Geography (MICRONESIA, MELANESIA, AND POLYNESIA)

Match the islands with the regions: 1. Guam, Wake, Palau 2. Papua New Guinea, Fiji 3. Samoa, Easter, Tonga

1. Micronesia 2. Melanesia 3. Polynesia

This island nation is the only one that shares a border with another country.

Papua New Guinea

Even though Hawaii is one of the fifty U.S. states, it is also considered part of _____.

Polynesia

______________ Island is home to mysterious stone figures carved from hardened volcanic ash.

Rapa Nui

Review

Some of the better-known islands in Micronesia include: the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Wake Island, and Palau. Some of the better-known islands in Melanesia include: Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Caledonia, and The Solomon Islands. Some of the better-known islands in Polynesia include: French Polynesia and Tahiti, American Samoa, Samoa, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Cook Islands, Pitcairn Island, and Tonga. Many of the islands were formed by volcanoes. As a result, they tend to be quite mountainous and, in some cases, experience occasional volcanic eruptions. Papua New Guinea continues to experience violent volcanic eruptions from time to time, along with earthquakes and tsunamis. A number of the islands are home to coral atolls, which are formed when volcanic islands slowly erode, leaving behind coral reefs that had been forming around their sides. Because of limited natural resources, many of the islands rely on tourism. Other resources the islands can draw from, other than tourism, include fishing, offshore mineral deposits, oil and natural gas, some agriculture, precious metals, and pearls. With the exception of Easter Island, the entire region experiences a tropical climate with much rain, but little variation in temperature. The most westward locations must deal with typhoons during the year, some of which can be quite severe.

Select only the islands and island groups that belong to Micronesia.

Wake Island Marshall Islands Palau Northern Mariana Islands Guam

pumice

a lightweight, porous rock made of lava

polyp

a sea invertebrate that helps to create coral

atoll

an island formed from coral

What are some characteristics of a tropical climate?

grassy plains with very few trees and little water abundant rainfall throughout the entire year