- Day 1
American Samoa (
Samoan: Amerika Samoa) is an
unorganized,
unincorporated territory of the
United States located in the South
Pacific Ocean southeast of the sovereign state of
Samoa. The main (largest and most populous) island is
Tutuila, with the
Manu'a Islands,
Rose Atoll, and
Swains Island also included in the territory.
The population is 55,519 (2010 census). Persons born in American Samoa are United States
nationals, but not United States
citizens. This is the only circumstance under which an individual would be one and not the other. The capital is
Pago Pago.
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- Day 2
The
Commonwealth of Australia is a country in the
Southern Hemisphere comprising the world's smallest
continent and a number of islands in the
Southern,
Indian and
Pacific Oceans.
By far the largest part of Australia is
desert or
semi-arid. Australia is the driest inhabited continent, the flattest, and has the oldest and least fertile soils. Only the south-east and south-west corners of the continent have a temperate climate. The majority of the population of 20.4 million (Sep 2005 est) lives in these temperate zones. The capital is
Canberra.
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- Day 3
The
Cook Islands (Cook Islands Maori : Kuki Airani) are a self-governing parliamentary democracy in
free association with
New Zealand. The 15 small islands have a total land area of 240 km².
Tourism is the country's number one industry, the leading element of the
economy, far ahead of offshore banking, pearls, marine and fruit exports. A popular art form on the islands is
tivaivai, often likened to
quilting.
The population is 21,388 (July 2005 est). The capital is
Avarua on
Rarotonga. Cook Islanders are citizens of New Zealand.
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- Day 4
The
Democratic Republic of East Timor is a country in Southeast Asia. It consists of the eastern half of the island of
Timor, the nearby islands of
Atauro and
Jaco, and
Oecusse District, an
exclave surrounded by
Indonesian
West Timor.
Formerly
Portuguese Timor, East Timor was invaded by Indonesia in 1975, which
occupied it until 1999. Following the
UN-sponsored act of self-determination that year, Indonesia relinquished control of the territory, which achieved full independence on May 20, 2002.
The population is 1,040,880 (2005) and the capital is
Dili.
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- Day 5
Easter Island (
Rapa Nui: Rapa Nui ("Great Island");
Spanish: Isla de Pascua) is an island in the south
Pacific Ocean belonging to
Chile. Located 3,600 km (2,237 statute miles) west of continental Chile and 2,075 km (1,290 statute miles) east of
Pitcairn Island, it is the most isolated inhabited island in the world.
The island is approximately triangular in shape, with an area of 163.6 km² (63 sq. miles), and a population of 3,791 (2002 census), 3,304 of which live in the capital of
Hanga Roa. The island is famous for its numerous
moai, the stone statues now located along the coastlines.
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- Day 6
Fiji is an
island nation in the South
Pacific Ocean. The country occupies an
archipelago of about 322
islands, of which 106 are permanently inhabited; in addition, there are some 522
islets. The two major islands,
Viti Levu and
Vanua Levu, account for some 87% of the total population.
The population is 893,354 (2005), made up of 54.3% native
Fijians, and 38.1%
Indo-Fijians (38.1%), descendants of
Indian contract labourers brought to the islands in the
19th century. The capital is
Suva.
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- Day 7
French Polynesia (
French: Polynésie française,
Tahitian: Porinetia Farani) is a
French "overseas collectivity" (
French:
collectivité d'outre-mer, or COM) in the southern
Pacific Ocean. It is made up of several groups of
Polynesian
islands, the most famous island being
Tahiti in the
Society Islands group, which is also the most populous island, and the seat of the capital of the territory (
Papeete). The population is 245,405 (2002).
French Polynesia has a moderately developed economy, which is dependent on imported goods, tourism, and the financial assistance of mainland France. Tourist facilities are well developed on the major islands.
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- Day 8
The
Territory of Guam (Guåhån in
Chamorro) is an island in the Western
Pacific Ocean and is an
organized
unincorporated territory of the
United States. Its inhabitants are largely
Chamorros, who first populated the island approximately 3,500 years ago. It is the largest and southernmost of the
Mariana Islands.
The population is 163,941 (July 2003 est) and the capital is
Hagåtña, formerly Agana (pronounced Agaña). Guam's economy is mainly supported by
tourism (particularly from
Japan) and
United States armed forces bases. The latter takes up one-third of the entire land mass of the island.
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- Day 9
Hawaii (
Hawaiian/
Hawaiian English: Hawaiʻi, with the
ʻokina; also, historically, the Sandwich Islands) is located in the
archipelago of the
Hawaiian Islands in the
Pacific Ocean,
19°28′41″N 155°32′47″W / 19.47806°N 155.54639°W / 19.47806; -155.54639. Admitted on August 21, 1959, Hawaii constitutes the 50th
state of the
United States and is situated 2300 miles from the mainland. It is the
southernmost part of that country.
As of the
2000 U.S. Census it had a population of 1,211,537 people.
Honolulu is the largest city and the state capital. Other large cities and towns include
Hilo,
Kahului and
Līhuʻe.
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- Day 10
The
Republic of Kiribati is an
island nation located in the central tropical
Pacific Ocean. The country's 33
atolls are scattered over 3,500,000 km² near the
equator. Its name is
pronounced /kiribas/ and is a
Kiribati language rendering of "Gilberts", the
English name for the main group of islands: the former Gilbert Islands.
The population is 91,985 (2001) and the capital and largest city is Bairiki,
South Tarawa. Kiribati is the easternmost country in the world, and was the first country to enter into the year
2000 at
Caroline Island, which, not coincidentally, has been renamed
Millennium Island.
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- Day 11
The
Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is a
Micronesian
island nation in the western
Pacific Ocean. The country consists of 29
atolls and 5 isolated islands. The most important atolls and islands form two groups: the
Ratak Chain and the
Ralik Chain (meaning "sunrise" and "sunset" chains).
Two-thirds of the nation's population of 56,429 (2003) lives on Majuro (which is also the capital) and Ebeye. The outer islands are sparsely populated due to lack of employment opportunities and economic development. Life on the outer atolls is generally still fairly traditional.
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- Day 12
The
Federated States of Micronesia comprise a
republic located in the
Pacific Ocean, northeast of
Papua New Guinea. The country is a sovereign state in
free association with the
United States.
It consists of 607 islands extending 1,800 miles across the archipelago of the
Caroline Islands. The four constituent island groups are
Yap,
Chuuk (called Truk until January 1990),
Pohnpei (called Ponape until November 1984), and
Kosrae. The population is 135,869 (2000) and the capital is
Palikir, on Pohnpei.
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- Day 13
The
Republic of Nauru (pronounced in
Eng. /næˈuː.ɹuː/), formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island
republic in the South
Pacific Ocean. It is the smallest non-European country (in terms of land area), and it is the only nation in the world with no official
capital. The population is 12,329 (2001 est).
Much of its past prosperity derived from the
phosphate deposits on the island, but with the exhaustion of these supplies, Nauru faces an uncertain future. Nauru currently houses a
detention centre, which holds and processes
asylum seekers as part of Australia's
Pacific Solution.
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- Day 14
New Caledonia (
French: Nouvelle-Calédonie; popular names: Kanaky, Le caillou) is a French dependency made up of a main
island (Grande-Terre de la Nouvelle-Calédonie) and several smaller islands. It is located in the
region of
Melanesia in the southwest
Pacific. It has a land area of 18,575.5 km² (7,172 sq. miles).
The population at the
2004 census was 230,789 inhabitants. It has an
Internet
country code
top-level domain (
ccTLD) of
.nc. The capital and largest city of the territory is
Nouméa. The currency is the
CFP franc.
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- Day 15
New Zealand is a country of two large islands and
many smaller islands in the south-western
Pacific Ocean. New Zealand is also known as
Aotearoa in the
Māori language, or the Land of the Long White Cloud. The country extends more than 1,600 kilometres (1,000 mi) along its main, north-north-east axis.
The population (total 4.4 million in 2011) is mostly of
European descent, with
Māori being the largest minority. Non-Māori
Polynesian and
Asian peoples are also significant minorities, especially in the
nation's cities. The capital is
Wellington, and the largest city is
Auckland.
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- Day 16
Niue is an
island nation located in the South
Pacific Ocean. It is commonly known as "Rock of Polynesia". Although it is self-governing, it is in
free association with
New Zealand. This means that the
sovereign in right of New Zealand is also the
head of state of Niue, and most diplomatic relations are conducted by New Zealand on Niue's behalf.
The population is 2,145 (2003) and the capital is
Alofi. At 260 km², Niue is one of the world's largest
coral islands. The terrain consists of steep
limestone
cliffs along the
coast with a central
plateau rising to about 60 metres above sea level. A coral reef surrounds the island.
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- Day 17
Norfolk Island (Norfolk : Norfuk Ailen) is a small inhabited island in the
Pacific Ocean located between
Australia,
New Zealand and
New Caledonia, and along with two neighbouring islands forms one of Australia's external
territories. Norfolk Island is the only non-mainland
Australian territory to have achieved self-governance.
The only major natural resource of Norfolk Island is
fish. There are no major arable lands or permanent farmlands, though about 25% of the island is a permanent pasture. There is no irrigated land.
The population is 1841 (2004 est) and the capital is
Kingston.
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- Day 18
The
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) is a
commonwealth in political union with the
United States of America at a strategic location in the West
Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands. It has a population (
2005 est) of 80,362.
The southern islands are
limestone with level terraces and fringing
coral reefs; the northern islands are volcanic, with active
volcanoes on
Anatahan,
Pagan and Agrihan. The volcano on Agrihan is the highest elevation in the islands at 965 meters. About one-fifth of the land is arable, another tenth is permanent pasture. The primary natural resource is fish.
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- Day 19
The
Republic of Palau is a
borderless country in the Pacific Ocean, located some 500 km east of the
Philippines. Having emerged from
United Nations trusteeship (administered by the United States of America) in 1994, it is one of the world's youngest and least populated nations. It is sometimes referred to in English under its native name Belau.
Palau's most important islands are
Angaur,
Babeldaob,
Koror, and
Peleliu, which lie together within the same
barrier reef. About two thirds of the population lives on Koror. The population is 20,303 (2005 est.). The capital is Koror, with the same name as the island.
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- Day 20
The
Independent State of Papua New Guinea is a country in
Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of
New Guinea and numerous offshore islands. Its capital and one of its few major cities is
Port Moresby.
It is one of the most diverse countries on Earth, with over 700 indigenous languages and at least as many indigenous societies, out of a population of just over 5 million. It is also one of the most rural, with only 18% living in
urban centres. The majority of the population live in indigenous societies and practise
subsistence-based
agriculture.
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- Day 21
The
Pitcairn Islands (Pitkern : Pitkern Ailen) are a group of four islands, of which only Pitcairn Island — the second largest — is inhabited, in the southern
Pacific Ocean, the only remaining
British colony in the Pacific. The islands are best known for being the home of the descendants of the
Bounty mutineers and the
Tahitians who accompanied them.
With only about fifty inhabitants (from nine families), Pitcairn is also famed for being the least populated country in the world (although it is not a
sovereign nation). The capital is
Adamstown, Pitcairn Islands.
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- Day 22
The
Independent State of Samoa is a country comprising a
group of islands in the South
Pacific Ocean. The entire group were known as the Navigators Islands, before the 20th century, due to the Samoans' excellent seafaring skills.
The Samoas are of volcanic origin and the total land area is 2934 km², consisting of the two large islands of
Upolu and
Savai'i which account for 96% of the total land area, and eight small islets. The main island of Upolu is home to nearly three-quarters of Samoa's population of 177,714 (Jul 2004 est) and its capital city is
Apia.
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- Day 23
Solomon Islands is a nation in the South
Pacific Ocean, east of
Papua New Guinea and is part of the
Commonwealth of Nations. It consists of more than 990 islands, which together cover a land mass of 28,400 square kilometres. The distance between the most western and most eastern islands is about 1500 km.
Volcanoes with varying degrees of activity are situated on some of the larger islands, while many of the smaller islands are simply tiny
atolls covered in sand and
palm trees. The population is 538,032 (2004 est) and the capital is
Honiara.
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- Day 24
Tokelau is a group of three tropical coral
atolls in the South
Pacific Ocean, a non-self-governing colonial territory of
New Zealand.
Tokelau has fewer than 1500
Polynesian inhabitants living in three villages, who speak
Tokelauan and
English. Their isolation and lack of resources greatly restrains economic development and confines agriculture to the subsistence level. The very limited natural resources and overcrowding are contributing to emigration to
New Zealand, resulting in a population decline of about 0.9% per year.
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- Day 25
The
Kingdom of Tonga (
Tongan for "south") is an
archipelago in the southern
Pacific Ocean consisting of 169 islands, 36 of them inhabited, and is divided into three main groups –
Vavaʻu,
Haʻapai, and
Tongatapu, which together cover an 800-kilometre (500 miles)-long north–south line. Tonga is a
monarchy. Criticism of the monarch is held to be antithetical to Tongan culture and etiquette.
The largest island, Tongatapu, on which the capital city of
Nukuʻalofa is located, covers 257 square kilometres (99 sq mi). The population is 112,422 (2005 est).
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- Day 26
Tuvalu is an
island nation located in the
Pacific Ocean midway between
Hawaii and
Australia. Its name means "Eight Standing Together" in
Tuvaluan. Its small, scattered group of
atolls and
reef islands have poor soil and a total land area of only about 26 square kilometres (less than 10 sq. mi) making it the fourth smallest country in the world. The population of 10,837 (2012) is vulnerable to the effects of
tropical cyclones and by the threat of current and future
sea level rise.
A
creation story that is found on many of the islands is that te Pusi mo te Ali (the Eel and the Flounder) created the
islands of Tuvalu; te Ali (
the flounder) is believed to be the origin of the flat
atolls of Tuvalu and the te Pusin (
the Eel) is the model for the
coconut palms that are important in the lives of Tuvaluans.
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- Day 27
The
Republic of Vanuatu is an
island nation located in the South
Pacific Ocean. It was named
New Hebrides during its
colonial period when it was run as an
Anglo-French Condominium.
Vanuatu is an 83-island
archipelago, of which two —
Matthew and Hunter — are also claimed by the French overseas department of
New Caledonia. Of all the 83 islands, 14 have surface areas of more than 100 square kilometers. Most of the islands are
mountainous and of
volcanic origin. The population is 202,609 (July 2004), and the capital is
Port Vila.
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- Day 28
The
Territory of Wallis and Futuna Islands (
French: Territoire des îles Wallis et Futuna) is a group of three
volcanic
tropical
islands (
Wallis (Uvea),
Futuna, and
Alofi) with fringing
reefs located in the South
Pacific Ocean. It has been a
French overseas collectivity since
2003.
Only five percent of the islands' land area is
arable land; permanent crops cover another 20%.
Deforestation is a serious problem; leaving the mountainous terrain of Futuna prone to
erosion. There are no permanent settlements on Alofi because of the lack of natural fresh water resources. The population is 14,944 (2003) and the capital is
Mata-Utu.
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- Day 29
Melanesia (from
Greek: μέλας black, νῆσος island) is a region extending from the western side of
East Pacific to the
Arafura Sea, north and north-east of
Australia.
The term was first used by
Jules Dumont d'Urville in 1832 to denote an ethnic and geographical grouping of islands distinct from
Polynesia and
Micronesia. Today d'Urville's
racial classification is known to be inaccurate because it obscures Melanesia's cultural, linguistic, and genetic diversity. Most importantly, this term combines two quite distinct groups, the
Austronesians and the
Papuans.
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- Day 30
Polynesia (from
Greek: πολύς many, νῆσος island) is a large grouping of over 1,000
islands scattered over the central and southern
Pacific Ocean.
The term "Polynesia" was first
coined by
Charles de Brosses in 1756, and originally applied to all the
islands of the Pacific.
Jules Dumont d'Urville in an 1831 lecture to the Geographical Society of Paris proposed a restriction on its use, and also introduced the terms
Micronesia and
Melanesia. This division into three distinct Pacific
subregions remains in widespread use today.
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- Day 31
Micronesia (from
Greek: μικρός small, νῆσος island) is the name of a region in the
Pacific Ocean. The
Philippines lie to the west,
Indonesia to the south west,
Papua New Guinea and
Melanesia to the south, and
Polynesia to the south-east and east.
This region of
Oceania consists of many hundreds of small
islands spread over a large region of the western Pacific. The only empire known to have originated in Micronesia was based in
Yap. The term "Micronesia" was first proposed to distinguish the region in 1831 by
Jules Dumont d'Urville; before this the term "Polynesia" was in use to generally describe the islands of the Pacific.
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