Austronesia
Island Southeast Asia
Austronesia is a vast region spanning the Pacific and Indian Oceans, defined by the distribution of Austronesian-speaking peoples—from Madagascar to Hawaii, from Taiwan to New Zealand.
The term is primarily linguistic and cultural rather than political: Austronesian languages form one of the world's largest language families.
Taiwan is considered the likely homeland from which seafaring peoples dispersed across this enormous maritime zone thousands of years ago.
Chain of scattered islands
- IndonesiaSoutheast Asian archipelago nation
- PhilippinesSoutheast Asian archipelago nation
- MalaysiaSoutheast Asian federation
- TaiwanDisputed East Asian island-state
Madagascar · Polynesia · Micronesia · Melanesia · Borneo · Sumatra · Java · Sulawesi
Traveling by ocean vessel
- navigationDetermining position and course
- outriggerBoat-balancing lateral float
- catamaranDouble-hulled sailing craft
- voyagingTraveling long distances
wayfinding · colonization · dispersal · settlement · expansion · maritime · canoe · double-hulled
Philippine national language
- MalaySoutheast Asian people
- IndonesianSoutheast Asian islander's identity
- JavaneseOf a major Indonesian island
- MalagasyMadagascar's native language
Maori · Hawaiian · Tahitian · Samoan · Tongan · Fijian · Balinese · Polynesian
Injecting pigment under skin
- weavingInterlacing strands into fabric
- ancestor worshipReligious honoring of forebears
- animismSpirits inhabit all things
- tabooCultural or social prohibition
mana · chieftainship · longhouse · rice cultivation · outrigger canoe · betel nut · headhunting · megalithic
archipelago
Chain of scattered islands
- IndonesiaSoutheast Asian archipelago nation
- PhilippinesSoutheast Asian archipelago nation
- MalaysiaSoutheast Asian federation
Taiwan · Madagascar · Polynesia · Micronesia · Melanesia · Borneo · Sumatra · Java · Sulawesi · New Guinea
seafaring
Traveling by ocean vessel
- navigationDetermining position and course
- outriggerBoat-balancing lateral float
- catamaranDouble-hulled sailing craft
voyaging · wayfinding · colonization · dispersal · settlement · expansion · maritime · canoe · double-hulled · transoceanic
Tagalog
Philippine national language
- MalaySoutheast Asian people
- IndonesianSoutheast Asian islander's identity
- JavaneseOf a major Indonesian island
Malagasy · Maori · Hawaiian · Tahitian · Samoan · Tongan · Fijian · Balinese · Polynesian · cognates
tattooing
Injecting pigment under skin
- weavingInterlacing strands into fabric
- ancestor worshipReligious honoring of forebears
- animismSpirits inhabit all things
taboo · mana · chieftainship · longhouse · rice cultivation · outrigger canoe · betel nut · headhunting · megalithic · pottery
AustronesiaEurasia
Combined continental mass
Central Asia · Africa · Mesoamerica · Siberia · Antarctica
Austronesiaheartland
Central region of significance
hinterland · mainland · inland · terra firma · Siberia