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	REGIONAL LINKS DIRECTORY

	Welcome to the GIN regional links directory. The regional directory is categorised under nine major geographic regions. Each region contains a list of websites specifically relating to the chosen region. All websites listed here have been individually chosen based on their quality of content and appropriateness to the specific region they represent. All links contained within this directory are regularly checked to ensure they are currently available and do not lead to broken or missing links. If you do happen to come across a broken link please let us know - email our webmaster describing the offending link and we promise to attend to it at our earliest opportunity.

	ANTARCTIC The world's coldest and most inaccessible region consists of an ice-covered continent, Antarctica, centred on the South Pole and surrounding this, the vast Southern Ocean, which is largely covered by floating pack ice. The Antarctic is much colder than the Arctic and its only inhabitants are visiting scientists. Various nations claim different parts of the Antarctic mainland. In 1959, twelve nations signed the Antarctic Treaty and agreed that Antarctica should be used for peaceful purposes only.

	ARCTIC The Arctic is an ocean more or less surrounded by land - just the opposite of the Antarctic, which is a huge land mass surrounded by water. The Arctic region generally refers to a rather large land area round the North Pole but the ocean is nearly five times as large as the Mediterranean and is covered with drifting ice which is sometimes 30m thick. Between Greenland and the Canadian mainland is Baffin Island, together with many smaller islands.

	BALTIC An inland sea of northern Europe, the Baltic is nearly 1,600km in length. It lies between Sweden on the west, Finland and the former USSR on the east, and Poland and Germany on the south. It has three main gulfs - the Gulf of Bothnia, the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Riga. Navigation in the Baltic has never been easy. The Danish channels and many of the harbours are too shallow for larger ships and wide areas are regularly frozen over for two months of the winter.

	CARIBBEAN The Caribbean Sea is bounded by the West Indies, the east coast of Central America and the north coast of South America. It is nearly 2,400km long and from 650 to 1,100km wide. The many islands surrounding the Caribbean are really the peaks of mountains submerged beneath the sea. After the completion of the Panama Canal in 1914, this sea became one of the busiest waterways in the world, lying on the main route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

	INDIAN OCEAN This is the third largest ocean in the world - after the Pacific and Atlantic oceans - and covers an area of 73,555,715sq km. The Indian Ocean is bordered by Africa on the west, India on the north and Australia on the east, but to the south there is open sea as far as the Antarctic. The southern half of the Indian Ocean has no large islands except Madagascar. Those in the northern half include Sri Lanka and Socotra besides many smaller ones.

	MEDITERRANEAN The Mediterranean Sea is almost landlocked, being joined with the open Atlantic Ocean only by the narrow Strait of Gibraltar. It lies between Europe and Africa and is more than 3,220km long. The north side of the Mediterranean is broken up by the Adriatic and Aegean seas as well as by the peninsulas of Italy and Greece. Most of the islands are in the northern part of the sea. In 1869 the Suez Canal was opened, thus making the Mediterranean the shortest sea route between Europe and the East.

	NORTH ATLANTIC The northern half of the world's second largest ocean is rich in islands, varied coastline and tributary seas. On the west are the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Hudson Bay and Baffin Bay. To the east are the Mediterranean, the Black Sea, the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. As well as purely oceanic islands there are those which rise from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, including the Azores. Other islands such as The Canaries and Madeira rise from Africa's continental margins.


	PACIFIC Agricultural Development in the American Pacific Asia Pacific Data Research Centre Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation [APEC] Asia-Pacific Network Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research Asia-Pacific Network on Climate Change Association for Social Anthropology in Oceania Australian Association for the Advancement of Pacific Studies BirdLife Pacific Programme Central Pacific Island Environments Centre for Asia Pacific Social Transformation Studies Centre for Pacific & Asian Studies, University of Nijmegen, Netherlands Centre for Pacific Island Studies, University of Hawaii Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Auckland Centre for Research and Documentation on Oceania Centre for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture Climate Change Research Centre, University of New South Wales College of Asia & the Pacific, Australian National University Community Environmental Research in the Pacific Islands Coral Reef Initiatives for South Pacific Corredor Marino del Pacífico Este Tropical Cultural Heritage Centre for Asia and the Pacific Diversitas in Western Pacific and Asia (DIWPA) e-Pacific Island Countries East-West Center Eco-Consult Pacific European Consortium for Pacific Studies European Society for Oceanists Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific International Healthy Living in the Pacific Islands Indo-Pacific Conservation Alliance International Marinelife Alliance International Pacific Research Centre IUCN Oceania Programme Jane's Oceania Home Page Japanese Society for Oceanic Studies Kagoshima University Research Center for the Pacific Islands Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Canterbury MarViva Micronesia Challenge National Library of Australia Digitised Pacific Resources Gateway Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific NOAA Pacific Islands Regional Office NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory North Pacific Marine Science Organization North Pacific Ocean Theme Page Northwest Pacific Region Environmental Cooperation Centre Oceania Development Network Oceanic Archaeology Laboratory Pacific Agriculture Value Chain Pacific Aquaculture Cooperatives International Pacific Arts Association Pacific Asia Travel Association Pacific Basin Economic Council Pacific Beat Pacific Biodiversity Information Forum Pacific Biological Survey Pacific Birds Pacific Centre for Environment and Sustainable Development Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Pacific Climate Change Portal Pacific Climate Change Science Pacific Climate Education Partnership Pacific Data Hub Pacific Disaster Center Pacific Disaster Net Pacific Economic Cooperation Council Pacific Environment Portal Pacific Europe Network for Science and Technology Pacific Forum Pacific Institute of Public Policy Pacific Invasives Initiative Pacific Invasives Learning Network Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center Pacific Island Travel Pacific Islanders Cultural Association Pacific Islanders in Communications Pacific Islands Association of Libraries, Archives and Museums Pacific Islands Association of Non-Government Organisations Pacific Islands Development Program Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Pacific Islands Global Climate Observing System Pacific Islands Managed & Protected Areas Community Pacific Islands Marine Portal Pacific Islands News Association Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System Pacific Islands Protected Area Portal Pacific Islands Report Pacific Islands Research Institute Pacific Islands Roundtable for Nature Conservation Pacific Islands Society of the UK and Ireland Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association Pacific Magazine Pacific Media Centre Pacific Network for Environmental Assessment Pacific Network on Globalisation Pacific Ocean Initiative Pacific Organic & Ethical Trade Community Pacific Peoples Partnership Pacific Power Association Pacific Regional Information System Pacific Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments Pacific Science Association Pacific Seabird Group Pacific Studies WWW Virtual Library Pacific Water Pacific Water Quality Association Pacific-Asia Biodiversity Transect Network ReefBase Pacific Resource Management in Asia-Pacific Program Rod Ewins Just Pacific School of Pacific and Asian Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa Secretariat of the Pacific Community Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme SOPAC Environmental Vulnerability Index South Pacific Organizer South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation South Pacific Sea Level and Climate Monitoring Project South Pacific Tourism Organisation Southwest States & Pacific Islands Regional Water Quality Program SPC Applied Geoscience and Technology Division (SOPAC) SPC Oceanic Fisheries Programme Sustainable Energy Industry Association of the Pacific Islands Taori's Pacific Islands Info Site The Foundation for Development Cooperation The Pacific Community (SPC) U.S. Dept of the Interior Office of Insular Affairs U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pacific Islands UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific UNDP Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme UNDP Suva Office UNEP Regional Resource Centre for Asia and the Pacific University of the South Pacific US National Park Service Pacific Island Network Water and Environmental Research Institute of the Western Pacific Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council World Health Organization Western Pacific Region WWF South Pacific Programme

	SOUTHEAST ASIA Southeast Asia is the name for the peninsular area of the Asian continent that lies between India and China, and stretches south along a chain of islands towards Australia. The countries of mainland Southeast Asia are Malaysia, Burma, Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea, Thailand and Singapore. Further south lies insular (island) Southeast Asia. This is made up of thousands of islands containing the countries of the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia and East Timor.