SOUTHEAST ASIA, OCEANIA AND ANTARCTICA A REGION OF EXTREMES

SOUTHEAST ASIA: MAINLAND AND ISLANDS Mainland Southeast Asia Indochinese Peninsula – south of China (rectangular shape) Malay Peninsula – narrow strip of land, 700 miles long (serves as a bridge between mainland and islands) Islands of Southeast Asia Archipelago – set of closely grouped islands Philippines and islands of Indonesia are part of Malay peninsula

SOUTHEAST ASIA: MAINLAND AND ISLANDS Mountains & Volcanoes Mainland - several mountain ranges Islands – most mountains are of volcanic origin Rivers & Coastlines Mainland – several large rivers Ex. Mekong River – begins in China Resources Fertile soil – valuable resource petroleum, tin, and gems

Australia New Zealand Pacific Islands

LANDS OF THE PACIFIC AND ANTARCTICA More than 20,000 islands Oceania – group of pacific islands (the Philippines, Indonesia, and other islands near the mainland are not considered part of Oceania because their people have cultural ties to Asia) Oceania’s Many Islands Number of islands constantly changes High Islands – created by volcanoes Low Islands – made of coral reefs New Zealand North Island Fertile farmland, forest, seaports, many river South Island 300 mile long mountain range – Southern Alps

LANDS OF THE PACIFIC AND ANTARTICA Australia Smallest continent/also the flattest Very few rivers Rich in minerals (leading supplier of bauxite, diamonds, opals, lead, and coral reef) Great Barrier Reef – 1,250 mile chain of more than 2,500 reefs and islands Icy Antarctica 5th largest continent Centered on South Pole

CLIMATE AND VEGETATION Every climate zone is represented Southeast Asia Tropical wet climates are typical of the islands and coastal parts of SE Asia One of the greatest diversities of vegetation of any region (tree species) Oceania Tropical Wet and Dry Australia and New Zealand Moderate climates 1/3 of Australia is desert – The Outback Antarctica Coldest, driest continent Icecap climate “The White Desert” – little precipitation, dry air, and its icy temperatures do not allow it to hold moisture

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION Traveling the Pacific Pacific Islanders navigated the ocean by using charts of sticks and shells and the stars. Voyaging Canoes – developed by Pacific Islanders to sail the vast ocean. These canoes had double hulls that made the craft stable and gave it the ability to carry lots of weight. Outrigger canoe – used on island lagoons

INVASION OF THE RABBITS 1859 – Thomas Austin released 24 rabbits into Australia so he could hunt them 1900 – Australia had more than a billion rabbits Wiped out native plants, destroyed crops, ruined pastures, and stripped areas of vegetation

NUCLEAR TESTING 1940s and 1950s, the US conducted 66 nuclear tests in the Pacific In the Marshall Islands of the central Pacific lies Bikini Atoll Atoll – ring-like coral island or string of small islands surrounding a lagoon Bikini Atoll – site of the U.S. atomic-weapons tests. US chose Bikini for testing because it lay far away from regular shipping and air travel routes 1946 – the government moved the 167 Bikini Islanders to another atoll and conducted two atomic-weapons tests – US Government held about 60 more tests there Bravo – code name for a hydrogen bomb that vaporized several islands and contaminated the entire area with high levels of radiation