Papua New Guinea has land in Melanesia.
Melanesia ( UK : [ ˌmɛləˈniːziə ] US : [ ˌmɛləˈniːʒə ] ) is a subregion of Oceania ( and occasionally Australasia ) extending from New Guinea island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea , and eastward to Fiji . Papua New Guinea ( PNG ; [ ˈpæpuə_njuː_ˈgɪniː , _ ˈpɑː - , _ - pju - ] , [ ˈpæpjuə , _ pɑːˈpuːə ] Papua Niugini Hiri Motu : Papua Niu Gini ) , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea , is an Oceanian country that occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and its offshore islands in Melanesia , a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean north of Australia .