Pacific Islands

Pacific Islands are so numerous, especially if one includes uninhabited atolls, that a first glance at the map would suggest that it would be impossible to organize them for the purposes of this Companion. However, for reasons involving geography, history, politics, and climate, they fall into three recognized groups; Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. The best-known islands in each group are shown in the box.

For various reasons there are separate entries for hawaii, new Zealand, okinawa, and papua New Guinea.