THE AUSTRAL REALM

Geographically unique Lies entirely in Southern Hemisphere No land link to a neighboring realm 2 nd least populous realm Austral = south

DEFINING THE REALM Composed of Australia and New Zealand Anglo- American legacies + other cultural strains Maori in New Zealand & Aborigines in Australia here first Then Europeans Now Asians

LAND AND ENVIRONMENT Australia Center of Australian Plate Great Dividing Range – Mount Kosciusko (7316 ft) Rest generally low with exception of Macdonnell Ranges Great Artesian Basin – provides underground water sources in desert region Major river system: Murray- Darling Western Region has most mineral wealth

LAND AND ENVIRONMENT New Zealand Convergence of Australian and Pacific Plates Earthquakes and volcanoes Mt Cook highest point (12349 ft)

CLIMATES Australia Tropical in far north Mediterranean in parts of south Interior: desert and steppe East: Humid subtropical climate (economic core)

CLIMATES New Zealand Totally under the influence of the Southern and Pacific Ocean Marine West Coast Temperate in North Colder in South

SOUTHERN OCEAN Left off most maps for a long time Bounded by Subtropical Convergence (40S) Cold Waters of Southern Ocean meet warmer of Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Marked difference between other oceans (temp. chemistry, salinity, color)

BIOGEOGRAPHY Combination of Biology and geography Australian wildlife: kangaroos, koalas, wallabies, wombats, possums, and platypuses – survival due to Australia’s early isolation from Gondwana Vegetation: eucalyptus species – adapted to high temps and low humidity

THE HUMAN IMPACT When humans arrive –change environment, which causes changes to animal life Especially when Europeans arrive and bring their livestock

AUSTRALIA Jan 1, 2001: Australia’s 100 th birthday British Monarch still head of state Strong economy Stable political High standard of living One of the most fortunate countries on earth

SHARING THE BOUNTY Aborigines (Indigenous Population) 2.5% (550,000) Disproportionately disadvantaged: Lower life expectancies, higher unemployment, lower graduation rates Trying to address these issues

DISTANCE Have to pay the price when it come to imports and exports Isolation also helped For a long time didn’t receive a large amount of immigrants

IMMIGRANTS Immigrants readily accepted, especially those with valuable skills (unlike the past where they had an all white admission policy that was abolished in 1976) 120,000 – 180,000 immigrants a year – keeps their population growth despite a low natural increase In Sydney 1 in 5 residents is Asian

CORE AND PERIPHERY Population concentrated in East and Southeast (Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne) Secondary core – Southwest (Perth Periphery: Outback Why is this the case?

ABORIGINES AND THE BRITISH First arrive 50,000 Captain Arthur Philip (British) arrives in 1788 – founded penal colonies and free towns Some Aborigines were exterminated with decades, those in the interior survived longer

THE SEVEN COLONIES British set seven different colonies Aborigines settled primarily in Northern Territory Colonies clashed with Brits, but also each other

A FEDERAL STATE Jan 1, 1901 emerged as an independent state with 6 states and two territories (Northern and Capital Territory) New South Wales: most populous and politically powerful Queensland: Great Barrier Reef, rainforests Victoria: small, but populous South Australia: Murray-Darling River system Western Australia: 2 million people in 2.5 million square kilometers Tasmania: island, in path of storms from Southern Ocean

GREAT BARRIER REEF

SUCCESSFUL FEDERATION Unlike, their European past (who typically have unitary system) Australian have a successful federation. What does that mean?

AN URBAN CULTURE 85% live in urban areas Large cities lie along coast due to arid interior Sydney: Most populated city in Australia Melbourne: prides itself on more interesting architecture Brisbane: booming city in Australia Perth: one of the world’s most isolated cities Violent crime is uncommon, few slums, high standards of public transportation, city schools and health care

ECONOMY Economy originally based on treasure trove of natural resources Now relies on services Import-substitution industries emerged and started industrialization of the country (imported goods were too expensive due to distance) Farms (large wool industry) and mines brought wealth 1980s economic decline (farms made less money, needed to import oil) Now booming again due to resources sent to Japan then China until 2008 world wide economic downturn

AGRICULTURAL MAINSTAY Sheep raising earliest venture, then beef (due to refrigeration technology) Wool, beef and wheat three big income earners Sugarcane along Queensland Mediterranean crops in Perth Murray River: rice grapes and citrus due to irrigation Dairying near large urban areas

MINERAL WEALTH Gold in Victoria and New South Wales (1851), by 1855 produced 40% of world’s gold Oil and Natural Gas have been found today Coal near Sydney and Brisbane Others found throughout country Japan was leading customer, now China

MANUFACTURING LIMITS Manufacturing oriented to domestic markets Diversified: machinery to textiles, chemical and paper Clustered around markets (urban areas) Australian markets are small, but affluent (attractive to foreign producers)

AUSTRALIA’S FUTURE European bonds weakening, Asian ties are strengthening Economy is risky since it relies on agricultural and mineral exports

ABORIGINAL ISSUES Two issues Reparations and apologies for mistreatment Ownership of land 1980’s Aborigines started campaign to obstruct exploration of what they claimed to be sacred lands 1992: Australian High Court made the first in a series of rulings in favor of Aborigines Subsequent court decision implies as much as 78% of land (primarily Outback) could potentially be subject to Aboriginal claims Issue has potential to overwhelm courts and inhibit economic growth

BRINGING MARKET INCENTIVE TO ABORIGINES Most land administered communally by Land Councils Land-rich, but dirt poor Prevents private enterprise Some argue this keeps them dependent on government, others say privatization will undermine land councils

2007: Reports of alcoholism, domestic violence, unemployment, truancy and break down of traditional culture in Aboriginal desert camps Prime Minister ordered federal gov’t to take control of 60 communities

IMMIGRATION ISSUES 50 years ago: 95% of population were of European Ancestry Race specific immigration policies kept it this way until 1970s Now only 1/3 have British origins, Asian Immigrants outnumber all others 1990s, 150,000 immigrants arrived Questions emerged whether they could handle all of them Immigration quotas of 80,000 annually put in place, also placed restrictions on foreign ownership of real estate Fears of “Asianization” of the country

2008: lacked skilled workers Australia issued residency permits to 190,000 immigrants (most selected for their skills) Another 100,000 allowed on short term visas for “urgent professional need” Created multicultural society in urban areas

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES Environmental Degradation: Forest destroyed for farming Eucalyptus destroyed in Tasmania to pulp mills Marsupials endangered or threatened Activism is occurring, but some see as an obstacle to economic growth

Climate Change Droughts along coasts due to El Nino and global warming Especially concerning for Murray-Darling River Basin where a large amount of agriculture and irrigation occurs Also, water issues arise due to increase use by urban areas

STATUS AND ROLE Much more important globally than Pacific neighbors Must maintain global allies without compromising relationship with neighbors (for example: stance against terrorism, but maintaining relationship with Islamic Indonesia)

NEW ZEALAND Originally inhabited by Maori (Polynesian people), but then invaded by Europeans Today 75% European, small Maori population, and many mixed Euro-Polynesians North and South Islands + many smaller islands Mainly mountainous South Island has Southern Alps North Island: chief dairying district

HUMAN SPATIAL ORGANIZATION Auckland is on low lying peninsula on North Island South Island: Canterbury Plain: Christchurch ½ of New Zealand is pasture land: 60 million sheep and 8 million cattle Wool, meat and dairy products provide 2/3 of island’s exports

COMPARISONS TO AUSTRALIA British heritage Pastoral economy Small local market Great distances to world markets Desire to stimulate domestic manufacturing High degree of urbanization (86%) Substantial employment in city-based industries Peripheral development

MAORI FACTOR AND NEW ZEALAND’S FUTURE 15% of today’s population Arrived in 10 th ce. European colonists arrive 1840 Maori and British sign treaty at Waitangi, granting colonist sovereignty over New Zealand, but guaranteed Maori rights over established tribal lands 1862 British abrogated parts of Treaty and Maori believe NZ is theirs 1990s judicial rulings favor Maori