THE PACIFIC REALM
(CHAPTER 12)
MAJOR
GEOGRAPHIC QUALITIES
 THE
LARGEST TOTAL AREA OF ALL
GEOGRAPHIC REALMS, BUT THE
SMALLEST LAND AREA OF ANY OF
THE REALMS
 A HIGHLY FRAGMENTED REALM
 A REALM IN POLITICOGEOGRAPHICAL TRANSITION
THE
PACIFIC
REALM
REGIONAL CHARACTER
TOTAL LAND AREA IS ABOUT 376,000
SQUARE MILES (TEXAS + NEW MEXICO)
 COLONIZED BY THE FRENCH, BRITISH,
AND THE U.S.
 TOTAL POPULATION IS ABOUT 9.2
MILLION
 TOURISM IS THE ECONOMIC MAINSTAY;
SOME MINERALS, FISHING
 POLITICAL ORGANIZATION

– INDEPENDENT STATES, COLONIES,
DEPENDENCIES, AND ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS
MARINE GEOGRAPHY
A SUB-FIELD OF GEOGRAPHY CONCERNED
WITH THE SPATIAL ARRANGEMENT OF
THE SEAS, ITS RESOURCES AND
MARITIME BOUNDARIES
 KEY TERMS

– TERRITORIAL SEA (12 MILE LIMIT)
– EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE (200 MILES)
– HIGH SEAS / INTERNATIONAL WATERS
WORLD
MARITIME
CLAIMS
Page 564
REGIONS

MELANESIA- (MELAS MEANS BLACK)
– WEST IRIAN, PAPUA NEW GUINEA, SOLOMON
ISLANDS, VANUATU, NEW CALEDONIA, FIJI

MICRONESIA- (MICRO MEANS SMALL)
– PALAU, FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA,
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS, REPUBLIC OF THE
MARSHALL ISLANDS, NAURU, WESTERN KIRIBATI,
GUAM

POLYNESIA- (POLY MEANS MANY)
– KIRIBATI, COOK ISLANDS, FRENCH HAWAII,
SAMOA, AMERICAN SAMOA, TUVALU, TONGA,
EASTERN POLYNESIA
MICRONESIA
MELANESIA
POLYNESIA
ANTARCTICA
THE ICE-COVERED CONTINENT
 5.5 MILLION SQUARE MILES (almost
2ce as large as Australia)
 ANTARCTICA - A REALM?
 MULTIPLE CLAIMS (next slide)
 THE ANTARCTIC TREATY (1961). See
textbook (replaced by the Wellington
Agreement of 1991).

SUVA, FIJI
PORT OF PAPEETE, TAHITI
BORA BORA