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The Land “Down Under”. The “Outback”. Dry and barren (empty) Little resources to promote economic activities Extreme temperatures Summers: well above 100°F Winters: 20-30 °F. Densely populated cities located on the coast Sydney: 3.7 million people Melbourne: 3.5 million people.
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The “Outback” • Dry and barren (empty) • Little resources to promote economic activities • Extreme temperatures • Summers: well above 100°F • Winters: 20-30°F
Densely populated cities located on the coast • Sydney: 3.7 million people • Melbourne: 3.5 million people
North Island • Mild climate • More populated than South Island • Auckland:
South Island • Mountainous • Highland climate
High Islands and Low Islands • High islands: volcanic islands that rise high above sea level and are mountainous • Low islands: generally small and consist of built up sand
Pacific Island Subregions • Melanesia • Mountainous islands with many volcanoes • Stretches from New Guinea east to Fiji • Micronesia • East of the Philippines (contains Guam) • Mix of high islands and low islands • Polynesia • Largest subregion (from New Zealand to the Hawaiian Islands and Easter Island)
Current Status of the Pacific Islands • After WWII, many islands have moved away from colonialism – some have become fully independent • Some islands are still colonies or are associated with other countries • Guam, Wake Island, American Samoa – U.S. territories • Northern Mariana Islands – commonwealth with the U.S. (similar to Puerto Rico) • Federated States of Micronesia – free association with the U.S. • Deal: status allows citizens to work in the U.S. freely and in return the U.S. can keep military bases on the islands
Biogeography • A sub-field of geography that studies the spatial distribution of flora and fauna around the world • Australia has unique biogeography since the flora and fauna have historically been isolated from other landmasses
First Inhabitants • Aborigines • Resemble “primitive” people from Asia and South Pacific Islands • Hunting and gathering group
“Walkabout” • Present day term for nomadic wandering • Rite of passage in which a male Aborigine undergoes a journey during adolescence to live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months
Age of Exploration • 16th century – Abel Tasman (Dutch explorer) first landed on Australia
Age of Exploration • Captain James Cook (British) – first to survey Australia’s coast in 1770
Colonial Australia • Founded as a prison colony – debtors were shipped as convicts to work out their sentence on Australia
Early Settlement • Difficult because of the rough terrain • Europeans were wary of the native plants • Prediction: What effect do you think that settlement will have on the Aborigines?
Homework • Read “The Secret of Dreaming”, an indigenous Australian folktale