a group of Australoids named for their relatively dark skin tones, a result of high levels of the protective pigment melanin; they settled throughout New Guinea and other nearby islands

powerful air and ocean currents at about 40°S latitude that speed around the far Southern Hemisphere virtually unimpeded by landmasses

a language used for trading; made up of words borrowed from the several languages of people involved in trading relationships

organisms that spread into regions outside their native range, adversely affecting economies or environments

the longest coral reef in the world, located off the northeastern coast of Australia

New Guinea and the islands south of the equator and west of Tonga (the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Fiji, and Vanuatu)

mammals whose babies at birth are still at a very immature stage; the marsupial then nurtures them in a pouch equipped with nipples

a lifestyle whereby people are self-sufficient with regard to most necessities and have some opportunities to earn cash for travel and occasional purchases of manufactured goods

the numerous islands situated inside an irregular triangle formed by New Zealand, Hawaii, and Easter Island

the longest-surviving inhabitants of Oceania, whose ancestors, the Australoids, migrated from Southeast Asia 50,000 to 70,000 years ago over the Sundaland landmass that was exposed during the ice ages

individual sites of upwelling material (magma) that originate deep in Earth’s mantle and surface in a tall plume; hot spots tend to remain fixed relative to migrating tectonic plates

the small islands that lie east of the Philippines and north of the equator

egg-laying mammals, such as the duck-billed platypus and the spiny anteater

Polynesian people indigenous to New Zealand

a low-lying island or chain of islets, formed of coral reefs that have built up on the circular or oval rim of a submerged volcano

an economy based on migration, remittances, aid, and bureaucracy

the great landmass that formed the southern part of the ancient supercontinent Pangaea

belonging or restricted to a particular place

the regional identity and way of handling conflicts peacefully that grows out of Pacific Islanders’ particular social experiences