With a territorial extension of 8,526,462 square kilometers, corresponding to 5.8% of the continental areas, Oceania is the smallest terrestrial continent. This region is made up of 14 countries: Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
Australia occupies about 90% of the continental portion, the other countries are formed by islands and atolls in the Pacific Ocean, most of which are of volcanic origin. These islands are divided into three groups: Polynesia (in the far east), Melanesia (central portion) and Micronesia (northern portion).
The relief of Oceania is characterized by the great diversity of formations, where it is possible to detect geomorphological units such as the Australian mountain range and mountain ranges. Australia has extensive areas of very old plateau formation. This country is also home to mountains (in the eastern and southeastern portions) known as the Alps.
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Oceania is the only continent that has countries in the four hemispheres of the Earth – Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern. The main Climate Zones that the continent occupies are the Temperate Zone of the South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Glacial Zone) and the Intertropical Zone (between the Tropics of Capricorn and the Tropics of Cancer).
The main climates that act in Oceania are the tropical arid, subtropical, tropical, Mediterranean, oceanic temperate and equatorial. This continent has a great diversity of landscapes, with emphasis on tropical forests, deserts, savannas, snowy mountains, steppes, coastal areas. The fauna is represented by kangaroos, koalas, platypus, among others.
By Wagner de Cerqueira and Francisco
Graduated in Geography
Brazil School Team
Oceania - continents - geography - Brazil School
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
FRANCISCO, Wagner de Cerqueira e. "Physical Aspects of Oceania"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/geografia/aspectos-fisicos-oceania.htm. Accessed on June 29, 2021.