Australian & Oceania Geography

Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea  The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef.  Coral reefs are made up of living organisms.  They exist in the ocean.  The Great Barrier Reef stretches over an area of almost 133,000 square miles.  It is so vast that it can be seen from outer space.  As the world’s largest living organism, the Great Barrier Reef has been labeled as one of the seven wonders of the world.  It lies in the Coral Sea, off the northeast coast of Australia.

Box Jellyfish

Great Victorian Desert  The Great Victorian Desert is in southern Australia.  It is vast, barren region with many small lakes and grasslands.

Ayers Rock  Ayers Rock is a giant sandstone rock formation.  It lies in central Australia.  Ayers Rock has many waterholes, caves, and springs.  The Aborigines believe Ayers Rock is sacred.

AyersRockAyersRock

The Outback  Much of Australia is covered by the Australian Outback.  It is a dry region that covers most of Australia’s interior.  Temperatures in the Outback can be very hot.  There is very little rain.  Most of the soil is not good for farming.  Harsh conditions and the lack of fertile farmland mean that very few people live in the Outback.

Population  Most Australians live in cities along Australia’s southeast coast.  This is largely because of the mild, temperate climate the region offers.  Due to rich mineral deposits, portions of northwest Australia are home to mining communities.  Miners rely on these natural resources for income.  The interior of the continent is dominated by the Outback.

Trade and Resources  Australia’s geography impacts trade.  Because of its dry terrain and vast wilderness areas. Australia has historically had to import many of the agricultural products that it needs.  International trade has long been a critical part of Australia’s survival.  Since Australia is an island nation, it has to import most manufactured goods.

Trade and Resources Continued  Over the centuries, most Australians settled along the continents coast.  These settlements served as important harbors and some of them grew into bustling cities.  Towns also grew up further inland along Australia’s rivers.  They provide the continent with what fertile land it has.  Australia's rivers allow travel and permit inland farmers and businesses to ship products to the coast.  Few Australian’s live in the Outback or other regions that offer very little water or access to trade.

Australia's Culture  Australia’s culture is very much like that of Western Europe or the United States.  Many of the fashions, products, musical styles, movies, businesses, and leisure activities that exist throughout the western world can be found in Australia.

British Culture  Australia was once a British colony.  British culture has greatly shaped the modern culture of Australia.  English is the official language.  The government is modeled after the United Kingdom.  The king or queen of the United Kingdom still has symbolic role.  Most Australians who follow a religion claim to be Christian.  British missionaries introduced Christianity in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries

Aboriginal Culture  Aboriginal cultures still exist in Australia.  Aborigines are native Australians whose ancestors lived on the continent before Europeans arrived.  Many Aboriginal citizens have adopted western customs (fashion, work in urban areas, go to universities, and have similar lifestyles)  Other Aborigines live a more traditional existence.  Many of the societies exist in the Outback, where the harsh climate and geography discourages Europeans from interfering with the native peoples’ way of life.

Aborigines

Literacy  Australia’s literacy rate is very high.  Most Australians are well educated.  The literacy rate is lower among Aborigines.  Due to years of discrimination, there are still problems in the Aboriginal community, such as poverty, high rates of alcoholism, and lack of education.

Oceania  Thousands of islands across the Pacific Ocean create Oceania.  Ex. Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, New Zealand, Tahiti, Fiji, Marshall Islands, etc.  Many islands are atolls, which are ring- shaped islands formed by coral on top of underwater volcanoes.

New Zealand  Two large islands make up New Zealand, The North and South Islands.  Earliest inhabitants are known as the Maoris  Many beaches, volcanoes, hillsides are throughout the islands  Climate is a marine west coast climate which is very similar to Washington State

Antarctica  Ice Cap covers almost 98 percent of land  Some areas have ice 2 miles thick  Country contains volcanoes, mountains and plateaus.  Antarctica is a dry and windy landform where temperatures plunge to -129 degrees F.  Contains mosses, krill (shrimp-like), lichens

 The average thickness of the ice sheet that covers 98% of Antarctica is 2,200 meters (7,200 feet).  The continent overlies the south pole and covers 13,824,000 square kilometers (5,400,000 square miles). It is the fifth largest landmass on the globe.  Early Greek geographers hypothesized the existence of Antarctica well before anyone actually saw the continent. They believed that a landmass must exist at the bottom of the world to balance the land in the Northern Hemisphere. They called the mythological land "Antarctica," meaning "opposite the Arctic."  No one set foot on the continent until John Davis went ashore on the Antarctic Peninsula in Factoids…

Antarctica is about 30% larger than the United States.

Life at the South Pole