Melanesia

American  

[mel-uh-nee-zhuh, -shuh] / ˌmɛl əˈni ʒə, -ʃə /

noun

1. one of the three principal divisions of Oceania, comprising the island groups in the South Pacific northeast of Australia.

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Melanesia British  

/ ˌmɛləˈniːzɪə /

noun

1. one of the three divisions of islands in the Pacific (the others being Micronesia and Polynesia); the SW division of Oceania: includes Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, the Bismarck Archipelago, and the Louisiade, Solomon, Santa Cruz, and Loyalty Islands, which all lie northeast of Australia

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Etymology

Origin of Melanesia

C19: from Greek melas black + nēsos island; with reference to the dark skins of the inhabitants; on the model of Polynesia

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Melanesia

Pasifika heritage encompasses the indigenous peoples of Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia, with Upper Hutt-born Rennie having Cook Islands links through his mother.

From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2026

Melanesia, which includes Chamorro people, Indigenous inhabitants of Guam, is one of the recently disaggregated categories in the census.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2024

"We received the nomination as part of bringing back Micronesia," he said, referring to an agreement among the sub-regions of Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia for a process to rotate key roles within the bloc.

From Reuters ● Nov. 10, 2023

Denisovan DNA is barely detectable in most parts of the world but makes up 4% to 6% of the DNA of people in Melanesia, which extends from New Guinea to the Fiji Islands.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 24, 2023

Tribes, recently independent and now variously subordinated to national states, still occupy much of New Guinea, Melanesia, and Amazonia.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond