Oceania & Australia Countries Wheel Spinner
This wheel picks a random country from Oceania, the region covering Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Island nations spread across a third of the planet’s surface.
The wheel starts with Australia and New Zealand, which is where most people stop when they think about this part of the world. Oceania is considerably larger than that.
Fourteen countries sit in the region, and the ones missing from the default wheel are the interesting ones: Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Palau, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Nauru, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia. Add them and the wheel becomes a genuinely useful teaching tool rather than a coin flip between two countries.
The geography is worth pausing on. Kiribati spans three time zones and both hemispheres while having less land than a mid-sized city. Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands sit only a couple of metres above sea level, which puts them at the centre of the climate conversation. These are the projects students remember.
Oceania & Australia Countries Wheel Spinner — questions
Which countries are in Oceania?
Fourteen: Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Palau, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Nauru, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia. The default wheel starts with two — add the rest.
Is Oceania the same as Australia?
No. Australia is one country within Oceania, which also covers New Zealand and the Pacific Island nations. Some curricula call the whole continent Australia, which is where the confusion comes from.
Can I include territories as well?
Yes. Add New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Guam or the Cook Islands as extra slices if your lesson covers territories alongside sovereign states.