GEOGRAPHY OF AUSTRALIA, OCEANIA, & ANTARCTICA

1. GEOGRAPHY OF AUSTRALIA, OCEANIA, & ANTARCTICA Sharon Westerholm La Vernia HS

2. Australia • Australia is a continent, island and a country. • Chain of hills & mountains known as the Great Dividing Range on the east side • Western Plateau covers 2/3s of the continent; very few people live here • The Outback is made up of 3 deserts: Great Sandy, the Gibson, & the Great Victoria

3. Darling River Western Plateau

4. Water systems • Despite being surrounded by water, Australia is the driest inhabited continent on Earth. • Freshwater is unevenly distributed, unreliable & seasonal; 70% of continent is arid or semi-arid with limited rain • Darling River & Murray River support agriculture • Great Artesian Basin: water is too salty for humans & crops but is used for livestock

5. Other features… • Ayers Rock also known as Uluru; large sandstone formation in the northern territory • Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef

6. Climate regions

7. Australia’s weather extremes • Droughts that lead to water restrictions • Floods are a regular seasonal phenomenon in Northern Australia • Cyclones are a tropical weather phenomenon & are usually experienced between November & April mostly in the northern part. • Bushfires that results in loss of lives & millions of dollars in property damage • Thunder storms • Dust storms are for the most part restricted to the drier inland areas

10. New Zealand • NZ is about 1,000 miles SE of Australia and has atolls and coastal lagoons • Unlike Australia, NZ has an abundance of freshwater • Climate varies from warm subtropical to cool temperate climates

11. Oceania • Physical geography varied & ranges from volcanic mountains to blue lagoons • Includes tiny islands & atolls • Consists of three island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, & Polynesia. These groups are based on location, how they were formed & culture.

13. Climates • Most of Oceania has a tropical, wet climate & it warm year round

14. Antarctica: Land, Climate & Environment • Discovered in 1820 • Almost completely covered by ice • Has no indigenous inhabitants • Very limited plant & animal life • The arid climate means the Antarctica is a desert; receives very little rain & what little it does receives always falls as snow

16. Scientific research • 69 research stations operated by 30 countries that serve as bases to study physical geography, climate, & wildlife. • Although the USA makes no territorial claims in Antarctica, it does help maintain numerous stations like McMurdo Station, the largest on the continent.

17. Norway British Australia unclaimed NZ France

18. CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY OF AUSTRALIA & OCEANIA

19. HISTORY--AUSTRALIA • Earliest inhabitants—Aborigines, which have the oldest surviving culture. • Europeans began arriving in the 1500s • Great Britain used Australia as a prison colony for convicts from overcrowded British prisons. • By early 1850s free British settlers were along the eastern coast • European arrivals impacted Aborigines…denied basic rights, forced from land, diseases, conflicts, “Stolen Generations”

20. Government--Australia • 1901—Commonwealth of Australia was formed as part of a dominion of the British Empire • Combined a federal system with a parliamentary democracy • Has constitutional monarchy

21. Population patterns-Australia • Australia’s physical geography affects the distribution of its people • Most people live along the SE, E and SW coasts • Diverse society…over 7 million has migrated to Australia since 1945

22. History—New Zealand • Migration was accompanied by increasing trade among the islands • Maori left eastern Polynesia & settled the islands of NZ • Europeans began arriving in the 1500s • About the same time that British settlers were establishing settlements in Australia, they were also settling NZ

23. Government--NZ • Became self-governing colony in 1853; in 1907 became a self governing dominion using British parliamentary system • 1893-NZ became the 1st country to legally recognize women’s right to vote including Maori women • Has a constitutional monarchy

24. Population patterns--NZ • About 85% of inhabitants live in urban areas mostly located along the coast • Wellington (capital) & Auckland are located on the North Island where about 75 % of all New Zealanders live • Diverse society…about 7% is Maori, the majority are British, Asians, and Pacific Islanders

25. Economic activities—Australia & New Zealand • Diverse economies-(market economies) • Close economic relations with each other • Agriculture, gold, food processing… • Agriculture is a significant part of NZ’s economy • Both countries have large service sectors; about 75% of Australia & about 71% of NZ works in services ranging from government agencies to banking & tourism

26. History—Oceania’s colonization & independence • 1600s-1700s: European navigators first contact the peoples of Oceania • 1800s-1830s: European countries & USA colonized the islands; European missionaries arrived in Fiji, Samoa, & Tonga to convert population to Christianity • 1870s: population of Tuvalu declines dramatically due to European diseases • 1880s: Germany takes control over part of New Guinea, Marshall Islands, & Nauru

27. History of Oceania continued… • 1899-1900: Germany buys Palau from Spain. Germany & USA divide Samoa between them • 1941-1945: Japanese forces occupy Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New guinea & Tuvalu • 1946: USA begins nuclear weapons testing in Marshall Islands; islanders were forced to evacuate • 1962: Western Samoa becomes first colony in Oceania to become independent

28. Continued… • 1970s: Fiji, Tonga, Papua, New Guinea, Tuvalu, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, & Marshall Islands become independent • 1994-Republic of Palau becomes independent state

29. Population patterns--Oceania • Original inhabitants moved from island to island • Probably settled by peoples from Asia more than 30,000 years ago • 3 major island groups: Melanesia, Polynesia, Micronesia • Migration theory explains how islands were first inhabited, the cultural differences & similarities in this region

30. Economic activities--Oceania • Remote geographic locations & challenging environments influence how people earn a living. • Agriculture is important • Tourism is gaining importance in economies • Trade between Oceania & other parts of the world has increased because of improvements in transportation & communications, as well as trade agreements