Transcript Chapter 29 and 32

Physical Geography of Southeast Asia
and Australia, Oceania and Antarctica
 Peninsulas and Islands
 Reaches from Asian mainland to Australia and covers more than 1,735,488
square miles. Indochina and Malaya Peninsula make up mainland.
 Half of the 11 countries are on the mainland. The rest are islands, except for
Malaysia, which is both. Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar lie on the
Indochina Peninsula. Malaysia shares the Malay Peninsula with Thailand.
 Insular, or island, countries include Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, Singapore
and the Philippines.
 Indonesia is the largest island country with more than 17,500 islands. Only
6,000 are inhabited and fewer than 1000 are settled.
 Singapore- collection of one large island and more than 50 smaller ones.
 7000 islands make up the Philippines. Only 900 are settled and 11 islands
account for over 95% of country’s area.
 Mountains and Volcanoes
 Mountains dominate SE Asia. Create political and geographic
boundaries. Indochina Peninsula has highlands that separate it from
China and India.
 Three cordilleras run north to south, forming natural barriers between
and within the mainland countries. Include the Arakan Yoma range in
Western Myanmar, the Bilauktaung Range between Myanmar and
Thailand and the Annam Cordillera separating Vietnam from Laos and
Cambodia.
 Mountains on islands for part of the Ring of Fire. Are actually
volcanoes and many are still active. Has left behind rich soil making
the islands great for farming.
 300 volcanoes stretch across Indonesia. Java, is one of the Ring of
Fire’s most active areas. Home to 21 of Indonesia’s 129 active
volcanoes.
 Water Systems
 Rely on waterways for transportation , communication and food. Silt
and deposits of sediment create fertile agricultural areas.
 Mainland rivers start in northern highlands. Irrawaddy River in
Myanmar, Chao Phraya River in Thailand, and the Red River in
Vietnam.
 Mekong River, 2,600 miles. Begins in China and forms the barrier
between Thailand and Laos.
 Natural Resources
 Lots of fossil fuels. Malaysia’s major exports is petroleum. Indonesia,
Vietnam and the Philippines export coal. Vietnam has offshore oil
deposits. Brunei’s sultan is the richest man in the world because of
the oil and natural gas found there.
 Indonesia is a member of OPEC and one of the largest producers of oil
in the area.
 Natural Resources
 Abundance of minerals. Indonesia mines nickel and iron.
Philippines mine copper. Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, and
Malaysia mine tin.
 Sapphires and rubies in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and
Vietnam. Pearls in Philippines.
 Many of the countries cannot reach their mineral potential
because of military control or governmental decisions.
 World’s largest flower, the Rafflesia arnoldii. Thailand has over
1,000 species of orchids. Varied fauna as well. Different species
of animals. Komodo dragon.
 Tropical Wet Climate
 Island and coastal areas. Little variation in temperature and
mostly wet conditions year round.
 79°F average temp creates hot, humid and rainy conditions.
79-188 inches of rain annually. 80-90% humidity.
 Mount Isarog- in southern Luzon in the Philippines. Rainfall
can reach 468 inches of rain a year.
 Singapore
 Developed into an urban area. Replaced natural habitats.
Endemic species (native) are gone. Nearly 80% or trees and
shrubs grown there are imported.
 Tropical Dry Climate
 Tropical (winter) dry climate sweep southeastward across the
Indochina Peninsula and southeastern parts of Indonesia.
 Alternate wet and dry seasons characterize this climate. Mainland
monsoon rains from May to September. Winter dry season goes
from November to April.
 Mid-latitude Climate
 Most of Laos, small part of Thailand, northern Myanmar and
Vietnam have a humid subtropical climate. November to April
temps average 61°F.
 Shan Plateau in Myanmar has cooler temps than rest of country.
 New Guinea, Myanmar, and Borneo have highland climates.
 Australia:
 Mountains and Plateaus
 Great Dividing Range only mountain range. Most rivers start there.
 Western Plateau- low are of flat land in central and western Australia. 2/3rds of
continent. Called Outback. Great Sandy, Great Victoria, and Gibson Deserts.
 Nullarbor Plain- south of Great Victoria Desert. Treeless land that ends in cliffs.
 Central Lowlands
 Great Dividing Range and Western Plateau separated by the central Lowlands.
Get rain once and awhile. Most of the year it is dry.
 Murray River and Darling River provide water for irrigation in the southeast.
Great Artesian Basin to the south of the lowlands. This is a place where they
raise livestock. Water too salty for humans or crops.
 Australia:
 Great Barrier Reef
 Northeastern coast. World’s largest coral reef. It is a national park because
it is home to so many species of animals and plants.
 String of more than 2,500 small reefs. Formed from coral and extends
1,250 miles.
 Natural Resources
 10% of land can be farmed. Agriculture still important.
 1/4th world’s bauxite and high quality opals. Deposits of coal, iron ore, lead,
zinc, gold, nickel, and petroleum. Make it one of the world’s major mining
areas.
 Oceania:
 Island Groups
 Thousands of islands extending across millions of square miles make up
Oceania. Created by tectonic plates and volcanic hot spots.
 Classified into three groups, based on location, how they were formed, and
cultures. Melanesia: “black islands.” lies north and east of Australia. Micronesia:
“Little islands.” north of Melanesia. Polynesia: “many islands.” go from Midway
Island to New Zealand.
 Island Types
 High islands: earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Mountain ranges split by
valleys. Not a lot of agriculture.
 Low Islands: volcanoes. Atolls- ring shaped islands. Encircle lagoons. Little soil
and few natural resources.
 Continental Islands: rising and folding of ancient rock. Most of the large islands.
Plains, swamps, rivers. Have most of the mineral deposits. Oil, gold, nickel, and
copper.
 New Zealand
 North and South Islands display sandy beaches, emerald hillsides, and
snow tipped mountains.
 Northern Island- central plateau of volcanic stone features hot springs
and several active volcanoes. Mount Ruapehu.
 South Island- Southern Alps along the western edge. Maori aimed the
highest peak Aorangi which means cloud piercer. Known as Mount
Cook now. 12,316 ft. Canterbury Plains on the eastern coast. Fertile
land.
 Volcanic soil its best feature. Provides fertile soil. Half farming and half
livestock. Sheep and wool products dominate exports. Hydroelectric
power and geothermal energy.
 Australia
 Tropical climates in the northeast, deserts in the interior, and midlatitude temperate areas along eastern, southern, and western coasts.
Rainfall makes all the difference.
 December to March- subtropical high pressure air masses block moist
winds from reaching Western Plateau.
 Steppe areas encircle deserts. Gets more rainfall. More vegetation. 10
to 20 inches of rain.
 Coastal areas have more moist climates. Northeastern climate averages
80 inches and is a humid subtropical climate. This is where the
majority of agriculture is.
 Oceania and New Zealand
 Most of Oceania lies between Equator and Tropic of Capricorn. Tropical
wet climate. Warm year round. Wet and dry seasons. Tropical
vegetations. Doldrums. Gives way to typhoons.
 New Zealand is mostly marine west coast. Warm winters cool
summers. Elevations makes a difference. Southern Alps get average
rainfall of 315 inches.
 Land and Climate
 5.4 million square miles. 5th largest continent. Transantarctic
Mountains separate into east and west. East- has the South Pole.
West- has Vinson Massif- 16,066ft.
 Climate is cold depending on location. East has higher elevation so is
colder. Lowest temp is -126°F. some areas average right around
freezing.
 Plant and Animal Life
 Most plant life is milder West Antarctica. No trees. Most animal life
near the water. Penguins, whales, and seals.
 Natural Resources
 1% has been surveyed for minerals has coal, copper, lead, zinc,
silver, gold and natural gas. Conditions of climate make it hard to get
them. Restrictions placed on mining.
 Exploration and Scientific Research
 1770s Captain James Cook became the first person to cross the
Antarctic Circle.
 Several nations sponsored scientific exploration. Argentina,
Australia, Great Britain, Chile, France, New Zealand, and Norway
laid claims to land.
 1959 Antarctic Treaty- signed by 12 countries to keep the land
for science and research. 27 countries have research stations. 410,000 people a year. Global warming is a major issue. Water
around Antarctica is warming melting the ice.
 Tourism
 1958 first tourists came. 10,000 came in the 1990s. 30,000 in
2006. season is short due to weather.