Oceania

Oceania is a vast continent-sized region of the Earth's surface. It is so named because most of its area is covered by the Pacific Ocean, though it also includes the physical continents of Australia and Zealandia, each smaller than Earth's other continents. Most of Oceania's land area is on the continent of Australia, while most of Zealandia's surface area is underwater; the rest of Oceania is non-continental land lying as scattered islands on oceanic crust. In Earth geopolitics, Oceania is comprised of four traditional regional divisions:

• Australasia in southwestern Oceania groups most of the continent of Australia with the island country of New Zealand, both major British former colonies with large European-descended populations.
• Melanesia in west-central Oceania includes the major islands of New Guinea and New Caledonia along with most of the islands immediately to their east. Like Australasia, significant portions of Melanesia are located on the physical continents of Australia and Zealandia, with New Guinea forming the northern part of the Australian continent and New Caledonia forming the northern part of the Zealandian continent. Melanesia is so named because most of its indigenous inhabitants (Melanesians) have a very dark skin complexion.
• Micronesia in northwestern Oceania is so named because most of its scattered islands are very small, low islands.
• Polynesia in eastern Oceania is geographically the largest part of Oceania, so named because it consists of many scattered islands, including Hawaiʻi. Polynesian culture also includes the indigenous inhabitants of New Zealand, making it part of both Australasia and Polynesia.

Because Oceania is home to numerous countries and human cultures, it is often likened as another "continent" for the purposes of grouping its countries and territories, though only a small part of Oceania is truly continental.

In the Mirage continuity story Monster Island, the Turtles and Leatherhead travel to Australia.