Obscure History of Oceania Trivia Quiz

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.

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.

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.

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.

Answer: 1947

The Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands was administered by the United States for all of its history, starting on July 18th, 1947. Now it is made up of the Republic of Palau, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The capital of the territory was Saipan.

Answer: Bougainville

The revolt resulted in changes of the Draft Constitution of Papua New Guinea. Bougainville is now an autonomous region, with its capital at Buka. Now there are 18 provinces and a Capital District, plus the Bougainville Autonomous Region. All of the incorrect answers are provinces of Papua New Guinea.

Answer: Commodore Frank Bainimarama

Laisenia Qarase was the prime minister of Fiji from 2000 to 2006, he was removed from office by Commodore Bainimarama's coup. Bainimarama appointed Josefa Iloilo Acting President on January 4th, 2007, and Iloilo appoint Bainimarama Prime Minister the very next day. Mahendra Chaudhry was the Prime Minister of Fiji from May 19, 1999, when he was elected, to May 27, 2000.

He was removed from office by George Speight in a coup.

Answer: 1995

The move was intended to allow all the businesses in Kiribati to keep the same business week. This move allowed Kiribati to be the first nation to see the dawn of the third millennium, which was a big boost for tourism. The president at the time of the move was Teburoro Tito, and moving the International Date Line was one of his campaign promises.

Answer: Germany

On September 29, 1914, Japanese troops captured Enewetak Atoll, and on September 30, 1914 Jaluit Atoll. On December 17, 1920, the Council of the League of Nations gave Japan all the former German colonies in the Pacific Ocean that were located north of the equator.

Answer: Coconut War

It was a brief clash between Papua New Guinean soldiers and rebels in Espiritu Santo around July 1980.
The New Hebrides was the pre-independence name of Vanuatu. France and the United Kingdom governed the New Hebrides until July 30th, 1980, the agreed independence date.
The colonial officials and the plans for independence were the reasons for the "war", a revolt led by Jimmy Stevens. The short rebellion only lasted 12 weeks. Santo-Pekoa International Airport was blockaded, two bridges were destroyed, and Espiritu Santo island was declared as the independent "State of Vemerana". On June 8th, 1980, the government of the New Hebrides asked the United Kingdom and France to send troops to defuse the rebellion. France didn't allow British troops to land, and the French soldiers on Espiritu Santo did nothing. As July 30th came closer, the Prime Minister-elect, Walter Lini, asked Papua New Guinea if it would send troops. The Coconut War was the name the foreign media used to refer to the ongoing events on Espirutu Santo as Papua New Guinean troops arrived. After the "war" ended Jimmy Stevens was sentenced to 14 years in prison; he remained in jail until 1991.

Source: Wikipedia

Answer: Treaty of Friendship

The Treaty of Friendship went into effect on May 18th, 1900. Under the Treaty of Friendship, Tonga was a British protectorate, which meant that the United Kingdom protected Tonga. Tonga gained independence on June 4, 1970.

Answer: New Zealand

The islands that were part of German Samoa are now part of Samoa. The force that occupied the islands was called the Samoa Expeditionary Force, and the occupation was New Zealand's first action during World War I. The force landed at Apia, now the capital of Samoa, on August 29th, 1914. Germany never formally gave up the islands and there was no resistance.

Answer: John Byron

He discovered Atafu on June 24th, 1765, he named it "Duke of York's Island". When they went ashore nobody reported any signs of previous or current inhabitants. Atafu is the smallest atoll in Tokelau, and is made up of 42 islands. It's highest point is 16 feet, which is also the highest point in Tokelau. John Byron was an English Vice-Admiral, and he joined the navy when he was very young. John Byron also discovered the Gilbert Islands, which are now part of Kiribati.

Answer: 2009

The earthquake struck on September 29th, 2009. The earthquake also affected Tonga, where there was much damage on the island of Niuatoputapu. Four tsunami waves around 4.6 to 6.1 feet high hit the island of Tutuila, and Pago Pago's main street was flooded. Pago Pago is the capital of American Samoa. US President Barack Obama declared a major disaster in the territory.

Answer: Hervey Islands

Cook visited the islands during 1773 and 1777. The name came from a British Lord of the Admiralty. Around 50 years later, a Russian navigator named Admiral Adam Johann von Krusenstern published the "Atlas de l'Ocean Pacifique", where the named the islands the Cook Islands, in honor of Captain Cook.

Answer: Fangataufa

Fangataufa and its neighboring atoll, Moruroa, have had more than 200 nuclear bomb tests done on them. The tests started in September 1995, and lasted until January 27, 1996. France announced it would sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty on January 29th, 1996.

The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty was adopted on September 10th, 1996 by the United Nations General Assembly. The CTBT bans tests in all environments for any purposes.

Answer: Chamorro

Around 2,000 BC, it is believed that the Chamorros migrated to Guam from southeastern Indonesia. Most knowledge about the ancient history of the Chamorros comes from legends, archaeological evidence, and observations from visiting scientists. Ferdinand Magellan visited Guam on his trip around the world in 1521. Now Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the USA.

Answer: France

In late 1853 New Caledonia was made a French possession. Auguste Febvrier Despointes led the expedition that seized the island. Between 1864 and 1922 France sent a total of 22,000 convicted felons to penal colonies along the south-west coast of New Caledonia. Regular criminals as well as political prisoners were part of the penal colonies. New Caledonia, as well as other French colonies in the Pacific, were the site of vital air bases during World War II.

Answer: Cyclone Heta

It was Category 5 tropical cyclone that also affected Tonga and American Samoa during. Cyclone Heta formed on December 25, 2003; it reached a maximum intensity of 160 mph and stopped on January 11, 2004 east of Norfolk Island. 200 of Niue's 1600 inhabitants were left homeless, and 1 direct death was caused by the Cyclone, which was on American Samoa.

Answer: Australia

Norfolk Island is an external territory of Australia, and is the only Australian external territory to have self-governance. The islanders elect a government that runs most of the islands affairs, and Norfolk Islanders are not represented in Australia's parliament. Norfolk Island came under Australia's administration when Australia gained independence on January 1st, 1901 from the United Kingdom. Norfolk Island has been an external territory ever since.

Answer: Germany

Spain would cede Guam to the United States after the war, and Guam is part of the Mariana Islands chain, but not part of the Northern Mariana Islands. During World War I Japan declared war on Germany and launched an invasion of the Northern Mariana Islands.

In 1919 the League of Nations awarded Japan the islands. Since the end of World War II the Northern Mariana Islands have been be a Commonwealth of the United States.

Answer: Sexual abuse

Girls as young as ten and eleven had been abused by the islanders in the past. There were 55 charges issued against the men, including the mayor of Pitcairn. On October 25th, 2004, six men were convicted, the seventh man was acquitted. The men were sentenced on October 29th, 2004. Two men who had shown remorse at the trial were sentenced to community service, and the other four were sentenced to jail terms from 2 to 6 years.

The trial took place in the Pitcairn Islands Supreme Court, a court in Adamstown set up for the purpose of the trial.

The judges were from New Zealand and were given permission by the British government to hear the case .

Answer: Meyerton

Under the Guano Island Act of 1856 the the United States took possession of the island in 1857. A small attempt at colonizing the island started in 1935.
The American colonists were arrived on the USCGC Itasca, the same ship that brought colonists to nearby Howland Island, which is also a US territory.
The settlement was named Meyerton after Captain H.A. Meyer of the United States Army, who helped establish the settlements. Four American civilians lived in the settlement, who were all evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and naval attacks. The US military occupied the island during World War II.

Answer: Millersville

The colonization of Jarvis Island was actually part of the Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Colonization Scheme, which failed and all colonization began during 1935. The USCGC Taney evacuated the colonists, then shelled and burned the dwellings on February 7th, 1942. That was the end of colonization on Jarvis Island.

The Millersville settlement was located on the west shore of the island, and was named after a bureaucrat with the United States Department of Air Commerce.

Answer: French Overseas Territory

The islanders voted to become one during 1959. Wallis and Futuna's status was changed to a French Overseas Collectivity during 2003.