History of Australia

The Aborigines of Australia The Maori of New Zealand 1st humans arrived b/w 40,000-60,000 years ago. They traveled from Southeast Asia. They may have used boats or walked across land that once connected Australia to Asia.

First Route to Australia

Europeans later called these people Aborigines, which means “from the very first”. Culturally and linguistically diverse

Aboriginal Australia

Hunters and Gatherers Early Aborigines were hunter-gatherers, They used bones, wood, and stones, to construct tools and weapons for hunting. In the Outback, Aborigines used spears and boomerangs to hunt.

Aboriginal Artwork

European Exploration and Colonization

Captain James Cook In 1770, an English explorer, Captain James Cook, arrived in Australia. Claimed it for Great Britain. Most early European visitors only stayed temporarily. Traded with the indigenous populations, but did not try to take their land.

Guns and Disease Brought advanced weaponry Advanced weapons made wars between Aboriginal peoples deadlier than ever before. European also brought diseases. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, European diseases killed thousands of Aborigines. Does this remind you of any other "New World" situations?

The Prison Colony/ Penal Colony In late 1700’s, a new group of Europeans arrive. Unlike previous explorers, they came to stay British sent settlers there and most were prisoners. Much like the settlement of Georgia!

Colonial Conflict Australia’s usable land was limited. Colonists needed space to build prisons, farms, towns, etc. Took the land they needed from the Aborigines.

1940 – Treaty of Waitangi (New Zealand) Hostility between the settlers and the Aborigines (Australia) and Maori (New Zealand) increased between 1840 and 1860. 1940 – Treaty of Waitangi (New Zealand) Gave British control over N.Z. Problem: 2 Different versions

Australian Independence In 1931, Great Britain passed a law giving Australia the right to be an independent nation. Australia became an independent country in 1942 after it voted to accept the new law. Still had conflict b/w European descent and aborigines

Conflict Between Aborigines and People of European Descent The Stolen Generation 1909-1969 Forced assimilation Took mixed race children away from aborigines and gave to white families Land Rights Act of 1976 Gave Aborigines rights to land in Northern Territory Mabo Case Court recognized that Aboriginal people had land rights before Europeans got there Australians now fear they might have to pay Aborigines for land or have to give some of it back Wik Case Court ruled that Aborigines can claim pastoral leases (renting land from government)

ANTARCTICA

Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, underlying the South Pole. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent.

Topography hidden by a large sheet of ice Antarctica is the coldest place on Earth. The coldest natural temperature ever recorded on Earth was −89.2 °C . Topography hidden by a large sheet of ice

Only cold-adapted plants and animals survive there, including penguins, seals, many types of algae, and tundra vegetation. Antarctica remains unsettled It is mostly used for scientific research 18 countries have scientific research stations there Could have vast resources located beneath the ice, but in 1991, 26 nations agreed to not mine there for 50 years.