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

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

Darling River Western Plateau

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

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

Climate regions

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

Norway British Australia unclaimed NZ France

CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY OF AUSTRALIA & OCEANIA

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”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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