Oceania consists of numerous lands - most of them small island nations - in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity. It covers over 8,000,000 square kilometres and has a population of around 32,000,000.

Originally coined by the French explorer Dumont d'Urville in 1831, Oceania is traditionally divided into Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia and Australasia; although interpretations do vary. For example, some do not include the continent of Australia as part of Oceania.

Australasia generally describes the region that includes Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and neighbouring islands; however, the term is sometimes seen as controversial outside Australia because it indicates a link with Asia, which is a separate continent, or too greatly emphasises Australia.

Australia and New Zealand are sometimes referred to, by people from other Oceanic countries, as the 'big islands' where there are greater choices in education and employment.

Hawaii is generally included in Oceania, even though it is now politically a part of the USA. While it is some distance from most of the islands of Oceania, Hawaii is within the Polynesian triangle and the Hawaiian language is a member of the Oceanic language family.

Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the eastern Pacific Ocean that is part of the territory of Chile but also often included in Oceania. New Zealand is within the Polynesian triangle and its Indigenous people, the Maori, constitute one of the major cultures of Polynesia.

Although Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands belong to the Commonwealth of Australia, they are west of Sumatra and commonly associated with Asia.

The Philippines, an archipelago in the Western Pacific Ocean, is sometimes included in Oceania; however, for this book it has been included in Asia, as this seems to be the more common inclusion.