OCEANIA
Australia
Food: Whichetty grubs, Anzac biscuits, emu, macadamia nuts
Music: Australia is a country rich in diversity, culturally and geographically, a richness embodied in their music which embraces all genres and styles, is both steeped in tradition, and at the forefront of innovation and experimentation.
Fun Facts: As of 2012, Australia has an estimated population of over 22 million people.Australia is the world's 6th largest country by area. Australia is a relatively wealthy country with a high life expectancy. Australia has over 750 different reptile species, more than any other country in the world.
History: Aboriginal people arrived in Australia about 50,000 years ago. They may have traveled from Asia across land bridges that were exposed when sea levels were lower. The hardy Aborigines have learned to live in the harsh conditions of the outback. Dutch explorers first landed in Australia in 1606, and the British began to settle there in 1788. Many settlers were criminals sent to live in Australia as punishment. For a short time, the newcomers lived peacefully with the Aboriginal people. But soon, fighting broke out over who owned the land. In 1851, gold was discovered in Australia. A rush to find riches brought thousands of new immigrants, and by 1859, six separate colonies existed. In 1901, these colonies joined to form a British commonwealth.
Papua New Guinea
Food: taro, kaukau and yams, sago
Music: Reggae music
Fun Facts: The indigenous people in PNG once practice cannibalism;they hang their enemies heads as decorations.Papua New Guinea is the most heterogeneous nations in the world. There are hundreds of ethnic groups indigenous to Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea is also one of the least explored countries of the world, culturally and geographically.
History: Papua New Guinea occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, just north of Australia, and many outlying islands. The Indonesian province of West Papua (Irian Jaya) is to the west.
New Zealand
Food: Hāngi food, Pavlova, Colonial goose, Lolly cake
Music: The music of New Zealand has been influenced by blues, jazz, country, rock and roll and hip hop, with many of these genres given a unique New Zealand interpretation.
Fun Facts: It has more golf courses per capita than anywhere else in the world.There are 9 sheep per each person in New Zealand, making it the highest ratio in the world.The clearest lake in the world is Nelson’s Blue Lake, with a visibility of up to 80 meters deep. In 1893, New Zealand became the first country to give women the right to vote.
History: The Maori people arrived by canoe from islands in Polynesia near Tahiti around 1,000 A.D. In the 1600s, the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman visited the islands, but his party left after being attacked. New Zealand was named Nieuw Zeeland after a region in the Netherlands.The British established settlements and signed a treaty with the Maori in 1840. The Maori protested the treaty after their lands were seized, and in the 1860s, they began a 12-year war against the British for control of North Island. Peace was restored to the islands in the 1870s.The country became a dominion of Britain in 1907 and gained its independence from Britain in 1947.