Oceania/Australia¶
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Australia¶- Coins
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As the age of mammals got underway, the land mass that is mostly Australia was pretty much on its own. This isolation has led to the evolution of some very unique animals, many of which are featured on Australian coins. Great Britain first laid claim to eastern Australia in 1770. In 1942 Australia's autonomy was officially established, although the Aussies had already been running the show themselves for years.
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Cook Islands¶- Coins
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The Cook Islands are 15 islands in the South Pacific Ocean with their own government since 1965, but still under the care of New Zealand (who sends them a yearly allowance, among other things). Capt. James Cook sailed there three times between 1773 and 1777 and he named them after his friend, Admiral Augustus John Hervey. At some unspecified later date, they were renamed the Cook Islands. Most of the islands are low-lying coral atolls, and some volcanic islands. The people export papaya and other fruits, as well as mother of pearl. The biggest part of the economy is tourism.
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Fiji¶- Coins
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Fiji is an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean made up of approximately 322 islands and hundreds of islets. The population lives on 106 of the islands, but the vast majority live on two major islands (Viti Levu and Vanua Levu). The islands were occupied long before the Europeans arrived, but how they arrived and from where remains an important question. The islands became a British colony in 1874, and independence was granted in 1970. Since that time, Fiji has waded through some major political problems including several coups including one as recently as 2000 which resulted in the country being kicked out of the Commonwealth of Nations. Fiji's economy is well developed, yet many of the people still get by day to day. Sugar is the major source of economic income. Fishing, foresty, mining and tourism also play important roles. Fiji ranks 151st for size and 153rd for population (less than one million), yet has a well-developed and capable armed forces that has contributed to United Nations peacekeeping efforts around the world.
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Kiribati¶- Coins
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Kiribati -- pronounced Kiribas -- is a country of about 32 atolls (coral islands) and one regular island situated around the equator in the Pacific Ocean. Although the country's land area is less than 800 sq.km, it is spread over more than 3,000,000 sq.km of ocean. The islands were occupied by a single Micronesian ethnic group for 2,000 years before Europeans arrived. Their language -- Gilbertese -- has no s and the sound is represented by the letters ti.In 1788, British captain Thomas Gilbert crossed the islands, and over 30 years later the islands were named the Gilbert Islands. They became a British protectorate in 1892 and a British colony in 1916. Autonomy was achieved in 1971, with full independence following in 1979. At this time, Kiribati obtained the western Phoenix islands and most of the Line islands from the United States. This resulted in the International Date Line dividing Kiribati between two different days, which is a difficult situation. In 1995, the Date Line was changed to jog around the islands, so they would all be included to the west of the line. This made Kiribati the eastern-most country in the world.
Unfortunately, Kiribati's days are numbered due to Global Warming. Two of the smaller islands disappeared underwater in 1999 and rising ocean levels are decreasing arable land due to increased soil salination. It is only a matter of time before Kiribati disappears beneath the ocean.
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New Caledonia¶- Coins
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New Caledonia is is an overseas territory of France consisting of one main island and several smaller islands in the southwest Pacific ocean. Sometime between 2014 and 2019 the approximately 250,000 residents will decide in a referendum whether to remain an autonomous overseas collectivity or become an independent state.New Caledonia is part of the mostly-submerged continent of Zeelandia, which is part of the ancient super-continent Gondwana. It broke off from Australia between 60-80 million years ago, and today contains unique flora and fauna descended from prehistoric Gondwanan forests.
New Caledonia is also one of the only countries to have two official flags. The one shown here is the Kanak flag, adopted in July 2010. The other official flag is the tri-colour flag of France.
