Australia and Oceania

The smallest continent in the world, called Australia and Oceania, is surrounded by the Indian, Southern and Pacific Oceans. It includes the entire Australian mainland, such big islands as New Zealand, Tasmania, New Guinea (only its eastern half), and many thousands of tiny, tropical islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia regions, scattered throughout the South Pacific.

There are 14 independent countries and 12 dependent overseas territories. The largest sovereign state is Australia, occupying about 86% of the region’s total area. The smallest independent country is Nauru, which is so tiny that you need less than an hour to drive around it.