Oceania 3500 BCE

All the Pacific islands are uninhabited, except for Australia, New Guinea and the Solomons.

Subscribe for more great content – and remove ads

Lost your way? See a list of all maps

North America South East Asia South America

Subscribe for more great content – and remove ads

4300_BCE 3900_BCE 3500_BCE 3100_BCE 2700_BCE 2300_BCE 1900_BCE 1500_BCE 1100_BCE 700_BCE 300_BCE 100_CE 500_CE 900_CE 1300_CE 1700_CE 2021_CE

Go Back
in time

Year

3500 BCE

Go Forward
in time

What is happening in Oceania in 3500BCE

The islands of Oceania are uninhabited, with the exceptions of Australia, New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Australia

Australia was first settled some 40,000 years ago – at first along coasts and river banks, later (from as late as 5000 BCE) inland. The move inland may have been connected to a rise in sea levels, which inundated coastal areas and also isolated populations on new islands, especially in Tasmania and the Torres Straits islands. The inhabitants – today known as aborigines – live a Stone Age hunter-gathering lifestyle.

New Guinea

New Guinea was also settled about 40,000 years ago. From c.5000 BCE, agriculture, based on tropical crops such as taro, yams and bananas, developed in the highlands of the interior. On the coast, where tropical diseases kept the population sparce, the hunter-gatherer lifestyle prevailed.

Next map, Oceania in 2500 BCE