1. Australia New Zealand Oceania
Physical Geography
Australia
New Zealand
Oceania

2. Where is Australia located?
Australia & Oceania are a group of islands located between Asia, Antarctica, & the Americas.
Australia is the world’s largest island & smallest continent. (about the size of the continental USA)
Over 25,000 islands make up the islands of Oceania.

3. Distance from other land areas has created very unique plants and animals that are found nowhere else on earth
Koalas, kangaroos, kiwis, platypus, wombat, dingo, etc.

4. LAND
Australia:
Lies between the Pacific & Indian Oceans in the southern hemisphere
“The Outback”
Vast desert areas in central Australia
Semi-arid or dry lands Hot and dry desert
Surrounded by dry scrub, grasslands and rainforests
Mild climate along the SW and SE coasts Limited fertile soil

5. LAND Key landforms: Deserts Great Victoria desert Southern Australia
Receives 8-10 inches of rain per year
Great Sandy desert
Mountains
Great Dividing Range
Continental Divide
Uluru (Ayers Rock) – sandstone rock
Monolith – single, large rock with a small portion sticking out of the ground
Stone Mountain is a monolith made out of granite.
Changes colors in the sunlight due to the iron content in the rock
1,142 feet tall, 6 miles around the base
Close to the geographical center of Australia
It is a sacred location for the Aborigines
LAND

6. Great Victoria Desert
Great Sandy Desert

7. Great Dividing Range

9. WATER Rivers Darling and Murray Rivers Located in SE Australia
Most people in Australia live along the SE coast
Fertile soil
Fresh water
Mild climate

10. Australia has many good harbors for shipping and trade
What cities might these harbors be located in?

11. Largest coral reef in the world Located off the NE coast of Australia
Great Barrier Reef
Largest coral reef in the world
Located off the NE coast of Australia
Over 1200 miles long Located in the Coral Sea
World’s largest collection of coral – over 400 types
1500 species of fish, 4000 types of mollusks (snails, clams, octopi, squid)
Temperature never falls below 68 degrees on the reef

12. Summarizing Activity Where do most Australians live?
What is the largest coral reef system in the world?
What body of water lies along the NE coastline of Australia?
What landmark is a sacred site of the local Aborigines?
What region covers the central area of Australia?

13. New Zealand’s Land Located about 1200 miles SE of Australia
Made up of 2 main islands
North Island and South Island
Most of the land is used for pasture – sheep
Wide variety of landforms:
Mountains - Southern Alps; tallest is Mt. Cook at 12,349 ft.
Also rainforests, hills, valleys

14. Pacific Islands - LAND 25,000 islands divided into 3 regions:
Melanesia
N and E of Australia - most populated
Includes Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands
Micronesia
Over 2000 islands mostly N of the equator
Includes Guam, Marshall Islands, Mariana Islands
Polynesia
Largest island region in Pacific
Includes Hawaii, Tahiti, Cook Islands and Samoa

15. 2 types of islands: High islands
Formed by volcanoes & usually have mountains
Soil very fertile because of ash
Mostly covered in tropical vegetation – including rainforests
Low islands
Made up of reefs or atolls
Atoll - small coral islands in shape of a ring with a lagoon in center
More people live on high islands.
Better soil, more fresh water and they are larger

16. Location, Climate & Natural Resources
Flattest continent in the world
Desert covers 2/3 of the land
Most fertile land is along the coasts
Climate
Located below the equator Seasons are opposite of Northern Hemisphere
Summer is from December to March
Winter is from June to August
Northern Areas
Tropical Climate . . .warm to hot all year round, tropical rainforest
Gets more rain than the other regions
Coastal Areas
Plenty of rain year round
Mild temperatures SE and SW sections of the country Temperate

17. Interior Areas (central Australia)
Stays dry year round Hot and dry
Less than 10 inches of rain per year

18. Natural Resources
Mining
Uranium, natural gas, zinc
Leading producer of diamonds and lead
Largest natural resource Coal
Major export of Australia
Wool
Huge ranches in the Outback ,000 acres +
World’s leading producer of wool

19. Where people choose to live . . .
Coastal towns have access to large industries and international businesses
80% of Australians live in cities (urban areas)
70% of cities have at least 100,000 people
Sydney has 3.5 million, . . .Melbourne has 3 million people
Small groups of indigenous Australians live in the Outback.
Countryside is referred to as the “Bush” . . The “Outback” is the dry interior of the continent
Small settlements grew in the Outback due to mining settlements

20. Australia’s Trade
Determined by location, climate and natural resources
Location = trading partners
Major trading partners = China, Japan, South Korea, India
Major supplier of natural resources to China
50% of Australian iron ore goes to China
Imports most items from China and the USA
Largest imports are computers, machinery, petroleum and crude oil
Tourism is also a major industry in Australia
25% of economy depends on tourism = $81 billion per year
Because Australia is an island, is trade easier or more difficult than for other countries?

21. Climate & Natural Resources = what products are traded
Coal – energy consumption
Iron Ore – steel for buildings, cars and industrial machinery
Gold – jewelry
Natural resources account for 1/3 of the country’s economy

22. Summarizing Activity
What natural resource is used to provide energy for Australia?
Who are Australia’s major trading partners?
What is iron ore used to make?
Where does Australia import the majority of their items from?

23. Cultural Characteristics
Language
English language Transitioned to have its own unique accent and vocabulary
Religion
70% claim to be Christians
Almost 50% belong to either the Catholic or Anglican faiths
Colonists and missionaries brought their Anglican faith with them to Australia

24. Ethnic Groups Population: 21 million Very diverse culture
90% are of European descent
2% are Aborigine
8% are Asian
British established a penal colony in Australia in Last continent discovered by the Europeans
Currently largest portion of the population
Aborigines are the indigenous population
750,000 lived in Australia at the time of British arrival
Forced towards the middle of the island Today 1% of population are Aborigines

25. Australian culture is heavily influenced by the Aborigines
Art = sculptures, paintings, carvings
Use art to tell about the Dreaming and their history
Dot painting
painting method in which pictures are made from dots instead of lines
Totems
Pictures of spirits that protect a family or tribe
Some dot paintings are totems.
Rock Art
Ancient method of documentation
Music = didgeridoo
natural wooden trumpet