Delegations

American Samoa, comprised of five volcanic islands and two coral atolls, is home to 55,000 people, whose primary language is Samoan. More than 90 percent of the land is communally owned. American Samoa is a self-governing territory of the U.S. headed by second-term Governor Lemanu P. S. Mauga. In 2008, the country hosted the 10th FESTPAC, with the theme, “Suʻigaʻula: Threading the Oceania `Ula.”

The Commonwealth of Australia, the largest nation in Oceania, is made up of the continent of Australia, the island of Tasmania and many smaller islands. The country is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy, headed by Queen Elizabeth II and governed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Governor-General David Hurley. In 1988, Australia hosted the 5th FESTPAC in Townsville, with the aim of making “Dreamtime” a rebirth for all Pacific peoples. The Aboriginal peoples of Australia are believed to have the oldest continuous culture on Earth.

The Cook Islands encompass 15 islands in the South Pacific. With a population of 17,000, this self-governing parliamentary democracy, headed by Prime Minister Mark Brown, has a free association relationship with New Zealand, where a large community of Cook Islanders reside. The country’s official languages are English and Cook Island Māori. Named for British explorer Captain James Cook, who visited in the 1770s, Cook Islands is seeking a name change that would better honor its indigenous roots. In 1992, Cook Islands hosted the 6th FESTPAC, which celebrated the ocean-voyaging heritage of Oceania.

Rapa Nui is made up of three extinct volcanoes, and is one of the most isolated inhabited islands in the world. A territory of Chile, with 7,800 people, Rapa Nui is headed by Governor Tarita Alarcón Rapu. Renowned for its more than 900 moai, or monumental stone statues carved by its original inhabitants, Rapa Nui was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995. Spanish is the official language but the indigenous Rapa Nui language is undergoing a revitalization.

The Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) is an independent republic comprising the states of Chuuk, Kosrae, Pohnpei and Yap, which share long-standing economic and cultural ties. The country encompasses 607 high islands and coral atolls, and is headed by President Wesley Simina. Although English is the country’s official language, Chuukese, Kosraean, Pohnpeian and Yapese are also recognized. Beginning in the 1970s, the late Mau Piailug, a pwo (master) navigator from Yap, helped Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders revive their remarkable traditions of oceanic navigation and voyaging.

Fiji is made up of 332 islands in Melanesia, 110 of which are permanently inhabited. Fijian, English and Hindustani are the official languages of this parliamentary republic, headed by President Wiliame Katonivere and Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. The University of the South Pacific, an international center for teaching and research on Pacific cultures and environment, has its main campus in the Fijian capital of Suva. The Republic of Fiji hosted the first FestPAC in 1972, then known as the South Pacific Arts Festival.

French Polynesia is made up of 118 islands and atolls, divided into five archipelagos – the Society Islands, Tuamotu Archipelago, Gambier Islands, Marquesas Islands and the Austral Islands. Tahiti is the country’s largest and most densely populated island. French Polynesia is an overseas collectivity of France under President Moetai Brotherson. French Polynesia hosted the 4th FestPAC in 1985 with the theme “Preserving Culture.”

Guam is the largest of the Mariana Islands in Micronesia. Guam’s indigenous people, the Chamorro, settled in the region approximately 3,500 years ago. The Governor of Guam, Lou Leon Guerrero, is the first Pacific Islander woman elected to serve as a U.S. state or territorial governor. English and Chamorro are the official languages. Guam hosted the 12th FESTPAC in 2016, with the theme, “What we own, what we have, what we share, united voices of the Pacific.”

Hawaiʻi’s population resides on the eight main islands of the Hawaiian archipelago that includes more than 130 islands and coral atolls. Governor Josh Green is the head of this 50th state. In the 1970s, Hawaiian cultural traditions underwent a transformative revival in music, dance, navigation and language. Hawaiian and English are the official languages of the state. Hawaiʻi is the host of the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture (FestPAC), with the theme “Hoʻoulu Lāhui: Regenerating Oceania”.

The Republic of Kiribati, a sovereign state in Micronesia, includes 32 atolls and reef islands, as well as a raised coral island. It is the only country in the world that straddles all four hemispheres. The majority of Kiribati’s 116,000 residents live in the capital of South Tarawa. The official languages of Kiribati, a parliamentary republic headed by President Taneti Maamau, are Kiribati and English. The country is exceedingly vulnerable to rising sea levels. Each year, its islands are swamped by King tides. In 1999, two uninhabited islets disappeared into the ocean.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands includes 29 atolls, encompassing 1,156 islands and islets. The islands include Bikini atoll, where the U.S. conducted 23 nuclear tests in the 1940s and 1950s, and Enewetak, where the U.S. dropped its first hydrogen bomb in 1952. The Marshall Islands, which operates under a mixed parliamentary-presidential system in free association with the U.S., is headed by President David Kabua. The country’s official languages are Marshallese and English. In 2011, the Marshall Islands designated the world’s largest shark sanctuary, comprising 768,000 square miles, an area four times the size of California.

The Republic of Nauru is an 8.1 square mile island in Micronesia headed by President Russ Kun. Nauru is a unitary parliamentary republic, whose official language is Nauruan. The indigenous people of Nauru come from 12 different tribes, symbolized by the 12-pointed star on its national flag. Nauru was originally rich with phosphate minerals, but rampant strip mining led to its eventual depletion. Mining also devastated Nauru’s land and oceans, leaving the island more vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

New Caledonia in Melanesia is a special collectivity of France. The archipelago is home to the indigenous Kanak people, who account for 40 percent of the country’s population of 278,000. The country is headed by President of the Government Hon. Louis Mapou and the official language is French. New Caledonia has exceptional biodiversity in its flora and fauna, such as the iconic nautilus, found in its offshore waters. In 2000, New Caledonia hosted the 8th FESTPAC with the theme: “Words of yesterday, today, tomorrow.”

The sovereign island country of New Zealand is made up of two main islands and 600 smaller islands in the southwestern Pacific. Known as Aotearoa in Māori, New Zealand is a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy, headed by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins. English, Māori and New Zealand sign language are its official languages. The nation is at the forefront of environmental conservation, developing innovative ways to combat the threat of invasive species. New Zealand hosted the 2nd FESTPAC in 1976, with the theme “Sharing Culture.”

At 104 square miles, Niue is one of the largest coral islands in the world, with an estimated population of 1,600. It is a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand, where the majority of Niueans live. Premier Dalton Tagelagi heads the Cabinet of Ministers that governs internal affairs. Agriculture plays a central role in the economy, and Niue has patented its distinctive species of pink taro, which it exports to New Zealand and Australia.

Norfolk Island is one of Australia’s external territories, located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The Administrator of Norfolk Island, appointed by the Australian Government, is George Plant. The official language is English, but residents speak Norf’k, a creole of 18th-century English and Tahitian, which traces back to its 1856 settlement by Pitcairn Islanders. The country harbors a bounty of native animals and plants, including the Norfolk pine, one of its key exports. There is a growing movement in Norfolk to become fully self-governing due to its roots in the Polynesian language and culture.

The Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), is made up of 14 islands, forged by underwater volcanoes along the Marianas Trench. The majority of residents live on the three main islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota. Researchers have discovered that Southeast Asians settled on Tinian 3,500 years ago, establishing the first human settlement in the Pacific. Governor Arnold Palacios is the territorial head of CNMI, and its official languages are English, Chamorro and Carolinian. CNMI, with Guam, constitutes the easternmost point and territory in the U.S.

The Republic of Palau is made up of 340 islands and has a population of 20,000. A presidential representative democratic republic in free association with the U.S., Palau is headed by two-time President Surangel Whipps Jr. The country’s official languages are Palauan and English. In 2004, the country hosted FESTPAC, with the theme, “Oltobed a Malt – Nurture, Regenerate, Celebrate.” Belau is a global leader in marine conservation. It created the world’s first shark sanctuary in 2009, and in 2020 designated nearly 80 percent of its territorial waters as a marine preserve.

Papua New Guinea, which includes the eastern half of New Guinea and its neighboring islands in Melanesia, has a population of 8.25 million. Papua New Guinea is a constitutional monarchy and member of the Commonwealth of Nations, headed by Prime Minister James Marape. While the country’s official languages are English, Tok Pisin and Hiri Motu, more than 850 languages are spoken there. In 1980, the nation hosted the 3rd FESTPAC, “A Celebration of Pacific Awareness.” The nation is considered one of the most biologically and culturally diverse countries in the world. Scientists estimate that half of Papua New Guinea’s plants and animals have yet to be discovered.

Pitcairn Island is the only inhabited island among the Pitcairn Islands and the only British overseas territory in the South Pacific. Led by Governor Iona Thomas, its 50 residents are largely descended from the British mutineers and Tahitian men and women from the HMS Bounty that settled there in 1790. Residents today speak English and Pitkern, a creole with roots in 18th-century English and Tahitian. In 2015, the British government designated one of the world’s largest marine protected areas in the waters around the Pitcairn Islands.

The Independent State of Samoa is made up of two main and four smaller islands. Upolu, the main island, is home to the capital of Apia, and to nearly 75 percent of Samoa’s 198,000 people. This unitary parliamentary democracy, a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, is headed by Prime Minister Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa, with Samoan and English as its official languages. The majority of Samoaʻs electricity comes from renewable resources, and the country aims to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2021. In 1996, Apia hosted the 7th FESTPAC, with the theme “Tala Measina, Unveiling our Culture, Arts and Traditions.”

The Solomon Islands encompass six main islands and more than 900 smaller ones, situated in the Melanesian region northeast of Australia. Led by Governor-General Sir David Vunagi and Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, the islands cover a land area of 29,000 square kilometers and are home to a population of approximately 700,000 people. The capital city, Honiara, is situated on the largest island, Guadalcanal. The country derives its name from the broader Solomon Islands archipelago, which comprises Melanesian islands, including the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (currently part of Papua New Guinea), but excludes the Santa Cruz Islands. The Solomon Islands hosted the 11th FestPAC in 2012, with the theme “Culture in Harmony with Nature”.

The self-administering territory of New Zealand comprises three coral atolls in the southern Pacific. Tokelau is headed by Administrator Don Higgins and Head of Government Kelihiano Kalolo. About 1,500 people call Tokelau home, but many Tokelauans live and work in New Zealand. Its official languages are Tokelauan and English. Tokelau is the first nation to be fully powered by renewable energy.

Tonga is an archipelago of 169 islands in Polynesia. The country has remained a sovereign state throughout its history and is taking steps to become a constitutional monarchy. Tonga is ruled by King Tupou VI, a direct descendant of the country’s first monarch, and governed by Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni. The majority of the country’s 107,000 people live on Tongatapu, the main island, while a growing number live abroad, primarily in the U.S., Australia or New Zealand. The official languages are Tongan and English. The state religion is the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga, which exerts a powerful influence on everyday life.

Tuvalu consists of three reef islands and six coral atolls. Approximately 11,000 people live in this parliamentary democracy, headed by Governor-General Tofiga Vaevalu Falani and Prime Minister Kausea Natano. The official languages are Tuvaluan and English. Tuvalu is especially vulnerable to rising oceans, with its highest point measuring just 15 feet above sea level. The country has become a global leader in highlighting the devastating impacts of climate change on its low-lying islands.

The Republic of Vanuatu is an archipelago of 82 volcanic islands in the south Pacific. A large majority of Vanuatu residents live in rural villages and rely on subsistence agriculture. The country is a parliamentary democracy, headed by President Nikenike Vurobaravu and Acting Prime Minister Sato Kilman. The official languages are Bislama, an English-based Melanesian pidgin, along with English and French. There are 113 indigenous languages spoken in the country. The country encompasses several active volcanoes along with lush rainforests, designated as a distinct terrestrial ecoregion. Vanuatu’s marine life is especially abundant, with more than 4,000 species of marine mollusks.

The Territory of Wallis and Futuna Islands is an overseas collectivity of France, comprising three main volcanic islands and numerous small islets. Wallis and Futuna is a parliamentary democracy, headed by Hervé Jonathan, Administrator Superior. The country also elects two regional kings – the king of Sigave and the king of Alo – to serve alongside the French governmental authorities. French is the nation’s official language. Wallis Island is named for British Captain Samuel Wallis, who landed there in 1767; Futuna derives from “futu,” the name of a toxic tree (Barringtonia asiatica), whose ground seeds were used to stun and capture fish.

(R.O.C.) Taiwan is home to 16 federally recognized indigenous tribes, each with its own traditions and language. These aboriginal peoples, with an estimated total population of 500,000, are Austronesian, tracing their roots to Southeast Asia. Many historical linguists consider Taiwan to be the cradle of the Austronesian language family. While nominally represented in government, they have taken the lead on environmental issues, such as protesting the over-harvesting of native timber. Taiwan’s indigenous tribes are seeking to preserve their language and traditions amid mounting pressures to assimilate.