The Pacific Ocean and Oceania

Most of Oceania’s islands are in the equatorial, subequatorial and tropical climate zones; only New Zealand is in the subtropical and temperate zones. The climate is warm and mild: about +30 °C by day and +23 °C at night; rainfall is heavy (3 000–4 000 mm), and on windward slopes in Hawaii over 10 000 mm a year. In the New Guinea mountains above about 4 400 m there are permanent snow and glaciers (they are shrinking because of warming). The islands are mostly covered with evergreen humid forests and savannas; coconut and sago palms, banana, breadfruit, mango and sugar cane grow. New Zealand has endemics such as tree ferns, kauri and flax. The animal world is poor: oceans hinder the spread of animals, and land mammals are almost absent (in New Zealand only bats). New Guinea has the cassowary, and New Zealand has the flightless kiwi, penguins and seabirds. Introduced rats, cats, goats and rabbits do great harm to native species. About 19 million people live in Oceania excluding Australia (the textbook gives 16 million in 2016); in New Zealand the native Māori make up about 17 % of the population. People grow coconut, banana, sugar cane, coffee and cacao, fish, and work in tourism and pearl gathering.