OCEANIA. 



OCEANIA 



This term is employed by geographers to denote 

 the numerous islands scattered over the great 

 ocean which extends from the south-eastern 

 shores of Asia to the western coast of America. 

 Oceania is separated from Asia by the Strait of 

 Malacca, the Chinese Sea, and the Channel of 

 Formosa ; and from America by a broad belt of 

 ocean, comparatively free of islands. It may be 

 said to extend from latitude 50 south to 30 north, 

 and from longitude 96 east onward to 115 west, 

 in the opposite hemisphere. It naturally divides 

 itself into three great sections Malaysia, Austral- 

 asia, and Polynesia whose aggregate area has 

 been vaguely estimated at 4,132,000 square miles, 

 and population at from 30,000,000 to 40,000,000. 



MALAYSIA. 



This division takes its name from the Malays, 

 who are the principal inhabitants, and includes 

 the archipelago immediately adjoining the south- 

 eastern coasts of Asia, perhaps more generally 

 known as the East India Islands. It lies between 

 latitude 12 40' south and 20 north, and longitude 

 95 and 134 east. 



As to government, the civilised powers having 

 possessions in Malaysia are the Dutch, Spaniards, 

 and Portuguese. The Dutch possess the whole 

 of Java ; the greater part of Sumatra, where they 

 are continually extending their dominions; the 

 Moluccas, or Spice Isles ; and generally exercise 

 a predominating influence over all the southern 

 portion of the archipelago. Java, inclusive of 

 Madura, has an area of 51,000 square miles, and a 

 population of near 20,000,000. The 'culture- 

 system ' of forced native labour prevails in Java, 

 which is the granary of Malaysia. The imports 

 are about ,5,000,000 a year, and the exports 

 about .8,000,000. Rice, sugar, salt, coffee, 

 indigo, and tobacco are the staple exports. The 

 Dutch supremacy in Sumatra has been lately 

 challenged by the sultan of Acheen. Hostilities 

 were begun in 1873, an d though important advan- 

 tages have been gained by the Dutch, the contest 

 is hardly over yet. The greater part of Borneo, 

 which, after Australia and Papua, is the largest 

 island on the globe, is also ruled by the Dutch. 

 The Dutch are also dominant in the great island 

 of Celebes, somewhat smaller than Sumatra. The 

 Spaniards possess the greater part of the 

 Philippine group ; and the Portuguese retain 

 only a portion of the island of Timor. Great 

 Britain has possession of the island of Labuan, 

 which has an extensive bed of excellent coal, 

 besides other natural advantages. 



AUSTRALASIA. 



Australasia, which is used by some geographers 

 in much the same sense as that here given to 

 Oceania, is applied in its stricter sense to the 

 central and largest section of Oceania, consisting 

 of the great island of Australia or New Holland 

 and the belt of islands that lie north-east, east 

 and south-east of it. The chief islands forming 

 this belt are Papua or New Guinea, New 



Jritain, New Ireland, Solomon's Islands, New 

 iebrides, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, New 

 Zealand, Chatham Islands, Auckland Islands, and 

 Van Diemen's Land or Tasmania. 



The island of Papua, separated by Torres 

 itrait from the north of Australia, extends about 

 300 miles in length, with an estimated area of 

 ;oo,ooo square miles. It is little known. Of the 

 Jther islands forming the northern section of the 

 Delt, New Caledonia, taken possession of by 

 ""ranee in 1854, is the largest, being 400 miles 

 ong, though not more than 30 miles broad. The 

 jopulation is estimated at about 60,000. 



The great island, or rather continent, of Aus- 

 ralia, together with New Zealand, and Tasmania, 

 Chatham Island, &c. being British possessions, 

 require more particular notice. 



AUSTRALIA COLONIES. 



Australia extends from 10 45" to 38' 45' S. lat 

 an extreme breadth of about 2000 miles ; and 

 rom 112 20' to 153 30' E. long, the greatest 

 ength being 2600 miles. The area is estimated at 

 2,970,000 square miles, or about three-fourths of 

 :hat of Europe. It is probable that Australia had 

 3een long known to the Chinese ; but the first 

 certain discovery of its existence by Europeans is 

 due to a Spanish expedition sent from Peru in 

 1605, one of the commanders of which gave his 

 name to Torres Strait. The south-east coasts 

 were discovered by Captain Cook in 1770, who 

 gave the country the name of New South Wales. 



With the exception of two tracts one on the 

 south coast, between Southern and Western Aus- 

 tralia, and the other on the north-west coast the 

 island is girdled by a range of mountains varying 

 from 2000 to 6500 feet in height, sometimes ap- 

 proaching close to the shore, and at other times 

 leaving from 30 to 100 miles of plain between them 

 and the sea. The mountain range is most continu- 

 ous and elevated on the east and south-east Within 

 the colony of New South Wales, it is called the 

 Dividing Range ; and the southern section has the 

 distinctive name of the Australian Alps. 



The inner slopes of the bordering mountains 

 consist of thinly wooded terraces or grassy downs, 

 traversed by rivers rising in the heights ; and 

 these downs form the great sheep-pastures of the 

 colonies. They sink down towards the interior, 

 which in some parts is well grassed and watered, 

 and fitted for pastoral purposes. 



Many of the rivers or water-courses of Australia 

 have a peculiar character ; they spread out 

 into marshes, lagoons, and muddy ponds, cover- 

 ing large tracts in the rainy seasons, and at other 

 times forming merely a string of deep ponds or 

 water-holes, or becoming altogether dry. The 

 stagnant surface-water retained in the water-holes 

 is, in the level country, the only resource of men 

 and animals in the dry season. 



The climate of Australia, excepting on the 

 marshy shores of the north-west, is singularly 

 salubrious, though liable to sudden and great 

 changes of temperature. There is, on the whole, 

 a deficiency of moisture, and, in the interior, 

 the aridity and heat are sometimes excessive. 



29Z 



