Charles de Brosses
coined the term (as French
Australasie
) in
Histoire des navigations aux terres australes
[1]
(1756). He derived it from the
Latin
for "south of
Asia
" and differentiated the area from
Polynesia
(to the east) and the southeast Pacific (
Magellanica
).
[2]
In the late 19th century, the term Australasia was used in reference to the "Australasian colonies". In this sense it related specifically to the British colonies south of Asia: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Western Australia, Victoria (i.e., the Australian colonies) and New Zealand.
[3]
Australasia found continued geopolitical attention in the early 20th century. Historian Hansong Li finds that against the backdrop of British colonialism, German geopoliticians considered "Australasia" as a counterweight to the former German South Sea Edge (Sudseerand), both of which form the "Indo-Pacific" region.
[4]
The
New Zealand Oxford Dictionary
gives two meanings of "Australasia". One, especially in Australian use, is "Australia, New Zealand,
New Guinea
, and the neighbouring islands of the Pacific". The other, especially in New Zealand use, is just Australia and New Zealand.
[5]
Two Merriam-Webster dictionaries online (
Collegiate
and
Unabridged
) define Australasia as "Australia, New Zealand, and
Melanesia
". The
American Heritage Dictionary
online recognizes two
senses
in use: one more precise, being similar to the aforementioned senses,
[
clarification needed
]
and the other broader, loosely covering all of
Oceania
.