History of Oceania
Brief history of Oceania summarized
A brief review of the ancient history of the remote continent of Oceania.
The origins of Oceania
The history of Oceania is based on that of Australia and other Pacific islands. The story is also based on the history of the three sub-regions of Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia.
The region was first explored by Europeans in the 16th century. Portuguese explorers reached Moluccas, Timor, Tanimbar Island and some parts of Carolina Island and New Papua Guinea between 1512 and 1525. Between 1527 and 1595, several large Spanish expeditions explored the Pacific Ocean resulting in the discovery of the Island. Marshall and Palau in the North Pacific.
Spanish explorers discovered the Pitcairn and Vanuatu archipelagos in the 17th century. A colony on Guam was discovered by the Spanish in 1668 and used as a port and stopover for ships heading west.
Abel Tasmania was the first to reach Tasmania and New Zealand and charted a substantial part of Australia, New Zealand, Tonga and Fiji. James Cook became the second European explorer to visit New Zealand 125 years after Tasmania and in 1778 he became the first European to visit the island of Hawaii.