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Islands of the Pacific

Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Foods and Recipes of the World - Cite This Source

Recipes

Coconut Milk
Fresh Grated Coconut
Poisson Cru (Marinated Fish)
Roast Pork
Bananas and Sweet Potatoes
Badam Pistaz Barfi (Fijian Hindu Nut Candy)
Papaya Chicken and Coconut Milk
Tropical Fruit Dessert
Tropical Fruit Shake
Firifiri (Tahitian Sugared Doughnuts)
Baked Papaya Dessert

1 GEOGRAPHIC SETTING AND ENVIRONMENT

There are thousands of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. Some island groups are independent nations, others are territories or dependencies of the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. The island groups are categorized as Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia. Polynesia includes the U.S. state, Hawaii, along with New Zealand, Easter Island, Tonga, Tahiti, and other islands. Melanesia includes Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands, and their surrounding islands. Micronesians inhabit about 2,500 islands that make up the countries Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands. The islands of Fiji are volcanic, with rugged peaks. The environmental conditions on the islands of the Pacific Ocean support seafood and lush tropical vegetation.

2 HISTORY AND FOOD

The first inhabitants on the islands of the Pacific came from Southeast Asia more than 20,000 years ago. They were hunters and gatherers who depended on the plentiful supply of seafood from the ocean that surrounded them. They became known for the great fishing skills they developed.

New islanders who arrived around 3000 B.C. are believed to have introduced agriculture to the Pacific region. Bringing with them seeds and livestock from the Asian mainland, they planted and harvested crops and bred animals. They introduced foods including bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, yams, and breadfruit. The animals they brought with them included dogs, chickens, and pigs.

Explorers from Europe in the 1500s brought more new foods to the islands. These included carrots, potatoes, turnips, beef cattle, and sheep. It took a long time until the Western world showed serious interest in the Pacific Islands. By 1900, however, the United States, France, Germany, and Britain all claimed control of islands in the Pacific. Over time, they made a lasting impact on the food customs of the islands they controlled. Cooking styles on the island of Tahiti, for example, continue to reflect a strong French influence.

3 FOODS OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDERS

Seafood, particularly fish, has long been the primary dietary staple and source of protein for Pacific Islanders. Nearly 300 varieties of fish are found in the waters of Polynesia alone. Fish is typically eaten raw, poached, or grilled. Root vegetables and tubers, such as taro (also known as a cocoyam), sweet potatoes, and yams, are also central to the diet of the region. A wide variety of tropical fruits are also eaten in large quantities. These include bananas, plantains (similar bananas), mangoes, papayas, and pineapples.

One dish that is uniquely Hawaiian is poi, made from the taro root. Traditionally, the root was roasted in an underground pit filled with hot coals for several hours, and then pounded with a stone to make a sticky paste. By adding water, the pudding-like poi was created. Hawaiians ate poi by the bowlful, using only fingers to scoop it up.

The coconut, a common fruit grown in tropical regions, is a main dietary staple. Nearly all of the Pacific islanders use coconut milk as their main cooking ingredient. The starchy fruit of the breadfruit tree is another Pacific island staple. When it is cooked, it has a texture like bread (which is how the tree got its name). It can be peeled and eaten whole or mashed into a paste that is dipped into warm coconut milk. The most commonly used spice in the Pacific islands is soy sauce. Gallon containers of it can be found in many households.

Introduced by Westerners, corned beef and Spam (canned meat, usually of chopped pork) have become very popular throughout the region. Popular beverages include coconut milk and beer.

Coconut Milk

Ingredients

  • 2 cups grated fresh coconut (see next recipe)
  • 1¼ cups hot water, or as needed

Procedure

  1. In a blender (or food processor fitted with the metal blade), process the coconut and hot water for about 2 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.
  2. Strain the mixture through a coffee filter into a small bowl, pressing down hard on the solid grated coconut flesh to squeeze out all the liquid. For thinner milk, add a little more water.
  3. Use immediately in any recipe calling for coconut milk.

Fresh Grated Coconut

Ingredients

  • 1 ripe coconut (shake coconut before purchasing to make sure there is liquid inside)

Procedure

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. With help from an adult, use a metal skewer or ice pick to pierce two of the soft spots at the top, where the "eyes" are.
  3. Drain the liquid and save to use in other recipes.
  4. Place the coconut on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool until it can be handled (about 5 minutes).
  5. If it is not already cracked open, place the coconut on a hard surface and tap with a hammer until the shell breaks.
  6. Remove the white flesh with a spoon or table knife. Peel off the thin, brown inner skin with a vegetable peeler.
  7. Grate the coconut pieces on the fine side of a manual grater or cut into coarse pieces and grind in a food processor.
  8. Use the grated coconut to make coconut milk (recipe follows), as a garnish for fruit salad or ice cream, or in other recipes.

Poisson Cru

The name of this dish is pronounced "PWAH-sun croo."

Ingredients

  • 1 pound fresh raw tuna or halibut
  • ½ cup fresh lime juice
  • ⅓ cup coconut milk (canned, bottled, or fresh; see preceeding recipe)
  • Salt, pinch
  • ½ cup carrot, shredded or grated
  • ½ cup cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1 large or 2 small vine-ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
  • ½ bunch green onions, trimmed and sliced
  • 2 Tablespoons chives or parsley, minced
  • 2 teaspoons lime zest (thin green outer layer of lime peel), grated

Procedure

  1. Cut the tuna into ½-inch thick strips about 2 inches long.
  2. In a large bowl (preferably glass or stainless steal) combine the lime juice, coconut milk, and salt; stir to mix.
  3. Add the tuna, carrot, cucumber, tomato, green onions, chives, and lime zest. Stir to mix. The lime juice "cooks" the fish. Taste for seasoning.
  4. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings.

4 FOOD FOR RELIGIOUS AND HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS

Pacific Islanders are known for their love of enormous feasts. They hold feasts to celebrate saints' days, births, marriages, and local events such as the crowning of a new chief. There are also funeral feasts. A typical feast might include cooked fish and shellfish and barbecued chicken or pork (or both). Also served are a wide variety of dishes made from taro (also known as cocoyam), sweet potatoes, yams, bananas, plantains, and coconuts.

Many Pacific Islanders are Christians and celebrate the major Christian holidays, including Christmas and Easter. Some Catholics fast (do not eat or drink) during the day or give up certain foods for Lent. Roast pig is a popular dish for Christmas dinner. Buddhism and Hinduism are also found in the region. Fiji, which has a large Indian population, observes Hindu festivals. Sweets are eaten on Diwali, the Hindu new year.

Roast Pork

Ingredients

  • 4- or 5-pound lean pork roast, boned
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons dark molasses
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup water
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Procedure

  1. Place pork roast in roasting pan or baking pan, and set aside.
  2. In a small mixing bowl, mix brown sugar, soy sauce, molasses, garlic, water, and salt and pepper.
  3. Pour mixture over meat and refrigerate. Let the meat marinate (soak) in the liquid for 4 hours, turning it occasionally.
  4. Preheat oven to 450°F.
  5. Roast the pork for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 325°F.
  6. Roast for another 2½ to 3 hours, or until well done. Baste often. (To baste, pour the pan juices over the meat with a spoon or basting syringe.)
  7. Carve into slices and serve with Bananas and Sweet Potatoes (recipe follows) or other side dish.

Serves 8 to 10.

Bananas and Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 3 Tablespoons butter or margarine, or as needed
  • 6 ripe bananas, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
  • 4 sweet potatoes

Procedure

  1. Scrub the sweet potatoes. Place them in a large saucepan, cover with water, and simmer until soft (about 20 minutes). When cool enough to handle, peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 2-inch thick pieces. Set aside.
  2. Melt 3 Tablespoons butter or margarine in large skillet over medium heat.
  3. Add bananas and fry, turning often, until well coated and heated through (about 5 minutes).
  4. Add sweet potatoes, toss carefully to coat, and heat through, about 5 minutes. Serve as a side dish with Roast Pork (see preceeding recipe) or grilled meat.

Serves 6 to 8.

Badam Pistaz Barfi (Fijian Hindu Nut Candy)

Ingredients

  • 1 box (3-ounce) vanilla pudding mix (do not use instant)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup evaporated milk
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 2 cups almonds, finely ground

Procedure

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine vanilla pudding mix, sugar, and evaporated milk.
  2. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat, add cardamom, almond extract, and almonds, and stir.
  4. Return to heat and cook for 2 more minutes until thickened, stirring frequently. (Mixture darkens to a tan color as it cooks.) Transfer to buttered 8-inch pan and smooth the top with a knife or plastic batter scraper.
  5. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate for about 4 hours. Cut into squares.

Serves 8 to 10.

Papaya Chicken and Coconut Milk

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken skinless, boneless breast halves, cut into ¾-inch cubes
  • 1 papaya, peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced
  • 1¾ cups coconut milk (canned, bottled, or fresh; see recipe)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • ¼ cup olive oil

Procedure

  1. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil and cook chicken cubes over high heat until they are almost cooked (about 5 minutes).
  2. Add the chopped onion and cook until the onion becomes clear, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the papaya slices and cook for 5 more minutes.
  4. Remove mixture from heat and add the coconut milk.

Serves 4.

5 MEALTIME CUSTOMS

Mealtime customs vary among the many different nationalities and ethnic groups of the Pacific Islands. For example, dinner is the main meal of the day for Tahitians of Chinese and Polynesian descent. However, those of European descent eat their most significant meal at lunchtime.

Pacific Island feasts are gala occasions that can be enjoyed by family, friends, or an entire village. Music is usually played while the food is eaten. Instead of a table, bowls and baskets of food may be laid out on mats or on a carpet of banana leaves.

Food for feasts is prepared in a special "underground oven" (called a himaa in Tahiti, a lovo in Fiji, and an imu or umu on other islands). It consists of a large pit dug in the ground and filled with stones heated over a fire made from dried branches and twigs. The food is wrapped in banana leaves and placed on top of the heated stones. Then it is covered with more layers of banana leaves and other materials to keep the heat in while it cooks. Once the food has finished cooking, it is taken out of the pit and removed from its wrapping of leaves. Pacific Islanders typically eat with their fingers. Sunday dinners and meals for other special occasions are often cooked in these underground ovens.

Tropical Fruit Dessert

Ingredients

  • 1 mango, peeled (½ cup canned pineapple chunks may be substituted)
  • 2 bananas, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
  • ½ cup shredded coconut (prepackaged or fresh; see recipe)

Procedure

  1. Slice the mango (if using) into bite-size pieces and place with banana slices in a medium-size bowl.
  2. Add the shredded coconut and stir well with a spoon.
  3. Scoop into dessert bowls and serve.

Serves 2.

Tropical Fruit Shake

Ingredients

  • 1 mango (½ cup canned pineapple chunks may be substituted)
  • 2 bananas
  • ½ cup shredded coconut (prepackaged or fresh; see recipe)
  • 2 scoops vanilla ice cream

Procedure

  1. Place ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Serve immediately.

Serves 2.

Firifiri (Tahitian Sugared Doughnuts)

Ingredients

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 package dry yeast
  • 1½ to 2 cups water
  • 1 cup sugar
  • Peanut oil, for frying (another oil may be substituted)

Procedure

  1. Mix the flour and dry yeast. Add water and mix to form a soft dough.
  2. Add sugar and let rise 4 to 5 hours. Divide the dough into about 12 to 15 pieces.
  3. Pull them into "ropes" and twist to form figure eights.
  4. Fry in very hot peanut oil until golden. Roll in sugar after frying.

Makes about 1 dozen.

Baked Papaya Dessert

Ingredients

  • 2 small ripe papayas, peeled, seeded, and cut in half lengthwise
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1½ cups coconut milk (canned, bottled, or fresh; see recipe)

Procedure

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Place the papayas, cut side up, in a shallow baking dish.
  3. Sprinkle with the sugar and add the water.
  4. Bake uncovered in the middle of the oven for 1½ hours, or until the papayas are tender but still keep their shape.
  5. Every half hour, pull out the oven rack and baste the papayas with the liquid from the dish (pour it over them with a spoon).
  6. Raise the heat to 400°F and bake until the syrup gets thick and becomes the color of caramel, about 5 minutes.
  7. Turn off heat and pour the coconut milk into the center of the papayas.
  8. Leave them in the oven until the milk gets warm, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately, or refrigerate and serve cold.

Makes 4 servings.

6 POLITICS, ECONOMICS, AND NUTRITION

The islands of the Pacific Ocean enjoy beautiful scenery and tropical climates. However, the people living in these island nations are vulnerable to catastrophic weather, such as intense cyclones, droughts, and even more serious, global warming. While there is still much debate about global warming among scientists, serious consequences could result. The islands' economies are adversely affected when shoreline and coastal buildings are damaged or destroyed by cyclones. Crops fail and fishing catches decline during periods of drought. Cyclones and droughts also contribute to the deterioration of coral reefs and to the spread of diseases like malaria and dengue fever.

7 FURTHER STUDY

Books

Cook, Deanna F. The Kids' Multicultural Cookbook: Food and Fun Around the World. Charlotte, VT: Williamson Publishing, 1995.

Davidson, Alan. The Oxford Companion to Food. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.

Goodwin, Bill. Frommer's South Pacific. New York: IDG Books, 2000.

NgCheong-Lum, Roseline. Tahiti: Cultures of the World. New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 1997.

Webb, Lois Sinaiko. Holidays of the World Cookbook for Students. Phoenix: Oryx Press, 1995.

Web Sites

InternetFiji.com. [Online] Available http://www.internetfiji.com (accessed April 15, 2001).

Samoa Chat Kitchen. [Online] Available http://www.samoa.as/recipe.htm (accessed April 15, 2001

SimplySeafood.com. [Online] Available http://www.simplyseafood.com (accessed April 15, 2001).

TravelCafe. [Online] Available http://www.travelcafe.tv/rec_home.html (accessed April 15, 2001).

Junior Worldmark Encyclopedia of Foods and Recipes of the World
Copyright © 1999 by The Gale Group.
Published by The Gale Group. All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

Pacific Ocean

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

The Pacific Ocean (from the Latin name Mare Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan) is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia on the west and the Americas on the east. At 169.2 million square kilometers (65.3 million square miles) in area, this largest division of the World Ocean – and, in turn, the hydrosphere – covers about 46% of the Earth's water surface and about 32% of its total surface area, making it larger than all of the Earth's land area combined. The equator subdivides it into the North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean. The Mariana Trench in the western North Pacific is the deepest point in the Pacific and the world, reaching a depth of 10,911 metres (35,798 ft).

Overview

The ocean encompasses a third of the Earth's surface, having an area of 179.7 million square kilometres (69.4 million sq mi and 161 million cubic mi) —significantly larger than Earth's entire landmass, with room for another Africa to spare. Extending approximately 15,500 kilometres (9,600  mi) from the Bering Sea in the Arctic to the icy margins of Antarctica's Ross Sea in the south (although the Antarctic regions of the Pacific are sometimes described as part of the circumpolar Southern Ocean), the Pacific reaches its greatest east-west width at about 5°N latitude, where it stretches approximately 19,800 kilometres (12,300 mi) from Indonesia to the coast of Colombia and Peru - halfway across the world, and more than five times the diameter of the Moon. The western limit of the ocean is often placed at the Strait of Malacca. The lowest point on earth—the Mariana Trench—lies 10,911 metres (35,797 ft) below sea level. Its average depth is 4,280 metres (14,000 ft).

The Pacific contains about 25,000 islands (more than the total number in the rest of the world's oceans combined), the majority of which are found south of the equator.

The Pacific Ocean is currently shrinking from plate tectonics, while the Atlantic Ocean is increasing in size.

Along the Pacific Ocean's irregular western margins lie many seas, the largest of which are the Celebes Sea, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Philippine Sea, Sea of Japan, South China Sea, Sulu Sea, Tasman Sea, and Yellow Sea. The Strait of Malacca joins the Pacific and the Indian Oceans on the west, and the Strait of Magellan links the Pacific with the Atlantic Ocean on the east. To the north, the Bering Strait connects the Pacific with the Arctic Ocean.

As the Pacific straddles the ± 180° meridian, the West Pacific (or western Pacific, near Asia) is actually in the Eastern Hemisphere, while the East Pacific (or eastern Pacific, near the Americas) is actually in the Western Hemisphere.

For most of Magellan's voyage from the Strait of Magellan to the Philippines, the explorer indeed found the ocean peaceful. However, the Pacific is not always peaceful. Many tropical cyclones (typhoons, the equivalent of Atlantic hurricanes), batter the islands of the Pacific. The lands around the Pacific rim are full of volcanoes and often affected by earthquakes. Tsunamis, caused by underwater earthquakes, have devastated many islands and destroyed entire towns.

Water characteristics

Water temperatures in the Pacific vary from freezing in the poleward areas to about near the equator. Salinity also varies latitudinally. The water near the equator is less salty than that found in the mid-latitudes because of abundant equatorial precipitation throughout the year. Poleward of the temperate latitudes salinity is also low, because little evaporation of seawater takes place in these frigid areas. The Pacific Ocean is generally warmer than the Atlantic ocean.

The surface circulation of Pacific waters is generally clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere (the North Pacific Gyre) and counter-clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. The North Equatorial Current, driven westward along latitude 15°N by the trade winds, turns north near the Philippines to become the warm Japan or Kuroshio Current.

Turning eastward at about 45°N, the Kuroshio forks and some waters move northward as the Aleutian Current, while the rest turn southward to rejoin the North Equatorial Current. The Aleutian Current branches as it approaches North America and forms the base of a counter-clockwise circulation in the Bering Sea. Its southern arm becomes the chilled slow, south-flowing California Current.

The South Equatorial Current, flowing west along the equator, swings southward east of New Guinea, turns east at about 50°S, and joins the main westerly circulation of the Southern Pacific, which includes the Earth-circling Antarctic Circumpolar Current. As it approaches the Chilean coast, the South Equatorial Current divides; one branch flows around Cape Horn and the other turns north to form the Peru or Humboldt Current.

Geology

The andesite line is the most significant regional distinction in the Pacific. It separates the deeper, mafic igneous rock of the Central Pacific Basin from the partially submerged continental areas of felsic igneous rock on its margins. The andesite line follows the western edge of the islands off California and passes south of the Aleutian arc, along the eastern edge of the Kamchatka Peninsula, the Kuril Islands, Japan, the Mariana Islands, the Solomon Islands, and New Zealand. The dissimilarity continues northeastward along the western edge of the Andes Cordillera along South America to Mexico, returning then to the islands off California. Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, New Guinea, and New Zealand—all eastward extensions of the continental blocks of Australia and Asia—lie outside the Andesite Line.

Within the closed loop of the andesite line are most of the deep troughs, submerged volcanic mountains, and oceanic volcanic islands that characterize the Pacific basin. Here basaltic lavas gently flow out of rifts to build huge dome-shaped volcanic mountains whose eroded summits form island arcs, chains, and clusters. Outside the Andesite Line, volcanism is of the explosive type, and the Pacific Ring of Fire is the world's foremost belt of explosive volcanism. The Ring of Fire is named after the several hundred active volcanoes that sit above the various subduction zones.

The Pacific Ocean is the only ocean which is almost totally bounded by subduction zones. Only the boundary with the Antarctic plate is not a subduction zone.

Landmasses

The largest landmass entirely within the Pacific Ocean is the island of New Guinea— the second largest island in the world. Almost all of the smaller islands of the Pacific lie between 30°N and 30°S, extending from Southeast Asia to Easter Island; the rest of the Pacific Basin is almost entirely submerged.

The great triangle of Polynesia, connecting Hawaii, Easter Island, and New Zealand, encompasses the island arcs and clusters of the Cook Islands, Marquesas, Samoa, Society, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuamotu, Tuvalu and the Wallis and Futuna islands.

North of the equator and west of the International Date Line are the numerous small islands of Micronesia, including the Caroline Islands, the Marshall Islands and the Mariana Islands.

In the southwestern corner of the Pacific lie the islands of Melanesia, dominated by New Guinea. Other important island groups of Melanesia include the Bismarck Archipelago, Fiji, New Caledonia, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

Islands in the Pacific Ocean are of four basic types: continental islands, high islands, coral reefs, and uplifted coral platforms. Continental islands lie outside the Andesite Line and include New Guinea, the islands of New Zealand, and the Philippines. These islands are structurally associated with nearby continents. High islands are of volcanic origin, and many contain active volcanoes. Among these are Bougainville, Hawaii, and the Solomon Islands.

The third and fourth types of islands are both the result of coralline island building. Coral reefs are low-lying structures that have built up on basaltic lava flows under the ocean's surface. One of the most dramatic is the Great Barrier Reef off northeastern Australia. A second island type formed of coral is the uplifted coral platform, which is usually slightly larger than the low coral islands. Examples include Banaba (formerly Ocean Island) and Makatea in the Tuamotu group of French Polynesia.

History and economy

Important human migrations occurred in the Pacific in prehistoric times, most notably those of the Austronesians (specifically, the Polynesians), from the Asian edge of the ocean to Tahiti and then to Hawaii, New Zealand, and Easter Island.

The ocean was sighted by Europeans early in the 16th century, first by the Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa (1513), who crossed the Isthmus of Panama, and then by Ferdinand Magellan, who sailed the Pacific during his circumnavigation (1519-1522). In 1564, conquistadors crossed the ocean from Mexico led by Miguel López de Legazpi who sailed to the Philippines and Mariana Islands. For the remainder of the 16th century, Spanish influence was paramount, with ships sailing from Spain to the Philippines, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands; the Manila Galleons linked Manila and Acapulco.

During the 17th century, the Dutch, sailing around southern Africa, dominated discovery and trade; Abel Janszoon Tasman discovering Tasmania and New Zealand in 1642. The 18th century marked a burst of exploration by the Russians in Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, the French in Polynesia, and the British in the three voyages of James Cook (to the South Pacific and Australia, Hawaii, and the North American Pacific Northwest).

Growing imperialism during the 19th century resulted in the occupation of much of Oceania by Great Britain and France, followed by the United States. Significant contributions to oceanographic knowledge were made by the voyages of HMS Beagle in the 1830s, with Charles Darwin aboard; HMS Challenger during the 1870s; the USS Tuscarora (1873-76); and the German Gazelle (1874-76). Although the United States conquered the Philippines in 1898, Japan controlled the western Pacific by 1914 and occupied many other islands during World War II. By the end of the war, the U.S. Pacific Fleet was the virtual master of the ocean.

Seventeen independent states are located in the Pacific: Australia, Fiji, Japan, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Republic of China (Taiwan), Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Eleven of these nations have achieved full independence since 1960. The Northern Mariana Islands are self-governing with external affairs handled by the United States, and Cook Islands and Niue are in similar relationships with New Zealand. Also within the Pacific is the U.S. state of Hawaii and several island territories and possessions of Australia, Chile, Ecuador, France, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The exploitation of the Pacific's mineral wealth is hampered by the ocean's great depths. In shallow waters of the continental shelves off the coasts of Australia and New Zealand, petroleum and natural gas are extracted, and pearls are harvested along the coasts of Australia, Japan, Papua New Guinea, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Philippines, although in sharply declining volume in some cases. The Pacific's greatest asset is its fish. The shoreline waters of the continents and the more temperate islands yield herring, salmon, sardines, snapper, swordfish, and tuna, as well as shellfish.

In 1986, the member nations of the South Pacific Forum declared the area a nuclear-free zone in an effort to halt nuclear testing and prevent the dumping of nuclear waste there.

Environmental Issues

Marine pollution is a generic term for the harmful entry into the ocean of chemicals or particles. The biggest culprit are rivers that empty into the Ocean, and with it the many chemicals used as fertilizers in agriculture as well as waste from livestock and humans. The excess of oxygen depleting chemicals in the water leads to hypoxia and the creation of a dead zone (ecology).

Major ports and harbours

See also

References

Further reading

Based on public domain text from US Naval Oceanographer

  • Barkley, Richard A. (1968). Oceanographic Atlas of the Pacific Ocean. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
  • (1985). Blue Horizons: Paradise Isles of the Pacific. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic Society. ISBN 0-87044-544-8.
  • Cameron, Ian (1987). Lost Paradise: The Exploration of the Pacific. Topsfield, Mass.: Salem House. ISBN 0-88162-275-3.
  • Couper, A. D. (ed.) (1989). Development and Social Change in the Pacific Islands. London: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-00917-0.
  • Gilbert, John (1971). Charting the Vast Pacific. London: Aldus. ISBN 0-490-00226-9.
  • Lower, J. Arthur (1978). Ocean of Destiny: A Concise History of the North Pacific, 1500-1978. Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press. ISBN 0-7748-0101-8.
  • Napier, W.; Gilbert, J., and Holland, J. (1973). Pacific Voyages. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-04335-X.
  • Oliver, Douglas L. (1989). The Pacific Islands. 3rd ed., Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 0-8248-1233-6.
  • Ridgell, Reilly (1988). Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia. 2nd ed., Honolulu: Bess Press. ISBN 0-935848-50-9.
  • Soule, Gardner The Greatest Depths: Probing the Seas to
  • Spate, O. H. K. (1988). Paradise Found and Lost. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0-8166-1715-5.
  • Terrell, John (1986). Prehistory in the Pacific Islands: A Study of Variation in Language, Customs, and Human Biology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-30604-3.

External links

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