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By geographic definition, Australia is part of Oceania, while Indonesia and the Philippines are part of Southeast Asia and Japan is considered an East Asian nation. Ultimately, it is up to a person how they choose to identify, but according to Britannica, the Pacific Islands excludes nearby islands like Australia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Japan. Is the Philippines or Japan a Pacific Island country?īecause the Pacific Ocean contains many islands, there tends to be some debate as to whether or not certain countries and people belong to the Pacific Islands. However, according to a World Health Organization report, there are 15 countries in the Pacific Islands: Since the Pacific Islands are comprised of thousands of islands and territories, the number of countries in this group is often up for debate. with some significant resource contributions: Logging: The Nez Pearce Tribe managed the forests and used lumber to create canoes and dwellings.
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