AUSTRALASIA, a term formerly applied somewhat loosely to all the land, mainly insular, extending eastwards and south eastwards from the south-eastern portion of Asia and occupying approximately the south-western quadrant of the Pacific. In its widest sense it has been taken to include, besides Australia (with Tasmania) and New Zealand, the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines; Melanesia (New Guinea and the island groups lying east and south-east of it as far as and including New Caledonia and the Fiji islands) ; Micronesia (the island groups extending from Pelew island and the Ladrones east-south-eastwards to in clude the Marshall and Gilbert groups) ; Polynesia (the scattered groups of islands extending eastwards from the above groups to about longitude 13o° E.). But the Hawaiian islands, and even Antarctica, have been included under the heading "Austral asia."