Capitals of Oceania Trivia Quiz

Answer: Nauru

Nauru has not officially declared a capital city mostly because there are no cities in Nauru. The country is too small to have individual cities; the entire island is separated into different districts that look out for their constituents. Yaren, a district that houses the national stadium, the country's international airport, as well as the government buildings, is considered the de facto capital, or, as the United Nations calls it, the main district.

Answer: Samoa

The Independent State of Samoa is an island nation consisting of two main islands, two smaller ones, and several uninhabited ones, all located in the southern Pacific Ocean. These islands are located north-northeast of New Zealand and are a part of the Polynesian island group. The country became independent from New Zealand and Great Britain in 1962 and before that it was a part of the German colonial empire.

Apia is the only city in Samoa as well as the capital. It is located on the island of Upolu and officially became the capital in 1959. Nevertheless, people have made Apia their home since the 1800s at least, back when it was a small village. The city houses the government buildings as well as the Bahá'í House of Worship for the Oceania continent. Apia was also the place where Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson spent the last four years of his life, effectively making Samoa his adopted homeland and taking on a Samoan name - Tusitala, meaning Teller of Tales.

Answer: Marshall Islands

The Republic of the Marshall Islands is an island nation located just north of the Equator in the Western Pacific Ocean. It used to be a part of the Federated States of Micronesia but voted to break off and form its own independent republic in 1978. The islands themselves have been inhabited for thousands of years and were first contacted by European explorers in 1520 when Ferdinand Magellan's expedition to circumnavigate the world stopped by. The Marshall Islands were administered by the German colonial Empire for years until 1914. Japan took over the islands at that point and after WWII it became a part of the American administrative district. It broke away from the not-yet-wholly-independent Micronesian region to form its own republic in 1978.

Majuro has been continuously inhabited for at least 2000 years. It was a trading post for Europeans and served as a naval outpost for both sides of the Pacific conflict in WWII. It is an atoll with a large lagoon at its center. The city served as a center for Pacific nations concerned about climate change and it was where the Majuro Declaration was signed by them in 2013.

Answer: Fiji

Fiji is a country in the South Pacific Ocean that's comprised of over 330 island, over one hundred of which are inhabited. The largest of these islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu where the large majority of Fijians live. The islands in Fiji are mostly volcanic and some of the islands in the archipelago are still active. Fiji gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1970 and has has some periods of unrest; however, since tourism is the primary industry, these were resolved rather swiftly.

Suva, on Viti Levu, has been the capital of the region since 1877. It has swelled in size since then and has become a city, one of the strongest economically in the South Pacific. It is a cultural hub as well, having hosted the first Pacific Games and being the set for several Bollywood films.

Answer: Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands gained their independence from the United Kingdom in 1978 and are located due east of Papua New Guinea. They get their names from one of the archipelagos that make up the nation, first coined by the Spanish explorer Álvaro de Mendaña. He thought that there was a lot of gold to be found on the islands and named them for the Biblical King Solomon who had many riches. There is evidence for human habitation on some of the islands dating back over thirty thousand years.

Honiara is located on Guadalcanal, the largest island in the country. Though Honiara is the largest city in the Solomon Islands, it is not the most populous island. Honiara was close to the site of a bloody battle fought in WWII between the Americans and the Japanese as a part of the Guadalcanal Campaign planned by the United States in retaking the Pacific.

Answer: Vanuatu

Vanuatu broke off from the joint protectorate of France and the United Kingdom and achieved independence in 1980. When it was under their control, the region was called the New Hebrides. It was originally settled by Melanesian voyagers and found by the Europeans in 1606 by Fernandes de Queirós, a Portuguese explorer sailing under the Spanish flag.

Port Vila is the largest city in Vanuatu and also its capital. For about a year in the late 19th century, the city was called Franceville and it declared itself independent of the French-British protectorate that was in place at the time. This independence lasted for about a year before the commune broke up.

Answer: Federated States of Micronesia

The Federated States of Micronesia is an island nation in the Western Pacific Ocean with very little land area but one of the largest economic zones in the world. This is due to the amount of territory the islands cover over a large section of the Pacific. While the largest city is Weno, Palikir has been the capital of the country since 1989.

While the original capital of the country was nearby Kolonia, the capital was moved to Palikir in 1989. Palikir itself was always a small town and in modern times this did not change. The 2010 census counted only 6647 inhabitants, nevertheless, it has been inhabited for thousands of years. While Palikir may not have the same level of commercial activity or tourism infrastructure as some other capital cities in the region, it is an important cultural and historical center.

Answer: Tonga

Tonga is a kingdom in the South Pacific Ocean. It was first visited by European explorers, namely Captain Willem Schouten, in 1616 and it was a favourite of Captain James Cook who stopped by the islands on three occasions. However, archaeological evidence shows that humans have lived on the islands for thousands of years before. By the 12th century, Tonga had established itself as a powerful empire in the region.

Nuku'alofa is located on the island of Tongatapu in the southern islands of the country. It was formalized as the capital of the kingdom in 1875 and is now divided into three administrative districts. In the 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption, the city was devastated with extensive damage.

Answer: Kiribati

The Republic of Kiribati is a tiny country located in the central Pacific Ocean. Despite the amount of sea that this nation takes up, there is only one island in the entire country and the rest are atolls. Kiribati's land masses are all near the Equator, both north and south, and both east and west of the 180 degree longitude line. Kiribati achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1979.

South Tarawa is the capital of Kiribati and is located on a atoll comprised of several islands. During WWII, one of the bloodiest battles between the Japanese and the United States happened in Tarawa. Kiribati, and the residents of Tarawa in particular, are especially concerned about climate change seeing that the highest point in Tarawa is only three meters above sea level and the island is overcrowded as is, so people will not have any way to retreat from the shoreline if the waters rise worldwide.

Answer: Palau

The Republic of Palau is an island nation in the western Pacific Ocean very close to Indonesia and the Philippines. They were first settled about 3000 years ago and were colonized by the Spanish in the 17th century. In the 20th century, the islands were administered by the United States, opted out of joining the Federated States of Micronesia, and gained independence in 1994.

Though the first capital of Palau was Koror, the nation's largest city, the government moved the seat of government to Ngerulmud in 2006, not too far from Koror. It then became the least populous capital of a sovereign nation in the world, having only had 271 inhabitants in a 2010 census. The name, 'Ngerulmud', means 'place of fermented angelfish' referring to the angelfish offerings to the gods that were made on the hill in the village.