Austronesia

Austronesia, in historical terms, refers to the homeland of the peoples who speak Austronesian languages, including Malay (Malaysian-Indonesian), Filipino, the Visayan languages, Ilocano, Javanese, Malagasy, the Polynesian languages, Fijian, Taiwan's Formosan languages, Tetum and around ten-thousand other languages.

The Austronesian homeland is thought by linguists to have been prehistoric Taiwan.^[1][2]

The Austronesian language has been considered a coherent field of study for some decades.^[3][4][5]

Austronesian linguistics has attracted considerable interest.^[6][7]

The Austronesian linguistics and cultural world incorporates specific contexts of hierarchy which are included in linguistic form.^[8]

Considerable discussion has occurred on the language in Indonesia.^[9][10]

Archaeological linkages of the Austronesian world have been explored as well.^[11]

The name Austronesia comes from the Latin austrālis "southern" plus the Greek νήσος (nêsos) "island".

However, in contemporary terminology, the word Austronesia pertains to the regions where Austronesian languages are spoken. Austronesia then covers almost half of the globe, mostly ocean and oceanic islands, starting from Madagascar to the west until Easter Island, to the east.

Austronesia as a region has three traditional divisions: Taiwan (Formosa), the Maritime Southeast Asia, and Austronesian Oceania (Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia).^{[citation needed]}

Maritime Southeast Asia covers the modern nations of:

• Brunei
• East Timor
• Indonesia
• Malaysia
• Philippines
• Singapore

And as well: The Pattani region of Thailand, and the Chamic areas of Vietnam, Cambodia and Hainan Island.

Islands in the vicinity, with native populations having Malay or mixed Malay ancestry, which are not considered part of the Malay Archipelago include New Guinea and the Marianas Islands.

Eastern Sri Lanka, well as parts of the Andaman Islands inhabited by the Orang Laut.

The term Micronesia was coined in 1832 by Jules Dumont d'Urville from the Greek roots μικρός mikros 'small' and νῆσοι nēsoi 'islands', thus meaning 'small islands'.

Politically, Micronesia is divided among eight territories:

• the Federated States of Micronesia (sometimes referred to simply as "Micronesia", or alternatively abbreviated "FSM");
• the Republic of the Marshall Islands;
• the Republic of Palau;
• the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands;
• the Republic of Nauru;
• the Republic of Kiribati;
• the Territory of Guam.
• the Territory of Wake Island.

The term Melanesia was coined in 1832 by Jules Dumont d'Urville from the Greek meaning 'black islands', in reference to the dark skin of the Melanesians.

The following islands and groups of islands are traditionally considered part of Melanesia:

• Fiji
• New Caledonia
• New Guinea, politically split between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea
• Solomon Islands
• Vanuatu
• Maluku Islands, politically in Indonesia
• Torres Strait Islands, politically in Australia

Other islands with populations of mixed Melanesian ancestry but are not part of the traditional Melanesian area include:

• Nauru
• Timor, politically split between Indonesia and East Timor
• Maluku Utara, politically in Indonesia
• Flores, politically in Indonesia
• Sumba, politically in Indonesia

The term Polynesia was coined in 1756 by Charles de Brosses from the Greek meaning "many islands", describing the multiplicity of the islands in this area of the Pacific.

Countries and territories traditionally included in Polynesia include:

• American Samoa (overseas United States territory)
• Cook Islands (self-governing former territory of New Zealand)
• Easter Island (part of Chile, called Rapa Nui in the Rapa Nui language)
• Fiji (Lau Islands)
• French Polynesia ("overseas nation", a territory of France)
• Hawai‘i (a state of the United States)
• Loyalty Islands (a dependency of the French territory of New Caledonia)
• New Zealand (called Aotearoa in Māori)
• Niue (a self-governing dependency of New Zealand)
• Rotuma (an island in the extreme north of Fiji)
• Samoa (independent nation)
• Swains Island (politically part of American Samoa)
• Tokelau (overseas dependency of New Zealand)
• Tonga (independent nation)
• Tuvalu (independent nation)
• Wallis and Futuna (overseas territory of France)

In addition to these islands in this mid-Pacific Ocean, Polynesia often is meant to include the Polynesian outliers: islands that are culturally or linguistically Polynesian, but that are geographically in Melanesia or Micronesia. Most of these are small or isolated islands, like Rennell or Tikopia in the Solomon Islands.

• List of Austronesian regions

• Art of Island Southeast Asia, a full text exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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