The Most Extreme Points of Oceania
Oceania is a region that consists of Australasia, Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia. The region spans across the western and eastern hemispheres. Oceania is made up of several islands, the largest being Australia. Several of the islands that make up Oceania are not sovereign nations but are territories of other states. They include the Island of Hawaii, French territory of Clipperton Island, Campbell Islands of New Zealand, and the Cocos Islands of Australia. However, several many more are independent states including; New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Tonga, Palau, Kiribati, and Tuvalu among others. The following are the extreme points of Oceania.
6. Northernmost Point in Oceania
Kure Atoll is the northernmost island of Hawaii and Oceania. The Atoll is the world’s northernmost coral atoll. It lies 55 miles north of the Midway Atoll. The only significant landmass in Kure Atoll is Green Island. Birds mostly inhabit it but there are several buildings left behind by the US Coast Guard. The territory is part of Hawaii and governed as the United States.
5. Southernmost Point in Oceania
The southernmost point of Oceania is the island of Jacquemart in New Zealand. The island lies less than a mile south of Campbell Island. It covers an area of about 19 hectares. The highest point on the island is approximately 656ft, but the coastline is eroded making it inaccessible by sea. Jacquemart was first visited in December 1980.
4. Westernmost Point in Oceania
The westernmost point if Oceania is Dirk Hartog Island within Shark Bay Western Australia. It is the largest island in Western Australia with an area of about 240sqm. It is currently a national park covered by dunes, but a small part has been leased to an investor who manages it as a tourist destination. The island is a popular nesting place for turtles.
3. Easternmost Point in Oceania
The easternmost point of the continent is Easter Island of Chile. The island lies in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. It is popular for Moai, the monumental statues. Easter Island is among the most remote places on the earth. The nearest human settlement is the island of Pitcairn 1,289 miles away while the closest urban environment is Rikitea at 2,606 miles away.
2. Highest Point in Oceania
The highest point in Oceania is Puncak Jaya at 16,024 ft above the sea level. Puncak Jaya is the summit of Mt Jayawijaya in the Sudirman Range, Papua Province, Indonesia. Puncak Jaya is the world’s highest island peak. In some accounts, Papua Province is considered as part of Asia on account of Indonesia being on the Asian Continent. In such a case, Mount Wilhelm at 14,793 ft becomes the highest point.
1. Lowest Point in Oceania
The lowest point in Oceania is the Challenger Deep at a depth of 35,814ft. It is also the deepest point on earth. Challenger Deep makes up the southern end of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean near the Mariana Islands.
