ANTARCTICA, AUSTRALIA, & OCEANIA

1. ANTARCTICA, AUSTRALIA, & OCEANIA

2. ANTARCTICA

3. 5th largest continent • Types of plants found on Antarctica • Algae, lichens, mosses

4. 1st to reach the South Pole? • Roald Amundsen from Norway in 1911

5. Antarctic Treaty • Signed in 1959 by 12 countries including the United States • Prohibits military activities except to support science • Prohibits nuclear testing • Promotes scientific research & cooperation

6. Only 1% of Antarctica has been mined for minerals. • The continent is rich in minerals coal, copper, lead, zinc, silver, gold, oil, & natural gas. • The Protocol on Environmental Protection (added to Antarctic Treaty) caused restrictions on mining in 1991. • Bans all commercial mineral resource activity (oil & natural gas) • Conservation of flora and fauna • No polluting

7. AUSTRALIA

8. The Land • Why is Australia unique? • Only country that is also a continent • World’s smallest continent • Where do most of Australia’s rivers start? • Great Dividing Range • Two rivers supply water for irrigation • Murray and Darling Rivers

9. Most of Australia’s water comes from artesian wells. • Water that comes up from underground pressurized water • Only 10% of the land is arable (farmable). • Wheat, barley, fruit, & sugarcane • The land of the Outback is used by ranchers to raise cattle, sheep, & chickens. • World’s largest producer of wool

10. Australia produces ¼ of the world’s bauxite. • Raw material for aluminum production

11. Australia is also known for its high quality opals.

12. Great Barrier Reef

13. Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef. • It is actually over 2500 small reefs. • Over 1800 miles • Coral is slowly dying because of pollution, warming waters, and human contact. • Actions taken to save the reef • Pollution control • Fishing restrictions • Part of the reef closed to tourists • Reef Water Quality Protection Plan

14. Climate • Most of the mid-continent of Australia has a desert climate. • Vegetation = desert scrubs & desert waste

15. Southeastern Australia has a tropical rainforest & tropical grassland climate. • Some people use wattle for their homes. • Saplings of the acacia tree interwoven to make framework for homes

16. A Brief History • Original inhabitants were the Aborigines.

17. Aborigines probably originated from southeast Asia. • Belief in Dreamtime • System of beliefs that they are connected to all things back to the beginning of time • Use the boomerang for hunting • Heavy throwing stick • Work of weapon art • Skillfully carved and weighted

18. Captain James Cook claimed Australia for Great Britain in 1770.

19. What happened to the Aborigines when the British settled in? • Europeans removed people from their lands by force. • They also brought diseases that killed many Aborigines. • What did Great Britain use Australia for in the late 1700s and early 1800s? • Colony for convicts. • British prisons were overcrowded.

20. What profitable type of livestock was introduced to Australia? SHEEP

21. Independence • Australia became independent from Great Britain in 1901. • It became a dominion (self-governing country within the British Empire). • Official name: Commonwealth of Australia

22. Australia Today • The country has actively recruited immigrants. • People from east and southeast Asia have answered the call. • Major trading partners? • Japan & U.S. • Strine is spoken by many Australians. • A unique vocabulary made up of Aboriginal words and Australian slang.

23. Vanuatu OCEANIA New Zealand Fiji

24. New Zealand Quick Facts • Country made up of 2 islands • North Island and South Island • Most important resource? • Fertile volcanic soil

25. 2 major exports? • Sheep & wool products • 20 times more livestock than people! • New Zealand ranchers are called graziers.

26. History • Original inhabitants: Maori • Like the Aborigines, the Maori were forced off their land by the Europeans and faced discrimination & racism.

27. New Zealand shocked the world in 1893 by being the 1st country to legally recognize women’s right to vote. • New Zealand gained its independence from Great Britain in 1907. • In 1985, NZ banned nuclear-powered ships and those with nuclear weapons from its waters.

28. OCEANIA QUICK FACTS • The islands were created by colliding tectonic plates and volcanic hot spots. • 3 island types • High islands: tops of underwater mountain ranges (Tahiti & Hawaii’s big islands) • Low islands: coral atolls (Nauru & Hawaii’s small islands) • Continental islands: created by the rising and folding of ancient rock from ocean floor (Papua New Guinea)

29. 3 classifications of islands • Melanesia (black islands) • Micronesia (little islands) • Polynesia (many islands)

30. The country of Nauru is the world’s smallest republic and one of the richest countries in the world.

31. Many Pacific islands are trust territories. • Created after WWII by the United States • U.S. gave dependent areas to other countries to control. • In 1954, the U.S. exploded an atom bomb at Bikini Atoll and other nearby islands. • People were unable to return to the islands. • In the 1990s, the U.S. paid $90 million to decontaminate the areas and create trust funds for the injured.

33. Fiji is over 30% Hindu. • 1000s of East Indians were brought to work on plantations and brought their religion with them.

34. Most important economic activity in the South Pacific is agriculture. • Tropical fruits mainly (banana, coconut, pineapple, mango, etc.) • Many Pacific islanders practice subsistence farming. • Growing only enough for a family’s needs