(2010) 1,392,818. [37], Melanesians constitute over three quarters of the total indigenous population of the Pacific Islands; Polynesians account for more than one-sixth; and Micronesians make up about one-twentieth. What is the Secret War in Laos? In 1961, according to declassified US Army reports, the Joint Chiefs of Staff authorized US commanders to expand the arsenal to include 13,000 VX land mines and almost 60,000 shells of sarin agent. Since WWII, Okinawa-hont, the region's biggest island, has been appropriated by the US military for several key installations in the Pacific. . There are approximately 400 million people of Austronesian descent in the world today. A large section of its own indigenous population consists of Maoris a Polynesian race. They are an administratively-oriented group of islands and include the outlying Itorishima, which is otherwise seen as part of the Amami Islands. Protesters hold placards as they stage a sit-in to block construction vehicles working on the expansion of Camp Schwab, a United States military base, on May 31, 2018, in Nago, Okinawa prefecture, Japan. [6] In some common uses, the term refers to the islands of the Pacific Ocean once colonized by the Portuguese, Spaniards, Dutch, British, French, United States, and Japanese. NBC News asked academics and experts about why certain words and phrases are (or aren't) used to describe Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. [52], To celebrate the diverse Pacific island cultures, the Auckland Region hosts several Pacific island festivals. Army Lt. Gen. James Lampert, the last U.S. high commissioner in Okinawa, is presented with the flag of the high commissioner of the Ryukyu Islands, a post he held since 1969, just before boarding . Faces of MCIPAC: Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Asian A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand and Vietnam. [56], According to the Office of Management and Budget, "Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander" refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. 120,000 Japanese troops under General Mitsuru Ushijima stood ready to defend Okinawa, though the Allies believed there were only half that many. But the investigation found no record that validated any allegations that Herbicide Orange was ever shipped to or through, unloaded, used or buried on Okinawa., Despite USFJs claim that environmental protection is a top priority of US leadership, the Pentagon has tried to undercut Mitchells reporting. The U.S. planned that Okinawa, once captured, would serve as a staging area for an invasion of the main islands. Spanish is spoken by a resident population only on the Ecuadorian Galpagos Islands, the Chilean possessions of Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Juan Fernndez Islands and a few other tiny islands. It includes people who indicate their race as 'Native Hawaiian', 'Guamanian or Chamorro', 'Samoan', and 'Other Pacific Islander' or provide other detailed Pacific Islander responses. In their genetic analysis, Cavalli-Sforza, Menozzi and Piazza (1994) identify Micronesians, Polynesians and Melanesians as a separate genetic cluster. It was, he said, an apparent attempt to hobble my ability to file FOIA requests online. Although the prefecture consists of less than 1 percent of. Sweet potatoes, rice, and soybeans are also grown on the island, and textiles, sake (rice wine), and lacquerware are manufactured. [1] Access to the various Okinawa Islands is primarily via small airports which connect to Naha Airport. [39] Hawaii is geographically isolated from Polynesia, and is situated in the North Pacific, unlike the rest of Polynesia, which is in the South Pacific.