Polynesia

Polynesia (from Greek, poly = many and nesos = island) is a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean.

Definition

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 three-way regional division remaining in widespread use today.

Related Topics:
Coined - Charles de Brosses - Islands of the Pacific - Jules Dumont d'Urville - Micronesia - Melanesia

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Geographically, Polynesia may be conceived as a triangle with its three corners at Hawai'i, New Zealand, and Easter Island. The other main island groups located within the Polynesian triangle are Samoa, Tonga, and the various island chains that form French Polynesia.

Related Topics:
Hawai'i - New Zealand - Easter Island - Samoa - Tonga - French Polynesia

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However, in essence it is an anthropological term, referring to one of the three parts of Oceania (abstraction made of 'continental' Australia), the others being Micronesia and Melanesia, whose autochthonous (pre-colonial) population generally belongs to one ethno-cultural family as a result of centuries of maritime migrations.

Related Topics:
Anthropological - Oceania

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