Pacific Ocean Territories

There are more than 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. Their total land area covers about one-quarter of one percent of the Pacific's surface. Weather conditions in the South Pacific are generally tropical. Most of the islands located there experience warm temperatures, but they also are cooled by trade winds. Most of the South Pacific's islands see little temperature variation between seasons. Natural resources in the Pacific's territories include farming, bird refuges, and tropical fruits.

American Samoa

At a Glance

Official Name: Territory of American Samoa

Area: 76.1 sq. mi. (199 sq. km)

Population: 67,084

Unit of money: U.S. dollar

Major Languages: Samoan, English

Government: unincorporated and unorganized territory of U.S.

Baker & Howland Islands

Unincorporated territories administered by the U.S. Fish and wildlife Service as part of the National Wildlife Refuge

At a Glance

Official Name: British Indian Ocean Territory

Area: 0.5-0.6 sq. mi. each (1.40-1.60 sq. km each)

Cook Islands

At a Glance

Official Name: Cook Islands

Area: 93 sq. mi. (240 sq. km)

Population: 20,611

Unit of money: New Zealand dollar

Major Languages: English (official), Maori

Government: self-governing parliamentary democracy in free association with New Zealand

Coral Sea Islands

Uninhabited Territory of Australia

At a Glance

Official Name: Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Area: 1.2 sq. mi. (3 sq. km)

French Polynesia

At a Glance

Official Name: Territory of French Polynesia

Area: 1,413 sq. mi. (3,660 sq. km)

Population: 253,506

Unit of money: Colonial Francs

Major Languages: French, Tahitian (both official)

Government: overseas territory of France

Guam

At a Glance

Official Name: Territory of Guam

Area: 209 sq. mi. (541 sq. km)

Population: 157,557

Unit of money: U.S. dollar

Major Languages: English, Chamorro, Japanese

Government: organized, unincorporated territory of U.S.

Jarvis Island

Uninhabited territory of U.S.

At a Glance

Official Name: Jarvis Island

Area: 1.7 sq. mi. (4.5 sq. km)

Johnston Atoll

At a Glance

Official Name: Johnson Atoll

Area: 1.1 sq. mi. (2.8 sq. km)

Population: 1,100

Unit of money: N/A

Major Languages: N/A

Government: unincorporated territory of U.S.

Kingman Reef

At a Glance

Official Name: Kingman Reef

Area: 0.4 sq. mi. (1 sq. km)

Population: N/A

Unit of money: N/A

Major Languages: N/A

Government: privately owned and administered by the U.S. Department of the Navy

Midway Islands

Uninhabited, unincorporated territory of U.S.

At a Glance

Official Name: Midway Islands

Area: 2.4 sq. mi. (6.2 sq. km)

New Caledonia

At a Glance

Official Name: Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies

Area: 7,172 sq. mi. (18,575 sq. km)

Population: 204,863

Unit of money: Colonial Francs Pacifique

Major Languages: French, Melanesian-Polynesian dialects

Government: overseas territory of France

Niue

At a Glance

Area: 100 sq. mi. (260 sq. km)

Population: 2,110

Unit of money: New Zealand dollar

Major Languages: Polynesian dialect closely related to Tongan and Samoan, English

Government: self-governing parliamentary democracy territory in free association with New Zealand

Norfolk Island

At a Glance

Official Name: Territory of Norfolk Island

Area: 13.3 sq. mi. (34.6 sq. km)

Population: 1,892

Unit of money: Australian dollar

Major Languages: English (official), Norfolk (a mixture of 18th-century English and ancient Tahitian)

Government: territory of Australia

Northern Mariana Islands

At a Glance

Official Name: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Area: 184 sq. mi. (477 sq. km)

Population: 74,612

Unit of money: U.S. dollar

Major Languages: English, Chamorro, Carolinian

Government: commonwealth associated with U.S.

Palmyra Atoll

At a Glance

Official Name: Palmyra Atoll

Area: 4.6 sq. mi. (11.9 sq. km)

Population: N/A

Unit of money: N/A

Major Languages: N/A

Government: privately owned and administered by the U.S. Department of the Navy

Pitcairn Islands

At a Glance

Official Name: Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno Islands

Area: 18 sq. mi. (47 sq. km)

Population: 54

Unit of money: New Zealand dollar

Major Languages: English (official), a Tahitian/English dialect

Government: colony of U.K.

Tokelau

At a Glance

Official Name: Tokelau

Area: 4 sq. mi. (10 sq. km)

Population: 1,458

Unit of money: New Zealand dollar

Major Languages: Tokelauan, English

Government: territory of New Zealand

Wake Island

At a Glance

Area: 2.5 sq. mi. (6.5 sq. km)

Population: no indigenous inhabitants; U.S. military personnel left the island, however some civilians remain

Unit of money: N/A

Major Languages: N/A

Government: unincorporated territory of U.S., administered by U.S. Air Force

Wallis & Futuna

At a Glance

Official Name: Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands

Area: 106 sq. mi. (274 sq. km)

Population: 15,453

Unit of money: Colonial Francs Pacifique

Major Languages: French (official), Wallisian (indigenous Polynesian language)

Government: overseas territory of France

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