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Chapter 24: Australia Grade 7 Physical Features: Physical geography of Australia and the Pacific region is diverse. • Region has tens of thousands of islands of varying sizes. • It is the largest country in the huge Pacific region. • Pacific region: Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia. • Australia is completely surrounded by water, just like an island. (Its large size makes it considered a continent) • Interior of Australia is known as the OUTBACK, a sparsely inhabited region with low plateaus and plains. • Outback is home to a large rock formation known as Uluru, or Ayers Rock. • Central and western Australia include three large deserts—The Great Victoria, Great Sandy desert, Simpson Desert. Great Barrier Reef: located off Australia’s northeast coast, is the world’s largest grouping of coral reefs. • Home to many different underwater plants and animals. • Popular place for surfing and scuba diving. • Low islands are located just above sea level. • Most have poor, sandy soil and little fresh water. Plate tectonics: helps us understand the forces that have shaped Australia and the Pacific. • How huge blocks of Earth’s crust called “plates” move. • The region used to be part of a giant continent. Over time the earth’s plates separated, the giant continent broke apart. • As the plates collide, they push the ocean floor up above the sea level. (This creates many islands and volcanoes along the plate boundaries) • Plate movement and volcanic action have formed the two main islands of New Zealand. Climate: Australia’s climate changes dramatically from one area to another. • Its southeast and southwest coasts have temperate climates. • Eastern coast has plentiful rainfall. • Far northern Australia, heavy monsoon rains are common in the summer months. • A winter dry season follows this wet season. • Most of central Australia has arid and semiarid climates. Region has warm temperatures and little rain year-round. REVIEW FOR EXAMS QUESTIONS FROM PAGE 841 Q 1, 2, 3, 8 Chapter 24: Australia and the Pacific Grade 7 Section Two: History of Australia and the Pacific Migration and Settlement: Australia: The original inhabitants are the Aborigines. They lived throughout the continent, and were nomadic. They moved together in small groups, hunting animals and gathering plants. Had a complex society without chiefs or other formal leaders. Strong religious convictions about nature, believing that it was their responsibility to care for the land. New Zealand: The Maoris are the original inhabitants. (New Zealand + Cook Islands) Fished, hunted and farmed. Chiefs were at the top of Maori society. At the bottom of society were the slaves, usually captured during warfare. The center of Maori society was the Marae, an enclosed area of land that includes a meeting house and other buildings. Art is an important part of Maori culture (carvings into their buildings, canoes and weapons). British explorer James Cook, claimed Australia and New Zealand for Britain. Thus began the British colonization: They forced assimilation on the locals in order for them to “civilize” the Aborigines and the Maoris. This is a result of ethnocentrism or the attitude that one’s own social or cultural group is better than all the others. In the 1900s, Australia and New Zealand gained their independence. REVIEW FOR EXAMS QUESTIONS FROM PAGE 845 Q 1, 3, 5, 6 Chapter 24: Australia and the Pacific Grade 7 Section Four: Antarctica (Pages 852-855) Physical Geography: Most remote and least populated on Earth. Covered by glittering sheet of ice and surrounded by stormy seas. Located directly South of Australia, Africa and South America. Coldest and windiest region on Earth. Ice Sheet Glaciers Ice Bergs Pack Ice Antartica’s interior is a dry and high plateau. Little rain, less than 2 inches per year. Mineral Resources: Iron ore and Coal Today, scientists use Antarctica to explore scientific ways of the natural world. 1910: Robert Scott and Roald Amundsen began separate expeditions to the South Pole. (The journey was long and dangerous, Scott’s team died in a blizzard on the return trip) To study the climate, scientists dig deep into the ice sheet to gather ice samples. By examining these ice samples, they can learn about its climate and when the ice was formed. They also study the ozone layer. REVIEW FOR EXAMS QUESTIONS FROM PAGE 855 Q 3, 4, 5