Oceania: Countries and Capitals

14 sovereign countries · updated guide

Oceania is the smallest continent by population and the most spread out — a scattering of 14 sovereign countries across the vast Pacific Ocean. It is anchored by Australia and New Zealand and fans out into thousands of islands grouped into Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.

The countries of Oceania and their capitals

Here is the full list of Oceania's 14 sovereign countries with their capital cities. These are the countries you will meet when you play Oceania rounds in the game.

Geography at a glance

Australia is the only country that is also a continent in its own right, a largely arid landmass with a temperate, populated coastal fringe. New Zealand, by contrast, is mountainous, green and volcanic, sitting on the Pacific 'Ring of Fire'.

The island nations are tiny in land area but spread across enormous stretches of ocean. Many are atolls — low rings of coral barely above sea level — which makes countries like Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands among the most vulnerable on Earth to rising seas.

Regions of Oceania

Australasia

Australia and New Zealand — the largest, wealthiest and most populous states of the continent.

Melanesia

The larger western islands: Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

Micronesia

The small northern island groups: the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, the Marshall Islands, Nauru and Kiribati.

Polynesia

The far-flung eastern islands within the independent states of Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu.

Tips for learning Oceania on the map

• Beyond Australia and New Zealand, the island nations are the hardest points on the whole world map — learn them as three groups (Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia).
• Nauru is the world's smallest island nation and has no official capital — its government sits in the Yaren district.
• Papua New Guinea, just north of Australia, is by far the largest of the Pacific island states.

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