Australia and Oceania

Warm-up 5/20

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 Why/when was this landmark created? 1.It is a multi-venue performing arts center. It opened in What defining characteristics standout to you?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Geography Facts: New Zealand Consists of three islands – North Island, South Island, Stewart Island Wide expanses of beaches Very green and lush Mountainous

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

Landforms Mariana Trench – Deepest part of any ocean – Pacific plate subducted beneath the Mariana Plate

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

Oceania History

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)

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

Australia and New Zealand History Aborigines – natives of Australia Maori- natives of New Zealand – The two are completely unrelated

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

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

Australia and Oceania Politics, Economy, Culture

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

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

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

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

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

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