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Pacific Ocean
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Pacific Ocean

Written by
Joseph R. Morgan
Associate Professor of Geography, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu. Coeditor of Atlas for Marine Policy in Southeast Asian Seas.
Joseph R. MorganAll
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Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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•History

The Pacific Islands are thought to have been peopled by influxes from both mainland and archipelagic Southeast Asia. The earliest migrations were to what is now generally referred to as Melanesia. From there generations of voyagers ranged northward into eastern Micronesia and eastward into Polynesia. The peopling of Polynesia, by means of long-range seagoing voyages carried out in large, seaworthy sailing canoes, constitutes a remarkable feat of navigational skill. These appear to have begun...

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