This GUIDE will help you identify and understand the name changes that have occurred as the islands in Oceania and the South Pacific gained their independence or amalgamated with existing Countries.

• British Solomon Islands  ( now are known simply as  Solomon Islands)
• German New Guinea (now known as Papua New Guinea)
• Gilbert and Ellice Islands ( split into Kiribati and Tuvalu, respectively)
• Hawaii ( now forms part of the United States)
• Kiribati ( formerly known as part of the Gilbert and Ellice islands)
• Netherlands New Guinea ( now amalgamated with Indonesia)
• New Guinea ( amalgamated and now known as Papua New Guinea)
• New Hebrides Condominium ( after independence, know as Vanuatu)
• New South Wales ( now forms part of Australia)
• Papua ( now known as Papua New Guinea)
• Queensland ( now forms part of Australia)
• Samoa ( also now known as Western Samoa and Samoa I Sisifo)
• South Australia ( now forms part of Australia)
• Tahiti ( now forms part of FRENCH POLYNESIA)
• Tasmania ( now forms part of Australia)
• Tuvalu (formerly known as part of the Gilbert and Ellice islands)
• Victoria ( now forms part of Australia)
• Western Australia ( now forms part of Australia)
• Western Samoa ( now known as SAMOA)

There is a Stamp Club that caters for stamp collectors who are interested in AUSTRALASIAN AND OCEANIA stamps. It is located in the United States and has members Worldwide.

It is a non-profit organization.

It is called the SOCIETY OF AUSTRALASIAN SPECIALISTS / OCEANIA.

• membership applications are available if you send a Self Addressed Stamped envelope to
• Membership Secretary, PO Box 24764, San Jose, CA 95154-4764 United States

Why not join and meet other stamp collectors who have the same philatelic interests!!!

They can help you find on EBAY, the OCEANIA material that you are missing, or point you in the right direction.

ALSO:  Why not check out my other GUIDE which covers all the POSTAGE STAMP issuing countries in the SOUTH PACIFIC OCEAN and get the complete picture.

Please Note: This is a region of the Pacific Ocean, where it never snows. So why not start collecting these countries and get a little warmth during those cold winter months.