Physical Geography

Australia

New Zealand

Oceania

Where is Australia located?• Australia & Oceania are a group of islands located between Asia,

Antarctica, & the Americas.

– Australia is the world’s largest island & smallest continent. (about the size of the continental USA)

– Over 25,000 islands make up the islands of Oceania.

• Distance from other land areas has created very unique plants and animals that are found nowhere else on earth– Koalas, kangaroos, kiwis, platypus, wombat, dingo,

etc.

LAND• Australia:

– Lies between the Pacific & Indian Oceans in the southern hemisphere

– “The Outback”• Vast desert areas in central Australia• Semi-arid or dry lands . . . Hot and dry . . . .desert• Surrounded by dry scrub, grasslands and rainforests

– Mild climate along the SW and SE coasts . . . Limited fertile soil

LAND

• Key landforms:– Deserts

• Great Victoria desert– Southern Australia– Receives 8-10 inches of rain per year

• Great Sandy desert

– Mountains• Great Dividing Range

– Continental Divide

• Uluru (Ayers Rock) – sandstone rock– Monolith – single, large rock with a small portion

sticking out of the ground» Stone Mountain is a monolith made out of

granite. – Changes colors in the sunlight due to the iron

content in the rock– 1,142 feet tall, 6 miles around the base– Close to the geographical center of Australia– It is a sacred location for the Aborigines

Great Victoria Desert

Great Sandy Desert

Great Dividing Range

WATER• Rivers

– Darling and Murray Rivers

– Located in SE Australia

• Most people in Australia live along the SE coast – Fertile soil– Fresh water– Mild climate

– Australia has many good harbors for shipping and trade

– What cities might these harbors be located in?

• Great Barrier Reef

– Largest coral reef in the world

– Located off the NE coast of Australia

– Over 1200 miles long . . . Located in the Coral Sea

• World’s largest collection of coral – over 400 types

• 1500 species of fish, 4000 types of mollusks (snails, clams, octopi, squid)

• Temperature never falls below 68 degrees on the reef

Summarizing Activity1. Where do most Australians live?

2. What is the largest coral reef system in the world?

3. What body of water lies along the NE coastline of Australia?

4. What landmark is a sacred site of the local Aborigines?

5. What region covers the central area of Australia?

New Zealand’s Land

– Located about 1200 miles SE of Australia

– Made up of 2 main islands

• North Island and South Island

• Most of the land is used for pasture – sheep

– Wide variety of landforms:

• Mountains - Southern Alps; tallest is Mt. Cook at 12,349 ft.

• Also rainforests, hills, valleys

Pacific Islands - LAND

– 25,000 islands divided into 3 regions:• Melanesia

– N and E of Australia - most populated

– Includes Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands

• Micronesia– Over 2000 islands mostly N of the

equator

– Includes Guam, Marshall Islands, Mariana Islands

• Polynesia– Largest island region in Pacific

– Includes Hawaii, Tahiti, Cook Islands and Samoa

• 2 types of islands:– High islands

• Formed by volcanoes & usually have mountains

• Soil very fertile because of ash

• Mostly covered in tropical vegetation – including rainforests

– Low islands

• Made up of reefs or atolls

– Atoll - small coral islands in shape of a ring with a lagoon in center

– More people live on high islands.

• Better soil, more fresh water and they are larger

Location, Climate & Natural Resources• Location

– Flattest continent in the world– Desert covers 2/3 of the land– Most fertile land is along the coasts

• Climate– Located below the equator . . . Seasons are opposite of Northern Hemisphere

• Summer is from December to March• Winter is from June to August

– Northern Areas• Tropical Climate . . .warm to hot all year round, tropical rainforest• Gets more rain than the other regions

– Coastal Areas• Plenty of rain year round• Mild temperatures . . . SE and SW sections of the country . . . Temperate

– Interior Areas (central Australia)

• Stays dry year round . . . Hot and dry

• Less than 10 inches of rain per year

• Natural Resources

– Mining

• Uranium, natural gas, zinc

• Leading producer of diamonds and lead

– Largest natural resource . . . Coal

• Major export of Australia

– Wool

• Huge ranches in the Outback . . . 50,000 acres +

• World’s leading producer of wool

• Where people choose to live . . . – Coastal towns have access to large industries and international

businesses• 80% of Australians live in cities (urban areas)• 70% of cities have at least 100,000 people

– Sydney has 3.5 million, . . .Melbourne has 3 million people

– Small groups of indigenous Australians live in the Outback.• Countryside is referred to as the “Bush” . . The “Outback” is the

dry interior of the continent• Small settlements grew in the Outback due to mining settlements

Australia’s Trade• Determined by location, climate and natural resources

– Location = trading partners

• Major trading partners = China, Japan, South Korea, India

– Major supplier of natural resources to China

– 50% of Australian iron ore goes to China

• Imports most items from China and the USA

– Largest imports are computers, machinery, petroleum and crude oil

• Tourism is also a major industry in Australia

– 25% of economy depends on tourism = $81 billion per year

– Because Australia is an island, is trade easier or more difficult than for other countries?

– Climate & Natural Resources = what products are traded

• Coal – energy consumption

• Iron Ore – steel for buildings, cars and industrial machinery

• Gold – jewelry

• Natural resources account for 1/3 of the country’s economy

Summarizing Activity1. What natural resource is used to provide energy

for Australia?

2. Who are Australia’s major trading partners?

3. What is iron ore used to make?

4. Where does Australia import the majority of their items from?

Cultural Characteristics• Language

– English language . . . Transitioned to have its own unique accent and vocabulary

• Religion– 70% claim to be Christians

• Almost 50% belong to either the Catholic or Anglican faiths• Colonists and missionaries brought their Anglican faith with them to

Australia

• Ethnic Groups– Population: 21 million

– Very diverse culture• 90% are of European descent• 2% are Aborigine• 8% are Asian

– British established a penal colony in Australia in 1788. . . Last continent discovered by the Europeans

• Currently largest portion of the population

– Aborigines are the indigenous population • 750,000 lived in Australia at the time of British arrival• Forced towards the middle of the island . . . Today 1%

of population are Aborigines

• Australian culture is heavily influenced by the Aborigines

– Art = sculptures, paintings, carvings• Use art to tell about the Dreaming and

their history– Dot painting

» painting method in which pictures are made from dots instead of lines

– Totems» Pictures of spirits that protect

a family or tribe» Some dot paintings are

totems.

– Rock Art» Ancient method of

documentation

– Music = didgeridoo• natural wooden trumpet