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

2. 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

3. Darling River
Western Plateau

4. 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

5. 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

6. Climate regions

7. 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

10. 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

11. 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.

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

14. 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

16. 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.

17. Norway
British
Australia
unclaimed NZ
France

18. CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY OF AUSTRALIA & OCEANIA

19. 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”

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. Government--NZ
Became self-governing colony in 1853; in 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

24. 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

25. 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

26. 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

27. History of Oceania continued…
: Germany buys Palau from Spain. Germany & USA divide Samoa between them
: 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

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

29. 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

30. 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