Travel & Cultures
Hot Hotel Offers >>
Australia and Oceania
Australia and Oceania Countries
Australia and Oceania
Australia and Oceania Information and History

Consisting of Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and the south Pacific islands, Oceania is a highly diverse region. From the vast dry bushland of western Australia to the dense rain forest of the tiny Solomon Islands, Oceania also includes mountains, jungles, and swamplands.

Buffered from colonization by immense oceans for centuries, Australia was finally settled by Europeans in the late 18th century. Today, the descendants of these settlers and the remaining aboriginal populations are working to live together in harmony.

Cities of Australia and Oceania
Australia and Oceania Features
Photo: Milford Sound
Explore New Zealand, home to what British writer Rudyard Kipling once called the eighth wonder of the world, and come face-to-face with Kiwis, Kaikoura Canyon, and much more.
Photo: School of fish
Become an Everyday Explorer—grab your camera and capture the excitement of your world. Share your videos, check out other Everyday Explorers' clips, leave comments, rate your favorites, and more!
Photo: Tahitian carrying tourist
Take a vacation: Experience the simple luxuries of sun, sand, and sea, and get to know some of the few places in the world that can truly be called paradise on Earth.
Photo: Island village
Learn more about this island country that is home to some 700 Papuan and Melanesian tribes, each with its own language.
Photo: Fire dancers
Get a glimpse of paradise with this gallery of photographs taken on assignment for the National Geographic magazine article "French Polynesia: Charting a New Course."




`
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Photo: El Capitan and the Merced River
8 finalists and 3,600 votes later ... Find out who was voted the "Ultimate" photographer!
Photo: The Cloud Gate in Chicago
Check out the local hotspots with downloadable city guides.
Photos, Maps, and More
Book: Atlas of the World, 8th Edition
Shop our acclaimed atlases, photography collections, guidebooks, and more.
Atlas of the World, 8th Edition

Maps
Find almost any place in the world with our interactive MapMachine.
Photo of the Day
Download fresh wallpaper every day.
Xpeditions Atlas
Use our crisp, clean black-and-white maps—perfect for reports and other projects.
National Geographic Expeditions
Photo: Greek ruins
Travel with some of the most prominent specialists in the world.