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Australia and Oceania
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Warm-up 5/20
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1.What landmark is this? 1.Sydney Opera house 2.Where is it located? 1.Sydney, Australia 3.Which culture created it? 1.Australians- The Government authorized work to begin in 1958. 4.Why/when was this landmark created? 1.It is a multi-venue performing arts center. It opened in 1973. 5.What defining characteristics standout to you?
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Geography Facts: Australia Canberra is the National Capital. Australia is 3 million square miles Ranks as the 6 th largest country Australia is the smallest continent The shoreline of Australia is 22,800 miles long. Australia is the driest and flattest continent.
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Landforms Great Dividing Range – They begin in the NE and stretch to the SE. – To the west the mountains create a rain shadow. – This rain shadow region is made of semiarid plateaus and deserts. Fertile Plains – Located in the east and SE. – Most of Australia ’ s population lives in this region. – This area is excellent for farming.
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Landforms The Outback – A huge central plain region in the middle of the continent. – Desert and dry grassland – Home to the Great Victorian and great Sandy Desert. Ayers Rock – It is a huge reddish-brown rock. – It rises over 1000 feet and is over 1 mile long. – It is located in Australia's interior.
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Landforms Great Barrier Reef – Near the northeastern coast of Australia in the Coral Sea. – World’s largest coral reef. – Stretches 1500 miles. – Natural barrier from the ocean and sea. Major Rivers – Murray and Darling Rivers – Most of Australia ’ s population and cities are found along the two rivers. – Both located in the SE portion of Australia.
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Geography Facts: New Zealand Consists of three islands – North Island, South Island, Stewart Island Wide expanses of beaches Very green and lush Mountainous
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Geography Facts: Oceania Many volcanic islands spread throughout the Pacific Ocean Part of the Ring of Fire Some mountainous, some flat Rainforests filled with dense plant life Some dry areas
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Landforms Mariana Trench – Deepest part of any ocean – Pacific plate subducted beneath the Mariana Plate
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Climate Temperate— Australia/New Zealand High levels of precipitation Cold winters Warm to hot summers Tropical- Islands Hot and wet year round Trade winds Tropical Cyclones
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Oceania History
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Indigenous peoples settled into three major regions – Micronesia (tiny islands) Mix of people from Papua and New Guinea – Melanesia (black islands) Asian, Indonesian, Filipino, and Papuan Dark complexion Short statured – Polynesia (many islands)
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Colonization 1500s- Europeans explored the Pacific 1800s- Western nations gained interest in the region – Missionaries hoping to convert to Christianity – Traders for resources like coconuts, coffee, sugar – Sailors to hunt whales
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Australia and New Zealand History Aborigines – natives of Australia Maori- natives of New Zealand – The two are completely unrelated
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Colonization Europeans explored Southern Pacific during the 1600 and 1700s Australia was colonized by Great Britain – Originally used as a place to send convicts and clear populations in prisons – Eventually became an area to raise sheep New Zealand was also settled by England Both have rich deposits of gold
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Colonization Diffusion of many aspects of life – Religion- Christianity – Language- English – Diseases- chicken pox, smallpox, typhoid – Animals- rabbits In 1859 a Brit released 24 rabbits into the outback so he could hunt them Rabbits multiply at a quick rate, by 1900 there were over 1 billion rabbits in Australia Many measures taken to control population
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Australia and Oceania Politics, Economy, Culture
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Australia Divided into 6 states and 2 territories Parliamentary system of government with a Prime Minister Part of the British Commonwealth – Recognize Queen of England as monarch MDC with a high GDP Mostly Christian
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New Zealand 80% of the population is of European descent Official language is both English and Maori Parliamentary government that is part of British Commonwealth Economy based on industries – Services, banking, tourism
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Melanesia Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanatu, New Caledonia, Fiji Wide variety of political systems – Some democratic states – Fiji has lots of political strife – New Caledonia is a territory of France Focus on minerals and natural resources
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Micronesia Palau, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Marshall Islands, Kiribati Many government types – All are linked to the United States in a Compact of Free Trade or are territories of the US, except Nauru and Kiribati Economies vary – Natural resources – Manufacturing Many of these island were used as nuclear testing sites
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Polynesia Tuvalu, Tonga, New Zealand Territories, French Territories, Samoa, American Samoa, technically Hawaii Governing systems vary – Independent states, constitutional monarchies, associated nations, democracies Economies based heavily on tourism and aid from outside nations
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Other Islands Midway Islands- site of major battle of WWII Galapagos Islands- home of the gigantic tortoises Easter Island- known for the mysterious statues with big heads and long ears/noses
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