Map of islands in the Southern Pacific, to the east of Australia, Australia's Defining Moments Digital Classroom

This region is often referred to as the South Sea. In 1863 a group of 67 South Sea Islanders were brought to Queensland to perform manual labour in the cotton and sugar industries. They were the first of more than 62,000 Pacific Island men, women and children who were transported to Australia over the next 40 years. Some were kidnapped, or ‘blackbirded’, others were misled.

16,400+ South Pacific Islands Map Stock Photos, Pictures & Royalty-Free Images - iStock

These Maps Tell the Story of Two Americas: One Parched, One Soaked - The New York Times

The Pacific Strategy, 1941-1944, The National WWII Museum

Daylight saving time and time zones in countries around the world: Key facts

Second World War Defining Moments, 1939–1945, 1.3 Where was the Second World War fought?, Australia's Defining Moments Digital Classroom

16,400+ South Pacific Islands Map Stock Photos, Pictures & Royalty-Free Images - iStock

Samoa, Islands, Map, & Facts

Deep time history of Australia, 2.2 Big Idea 1: Scientists believe that the first Australians came from somewhere else, Australia's Defining Moments Digital Classroom

Oceania map hi-res stock photography and images - Alamy

Plate Tectonics and the Ring of Fire