Table of Contents
What are the physical features of Melanesia?
The island region of Melanesia contains many high islands because it is a major part of the “Ring of Fire,” a string of volcanoes around the boundary of the Pacific Ocean. This part of the Ring of Fire is on the boundary of the Pacific plate and the Australian plate.
What is Melanesia made up of?
The Melanesia region includes Papua New Guinea, Australia and the island chains to the east including Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Fiji. The word “Melanesian” is more of a geographical name than a description of an ethnic group, so its meaning in this context is somewhat vague.
What type of vegetation dominates the islands of the Pacific Ocean?
The rain forests of the tropical Pacific Islands are generally evergreen. Their structure is comparable to that of the Indo-Malayan forests but the flora of the dominant strata is often relatively poor. The tallest hardwood forests, with heights ranging from 30 to 45 m, are found on deep volcanic soils.
Why is Melanesia called Melanesia?
Melanesia’s name was derived from the Greek melas ‘black’ and nesoi ‘islands’ because of the dark skin of its inhabitants.
What are 3 countries in Melanesia?
Melanesia
- Fiji.
- New Caledonia.
- Papua New Guinea.
- Solomon Islands.
- Vanuatu.
Where does the flora of Melanesia come from?
The Flora of Melanesia includes the native plants on the islands within region of Melanesia, a geographic subregion of Oceania, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The Melanesian flora is a biogeographic subregion of the Australasian realm.
What kind of animals live on East Melanesian islands?
Little is known about the invertebrates of the East Melanesian Islands. Butterflies are the best-known , with a few species of Ornithoptera (birdwing) butterflies, particularly O. allotae and O. victoriae— both large, prominent and spectacular species—and the blue emperor swallowtail ( Papilio ulysses) found in the Bismarcks and Solomons.
What do we know about the East Melanesian islands?
However, work is now beginning to document the region’s freshwater biota. Little is known about the invertebrates of the East Melanesian Islands.
What are the names of the countries in Melanesia?
The region encompasses four countries including the Solomon Island, Fiji, Vanuatu, and Papua New Guinea. Also included in Melanesia are New Caledonia (which is a territory of France) and Western New Guinea (a region of Indonesia).