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How many islands are there in the South Pacific

The Pacific Ocean is so huge that nobody knows how many islands there are. It is thought that there are between 20,000-30,000, most of which lie in the South Pacific. Some are high volcanic islands, while others are low-lying atolls—coral reefs that lie on underwater volcanoes —and are mostly uninhabited.

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WHAT'S IN A NAME?

The islands of the South Pacific are divided into three groups.

Polynesia

Means “many islands”. Includes the Cook Islands, Tonga, Tahiti, and Tuvalu.

Micronesia

Means “smali islands.” Includes the Marshall Islands, Soloman Islands, and Guam.

Melanesia

Means “black islands.”

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Coconut crab

/■A, The worlcTs largest crab is the coconut crab, which can measure 3.3 ft (1 m) across, from claw to claw. It’s also the heaviest land crab, weighing up to 8.25 Ib (4 kg).

/=«7 This giant crustacean is <0/ found on the islands of the Pacific and Indian oceans. It lives in a burrow during the day and comes out at night to feed.

/=«7 Its main food is coconuts.

The crab climbs up the palm trees to get them and snips their stems with its powerful pincers.

/■A, On the ground, the crab tears off the outer layers of the coconut and pounds it open, breaking into the tasty flesh inside.

/=«7 Sadly, because the coconut crab is slow on land and is easily caught by predators, the species is becoming rare.

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