Pacific

Australia lies between the Pacific and Indian oceans. It is the largest island – and one of the largest countries – in the world. Its closest neighbours are New Zealand to the east and Papua New Guinea to the north. It has a large mountain range that runs down its east coast. Most of the centre of the country is covered by desert. The majority of its population live on the coasts.

Fiji is an archipelago in the South Pacific, sitting to the north of New Zealand and the north-east of Australia. It is made up of about 300 islands, only about 100 of which are inhabited. The islands feature a central range of mountains, giving way to plateaus, lowlands and coastal plains. Almost half of Fiji’s total area is covered by forests.

Kiribati is an island country in the central Pacific Ocean, made up of 33 islands. Only 20 of these are inhabited. Although the land area is small, the islands are scattered widely. Most of the islands are very low-lying atolls (ring-shaped coral reefs). Kiribati is home to the South Pacific’s largest marine reserve.

Nauru is a small coral island in the south-west Pacific Ocean. It sits about 1,300 kilometres to the north-east of Solomon Islands. Phosphate mining has left the island interior almost entirely barren. There is a fertile coastal strip, where most people live. Nauru is surrounded by coral reef.

New Zealand (‘Aotearoa’ in Maori) is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean. It has two main islands, North Island and South Island. Its closest neighbour is Australia, more than 4,100 kilometres to the north-west. New Zealand has been shaped by volcanic activity and some of its volcanoes are still active. It has a diverse environment including mountain ranges, lakes, rivers and a long coastline of sandy beaches.

Papua New Guinea is an island country that lies in the south-western Pacific. It includes the eastern half of New Guinea and many small offshore islands. Its neighbours include Indonesia to the west, Australia to the south and Solomon Islands to the south-east. It is mainly mountainous but has low-lying plains in southern New Guinea. The country has several active volcanoes.

Samoa is a small island country in the central South Pacific Ocean. It is made up of an archipelago of nine islands, four of which are inhabited. The two largest islands are Savai’i and Upolu. Samoa sits about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii. The country originated from volcanic activity. It is mountainous, with many lakes and rivers.

Samoa hosted the 2024 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Solomon Islands are two parallel chains of volcanic islands and small coral atolls in the south-western Pacific. The country is mainly mountainous and covered in forests, although it has some extensive plains. Solomon Islands’ nearest neighbours are Vanuatu to the south-east and Papua New Guinea to the west.

Tonga is two roughly parallel chains of around 170 islands in the south-western Pacific. Neighbouring countries include Fiji to the west, Cook Islands to the east and Samoa north. Only 36 islands are inhabited. Tonga’s western islands are volcanic (four with active volcanoes) and sit well above sea level. Those to the east are coral and are more low-lying.

Tuvalu is an island country in the west-central Pacific Ocean. It sits about halfway between Australia and Hawaii. Its neighbours include Kiribati, to the north, and Fiji, to the south. It is made up of a chain of 9 small coral islands. The islands are low lying. Many have large lagoons and are surrounded by coral reefs.

Vanuatu is a double chain of 13 principal and many smaller islands in the south-western Pacific Ocean. The islands are volcanic and coral in origin. They lie about 800 kilometres west of Fiji and nearly 1800 kilometres east of Australia. Around 65 of the islands are inhabited. Vanuatu has mountains and plateaus but is more famous for its coastal terraces and coral reefs.