Polynesia is understood to be the islands contained within the so-called Polynesian triangle, whose vertices are New Zealand (considered as part of both Polynesia and Australasia), the Hawaii archipelago, and Easter Island (Rapa Nui). Politically, we can divide Polynesia into:
- Four independent states: Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu
- Fifteen territories dependent on or associated with other sovereign countries:
Hawaii, American Samoa, and some of the smaller islands in the United States (Baker, Howland, Jarvis, Johnston, and Palmyra) (United States);
