Pacific Islands Countries

Why in news?

• Ten Pacific Island nations rejected China's push for a wide-ranging regional security pact, amid worries the proposal was designed to pull them into Beijing's orbit.

What are Pacific Islands Countries?

• The Pacific Island Countries are a cluster of 14 states which are located largely in the tropical zone of the Pacific Ocean between Asia, Australia and the Americas.
• They include Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.???????

Significance of the PICs:

• Largest Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs):
  • The islands are divided on the basis of physical and human geography into three distinct parts — Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia.
  • Despite their small land area, the islands are spread out over a wide swath of the Pacific Ocean.
  • As a result, though they are some of the smallest and least populated states, they have some of the largest Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) in the world.
• Economic Potential:
  • Large EEZs have a great deal of economic potential since they can be used to exploit the wealth of fisheries, energy, minerals, and other marine resources present there.
  • Hence, they prefer to be identified as Big Ocean States, rather than Small Island States.
  • In fact, Kiribati and FSM, both PICs, have EEZs larger than that of India.
• Role in Major Power Rivalry:
  • These countries have played an important role in major power rivalry as springboards for power projection and laboratories for developing and demonstrating strategic capabilities.
  • The major powers of the colonial era competed with each other to gain control over these strategic territories.
  • The Pacific islands also acted as one of the major theatres of conflict during the Second World War — between imperial Japan and the U.S.
• Major Nuclear Weapon Test Sites:
  • Some of the major nuclear weapon test sites of the U.S., the U.K. and France were located here due to the remoteness of these islands from the Soviet Union and major population centres of the world.
• Potential Vote Bank:
  • The 14 PICs, bound together by shared economic and security concerns, account for as many votes in the United Nations, and act as a potential vote bank for major powers to mobilise international opinion.

PRACTICE QUESTION:

Which of the following island countries are located in Pacific Ocean?

1. Cook Islands

2. Kiribati

3. Samoa

4. Solomon Islands

Select the correct answer using the code given below

(a) 1 and 3 only

(b) 2,3 and 4 only

(c) 1,2 and 3 only

(d) 1,2,3 and 4

Answer