What and Where are the Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands are a large cluster of islands strewn over the Pacific Ocean and which number from twenty thousand up to thirty thousand. In fact, they are so numerous that only a few have been named and officially identified. Most are so tiny and undeveloped that they are simply referred to as island by dint of their satisfying the very fundamental definition of an island. The islands are also sometimes referred to as Oceania.
The islands are made up of both volcanic islands (formed as a result of volcanic activity) and coral islands (coral reefs that are so large they become islands). The Pacific Islands are divided into three groups: Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia with Polynesia being the most historically popular of these three.
Despite the large number of islands within the Pacific Ocean, there are a number of larger islands that over time became countries in themselves and therefore ceased from being counted in with the rest of the Pacific Islands. These include island countries such as Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan and the Galapagos Islands of Ecuador.
There are other islands in this category that may not be countries but belong to other large countries such as China and the United States. The islands offer excellent holiday destinations and are mostly sustained by tourism and farming activities.