Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea, and eastward to Fiji. The region includes the four countries of Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, and New Caledonia. Melanesia’s land area totals about 900000 square kilometers. The name Melanesia was first used by Jules Dumont d’Urville in 1832 to denote an ethnic and geographical grouping of islands distinct from Micronesia and Polynesia.
The people of Melanesia are often referred to as “Melanesians”. Although there is some genetic evidence for limited shared ancestry between Austronesian-speaking populations in Island Southeast Asia and non-Austronesian-speaking populations in Island Melanesia, linguists believe that the Austronesian languages were introduced into Island Melanesia after initial settlement by Austronesian peoples from Taiwan or mainland Southeast Asia. Consequently, most modern Austronesian languages in Island Melanesia are pidgins or creoles derived from one or more non-Austronesian source languages.
The majority of people in Melanesia are subsistence farmers; however, mining is also an important industry in Papua New Guinea and Solomons Islands while oil production plays a significant role in Vanuatu’s economy. Tourism is also becoming increasingly important in some areas such as Vanuatu where people from all over the world come to dive on its pristine reefs or climb its active volcanoes.