Austronesia

[ aw-stroh-nee-zhuh, -shuh ]

noun

1. the islands of the central and S Pacific.

Austronesia

/ ˌɒstrəʊˈniːʒə; -ʃə /

noun

1. the islands of the central and S Pacific, including Indonesia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia

Word History and Origins

Origin of Austronesia¹

austro- + Greek nês ( os ) island + -ia -ia

Example Sentences

Their language is more closely related to Hawaiian than to Bantu, and about half their genes can be traced to Austronesia—that is, Indonesia and the islands of the Pacific.

From Science Magazine

And anthropologist Michael Winkelman of Arizona State University in Tempe points out that even in Austronesia, sacrifice was always conducted for purely religious reasons: it could have other motivations, including punishment.

From Nature

But a new analysis of religious systems in Austronesia—the network of small and island states stretching from Madagascar to Easter Island—challenges that theory.

From Scientific American

But a new analysis of religious systems in Austronesia — the network of small and island states stretching from Madagascar to Easter Island  — challenges that theory.

From Nature

The thousands of islands, islets, and atolls which comprise Netherlands India—the proper etymological name of the archipelago is Austronesia—are scattered over forty-six degrees of longitude, on both sides of the equator.

From Project Gutenberg