TRAVEL GUIDE to OCEANIA

This is your ultimate travel guide to Oceania!

Oceania is a geographical (and geopolitical) region, continent stricto sensu, consisting, made up of 14 independent countries, with the most well-known being Australia, New Zealand, and French Polynesia. It is called Oceania because the ocean is the connection all countries together.

Oceania is estimated to have a land area of 8.5M square kilometers (91,903 sqm) and a population of over 41 million. When compared with the other continents, the region of Oceania is the smallest in land area and the second smallest in population after Antarctica. Its six major population centers are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Auckland, and Adelaide.

Oceania has the greatest diversity of tropical coral in the world and includes the world’s two largest coral formations: Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and the New Caledonia Barrier Reef.

French Polynesia is an overseas collectivity, belonging to my country, France, and is probably the favorite tropical destination of every traveler.

GOOD TO KNOW

When in OCEANIA

YOUR TRAVEL GUIDE

The 4 regions in Oceania are Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

Australasia: consists of Australia, New Zealand, and their neighboring islands in the Pacific Ocean. It’s home to the Great Barrier Reef, Lord of the Rings filming locations, and plenty of scuba diving locations. They mostly speak English, which is very useful for travelers.

Melanesia: consists of New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands. Each island has a rich history and culture, and they are known for their exotic landscapes. Going from Europe is a long way, but it is worth it.

Micronesia: Micronesia is the northwest region of Oceania. Here the islands are very raw, untouched by human hands, such as the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, and one of the least visited and unheard of countries, Nauru.

Polynesia: Polynesia is the farthest region of Oceania, but it is another level in terms of travel and scenery. French Polynesia is famous among travelers and dreamers around the world, for destinations like Bora Bora and Tahiti, English and French are widely spoken in the region as well as Spanish, and other indigenous Polynesian languages.

Currency:

The dominant national currencies are the Australian dollar, the New Zealand dollar, and the United States dollar. There is also the XPF the Pacific Franc, which is in circulation in the French overseas territories.

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Best Time to visit

Bare in mind that Oceania is in the Southern Hemisphere. Therefore, winters and summers are reversed than in Northern Hemisphere. This means when it’s summer in Europe, there’s winter in Australia.

Nevertheless, the best time to visit Oceania would be from September to November, or from March to May. it’s just that this happens to be also peak tourist season!

November to March is considered cyclone season for Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and the other islands in the South Pacific. Nonetheless, tropical cyclones may occur at any time of year.

Travel Insurance is more than recommended when traveling to Oceania, to make sure you are covered in case of any natural disasters that may prevent you from traveling.

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