Australia and Oceania

AustraliaAustralia

New ZealandNew Zealand

PolynesiaPolynesiaMelanesiaMelanesia

MicronesiaMicronesia

Interplay between European and indigenous culture

European dominance Indigenous dominance

IntroductionIntroduction

Isolated physical setting• Exotic plants and animals• Late arrival of human occupations

Interplay between indigenous peoples and European cultures

• Cultural adaptation, assimilation, and conflicts Youthful political geography

• Fluid geopolitical identity

Environmental GeographyEnvironmental GeographyVaried Natural and Human Habitat

AustraliaAustralia

New ZealandNew Zealand

OceaniaOceania

Arid interior (outback), highly urbanized coast

Rugged mountain

Landform

Volcanic islands

AustraliaAustralia

Western Plateau• Ancient shield landmass

Interior Lowlands• Flat, and featureless

lowland Eastern Highlands

• Barrier between western interior and eastern coastal plain

PlateauPlateauBasinBasin

HighlandsHighlands

Great Artesian BasinGreat Artesian Basin

Landform

Artesian wellArtesian well

Interior basin lacks water supply, but the Great Artesian Basin possesses a rich supply of underground water

Landform

New ZealandNew Zealand

Rugged mountain range featured by volcanic peaks Pacific Rim of Fire

Fjord-like western coast in the South Island Glacial forces

Landform

Landform

PolynesiaPolynesiaMelanesiaMelanesia

MicronesiaMicronesia

OceaniaOceania

Seismic hazards (Pacific Rim)Seismic hazards (Pacific Rim)

Volcanic islandsVolcanic islands

Bora Bora

Landform

Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Volcanic IslandsVolcanic Islands

Evolution of Volcanic IslandsEvolution of Volcanic Islands

Hot spot

High islandsHigh islands

Low islandsLow islands

Landform

Geologic time

1. Active volcanism

2. Volcanism dwindles & erosion intervenes

3. Islands subside below sea level

Climate

B. Arid OutbackB. Arid Outback

C. Temperate Australian and New Zealand C. Temperate Australian and New Zealand coastal plaincoastal plain

A. Tropical OceaniaA. Tropical Oceania

Environmental issues

DroughtDrought

Natural HazardsNatural Hazards

Seismic hazards Seismic hazards (Pacific Rim of Fire)(Pacific Rim of Fire)

Environmental issues

Global Resource PressuresGlobal Resource Pressures

LoggingLogging

MiningMining

Environmental issues

Mining in Papua New GuineaMining in Papua New Guinea

Mining, while providing incomes, causes immense environmental damage to the region

Nuclear TestingNuclear Testing

Environmental issues

1946 - 19581946 - 1958

1990s1990s

Tuamotu ArchipelagoTuamotu Archipelago

Marshall IslandsMarshall Islands

Population and SettlementPopulation and SettlementA Diverse Cultural Landscape

Indigenous settlement• Aborigines in Australia, Maori in New Zealand• New Guinea Highlands, Society Islands

European migrations• Sydney, Melbourne…

Asian laborers and immigrants • Indian in Fiji, Japanese in Hawaii• Recent Asian immigrants in Australia

Australia and New Zealand are highly urbanized and Westernized Most of pacific islands are rural (eg. Papua New Guinea)

Population distributionPopulation distribution

Sydney, AustraliaSydney, Australia

Most Australians (85%) live in cities

Peopling the PacificPeopling the Pacific

European ColonizationEuropean Colonization

Australia• Served as a penal colony (1788)

• Decimation of Aborigines

New Zealand• Wars with Maori chiefdoms (1845 ~ 1870)

Hawaii• U.S. annexed Hawaiian kingdom (1898)

Australian agricultureAustralian agriculture

Commercial farming in the coastal plains

Too dry for farming extensive ranching

Hunting, gathering by Aborigines

• Viniculture in Mediterranean climate region

• Sugarcane in subtropical climate region

• Dairy farming in well-watered area

Oceanic agricultureOceanic agriculture

Village-centered shifting cultivation• Papua New Guinea highlands

Plantation agriculture in coastal plains• Sugarcane fields in Fiji and Hawaii

Current population issuesCurrent population issues

Australia and New Zealand• Influx of Asian immigrants

Less-developed island nations• Growing population given limited land

Cultural Coherence and DiversityCultural Coherence and DiversityA Global Crossroads

Process of Cultural ChangeProcess of Cultural Change

Cultural differentiation geographical isolation

Cultural accommodation/assimilation European colonialism

Cultural homogenization or preservation globalization

Multicultural AustraliaMulticultural Australia

Dominance of colonial European roots• 70% of population is British or Irish• White Australia Policy (~1973)• Remaining links with the British Crown

But increasingly multicultural due to• Political movement of native inhabitants• Inflows of Asian immigrants with a skill• “Asianization” policy• Two-way globalization

Multicultural New ZealandMulticultural New Zealand

Parallel the story of Australia with a slightly different cultural mix

Unique Polynesian roots• Maori (15%)

• Pacific islanders (5%)

The Mosaic of Pacific Cultures (1)The Mosaic of Pacific Cultures (1)

Traditional culture worlds• The division of Oceania into Melanesia,

Micronesia, and Polynesia is based on racial and cultural distinctions by 19c anthropologists

Melanesia Micronesia Melanesia Micronesia PolynesiaPolynesia

Skin color:Skin color: darkdark brownbrown

Social system: village Social system: village chiefdom chiefdom kingdomkingdomBut the actual distinction is rather subtle

• Revolves around village lifeHighlanders in Papua New Guinea

The Mosaic of Pacific Cultures (2)The Mosaic of Pacific Cultures (2)

External cultural influences• Colonial plantation brought contact laborers

Japanese/Chinese in Hawaii, Indian in Fiji

• Creole culturesMulticultural HawaiiansFrench New Caledonia

• Pidgin English & Christianity

• International tourism transforms their livelihoodsFiji, French Polynesia, The Hawaiian Islands, Samoa

Language of Australia and OceaniaLanguage of Australia and Oceania

Geopolitical FrameworkGeopolitical FrameworkA Land of Fluid Boundaries

Colonial legacy• Ever-changing political map

Over the last two centuries

• Persisting colonial tiesFrench PolynesiaU.S. territory

Youthful states • Oldest political states are the 20th century creation

Australia, New Zealand (1907)

Indigenous PatternsIndigenous Patterns

Prior to European contact, the political geography was mosaic of indigenous territories

• Melanesia based on kinship

• Polynesia based on chiefdom

• Some large volcanic islands of Polynesia formed kingdom (eg. Hawaii)

An Imposed Colonial FrameworkAn Imposed Colonial Framework(circa 1900)(circa 1900)

BritainBritainFranceFrance

GermanyGermany

U.S.U.S.

AustraliaAustralia FranceFrance

U.S.U.S.

New ZealandNew Zealand

JapanJapan

An Imposed Colonial FrameworkAn Imposed Colonial Framework(After WWI)(After WWI)

BritainBritain

AustraliaAustralia FranceFrance

U.S.U.S.

New ZealandNew Zealand

An Imposed Colonial FrameworkAn Imposed Colonial Framework(After WWII)(After WWII)

BritainBritain

An Imposed Colonial FrameworkAn Imposed Colonial Framework(present day)(present day)

FranceFrance

U.S.U.S.

New ZealandNew Zealand

Marshall IslandsMarshall Islands

Political control of Micronesia has shifted numerous times during the last two centuries

Spanish (1526~1885)

Germany

(1885~1914)

Japanese

(1914~1944)

U.S.

(1947~1979)

WWI WWII

Independence (1990s)

Native Rights in Australia and Native Rights in Australia and New ZealandNew Zealand

General trends are to acknowledge the land rights of indigenous people

• Establishment of Aboriginal reserves

• Native Title Bill (1993)

Geopolitical tensions

Ethnic tension in FijiEthnic tension in Fiji

The populations of indigenous Fijians and South Asian immigrants are roughly equal

The violation of democratic process by the Fijians (eg. military coup in the late 1980s and 2000)

Geopolitical tensions

Rebellion in Papua New GuineaRebellion in Papua New Guinea

Resource-rich Bougainville’s indigenous inhabitants demand local control

Suppressed by military force

Geopolitical tensions

Geopolitical tensions

Economic and Social DevelopmentEconomic and Social DevelopmentA Hard Path to Paradise

Wealthy Australia, New Zealand, French territoriesWealthy Australia, New Zealand, French territories Impoverished remaindersImpoverished remainders

Economy of Australia and New Economy of Australia and New ZealandZealand

Economic assets• Highly educated population• Diverse base of natural resources• Modern urban and industrial infrastructure

Challenges• Dependence on extraction of raw materials• Small domestic markets• Lack of high-tech and IT industries

Efforts to diversify economic bases

Economy of Australia and New Economy of Australia and New Zealand – economic diversificationZealand – economic diversification Moving away from the traditional extractive econo

mies (eg. tourism) Promoting economic integration within the region

• CER (Closer Economic Relationship) Agreement

Shifting away from Europe and North America in favor of closer links with Asia

• Recent immigration policy

• ARF (ASEAN Regional Forum)

• APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation Group)

Global trade in Australia and New Zealand

Oceania’s Economic DiversityOceania’s Economic Diversity

Subsistence-based economies• Shifting cultivation, fishing

Commercial extractive economy• Plantation, mining, logging

Global tourism Subsidies from the present/former colonial

powers

Relatively fared well regardless of varied level of economic development with the exception of Papua New Guinea