Oceania Population Trends - Essay Example

In very broad terms, the history of Oceania is divided among Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Pacific Islands nations and Fiji. They have an ancient history that dates back to 3000 BC; Austronesian languages began in Taiwan at about 3000 BC (Su et al., 2000). This fact shows the original influences of Taiwanese culture on the people of Oceania. This amalgamation of cultures also had Philippines and Indonesian influences. Travelers from these regions brought their languages and cultures to Oceania.

Whenever a dominant culture overpowers the other it tries to impose its customs, language and general lifestyle. It is a seal that marks the conqueror’s stamp on the captured nation. Dominant cultures from around the world left their influences on Oceania. The first was the Taiwanese culture and language. Later, different colonists tried to impose their religion, language and lifestyle. Today Oceania is transformed from a natural landscape to a cultural landscape. Reading about such influences reveals how the outside cultures influenced these lands and the people.                     

According to research in the future there will be minuscule urbanization rates in Oceania; about 0.1 or 0.2 percent (United Nations Publications, 2004). In fact, between 1965 and 1980 the trend of the population in Oceania has been of counter-urbanization (United Nations Publications, 2004). This trend also influenced politics; the power had to be pulled outside the centers. People want to solve their problems at the grass-root levels. From a democratic perspective, it is one of the best things that happened for the better political future of Oceania. The lesser concentration of power in major cities the better for the nation.

When people hold on to their cultural and religious values dearly, the political class has to adjust its policies around those values. Decreased urbanization in Oceania can indicate certain factors. Amon many factors is the fact that the people are shaping their political future. They do not want to move to metropolitan to transform their lifestyle. They want the political forces to craft and implement policies that serve the people’s interests.    

The matter of who acts and who reacts in the political arena is debatable. Is it the politicians who transform and mold people’s beliefs or is it the people that influence the political decisions? There is not an absolute answer to that. The safest bet would be the middle ground. The people of Oceania take pride in their culture and history. Their inclination towards staying in regional homes and rejecting urbanization could mean that they are not as influenced by the outside culture as some other cities, or the political forces take care of their feelings. Whichever the case, the trend of rejecting urbanization is common in Oceania and it will be a strong factor in the political decisions of this region.