1. OCEANIA

2. Oceania consists of Australia, the Pacific, and Antarctica.

3. Australia is sometimes called “The Island Continent”.

4. Early cartographers called it “Terra Australis” – the southern land.

5. Seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere
Australians call their country “The Land Down Under” due to its location in the southern hemisphere
Seasons are reversed in the southern hemisphere

6. Australia is the oldest, flattest, and (except for Antarctica) the driest continent

7. Most of Australia is desert

8. Ayers Rock is called Uluru by the aborigines

9. The Great Barrier Reef is located off of Australia’s northeastern coast

10. It is the world’s largest coral reef

11. Long isolation from other continents has created unique wildlife for Australia

12. The platypus is one example

13. Australia is home to 182 species of marsupial

14. Marsupials carry their young in a pouch

15. The Murray-Darling is Australia’s only major river system

16. Lake Eyre is a salt lake that rarely contains water

17. Tasmania is an island off the southeastern coast of Australia

18. Unusual animals are also found in Tasmania

19. The Tasmanian wolf, also called the Tasmanian tiger, is now extinct

20. So are Tasmania’s indigenous people

21. Australia is made up of 6 states and 2 territories

22. Most Australians live along the southeast coast.

23. The aborigines are Australia’s indigenous people

24. Aboriginal culture dates back 40,000 years

25. Aborigines invented the boomerang and the didgeridoo

26. Aboriginal art reflects themes from nature

27. Early settlers came to Australia from Britain’s overcrowded prisons

28. Major Australian cities include: Sydney, New South Wales

29. Melbourne, Victoria

30. Perth, Western Australia

31. Darwin, Northern Territory

32. Brisbane, Queensland

33. Adelaide, South Australia

34. Hobart, Tasmania

35. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory

36. The Australian national gemstone is the opal.

37. Opals are mined in Coober Pedy
Opals are mined in Coober Pedy. Many old mines have been converted to homes and shops.

38. Australia also produces a lot of iron ore, which is why the rocks are red

39. THE PACIFIC

40. The Pacific was first mapped by Captain James Cook.

41. Captain Cook was eventually killed and eaten by the native Hawaiians

42. The Pacific region is made up of many islands, and most people there are Melanesian or Polynesian

43. These are Micronesians

44. New Zealand is made up of 2 main islands: the North Island and the South Island

45. Major cities in New Zealand include Auckland and Wellington (the capital) on the North Island…

46. …and Christchurch on the South Island

47. New Zealand has many volcanoes

48. Sheep outnumber people in New Zealand 20 to 1

49. The only mammals native to New Zealand are bats

50. New Zealanders are called Kiwis. The kiwi bird has no wings.

51. The indigenous people of New Zealand are the Maori.

52. The Maori are Polynesian
The Maori are Polynesian. Tattoos were invented by Polynesians, and were once a substitute for clothing

53. Papua New Guinea is Australia’s nearest neighbor

54. The people of Papua New Guinea are Melanesian

55. The Ring of Fire encircles the Pacific

56. Atolls form around extinct volcanoes

57. The Bikini Atoll

58. The Bikini Atoll was the site of the first nuclear test

59. Christmas Island is famous for the crabs that live there seasonally.

60. Easter Island belongs to Chile

61. It is also called Rapa Nui, and is famous for its giant head statues

62. Many flags in Oceania feature the Union Jack (British flag), and the Southern Cross constellation.

63. Here are some examples:

64. ANTARCTICA

65. Antarctica is the coldest, driest, highest, and iciest continent
Few species can survive the harsh Antarctic environment
Mosses, lichens, and algae are the only plants found in Antarctica
Seals and penguins live in Antarctica seasonally, on the Antarctic Peninsula
Orca and other species of whale are also found in the waters surrounding the continent
There are no mammals native to the Antarctic continent (no, not even polar bears).

66. Antarctica is studied by scientists from over a dozen countries

67. The ice cap covering Antarctica averages over a mile in thickness