Europeans In Oceania
European exploration and settlement of Oceania began in the 16th century, starting with Spanish landings and shipwrecks in the Marianas Islands, east of the Philippines. Subsequent rivalry between European colonial powers, trade opportunities and Christian missions drove further European exploration and eventual settlement. The British became the dominant colonial power in the region, establishing settler colonies in what would become Australia and New Zealand, both of which now have majority European-descended populations. New Caledonia (Caldoche), Hawaii, French Polynesia, Norfolk Island, Easter Island and Guam also have significant European populations. Europeans remain a primary ethnic group in much of Oceania, both numerically and economically.
Read more about Europeans In Oceania: European Settlement of Australia and New Zealand, Current European Population in Oceania
Famous quotes containing the word europeans:
“People nowadays have such high hopes of America and the political conditions obtaining there that one might say the desires, at least the secret desires, of all enlightened Europeans are deflected to the west, like our magnetic needles.”
—G.C. (Georg Christoph)