PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF AUSTRALIA, PACIFIC ISLANDS AND ANTARCTICA Francisci WG.4

Climate & Vegetation:  The region has a wide range of climates and types of vegetation.  Australia: consists of mostly desert with very little vegetation.  Papua New Guinea: majority of the island experiences a tropical rainforest climate.

Climate & Vegetation (Cont.’d)  Hawaii: tropical rainforest climate and vegetation.  Antarctica: consists of ice cap climate with no vegetation. It’s the world’s coldest, driest and windiest continent.

Australia  Australia is isolated from the rest of the world.  Many unique animal species are found only there: kangaroo, koala, dingo, platypus and wombat.

Pacific Islands  Pacific Islands are made up of 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean.  Most of the Pacific Islands are south of the Tropic of Cancer.  The area in which these islands are located is called Oceania.

Pacific Islands  Pacific Islands are either continental, coral or volcanic islands.  Volcanic Islands: There are numerous volcanic islands in the Pacific that still experience volcanoes and earthquakes, supporting the fact that this region is part of the Ring of Fire that surrounds the Pacific Ocean. Ex. Fiji, Tahiti

Pacific Islands  Coral Islands: These ring shaped islands were formed by the buildup of coral reefs on the rim of submerged volcanoes. Ex. Marshall Islands They are low in elevation, population and resources.

Pacific Islands  Continental Islands: these are islands that were formed by the rising and folding of ancient rock from the ocean floor. Although they were not formed by volcanic activity, many still have volcanoes on them. Example: Large islands such as Papua New Guinea.