Transcript Human Geography: Oceania, Australia, New

Human Geography:
Oceania, Australia,
New Zealand, &
Antarctica
What is the dominant climate for Oceania,
Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica?
Oceania
0 No one knows how many
islands exist in the Pacific
Ocean, but some geographers
estimate that there are more
than 20,000!
0 As a group, the Pacific Islands
are called Oceania
0 The Philippines, Indonesia,
and other islands near the
mainland are not considered
part of Oceania because their
people have cultural ties to
Asia.
0 New Zealand and Australia are
often considered part of
Oceania even though Australia
in a continent not just an
Island.
• Geographers divide Oceania into three regions,
defined both by physical geography and culture
– Melanesia  north of Australia; “black islands”
– Micronesia  north of Melanesia & south of Japan;
“tiny islands”
– Polynesia  covers the area from Midway Island in the
north to New Zealand in the south; “many islands”
Vanishing Islands
0 One reason geographers don’t know the exact number of
islands in Oceania is because it changes over time.
0 Erosion causes some islands to vanish, while other forces create
new islands.
0 Most islands fall into 1 of 2 categories; high islands and low
islands
0 High islands- are created by volcanoes
0 Low islands- are made of coral reefs
0 All the islands added together would still be smaller than the
area of Alaska!
Resources of Oceania
0 Oceania is NOT rich in natural resources
0 The low lands have poor soil and most of the islands lack
minerals.
0 New Caledonia has nickel, chromium, and iron; New
Guinea has copper, gold, and oil; Nauru has phosphate and
both Fiji and the Solomon Islands have Gold.
0 The general scarcity of
resources has made is
difficult to develop
industry.
New Zealand
0 New Zealand has two
main islands; North
Island and South Island.
0 Running down the
center of the Island is a
300 mile long mountain
range called the
Southern Alps
0 North Island has hilly
ranges and a volcanic
plateau, but it is much
less mountainous than
South Island.
New Zealand Resources
0 Fertile farmland
and forests for
lumber industry.
0 Has natural harbors
that are used for
seaports
0 It has few mineral
resources.
0 It’s swift flowing rivers
have allowed its people
to build dams that
generate electricity.
0 Also North Island has a volcanic
area with underground steam.
0 Engineers have found ways to
use the steam to power
generators.
Australia: Good Day Mate’!
0 Australia is the flattest
and smallest continent on
0 Australia has very few
earth.
0 It has a chain of highlands rivers.
0 The largest is the
that runs near it’s eastern
Murray River, which
coast called the Great
flows into the Southern
Dividing Range.
0 Few of it’s peaks rise
higher than 5,000 ft
Ocean.
0 Mountain range effects
Australia’s climate.
0 It forces moisture-bearing
winds to rise and shed their
rain before moving inland.
0 This results in the Eastern
coast being more populated
because the abundance of rain
and cooler temperatures.
Australia’s Resources
0 Australia is rich in minerals. It is the
world’s leading supplier of bauxite,
diamonds, opals, lead and coal.
Antarctica
0 Antarctica is the fifth
largest continent,
generally circular in
shape, it is centered on
the South Pole.
0 The landscape of
Antarctica is hidden by a
thick sheet of ice, but
under the ice lays a
varied landscape.
0 The Transantarctic
Mountains divide the
continent in two.
Antarctica’s Resources
0 Antarctica’s ice sheet is
the largest supply of
fresh water in the world.
0 Geologists believe that
resources such as coal,
minerals, and perhaps
even petroleum may lie
beneath the ice.
0 In 1991, 26 nations
agreed not to mine
Antarctica for 50 years.
White Desert
0 Antarctica is Earth’s driest
and coldest continent.
0 In the winter, inland
temperatures can fall to 70
degrees below zero or
colder.
0 Cold air does not hold
moisture well, so the air
there has only 1/10th the
water vapor found in the
atmosphere of temperate
regions.
0 As a result, Antarctica
receives little
precipitation and is
often called a polar
desert, or white desert.
Oceania
• All nations, except Nauru, are island
groups
• Prehistoric people journeyed from
mainland Southeast Asia to nearby Pacific
islands using small rafts or canoes and
land bridges that have since disappeared
• Oceania experienced turmoil in the 20th century.
– During World War II, the Allies and the Japanese
fought fierce battles there to gain control of the
Pacific.
– Afterward, some islands were used as nuclear test
sites, not only by the United States
• Since 1962, 12 different
nations have gained
independence,
foreigners still rule the
other islands.
A Traditional Economy
• Economy in which people work not for wages but
as subsistence activities, in which a family
produces only for themselves
• AGRICULTURE: most low A Traditional
islands do not have fertile
soil. High islands do have soil
that supports agriculture.
– Chief crops: bananas, sugar,
cocoa, coffee, and copra,
which is the dried meat of
coconuts.
Economy
• One major crop was taro, a
plant with a starchy root. Taro
can be eaten boiled, or it can
be made into breads, puddings,
or a paste called poi.
• Tourism has become very
important to the economy
• Although hotels, stores,
roads, and vehicles
threaten the islands’
environment and
traditional ways of life.
• Fishing also
provides a
significant
source of
income.
Culture of the Islands
• Oceania has a culture that
blends traditional ways with the
cultures of Europe and the
United States.
• Some 1,100 of the world’s
languages are spoken there. Many
Pacific Islanders speak European
languages. English is the most
common.
THE ARTS
• Islanders produce arts and
crafts, such as baskets and mats
woven from the leaves of palm
trees or carved wooden masks.
• Some islanders make a living
selling art to tourists.
TRADITIONAL LIFE
• Most people live in villages,
ranging from small clusters of
houses to large walled
settlements. The houses were
usually wooden with thatched
roofs.
RECENT CHANGE
• Oceania has few cities, but
they have been growing >
jobs & education.
• Rapid urban growth has led
to slums and inadequate
sanitation facilities.
• In addition, city people are
giving up their traditional ways
of life.
Australia & New Zealand
• In 1788, Great Britain founded Sydney, Australia,
as a penal colony—a place to send prisoners
• Australia and New Zealand became British
colonies even though the native people had
cultures of their own
Which is which?????
United Kingdom
New Zealand
Australia
***The stars are arranged in such a way that it symbolizes a Southern
Cross. The Southern Cross is a famous constellation situated in the
southern hemisphere. Thus the Southern Cross in the flag is an
identification of Australia and New Zealand's position geographically.
• Aboriginal people: natives who
migrated to Australia from Asia
40,000 years ago
– Had complex religion and social
structures
– Nomadic people, never established
permanent settlements
– Hunted with boomerangs
• The Maori
– Came from Polynesia to settle New Zealand
– Dependent on fishing, hunting, and farming
Tā moko is the permanent body and face marking
by Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand.
Traditionally it is distinct from tattoo and tatau in
that the skin was carved by uhi (chisels) rather than
punctured. This left the skin with grooves, rather
than a smooth surface.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CNQZCF9yfE
• Both are major exporters
of farm products
• New Zealand
– in 1998 the number of farm
animals (including 47.6
million sheep and 8.8
million cattle) was 15 times
greater than the number of
people!
– world’s largest producer of
kiwi fruit
• Australia
– Mining is major income
Economy
Antarctica
• Continent used mainly for scientific research;
18 nations have scientific research stations
• Weather patterns
– Can observe the sun & stars without obstruction (clouds)
– The ozone layer
– Krill, a small shrimp like animals that are a
major part of the food chain
Tourism in Antarctica
• Across most of Earth, a tourist attraction that sees 35,000
visitors a year isn’t very much. But when it’s Antarctica,
every footstep matters.
“What used to be Antarctic tourism in the late ’80s through
the ’90s was generally people of middle age or older going
on cruises and small ships where they went ashore at a few
locations and they looked at wildlife, and one current
station,” he said. “But there’s an increasing diversification of
the activities now, so it’s much more action-orientated. Now
people want to go paragliding, water skiing, diving or a
variety of other things.”
Questions
1. What is an example of HEI in New Zeeland?
2. What 2 things effect population distribution of
these regions the most?
3. Indigenous of New Zealand? Australia?
A. What are they known for?
4. Explain the physical characteristics of Antarctica
5. Describe the folk culture of these places. How
are they threatened by pop culture?
6. Australia is rich in what resources?
Answers
1. Volcanic steam use for power
2. Climate and mountain ranges. (Desert in Australia,
North Island of NZ less mountainous)
3. Indigenous of New Zealand: Maori, face tattoo
Australia: Aborigines, boomerangs,
complex religion and social structures
Explain the physical characteristics of Antarctica
4. Covered in ice, landmass underneath thought to be
rich in resources, treaty agreement to not disrupt
ecosystem (drill)
5. Subsistence agriculture, small villages, strive to
maintain indigenous culture but threatened by
tourism development.
6. Mineral resources