Flags and capitals of Oceania

Oceania covers Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the island nations of the Pacific Ocean, spread across Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. It has the fewest countries of any region, but many of them are small, remote and less familiar, which makes Oceania a satisfying region to master.

The most famous mix-up in the world of flags lives here: Australia and New Zealand. Both have a dark blue field, the Union Flag in the corner and the Southern Cross. Australia's stars are white and it adds a large seven-pointed star beneath the Union Flag; New Zealand's four stars are red with white borders. Tuvalu and Fiji also keep the Union Flag in their designs, while Samoa and the Marshall Islands use stars on blue in their own ways.

Names can catch you out. Samoa is an independent country, while American Samoa is a territory of the United States. Tonga sounds like Togo in West Africa, and Papua New Guinea joins Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Equatorial Guinea in a group of names that Expert games love to mix.

Capitals are a real test in Oceania. Australia's capital is Canberra, not Sydney or Melbourne, and New Zealand's is Wellington, not Auckland. Further out in the Pacific you will meet Suva, Apia, Nukuʻalofa, Port Vila, Honiara, Funafuti, Tarawa, Majuro, Palikir and Ngerulmud. Nauru has no official capital; its government sits in the district of Yaren.

Many island nations list English as an official language alongside their own: Samoan in Samoa, Tongan in Tonga, Fijian and Fiji Hindi in Fiji, Bislama and French in Vanuatu, and Tok Pisin and Hiri Motu in Papua New Guinea. New Zealand recognises Māori as an official language.

In Pin Drop, Oceania's islands are small targets in a very large ocean, so the capital and the coastline matter. Study the table below, look over the look-alike flags, then start a quiz with Oceania already selected.