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Pacific Ocean Island Countries

Name all the countries whose territory lies mostly on Pacific Ocean islands.
Including all seas connected to the Pacific
East Timor is given because it is uncertain
Quiz by relessness
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Last updated: November 14, 2018
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First submittedFebruary 11, 2015
Times taken54,650
Average score89.5%
Rating4.47
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km²
country
1,904,569
Indonesia
462,840
Papua New Guinea
377,930
Japan
342,353
Philippines
270,467
New Zealand
36,193
Taiwan
28,896
Solomon Islands
km²
country
18,272
Fiji
14,874
East Timor
12,189
Vanuatu
5,765
Brunei
2,842
Samoa
811
Kiribati
747
Tonga
km²
country
710
Singapore
702
F. S. Micronesia
459
Palau
181
Marshall Islands
26
Tuvalu
21
Nauru
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93 Comments
scambigol
+10
Level 78
Feb 11, 2015
I'm not sure but perhaps 'East Timor' can make it in the list. Fun quiz!
relessness
+2
Level 46
Feb 11, 2015
Yeah, wasn't sure about that one but I think its technically in the Indian Ocean
scambigol
+3
Level 78
Feb 11, 2015
When I did a countries/oceans quiz I came to the very uncertain conclusion that it borders both Indian and Pacific! (http://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/91108/countries-bordering-2-oceans)
preproman
+20
Level 70
Feb 11, 2015
Technically, Timor Island is located in the East Indian Archipelago, which is the border between the two Oceans (Indian Ocean limit is in the Southern shores of the Archipelago, Pacific Ocean limit is in its northern shores). These are the official borders fixed by IHO, and that means that that zone is not part of any Ocean. It's like Mediterranean Sea, which is not part of Atlantic Ocean. But unlike Mediterranean Sea, which can be included into Atlantic Ocean following continuity reasons, it's not possible to put that area in any ocean following the same rules. That means East Timor can be seen as a Pacific or an Indian Ocean country up to your free interpretation. I think the most common interpretation is the "both" one, considering the southern shores of Sumatra, Java and Timor as Indian Ocean borders, and everything northern as part of the Pacific Ocean. But the correct one is: "none"!
preproman
+8
Level 70
Feb 11, 2015
Anyway, if your criteria are "including all seas connected to the Pacific Ocean", then you should include East Timor to this list! ;)
dasubergeek
+4
Level 74
Feb 11, 2015
East Timor juts out into the Banda Sea, which is connected to the Pacific Ocean, and into the Timor Sea, which is arguably the Indian Ocean. The vast majority live on the Banda Sea side (Dili, the capital, is on the Banda Sea), so I vote in.
mcpf
+7
Level 59
Sep 14, 2015
If you include brunei and especially indonesia (as a whole, where east timor is just within it), then there is no reason at all to exclude east timor out of this quiz
tshalla
+2
Level 77
Mar 17, 2018
The argument would be that the island of Timor lies (kind of) in an oceanic wedge formed by Sumatra, Java, and the more-or-less straight line of most of the Lesser Sunda Islands. This gives the appearance of an Indian Ocean wedge between Indonesia and Australia that goes well west of Singapore, for example. I don't know, but there might be a cycling of currents in that area that come from and head back to Indian (rather than the Pacific) Ocean waters.
ander217
+5
Level 75
Mar 18, 2018
Filling it in was a good compromise.
UltraEl1te
+1
Level 37
Sep 17, 2020
If East Timor Borders both Oceans, Pacific and Indian. I think it should be added.
ItzIngenious
+1
Level 65
Jul 9, 2021
It is not in the Indian Ocean quiz.
cuotak
+18
Level 68
Feb 11, 2015
Singapore?
TrickyTramTracks
+14
Level 31
Apr 25, 2018
Yeah, exactly... Even Singaporeans think this is ridiculous... Might as well be adding Malaysia and Thailand to the list...

Apparently the Pacific includes most of South East Asia.. or someone needs to go and look at a map...

ToonH
+19
Level 60
Sep 15, 2020
then again Malaysia and Thailand are not island nations
Joskethegreat
+5
Level 20
Sep 15, 2020
Dude it's like saying south korea is an island...
FlyingG
+9
Level 69
Sep 27, 2020
Singapore is an islands only connected via bridge. As for Malaysia, the title says countries that lie on islands, thus countries that lie only on islands.
Wiremu
+5
Level 56
Mar 8, 2021
Plus, even though there is about the same land on Borneo and the Mainland in Malaysia, a large proportion of the population, including the capital city, is on the mainland
Algernon
+25
Level 73
Nov 18, 2017
Am I missing something, or should Australia not be included? Pretty sure it's an island in the Pacific. The quiz says it "includes all seas connected to the pacific" so, surely it should be there?
JoshPen
+11
Level 78
Nov 18, 2017
It is considered a continent. While not all agree about that, to be consistent with other JetPunk quizzes it is continental.
Algernon
+14
Level 73
Nov 18, 2017
Fair point, but surely it is still a country (as well as a continent) so should it not be included?
Djilas
+11
Level 84
Nov 18, 2017
It is a Pacific country, but (if it's considered a continent) not an island country.
Temudhun
+7
Level 71
Aug 2, 2018
The distinction between island and continent is mostly arbitrary, though.
McLerristarr
+8
Level 62
Jul 14, 2019
Australians generally consider our country to be an island nation and a Pacific nation. However, it is in the middle of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, so it's arguable whether the whole country could be considered to be mostly in the Pacific.
Wiremu
+2
Level 56
Mar 8, 2021
While this can of worms is open, does anyone really know what defines a continent instead of an Island? Like how is Cuba not the mainland of North America and Canada through Panama are island nations. Is it just arbitrary lines and decisions agreed upon by those in power?
partdavid
+1
Level 74
Dec 2, 2024
Yes, it's just arbitrary lines and conventions and there's not really anyone "in power"; or rather, who's "in power" depends on the context, like most things in language (this is, after all, about semantics). For example, textbook publishers in the UK follow a different convention than textbook publishers in the US, let alone non-anglophone countries around the world.

That said, although there's lots of opportunity for debate about edge cases, you won't really find many adherents for an idea like yours, since it's so obvious that the mainland of North America is much larger than any of the bodies we consider its islands, like Cuba.

The original idea of a contitent, at all, was to distinguish three shores of the Mediterranean from each other, so it was really a much more local idea. As the map filled in for more people, it's become just a handy convention, but a more or less meaningless taxonomy (as are most coarse taxonomies).

JoshPen
+4
Level 78
Nov 18, 2017
Since there are only a handful of island nations in the Indian Ocean, they could be added to this quiz and rename it to "Pacific and Indian Ocean Island Countries" and then the East Timor debate can go way.
Djilas
+2
Level 84
Nov 18, 2017
7 + Indonesia and East Timor, quite enough for a separate quiz.
JoshPen
+1
Level 78
Nov 19, 2017
You are correct, but that is still going to leave room for these debates.
Arp2600
+12
Level 87
Nov 19, 2017
What about Malaysia? About 60% of its territory is on an island...
Jery
+2
Level 59
Mar 17, 2018
I think Malaysia should definetly be there.
jpcol
+2
Level 57
Mar 17, 2018
Agree on Malaysia
TrickyTramTracks
+2
Level 31
Apr 25, 2018
Malaysia is hardly a Pacific Island nation.

-Fiji

-Samoa

-Vanuatu

-Malaysia

Pick the odd one out and it makes absolute sense as to why it should not be there.

GeneralZ
+4
Level 41
Feb 16, 2022
Parts of it are still in Mainland Asia. It's not entirely on island(s).
OngKC
+1
Level 44
Dec 2, 2024
then why is singapore up there
DonTheLamplighter
+21
Level 85
Nov 20, 2017
Why isn't Cyprus on here?!!! (ducks & runs for cover)
roleybob
+12
Level 74
Nov 23, 2017
duh, everyone knows that Cyprus counts as being geographically in Never Never Land and culturally in Narnia
POOCH
+1
Level 72
Apr 26, 2018
Good one, Don. You old muckraker. I do enjoy a good sense of humor. Some folks just take things way too seriously.
kinjapan
+8
Level 72
Mar 17, 2018
How is Singapore on here? Google, Wikipedia, and Encyclopedia of the Nations all list it as being in the Indian Ocean.
TrickyTramTracks
+1
Level 31
Apr 25, 2018
I know right... by that logic, might as well add IRELAND!!!
Cwej
+3
Level 67
Sep 15, 2020
"Singapore ... is a sovereign island city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude (137 kilometres or 85 miles) north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bordering the Straits of Malacca to the west, the Riau Islands to the south, and the South China Sea to the east."

Wikipedia. No mention of the Indian Ocean there. Although the South China Sea is considered to be part of the Western Pacific Ocean...

FolgoreCZ
+2
Level 59
Sep 3, 2021
Forget Wikipedia and anything that others say. Let's make it simple. Look at the map and tell me, where would you put the border between the Indian ocean and the Pacific so that Singapore would not belong to the Pacific? I would be very interested in debating over your reasoning, if you do.
ManxMarvel
+2
Level 39
Mar 17, 2018
Ha. I typed in Hawaii, New Caledonia, Cyprus, Madagascar, French Polynesia, Christmas island and Malaysia before Japan and Taiwan.

Good quiz though I managed to get them all.

kalbahamut
+1
Level 81
Mar 17, 2018
Seems like if Indonesia is a certainty then East Timor should be even more certain.
kalbahamut
+3
Level 81
Mar 17, 2018
and Singapore, too
GoatUnicorn
+2
Level 58
Mar 17, 2018
If you look at this link: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/xo.html

You can see that northern East Timor touches the pacific.

:)

violinbebe
+3
Level 44
Mar 17, 2018
What ocean is Australia in?
loganite
+1
Level 90
Mar 17, 2018
Australia is generally excluded from island quizzes because it is considered to be a continental land mass.
y4r4
+2
Level 41
Apr 24, 2021
I prefer the term ''oceania'' but ok
JenavaFan
+4
Level 68
Mar 24, 2020
Australia doesn’t exist.
calvord
+1
Level 62
Mar 17, 2018
Australia and Malaysia are definitely missing. Some people insist that Madagascar should be included. It should be reconsidered. Cyprus is more “connected” to the Atlantic.
GeneralZ
+2
Level 41
Feb 16, 2022
Nope, not Malaysia. It has areas on Mainland Asia. Australia can be included, since there is no strict criteria of differentiating an island and continent.
sulfuratus
+6
Level 67
Mar 19, 2018
198,000 of Malaysia's 330,000 square kilometres are on Borneo, so it should be added to this quiz.
MrSchickadance
+1
Level 63
Mar 19, 2018
100%!
TrickyTramTracks
+2
Level 31
Apr 25, 2018
Singapore??? In the Pacific???? Are you serious????
roleybob
+2
Level 74
Sep 6, 2018
"•Including all seas connected to the Pacific"
GeoDude
+1
Level 47
Apr 22, 2019
What about Iceland
tamara
+2
Level 73
May 7, 2020
Why the thumbnail is the Maldives ??
Danibread
+1
Level 57
Nov 10, 2020
I know!!!
CLD99
+2
Level 59
Jun 2, 2020
I'm a little concerned about your definition of a "connected sea"... if we're considering Singapore, why not Sri Lanka? Why not the Maldives? The South China Sea is so clearly defined that, although it is technically peripheral to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, I really don't think Singapore should be on here. Additionally, although I understand that Australia lies primarily on a continent, not an island, it's generally considered part of the "Oceania" or "Australia and the Pacific" region, while places like Singapore, Brunei, and Japan are not, so maybe consider either adding it or removing the Asian countries? Also, if you're going to say "mostly," Malaysia should certainly be on here, as the majority of its land is on Borneo.
Galeag
+3
Level 65
Sep 15, 2020
One could argue that it's too big, but Australia is still a country, an island and entirely located in the Pacific Ocean. I think it should be in this list.
kalbahamut
+2
Level 81
Sep 15, 2020
It's a continent.
NV1
+2
Level 51
Sep 15, 2020
And an island :)
kalbahamut
+3
Level 81
Sep 15, 2020
islands are by definition land masses surrounded by water that are smaller than continents. Continents are land masses larger than islands.
roleybob
+1
Level 74
May 5, 2021
There is no single agreed upon definition of the word continent
partdavid
+2
Level 74
Dec 2, 2024
No--but there is an editorial convention that's more or less consistently followed on Jetpunk, which is what's relevant.
grantdon
+1
Level 74
Dec 3, 2024
Not really

Australia forms the border in some respects between the Pacific, Indian and Southern Oceans, so its on the "edge" of each of them.

While fitting the definition of island (which also applies to Asia, Africa and the Americas) the difference in area compared to the next biggest island (Greenland) is as good a reason as any to draw the line there.

If Europe, which is just a large peninsula of Asia qualifies as a continent, then Australia, of similar area surely does

Geographystar
+1
Level 67
Sep 15, 2020
What about South Korea?
Geographystar
+1
Level 67
Sep 15, 2020
THAT WAS A JOKE!!!!!!! Mostly.....
maple
+1
Level 52
Sep 15, 2020
i literally wrote philippines but it didnt count
bishu
+1
Level 30
Mar 8, 2022
spell it correctly next time
jmellor13
+2
Level 67
Sep 15, 2020
Papua New Guinea is bigger than Japan?! What the what.
RobNobody
+2
Level 79
Sep 16, 2020
Yup, by over 30,000 square miles (85,000 square km.) Papua New Guinea is very close to the equator so many of the map projections we're used to make it look smaller than things further away, like Japan. Play with "The True Size Of..." and see!
AlexThirkell
+2
Level 75
Sep 15, 2020
Definitely change the "seas connected to the Pacific" instruction - that's way too vague, and in reality means almost all seas in the world.

I'd suggest you just choose your countries and leave it at that. Giving an instruction then including a country "because it is uncertain" means quizzers are even more in the dark.

edit: P.S. I enjoyed the quiz, always almost forget Vanuatu but that makes it easier to remember at the last second :)

Danibread
+1
Level 57
Nov 10, 2020
Singapore and brunei are not in the pacific ocean, they are not island nations either
GeneralZ
+5
Level 41
Feb 16, 2022
They ARE island nations. Their whole territories lie on islands, which is the criterion for an island nation.
Albrik
+1
Level 57
Dec 2, 2024
Singapore is an island, the only connections they have with Malaysia are man-made, so not land
JessicaDR
+1
Level 62
Feb 8, 2021
isnt malaysia mostly in the pacific?
LuigiDood227
+1
Level 68
Mar 23, 2021
It touches Asian mainland
RyanVon24
+2
Level 43
Jun 19, 2021
Australia?????
skinnyboiasian
+2
Level 22
Nov 28, 2021
i forgot taiwan was a country....
Samoset
+1
Level 69
Dec 4, 2024
Common mistake, especially in China.
boltos
+1
Level 74
Dec 18, 2021
Cute quiz, thank you.
broyo
+3
Level 38
Jul 23, 2022
australia?
loni
+1
Level 68
Jul 31, 2022
Australia's considered a continent.
bostjan
+3
Level 71
Aug 3, 2022
"Singapore is an island in the Pacific Ocean." - This quiz.
Bletsch
+1
Level 70
Aug 3, 2022
The questions that arise when we attempt to put boundaries on oceans would confound even the greatest of minds. When I was a kid, I asked my dad, "Dad, what's the most important part of a car?" He looked at me and said nothing. That was a good answer.
Malbaby
+1
Level 70
Aug 5, 2022
He should have said "The driver"
AllHailKingHomer
+1
Level 78
Aug 3, 2022
Thumbs Up
Malbaby
+2
Level 70
Aug 5, 2022
With the best will in the world I cannot put Singapore on the Malay peninsular connecting the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea as a Pacific Island. East Timor is given as a 'not sure' and it is 1,590 miles nearer the Pacific than Singapore is.
Thenewone1124
+1
Level 44
Sep 17, 2023
If Haiti is an island country, why can’t Timor leste be one?
Alexquiz17
+1
Level 91
Mar 24, 2024
I’m just gonna pile on with everyone else - assuming this quiz complies with Jetpunk norms, then those norms must be Irish. They must be, if Singapore is a pacific island, but Australia is not, and even the USA (admittedly not mostly on islands) doesn’t feature… I have sailed across the Pacific thirteen times, usually going on via Singapore, and this description simply does not match reality.
Albrik
+1
Level 57
Dec 2, 2024
Uh, Brunei is the same situation as Timor-Leste isn't it
Geografen
+4
Level 68
Dec 2, 2024
No.
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