1. Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific
Chapter 11
Oceania: Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific

2. Map of Oceania
Figure 11.1

3. Housekeeping Items
A reminder that the final exam will be in class next Wednesday (the 27th) and, if you owe me work, get it in as soon possible, but certainly before the last day.
I have another couple of articles to circulate. As Craig pointed out, it would be ideal if we would have more time to read and discuss them in class.
We have the Indian food presentation today.
Today, we can cover the Oceania chapter, but last class people seemed really bored, and I was pretty bored too. Alternatively, you can read the notes on your own, and we can watch a short video, or do part lecture and part video.

4. I. THE GEOGRAPHIC SETTING
Region covers ¼ of the Earth’s surface
Pacific Ocean serves as both a link and a barrier
Many different overlapping place names
Country, island grouping, ethnic grouping, etc.

5. A. Physical Patterns Continent Formation Island Formation
Australia: broke free from Gondwana and crashed into Eurasia
Great Barrier Reef: Longest coral reef in world; shunts warm water to the south
Island Formation
Some created via tectonic action
Some created via volcanic action
Hot spots, atolls, makatea

6. A High Island and an Atoll

7. A. Physical Patterns Climate
Most islands in tropical and subtropical zone
Mild temperatures
Arid in Australia’s interior, low islands
Australia: only one river system
Moist everywhere else, high islands
El Niño: Causes droughts every 2-7 years

8. Climates of Oceania
Figure 11.8

9. A. Physical Patterns Flora and Fauna
Isolation has had impacts on life in Oceania
Australia: 144 species of endemic marsupials
Endemic plants adapted to aridity
New Zealand and the Pacific: Islands have to be colonized by animals and plants carried by wind or birds
Biodiversity thins to east, away from land

10. Duck-billed Platypus
Figure 11.10

11. B. Human Patterns Over Time
The Peopling of Oceania
Australian Aborigines: migrated 50,000-70,000 years ago
Melanesians settled surrounding areas (i.e., New Guinea)
Austronesians: Migrate throughout Pacific about years ago
Three cultural regions: Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia

12. Culture Groups in the Pacific
Figure 11.13

13. B. Human Patterns Over Time
Arrival of the Europeans
Pacific divided among Europeans by the 1800s
Displacement of natives, idea of ‘noble savage’
On resource-rich islands, relatively simple social organization
On resource-poor islands, social hierarchies instituted

14. B. Human Patterns Over Time
The Colonization of Australia and New Zealand
Australia: founded by UK as penal colony
NZ: Founded later by voluntary immigrants
Natives thrust into grinding poverty
Shifting Ties
Until WWII, strong ties to UK; after WWII, U.S.
Since 1970s, increasing connection to Asia

15. Penitentiary at Port Arthur, Tasmania
Figure 11.15

16. C. Population Patterns Just 34 million people
2/3 live in Australia
Australia and NZ: older, slower growing populations
Other countries: younger, faster growing
High rates of urbanization throughout
Often poorer standard of living than rural

17. Population Density in Oceania
Figure 11.16

18. II. CURRENT GEOGRAPHIC ISSUES
Shift from Europe to Asia for trade, tourism
Emerging technology promotes regional identity
Internet
Jet travel

19. A. Sociocultural Issues
Ethnic Roots Reexamined
Historical Australian/NZ identity as European
Led to racism against Asians; illegality of immigration
Multiculturalism in bloom from 1970s onward
Number of people identifying as Aborigine or Maori rising
Rise in prestige; increase in mixed-race marriage
Increase in legal rights; still not great
Fiji: struggling over ethnicity, land ownership

20. Aborigines and Maori

21. A. Sociocultural Issues
Forging Unity in Oceania
Many languages in small area
Growth of Pidgin languages
The Pacific Way
Consensus as traditional approach to problem solving
Sports as a Unifying Force
Sailing, surfing: indigenous
Rugby, volleyball, soccer, cricket: imported

22. Cricket in the Trobriand Islands
Figure 11.23

23. A. Sociocultural Issues
Women’s Roles
Myth: Pacific women are simple love objects
Reality: in Polynesia, could achieve rank of chief; in Micronesia, lineage traced through women
Vary greatly from island to island
Men’s Roles
Stereotypical Aussie male: laid-back drifter
Persistent but eroding

24. Stereotypical Men and Women

25. B. Economic and Political Issues
Shift from Export to Service Economies
Still very little manufacturing; undercut by Asia
Pacific islands tend more towards extraction
Tourism
Growing rapidly, creates problems for ecology
In Hawaii, growth is in Asian tourists
Attempt to promote sustainable tourism

26. Origin of Tourists
Figure 11.26

27. B. Economic and Political Issues
New Asian Orientations
Most apparent in economics
Asia buys 71% of Australian exports
Loss of European protection for markets is painful
Gutting of labor unions
Stress less visible in Pacific islands; tradition of self-sufficiency
Geopolitical concern over China

28. Exports From Oceania
Figure 11.28

29. C. Environmental Issues
Australia
Introduction of rabbits decimated native species
Grazing requires irrigation, ‘dingo fence’
Urban sprawl boosts carbon output
New Zealand
Deforestation rampant from grazing
15 times as many sheep as people

30. Human Impacts in Oceania

31. The Dingo Fence
Figure 11.30

32. C. Environmental Issues
Pacific Islands
Mining: Ok Tedi in Papua New Guinea; Nauru
Indigenous forced off land, which is left ruined
Nuclear pollution
U.S. and French testing on possessions
UNCLOS
Provides 200 mile buffer around islands for resource exploitation
Global Warming: fear of rising sea levels

33. Global Warming
Figure 11.33

34. D. Measures of Human Well-Being
Low GDP per capita belies relatively high standard of living
Informal economy, remittances, subsistence farming or agriculture
Australia and NZ: high HDI
Most else: missing statistics, but changing diets lead to health issues
New Zealand: 2 female PMs since 1997

35. Human Well-Being Rankings