Oceania 3500 BCE
All the Pacific islands are uninhabited, except for Australia, New Guinea and the Solomons.
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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.
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