Melanesia is a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. School maps usually name Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands; the group is larger than that tidy list, and Papua New Guinea is the big land at the western end.

Melanesia is a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, northeast of AustraliaMelanesia是太平洋上、澳洲東北方的一群島嶼 School maps usually name Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands學校地圖上通常會標出斐濟、萬那杜，和索羅門群島 the group is larger than that tidy list不過這個地區其實比這張簡單的名單還要大 and Papua New Guinea is the big land at the western end而巴布亞紐幾內亞就是西邊那塊大陸地

People say Melanesia for the place, and also for the peoples and languages there. It is a geography word more than a chatting word, but you will see it in news and travel writing.

People say Melanesia for the place人們用Melanesia指這個地方 and also for the peoples and languages there也指住在那裡的人和語言 It is a geography word more than a chatting word這比較是個地理用字，不是聊天用字 but you will see it in news and travel writing但你會在新聞和旅遊寫作裡看到它

A French explorer made the name from Greek words for dark and island, grouping islands whose people often have darker skin. That is a nineteenth-century European way of cutting up the Pacific, alongside Polynesia and Micronesia.

A French explorer made the name from Greek words for dark and island一位法國探險家用希臘文裡表示黑和島的字造出這個名字 grouping islands whose people often have darker skin把那些居民膚色通常較深的島嶼歸在一起 That is a nineteenth-century European way of cutting up the Pacific這是十九世紀歐洲人劃分太平洋的一種方式 alongside Polynesia and Micronesia跟Polynesia（玻里尼西亞）和Micronesia（密克羅尼西亞）並列

The name is still used, but some people now handle it carefully, because it was built from how people looked.

The name is still used這個名字現在還在用 but some people now handle it carefully不過有些人現在用得比較小心 because it was built from how people looked因為這個字當初是根據人的外表造出來的