Charles de Brosses coined the term (as FrenchAustralasie) inHistoire des navigations aux terres australes[1] (1756). He derived it from theLatin for "south ofAsia" and differentiated the area fromPolynesia (to the east) and the southeast Pacific (Magellanica).[2]
In the late 19th century, the term Australasia was used in reference to the "Australasian colonies". In this sense it related specifically to the British colonies south of Asia: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia, Victoria (i.e., the Australian colonies) and New Zealand.[3]
Australasia found continued geopolitical attention in the early 20th century. Historian Hansong Li finds that against the backdrop of British colonialism, German geopoliticians considered "Australasia" as a counterweight to the former German South Sea Edge (Südseerand), both of which form the "Indo-Pacific" region.[4]
TheNew Zealand Oxford Dictionary gives two meanings of "Australasia". One, especially in Australian use, is "Australia, New Zealand,New Guinea, and the neighbouring islands of the Pacific". The other, especially in New Zealand use, is just Australia and New Zealand.[5] Two Merriam-Webster dictionaries online (Collegiate andUnabridged) define Australasia as "Australia, New Zealand, andMelanesia". TheAmerican Heritage Dictionary online recognizes twosenses in use: one more precise and the other broader, loosely covering all ofOceania.
New Guinea is also considered part of Melanesia as the indigenous population of the area is ethnically Melanesian, while New Zealand considered part of Polynesia as the native Maori population is ethnically Polynesian.
