Oceania History Trivia

1. The early history of Fiji is the subject of much speculation where not much solid evidence is known. Why is this?

From Quiz History of Fiji

Answer: Its location in the central Pacific Ocean meant people frequently came and went.

Fiji is located in the central Pacific Ocean, which made it a great midway point for people traveling across the Pacific. Groups of people tended not to stay in Fiji for long periods of time, as the islands were typically midway stops during longer journeys. It is known that people lived in Fiji in at least 1100 BC and it is believed that the Lapita People were the first people to make permanent homes in Fiji.

From Quiz Oceans Ten

Answer: Baker and Howland

Both are uninhabited and were annexed mainly due to their location. Both lie just north of the Equator and about halfway between Australia and Hawaii. Hawaii became a U.S. territory in 1898.

From Quiz Oceania Islands Tidbits

Answer: Solomon Islands

The Guadalcanal Campaign was the first allied attack against the Japanese Empire during World War II. I took place in late 1942 and early 1943 and on the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, then part of Britain. The campaign was successful and the Japanese withdrew from the islands. It was followed by several similar campaigns on other islands that were also successful. Combined Allied and Japanese forces suffered tens of the thousands of casualties, dozens of ships lost and over a thousand planes destroyed.

From Quiz The Last Continent

Answer: To balance the weight of the northern continents.

Terra Australis - the Southern Land - was assumed to have existed because there were so many discovered lands in the Northern Hemisphere. Even as far back as the 15th century, maps placed a giant continent at the bottom of the Earth. Land balancing had been a working theory since the 5th century. Macrobius, a Roman commentator, wrote in "Commentarii in somnium Scipionis" that there needed to be a land mass in the south to balance the northern ones, especially the inhospitable northern polar lands that nobody ventured into back then.

From Quiz That 'Bastard Bligh': Mutiny on the Bounty

Answer: Lieutenant (acting as Captain) William Bligh

Bligh had been chief navigator on Captain Cook's third voyage (1776-80). Although in 1785 he served as captain of the mercantile vessel, Britannia, because of the small size of this vessel Bligh was obliged to accept his commission at the lower rank of Lieutenant and also serve as purser.

From Quiz Obscure History of Oceania

Answer: London Missionary Society

The islands conversion was completed in the 1920s. The London Missionary Society was made up of Protestants and was formed in England in 1795, with missions in the South Pacific and Africa.

From Quiz ANZACs in WWII

Answer: Achilles

This is known as the Battle off the River Plate. The Graf Spee was scuttled after the Captain was tricked into believing the British had a much large force waiting for him.

From Quiz Disputed Areas in the Americas and Oceania

Answer: German New Guinea

German New Guinea, or in German Kaiser-Wilhelmsland, was occupied by Australia 1914. In 1920 Australia was given a League of Nations mandate to govern. Solomon Islands were also part of The Trust Territory of New Guinea.

From Quiz History of Fiji

Answer: Tonga

The Tu'i Tonga Empire began in around the 950s and Fiji quickly fell under its sphere of influence. Fiji was always a big trade partner with the other islands around it in the Pacific. These islands also shared a similar culture. With Fiji coming under the Tu'i Tonga Empire, Polynesian culture began quickly gaining a foothold within Fiji.

From Quiz Oceans Ten

Answer: source of saltpeter

Saltpeter is used in the production of gunpowder. By the 1850s, the U.S. and the U.K. combined to import almost one million tons of guano a year. The term "guano mania" lead to high prices and thence, the Act. The Act states that any U.S. citizen who discovers a deposit of guano on any island not under the control of another government, may take control of such island and empowered the president to employ the U.S. military to protect such claims.

From Quiz Oceania Islands Tidbits

Answer: Kidnapping plots

Although not unique to the Pacific Islands, blackbirding was the name of kidnapping plots used by pirates and business owners to kidnap native Pacific Islanders and sell them into cheap labor. The practice was most popular in the years after slavery was abolished in the Americas, although it likely began earlier than that in the 1840s. Kidnapped islanders were sent to plantations and farms around the world but primarily in Australia and British owned farms on Pacific Island but also in Central America. The practiced continued well into the 20th century.

From Quiz The Last Continent

Answer: Russia

Despite the Prussian name, Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen was Russian, and, along with fellow countryman Mikhail Lazarev, their expedition to the southern latitudes was successful in sighting the Antarctic mainland. Aboard their ships they reached within 32 kilometers of the coast and sighted the Fimbul Ice Shelf. Later that year more sightings were made, and it is believed that in 1821, a year later, the first landfall was made.

From Quiz That 'Bastard Bligh': Mutiny on the Bounty

Answer: breadfruit

The Bounty had been sent to Tahiti to collect breadfruit and transport it back to London and to West Indies to provide food for slave labour. To accommodate the plants, the Captain's quarters had been turned into a greenhouse resulting in severe overcrowding for the officers and men. This was a source of great discontent, especially during bad weather.

From Quiz Obscure History of Oceania

Answer: Nauruan Tribal War

Also known as the Nauru Civil War, it began during an argument at a marriage party, when a Nauruan shot a young chief. In Nauruan culture avenging the chief's death was important. Eventually, guerrilla war broke out. The war finally ended when Germany annexed the island on April 16, 1888, and banned alcohol and firearms.

From Quiz ANZACs in WWII

Answer: Vichy French

Sir Roden Cutler went on to become Govenor of New South Wales.

From Quiz Survey of Guam's History

Answer: 6 March 1521

The local inhabitants sailed their triangular-sail canoes out to meet Magellan's ships. They made gestures and signs of welcome to the crew and invited them to come ashore. The natives managed to climb aboard the ship and eventually overwhelmed the crew. When the crew attempted to get them to leave they were unsuccessful. Eventually the crew resorted to the use of guns. A number of the natives were killed.

From Quiz Disputed Areas in the Americas and Oceania

Answer: Marshall Islands

Marshall Islands, along with Palau, Caroline Islands and Mariana Islands were mandated Japan 1919-1920. Bougainville, as the biggest of the Solomon Islands, was mandated Australia. As was Bismarck Archipelago, which was part of German New Guinea.

From Quiz History of Fiji

Answer: Abel Tasman

Abel Tasman visited Fiji in 1643 when he was searching for the then-unknown (to Europeans) continent of Australia. Specifically, he visited Vanua Levu and named the islands the Prince William Islands. The islands of Fiji were not mapped until over 150 years later when William Bligh arrived after being cast off of the Bounty.

From Quiz Oceania Islands Tidbits

Answer: The islands were populated by savage cannibals

Captain James Cook was the first known European to write about cannibals in Fiji. In the years following his voyage, British missionaries hoped to seize control of the islands and before long, accounts of cannibalism in Fiji became greatly exaggerated (although it did occur). Missionaries portrayed the islanders as savaged beasts who were uncivilized and needed to be saved by the British. They used the story of Fijian Chief Ratu Udre Udre who ate nearly 1,000 people who were prisoners he conquered to portray all islanders as savages. Stories spread of dead human bodies piled up around the islands waiting to be eaten and widespread human sacrifice. In reality, (other than Ratu Udre Udre) cannibalism was a rare practice used only when a particularly hated enemy was conquered.

From Quiz That 'Bastard Bligh': Mutiny on the Bounty

Answer: He followed Captain Cook's strict discipline regarding sanitation and diet.

Bligh also replaced the navy's usual 4-hour on and 4-hour off duty roster with a three-watch system in which two 4-hour watches were followed by an 8-hour rest break, and introduced regular music and dance sessions for entertainment and exercise. These measures were designed to ensure the health and well-being of his crew. However, not all the crew appreciated the changes. The ship's surgeon also proved to be incompetent, causing the death of an asthma patient through unhygienic practice.

From Quiz Obscure History of Oceania

Answer: 1979

Because of language and cultural differences, Palau did not become part of the Federated States of Micronesia. Palau is now independent, because of the Compact of Free Association, which came into effect on October 1st, 1994. The COFA guarantees financial aid to Palau, from the United States, as well as the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, and defense from the United States.

From Quiz Survey of Guam's History

Answer: Some of the natives had removed a skiff from the Spanish ship.

The crew may have been in a bad mood, afterall they were nearly starving and quite ill. Also the crew had no knowledge of these natives and saw the removal of the skiff as sheer theft. Therefore, the Spanish exacted punishment for the act and retrieved the skiff. After this incident, the natives did supply the crew with a plethora of fresh fruit and vegetables.

From Quiz Disputed Areas in the Americas and Oceania

Answer: Western Samoa

Western Samoa was mandated New Zealand 1920.

From Quiz History of Fiji

Answer: Swedish sailor

Charles Savage, born Kalle Svenson, was a Swedish sailor who arrived in Fiji somewhere around 1810. He was part of the sandalwood rush that saw an influx of Europeans to Fiji to harvest the valuable sandalwood. The sandalwood rush was short-lived, however, and Savage remained in Fiji. He was the rare European accepted into Fijian society as the local people were fascinated by his weapons they hoped to use in warfare. He lived the high life in Fiji until his death in 1813, when he ambushed by a warring faction and killed.

From Quiz Oceans Ten

Answer: Fiji

With the arrival of Europeans, the island's inhabitants were automatically labeled as "uncivilized". One Fijian is said to have consumed 872 people. In spite of the existence of some tall tales, there is some scientific evidence of cannibalism among the Fijian people.

From Quiz Oceania Islands Tidbits

Answer: International Date Line

Kiribati is an island nation in the South Pacific. Despite its small size, it is the only country to cross into all four of Earth's hemispheres. It's location caused a geographic anomaly where the country was on both sides of the International Date Line. In 1995, the nation moved the IDL eastward so the entire nation was together. Kiribati did not consult the rest of the world when they redrew the line but the new boundary of the IDL is typically accepted internationally.

From Quiz That 'Bastard Bligh': Mutiny on the Bounty

Answer: Relations with Tahitian women.

During the five months on Tahiti collecting the breadfruit plants, many of the men enjoyed the easy availability of the Tahitian women, and discipline on the ship and in relation to their mission began to suffer. Tools and property were stolen by locals and Bligh attempted to reassert discipline by ordering that offenders be flogged - a punishment he had largely avoided up to this point.

From Quiz Obscure History of Oceania

Answer: Snyder Rini

All of the incorrect answers were Prime Ministers of the Solomon Islands at one point or another. Manasseh Sogavare was elected Prime Minister after Snyder Rini resigned.

From Quiz ANZACs in WWII

Answer: Bernard Freyberg

The German casualties were so high that this was the last battle in which the Germans used paratroops as mass airborne troops.

From Quiz Disputed Areas in the Americas and Oceania

Answer: Cook Islands

Made British protectorate 1888. Part of New Zealand 1901. Tokelau was adminstrated by New Zealand 1925, part of this country 1948. Niue was originally part of Cook Islands administration, but was made separate dependency 1922. Norfolk Island is external Australian territory.

This is category 1945
Last Updated Nov 08 2025 5:44 AM

= Top 5% Rated Quiz, Top 10% Rated Quiz, Top 20% Rated Quiz, A Well Rated Quiz
= added recently, = Editor's Pick = FunTrivia Editor = Gold Member
Teachers / educators: FunTrivia welcomes the use of our website and quizzes in the classroom as a teaching aid or for preparing and testing students. See our education section. Our quizzes are printable and may be used as question sheets by k-12 teachers, parents, and home schoolers.

 ·  All questions, answers, and quiz content on this website is copyright FunTrivia, Inc and may not be reproduced without permission. Any images from TV shows and movies are copyright their studios, and are being used under "fair use" for commentary and education.