The Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand (also called ANZC, ANZ, CANZ or the Commonwealth) is an association of nations consisting of most of Oceania, including the entire Australian continent and the islands of New Zealand, and the former U.S. states of Alaska and Hawaii. It was formed as a military and economic unification of several independent countries in Oceania with the American Provisional Administration, and with Australia and New Zealand forming the backbone of the union. Following the end of the American Provisional Administration, the ANZC appropriated much of the surviving military assets of the former United States of America. The ANZC's network of associated states encompasses a large portion of the islands of the Pacific Ocean. As of 2010, the ANZC is still considered