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Chapters: 23-24
The Pacific World
What two oceans
and three seas
surround
Australia?
Pacific and
Indian Oceans;
Timor, Coral,
and the
Tasman Sea
What seven
territories
make up Australia?
Queensland,
New South Wales,
Victoria,
Tasmania,
South Australia,
Western Australia,
and the
Northern Territory
What two countries
lie north of Australia?
Indonesia
and Papua New Guinea
What nearby country is
divided into northern
and southern parts by a high
mountain range?
New Zealand
What is Australia’s
capital? It is the only
major inland city.
Canberra
What two animals
are found on Australia’s
coat of arms?
The Kangaroo
and the Emu
What is the name of
the enormous coral reef
off the coast of Queensland?
The Great Barrier Reef
What sacred aboriginal site
is located in the desert interior
of Australia?
Uluru
(formerly called
Ayers Rock)
Australia
Natural Environments
• Australia is known as the
Land Down Under
because of its location
“under” the Equator
• Australia comes from the
Latin word that means
“southern”
• Australia is the only
country that is also a
continent
Landforms and Rivers
• Australia is divided into
three main landform
regions
• 1. In the east, a highland
region is called the Great
Dividing Range
• The Great Barrier Reef lies
along the northeast coast
of this region
Great Barrier Reef
Landforms and Rivers
• The Great Dividing Range
stretches from the Cape
York Peninsula to
Tasmania
• The Murray River and
Darling River—Australia’s
major river system –flow
from this range
Murray River
Landforms and Rivers
• The Great Dividing
Range is also Australia’s
main mountain system
• Mount Kosciusko is the
highest elevation on the
continent
• It is in the highest part of
the range called the
Australian Alps
Australian Alps
Landforms and Rivers
• 2. The Central Lowlands
stretches from the Gulf of
Carpentaria to the Indian
Ocean
• Beneath this low area is the
Great Artesian Basin
• Artesian wells—wells where
water flows naturally to the
surface are common there
Landforms and Rivers
• In the Central Lowlands
lies Lake Eyre, Australia’s
lowest point at 52 feet
below sea level
• Lake Eyre is a salt lake
that in many years is
completely dry
Landforms and Rivers
• 3. The Western Plateau
covers about two-thirds
of Australia
• It has the oldest rocks
on the continent
• Deserts cover the
central part of the area
• In the south is the
Nullarbor Plain—a dry
flat limestone plateau
Ayer’s Rock
Uluru
Climates
• Australia is a desert
continent with green
edges
• About two-thirds of
Australia has an arid or
semiarid climate
• Rainfall in these areas is
often unreliable
• Long droughts may be
followed by short powerful
storms or floods
Climates
• During droughts, wildfires
often sweep across the
land
• The dry interior of Australia
is called the outback
• Much of northern Australia
has a tropical wet and dry
climate
• This area has summer
monsoons that bring heavy
rainfall
Plants and Animals
• Australia is known for its
strange plants and animals
• Most are endemic species
• Because of Earth’s tectonic
plates, Australia has been
separated from the other
continents for millions of
years
• Plants and animals therefore
became isolated
Plants and Animals
• For example, cats are native to
every continent except
Australia
• Hoofed animals like deer and
cattle are not native to
Australia
• Most of Australia's mammals
are marsupials—mammals
that have pouches for their
young
Platypus
Dingo
Koala
Kookaburra
Wallaby
Geco
Frilled Lizard
Mole Rat
History and Culture
• Australia’s first peoples were the
Aborigines
• They came to Australia from
Southeast Asia over 40,000
years ago
• The Aborigines hunted with
spears, nets and boomerangs
• At least 300,000 Aborigines lived
in Australia when the
Europeans arrived in the 1700s
History and Culture
• The British settled Australia as a
prison colony
• The first settlement later became
the city of Sydney
• By 1830, nearly 60,000 prisoners
had been sent to Australia
History and Culture
• In 1851, gold was
discovered, attracting
even more people
• Many settlers forced the
Aborigines off their land
• The Aborigines had no
resistance to the
diseases brought by the
Europeans and many of
them died
History and Culture
• In the mid-1800s more
towns and colonies
were founded
• Eventually six colonies
developed
• In 1901 these six
colonies joined to form
the Commonwealth of
Australia
People and Languages
• About 92% of Australia’s 20
million people are of
British or European
Ancestry
• English is the official
language
• However, it is spoken with
a distinct “Aussie” accent
• Asians make up 7% of the
population
G’day
Settlement and Land Use
• Most Australians live in
cities along the
southeastern coast—
Sydney, Melbourne,
Brisbane, and Adelaide
• Major cities grew as ports
during colonial times
• Even today, each state and
territory has just one major
city
Sydney Opera House
Settlement and Land Use
• Where people live is also tied to its
environment
• Most people settled in the
southeast due to its pleasant
climates and rainfall
• In the dry interior, lack of water
makes settlement and farming
risky
The world’s largest fence
Religion and Education
• About 90% of Australians
are Christians
• Aborigines who follow
traditional ways
emphasize spiritual ties to
the land
• They believe their
ancestors created the
world during Dreamtime
Religion and Education
• Australia has a good
education system
• State and territorial
governments run schools
with help from the national
government
• Historically, Aborigines
have not had access to a
good education in
Australia—they did not
even become citizens until
1967
New Zealand
Capital
Natural Environments
North Island
South Island
• Like Australia, New Zealand
has a British colonial history
and a high standard of
living
• Although it is much smaller,
more mountainous, and has
a wetter and milder climate
• The country has two major
islands—North and South
Island—separated by the
Cook Strait
Early History and Settlement
• The first people in New Zealand
were the Maori
• They came from the Pacific
islands to the north about 1,000
years ago
• Their culture was based on
farming, fishing, and hunting
Many Maori have maintained a traditional way of life. For example,
Maori often greet each other by pressing their noses together
(hongi). Dances using action songs are also common, as are
traditional carved meeting houses
Early History and Settlement
• In 1642, Dutch explorer
Abel Tasman became the
first European to reach New
Zealand
• In 1769, British explorer
James Cook landed on
North Island and made
contact with the Maori
• Cook explored both the
North and South island
Early History and Settlement
• The first European settlers
in New Zealand came from
the British colony in
Australia
• They were missionaries,
traders, and whalers
• In 1840, British settlers and
Maori leaders signed a
treaty that gave the British
control of the islands
In New Zealand sheep outnumber people 13 to 1, so
workers who can shear sheep well are highly valued
Chapters: 23-24
The Pacific World
Three Island Groups
• The Pacific Islands are divided
into three large subregions—
Melanesia, Micronesia, and
Polynesia
• The regions are based on cultural
variations of the islands
• Melanesia lies closest to New
Guinea. It includes the eastern
half of New Guinea, the Solomon
Islands, New Caledonia, and Fiji
Fiji, Melanesia
Three Island Groups
• Micronesia lies east of the
Philippines, mostly north of
the Equator
• Micronesia includes the
Caroline Islands the
Gilbert Islands, the Mariana
and Marshall Islands
• Guam is the largest of all
the islands
Guam, Micronesia
Three Island Groups
• Polynesia is the largest of the
three subregions
• It covers a huge triangle with its
corners at Easter Island, the
Hawaiian Islands and New
Zealand
• It also includes Samoa, Bora
Bora, and many smaller island
groups
Easter Island
Samoa, Polynesia
Bora Bora, Polynesia
Atoll
Mariana Islands (U.S.)
Hawaii
Federated States of Micronesia
Papua New Guinea
Fiji
French
Polynesia
Micronesia
Marquesas Islands
Solomon Islands
Polynesia
Coral Sea
Melanesia
Tahiti
Antarctica
South Pole
Migration Patterns
• Humans may have lived on New
Guinea at least 33,000 years ago
• Human migration into the Pacific
may have begun even earlier
• Over time, Micronesia and
Polynesia developed distinct
cultural features
European Arrival
• Europeans began to explore
the Pacific Islands in the 1500s
• Spanish explorer, Ferdinand
Magellan, first sailed through
the Pacific islands in the early1500s
• Spanish, Dutch and French
came to explore, trade, and
spread Christianity
European Arrival
• The U.S. captured Guam and
the Philippines from Spain
during the SpanishAmerican War in 1898
• Over time, colonial powers
set up plantations and
military bases
• The British brought thousands
of workers from India to work
on sugar plantations in Fiji
European Arrival
• WWII brought changes to
the region
• Many islands became
battlefields between 1941
and 1945
• Others were used as bases
as armies, planes and
ships moved through the
region
• Japan conquered many
islands early in the war
European Arrival
• Over time, the U.S. and its
allies pushed back the
Japanese and defeated
them
• At the end of the war, The
U.N. made many of the
islands trust territories—
placed under the control of
another country as they
prepared for independence
Independence
Flag of American Samoa
• Since the end of WWII, the islands
moved away from colonialism
• Some are still associated with
outside countries—Guam, Wake
Island, and American Samoa are
U.S. territories
• Micronesians are in free
association and allowed to work in
the U.S. in return for our being able
to keep bases on their islands
France, Great Britain, and the United States used their Pacific
territories as nuclear testing grounds. They exploded bombs from
the 1940s to the 1960s. France continued underground testing
until the late 1990s
Traditions and Culture
• Reflecting their influence on
colonialism, English and
French are used in
government and education
on many islands
• To communicate within
island groups where
languages differ, people
developed simplified
language based on English
called pidgin languages