| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 26,000,000 62% of Oceania's population (2018)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Australia, Hawaii, New Caledonia and New Zealand | |
| Languages | |
| Predominantly English, French and Spanish[2][3] | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (Anglicanism/Protestantism and Catholicism) and Judaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| European diaspora |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Oceanian Culture |
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 Oceania Portal |
European exploration and settlement of Oceania began in the 16th century, starting with the Spanish (Castilian) landings and shipwrecks in the Mariana Islands, east of the Philippines. This was followed by the Portuguese landing and settling temporarily (due to the monsoons) in some of the Caroline Islands and Papua New Guinea. Several Spanish landings in the Caroline Islands and New Guinea came after.[citation needed] Subsequent rivalry between European colonial powers, trade opportunities and Christian missions drove further European exploration and eventual settlement. After the 17th century Dutch landings in New Zealand and Australia, with no settlement in these lands, the British became the dominant colonial power in the region, establishing settler colonies in what would become Australia and New Zealand, both of which now have majority European-descended populations. States including New Caledonia (Caldoche),[4] Hawaii,[5] French Polynesia,[6] and Norfolk Island also have considerable European populations. Europeans remain a primary ethnic group in much of Oceania, both numerically and economically.[citation needed]
The areas covered in this article follow the guidelines set out by list of sovereign states and dependent territories in Oceania.
- ^ "Australian Human Rights commission 2018" (PDF). 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ Todd, Ian (1974). Island Realm: A Pacific Panorama. Angus & Robertson. p. 190. ISBN 9780207127618. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
[we] can further define the word culture to mean language. Thus we have the French language part of Oceania, the Spanish part and the Japanese part. The Japanese culture groups of Oceania are the Bonin Islands, the Marcus Islands and the Volcano Islands. These three clusters, lying south and south-east of Japan, are inhabited either by Japanese or by people who have now completely fused with the Japanese race. Therefore they will not be taken into account in the proposed comparison of the policies of non - Oceanic cultures towards Oceanic peoples. On the eastern side of the Pacific are a number of Spanish language culture groups of islands. Two of them, the Galapagos and Easter Island, have been dealt with as separate chapters in this volume. Only one of the dozen or so Spanish culture island groups of Oceania has an Oceanic population — the Polynesians of Easter Island. The rest are either uninhabited or have a Spanish - Latin - American population consisting of people who migrated from the mainland. Therefore, the comparisons which follow refer almost exclusively to the English and French language cultures.
- ^ Sebeok, Thomas Albert (1971). Current Trends in Linguistics: Linguistics in Oceania. the University of Michigan. p. 950. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ New Caledonia: People: Ethnic Groups., World Factbook of CIA
- ^ Census shows Hawaii is becoming whiter Archived 29 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine, starbulletin.com
- ^ French Polynesia: People: Ethnic Groups. World Factbook of CIA