weather because of the high tension of rainfall that makes high humidity.
There are almost thousands islands in this region but with different culture and peoples. According to some geographical expert, this region is separated into three cultural areas : Micronesia, Polynesia, and Melanesia. In Micronesia, the first ancestors that settled was over 4000 years ago in Caroline Island. At that time, the political system still a decentralized chieftain based system which later evolved to a more principle centralized system whether in economical and religion aspects based in Yap Island and Pohnpei Island. In the post of Versailles Treaty until following World War II, The United Nation took a part of this islands as a United States administration of United Nation Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands[4].
Micronesia means many of small islands which is located in the north of the equator. The political units that inside this territory are Federated States of Micronesia including Yap, Truk Pohnpei and Kosrae which has total land area 702 square kilometers. Others are North Mariana, Marshall archipelago that include Bikini, Eniwetak and Kwajelain Island. There are also Belau Republic, and Kiribati. The most important islands in this region is Guam which has been an US Marine Base in Pacific Ocean.
In demographic condition, Southern Pacific islands are a fertile soil, almost every flora and fauna that grow in Asia have the similarities with what have grown in there. The peoples that live in the Micronesia try to cultivating copra, bananas, and palm trees. There are about 414.086 peoples who settled in that area according to 1991 population census. Those numbers are sporadic in growth. In 1991 there are about 144,928 peoples who live in Guam, 107.662 in Federation States of Micronesia, 71.137 in Kiribati and the rest are outspreading in Nauru, Northern Mariana and Palau[5]. From those number, Micronesia has a very satisfied rate of literacy. From the data that given by CIA in the year of 1980, either man or women already read and write in the age over 15 years old. From 89% over the population already read and write with ratio 91% of men and 89% of women. Most of them speak in English though there were many natives languages such as Yapese, Kosrean and Chuukese. In fact to avoid the cultural conflicts, because of the large varieties of language in Southern Pacific, the independence state in that area make a special policy that deciding to use English and France as a formal and national languages.
In Polynesia, which is has a wide triangle form of area including Tuvalu, West Samoa, Cook Archipelago, Niue, and Tokelau. The rest are an colony area of France and US such as East Samoa, Wallis and Futuna, and France Polynesia. According to Zulkifli Hamid, in his book titled Sistem Politik Pasifik Selatan, Fiji is an exception. Peoples in Fiji are have the similarities in physical appearance with Melanesians but in cultural appearance they have the common similarities of the rest Polynesian. It caused of the position of Fiji that located in the cross cultural area between Melanesia and Polynesia since over a century ago.[6]
Out of Fiji’s cultural exception, as a whole, according to 1991 census, the number of people in Polynesia is only about 578.113 inhabitant which is outspread in the area of West Samoa, French Polynesia, Tonga, Cook, Niue, Tokelau and Wallis and Futuna. The major number that settled in Polynesia are native Polynesian. Only a few number of immigrant from Europe, and Asia especially China who settled there, most of them only tradesmen that invested their money for cultivated some copra, and the other farming and administrative staff from France who take a place in French Polynesian government. This is also happened in the Melanesia and Micronesia.
If Polynesia has the widest water territory in Southern Pacific, Melanesia is an opposite. Melanesia or sometimes also called “Black Island”, is the largest land territory in Southern Pacific. This area, as well as in Polynesia and Micronesia, has some political unit such as Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the largest area in the Melanesia, Solomon archipelago, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Demographically, the movement of the population in Southern Pacific as a whole and Melanesia especially, is fast. Involving a few number of population immigrant from different nation in over a thousand years. The different origin of the population in Melanesia can be seen as a fact that over 5 million people in Melanesia speak in over a thousand language include Irian Jaya. As in his book, Zulkifli Hamid stated that almost every language in this world is also exist in Melanesia. Melanesia also has a large number of populations. It is about 5.346.205 inhabitant that counted in 1991. Most of them live in PNG and the rest are in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon and New Caledonia.[7] It is also supported by its high fertility rate, and high birth expectancy. It is the highest rate in Southern Pacific. In Solomon archipelago, the birth rate could achieve 3.5% per year and in Vanuatu 3.1% per year.[8]
Beside of their varieties of culture, Southern Pacific region, as a whole, has a high rate of Gross Domestic Product, for example in French Polynesia, the GDP per capita is reaching US$18.000, in FSM US$2.200 per capita, and in Solomon it’s about US$ 2.600.[9] In order to make sure the correctness of that number, let me explain about what the main income of those island. According to CIA world fact book, the major income is coming from farming and fishery sector. In Solomon for example, the agriculture like cocoa beans, coconut, potatoes, palm kernels and tuna is donating for about 75% of the income. In French Polynesia is rather different, agricultural is only donating about 13% of income while the rest is fulfilled by tourism services. This is the same with Tonga which is only a half of its national income come from agricultural like coconut and bananas while the rest is very depend on tourism sector. In Fiji, sugar is the biggest source of its national income. Almost a third of its national income is coming from sugar export, while tourism is the second sources that about 250.000 tourists come to Fiji every year[10]. In contrast to its large number of GDP, Southern Pacific is very depending economically with foreign aids. They need the aids to build up hotels, beach resorts, and transportation. Others, need the aids to help out to fulfilled their domestic demand. Even though it has a wide fertile soil, it still doesn’t enough. The industrial aspect is very weak.
So that, even though they looks rich enough because of their fertile soil, the commonwealth of this territory still in high depend on foreign aid. They export a lot of agricultural product, but they can’t fulfill their domestic demand. They also don’t have enough technology to build up their territory besides of agricultural aspects, they have a large number of beaches and other tourism resort so that they have to build a new hotel and transportation. How could a state which couldn’t fulfill their own demand, build up a high class of tourism resort and industrial aspect unless from getting an aid from other outside country? Besides, I think that their government must keep try hard to increase in every aspect of the island so that will also increase the famous of Southern Pacific in every side of the world.
References
Hamid, Zulkifli.1996. Sistem Politik Pasifik Selatan. Pustaka Jaya : Jakarta.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook.html Accessed in Sept. 26, 2010.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1839.htm Accessed in September 26, 2010.
[1] From the total wide of Pacific Ocean 155.557 million sq km (www.cia.gov)
[2] Oceania is took a place in western side out of Asia, Eastern America and Northeast side of Australia.
[3] Not only caused by winds resultant but also there is a planetary air pressure system that makes an uniformity climate in the south and east pacific(www.cia.gov)
[4]On May 10, 1979, four of the Trust Territory districts ratified a new constitution to become the Federated States of Micronesia. The neighboring trust districts of Palau, the Marshall Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands chose not to participate. The FSM signed a Compact of Free Association with the United States in 1986. An Amended Compact entered into force in June 2004.
[5] From Population Census 1991 in Zulkifli Hamid, Sistem Politik Pasifik Selatan, hlm 20-21.1996.
[6] From Zulkifli hamid, Sistem Politik Pasifik Selatan, hlm 15. 1996.
[7] According to 1991 census, population in PNG in about 3.913.186 inhabitants, Fiji 744.026 inhabitants, Solomon 347.115 inhabitants, New Caledonia 171.559 inhabitants and Vanuatu 170.319 inhabitants.
[8] The other one is Marshall archipelago in Micronesia which is achieve 3.9% per year.
[9] The data is taken from CIA census in between 2003-2010.
[10] From Zulkifli Hamid, Sistem Politik Pasifik Selatan. Hlm,28-29. 1996.
As an International Relation scholar, we would say we have known that there are some regions that give big influences to the international system, such as Europe, Asia, America, or even Africa. Those regions have a very wide history, crisis, or tragedy that lending a hand in a history of the world civilization whether by its politic, economy, or cultural aspect. But beside of that, there is one region that not really has an influence in the world politics. It is Oceania or also known as Southern Pacific. In this review, an overview about the territorial condition in the Southern Pacific will be explained. About the regions, the history and the cultural and population also will be elaborated.
Southern Pacific as a whole is located somewhere in between three big continents : Asia, America, and Australia. It is more than 30 million square kilometers wide territory[1] placed in the middle of Asia, America and Australia[2]. This territory have large amount of watery area which has the comparison of 54 seas against 1 land. As a whole, the climate of this region is very unstable,. In this area, there are many resultant wind patterns so that it is possible tropical cyclones or hurricane may form from June to October [3]. Because of a tropical area, some area in the southern pacific where has high temperature of weather such as Solomon Island. In the other side, Fiji, Guam, and Samoa has warmer weather because of the high tension of rainfall that makes high humidity.
There are almost thousands islands in this region but with different culture and peoples. According to some geographical expert, this region is separated into three cultural areas : Micronesia, Polynesia, and Melanesia. In Micronesia, the first ancestors that settled was over 4000 years ago in Caroline Island. At that time, the political system still a decentralized chieftain based system which later evolved to a more principle centralized system whether in economical and religion aspects based in Yap Island and Pohnpei Island. In the post of Versailles Treaty until following World War II, The United Nation took a part of this islands as a United States administration of United Nation Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands[4].
Micronesia means many of small islands which is located in the north of the equator. The political units that inside this territory are Federated States of Micronesia including Yap, Truk Pohnpei and Kosrae which has total land area 702 square kilometers. Others are North Mariana, Marshall archipelago that include Bikini, Eniwetak and Kwajelain Island. There are also Belau Republic, and Kiribati. The most important islands in this region is Guam which has been an US Marine Base in Pacific Ocean.
In demographic condition, Southern Pacific islands are a fertile soil, almost every flora and fauna that grow in Asia have the similarities with what have grown in there. The peoples that live in the Micronesia try to cultivating copra, bananas, and palm trees. There are about 414.086 peoples who settled in that area according to 1991 population census. Those numbers are sporadic in growth. In 1991 there are about 144,928 peoples who live in Guam, 107.662 in Federation States of Micronesia, 71.137 in Kiribati and the rest are outspreading in Nauru, Northern Mariana and Palau[5]. From those number, Micronesia has a very satisfied rate of literacy. From the data that given by CIA in the year of 1980, either man or women already read and write in the age over 15 years old. From 89% over the population already read and write with ratio 91% of men and 89% of women. Most of them speak in English though there were many natives languages such as Yapese, Kosrean and Chuukese. In fact to avoid the cultural conflicts, because of the large varieties of language in Southern Pacific, the independence state in that area make a special policy that deciding to use English and France as a formal and national languages.
In Polynesia, which is has a wide triangle form of area including Tuvalu, West Samoa, Cook Archipelago, Niue, and Tokelau. The rest are an colony area of France and US such as East Samoa, Wallis and Futuna, and France Polynesia. According to Zulkifli Hamid, in his book titled Sistem Politik Pasifik Selatan, Fiji is an exception. Peoples in Fiji are have the similarities in physical appearance with Melanesians but in cultural appearance they have the common similarities of the rest Polynesian. It caused of the position of Fiji that located in the cross cultural area between Melanesia and Polynesia since over a century ago.[6]
Out of Fiji’s cultural exception, as a whole, according to 1991 census, the number of people in Polynesia is only about 578.113 inhabitant which is outspread in the area of West Samoa, French Polynesia, Tonga, Cook, Niue, Tokelau and Wallis and Futuna. The major number that settled in Polynesia are native Polynesian. Only a few number of immigrant from Europe, and Asia especially China who settled there, most of them only tradesmen that invested their money for cultivated some copra, and the other farming and administrative staff from France who take a place in French Polynesian government. This is also happened in the Melanesia and Micronesia.
If Polynesia has the widest water territory in Southern Pacific, Melanesia is an opposite. Melanesia or sometimes also called “Black Island”, is the largest land territory in Southern Pacific. This area, as well as in Polynesia and Micronesia, has some political unit such as Papua New Guinea (PNG) is the largest area in the Melanesia, Solomon archipelago, Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Demographically, the movement of the population in Southern Pacific as a whole and Melanesia especially, is fast. Involving a few number of population immigrant from different nation in over a thousand years. The different origin of the population in Melanesia can be seen as a fact that over 5 million people in Melanesia speak in over a thousand language include Irian Jaya. As in his book, Zulkifli Hamid stated that almost every language in this world is also exist in Melanesia. Melanesia also has a large number of populations. It is about 5.346.205 inhabitant that counted in 1991. Most of them live in PNG and the rest are in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon and New Caledonia.[7] It is also supported by its high fertility rate, and high birth expectancy. It is the highest rate in Southern Pacific. In Solomon archipelago, the birth rate could achieve 3.5% per year and in Vanuatu 3.1% per year.[8]
Beside of their varieties of culture, Southern Pacific region, as a whole, has a high rate of Gross Domestic Product, for example in French Polynesia, the GDP per capita is reaching US$18.000, in FSM US$2.200 per capita, and in Solomon it’s about US$ 2.600.[9] In order to make sure the correctness of that number, let me explain about what the main income of those island. According to CIA world fact book, the major income is coming from farming and fishery sector. In Solomon for example, the agriculture like cocoa beans, coconut, potatoes, palm kernels and tuna is donating for about 75% of the income. In French Polynesia is rather different, agricultural is only donating about 13% of income while the rest is fulfilled by tourism services. This is the same with Tonga which is only a half of its national income come from agricultural like coconut and bananas while the rest is very depend on tourism sector. In Fiji, sugar is the biggest source of its national income. Almost a third of its national income is coming from sugar export, while tourism is the second sources that about 250.000 tourists come to Fiji every year[10]. In contrast to its large number of GDP, Southern Pacific is very depending economically with foreign aids. They need the aids to build up hotels, beach resorts, and transportation. Others, need the aids to help out to fulfilled their domestic demand. Even though it has a wide fertile soil, it still doesn’t enough. The industrial aspect is very weak.
So that, even though they looks rich enough because of their fertile soil, the commonwealth of this territory still in high depend on foreign aid. They export a lot of agricultural product, but they can’t fulfill their domestic demand. They also don’t have enough technology to build up their territory besides of agricultural aspects, they have a large number of beaches and other tourism resort so that they have to build a new hotel and transportation. How could a state which couldn’t fulfill their own demand, build up a high class of tourism resort and industrial aspect unless from getting an aid from other outside country? Besides, I think that their government must keep try hard to increase in every aspect of the island so that will also increase the famous of Southern Pacific in every side of the world.
References
Hamid, Zulkifli.1996. Sistem Politik Pasifik Selatan. Pustaka Jaya : Jakarta.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook.html Accessed in Sept. 26, 2010.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1839.htm Accessed in September 26, 2010.
[1] From the total wide of Pacific Ocean 155.557 million sq km (www.cia.gov)
[2] Oceania is took a place in western side out of Asia, Eastern America and Northeast side of Australia.
[3] Not only caused by winds resultant but also there is a planetary air pressure system that makes an uniformity climate in the south and east pacific(www.cia.gov)
[4]On May 10, 1979, four of the Trust Territory districts ratified a new constitution to become the Federated States of Micronesia. The neighboring trust districts of Palau, the Marshall Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands chose not to participate. The FSM signed a Compact of Free Association with the United States in 1986. An Amended Compact entered into force in June 2004.
[5] From Population Census 1991 in Zulkifli Hamid, Sistem Politik Pasifik Selatan, hlm 20-21.1996.
[6] From Zulkifli hamid, Sistem Politik Pasifik Selatan, hlm 15. 1996.
[7] According to 1991 census, population in PNG in about 3.913.186 inhabitants, Fiji 744.026 inhabitants, Solomon 347.115 inhabitants, New Caledonia 171.559 inhabitants and Vanuatu 170.319 inhabitants.
[8] The other one is Marshall archipelago in Micronesia which is achieve 3.9% per year.
[9] The data is taken from CIA census in between 2003-2010.
[10] From Zulkifli Hamid, Sistem Politik Pasifik Selatan. Hlm,28-29. 1996.
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