Chapter 29 and 32

Physical Geography of Southeast Asia and Australia, Oceania and Antarctica

Southeast Asia: The Land Peninsulas and Islands

Reaches from Asian mainland to Australia and covers more than 1,735,488 square miles. Indochina and Malaya Peninsula make up mainland.

Half of the 11 countries are on the mainland. The rest are islands, except for Malaysia, which is both. Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar lie on the Indochina Peninsula. Malaysia shares the Malay Peninsula with Thailand.

Insular, or island, countries include Brunei, East Timor, Indonesia, Singapore and the Philippines.

Indonesia is the largest island country with more than 17,500 islands. Only 6,000 are inhabited and fewer than 1000 are settled.

Singapore- collection of one large island and more than 50 smaller ones. 7000 islands make up the Philippines. Only 900 are settled and 11 islands

account for over 95% of country’s area.

Southeast Asia: the Land Mountains and Volcanoes

Mountains dominate SE Asia. Create political and geographic boundaries. Indochina Peninsula has highlands that separate it from China and India.

Three cordilleras run north to south, forming natural barriers between and within the mainland countries. Include the Arakan Yoma range in Western Myanmar, the Bilauktaung Range between Myanmar and Thailand and the Annam Cordillera separating Vietnam from Laos and Cambodia.

Mountains on islands for part of the Ring of Fire. Are actually volcanoes and many are still active. Has left behind rich soil making the islands great for farming.

300 volcanoes stretch across Indonesia. Java, is one of the Ring of Fire’s most active areas. Home to 21 of Indonesia’s 129 active volcanoes.

Southeast Asia: The Land Water Systems

Rely on waterways for transportation , communication and food. Silt and deposits of sediment create fertile agricultural areas.

Mainland rivers start in northern highlands. Irrawaddy River in Myanmar, Chao Phraya River in Thailand, and the Red River in Vietnam.

Mekong River, 2,600 miles. Begins in China and forms the barrier between Thailand and Laos.

Natural Resources Lots of fossil fuels. Malaysia’s major exports is petroleum. Indonesia,

Vietnam and the Philippines export coal. Vietnam has offshore oil deposits. Brunei’s sultan is the richest man in the world because of the oil and natural gas found there.

Indonesia is a member of OPEC and one of the largest producers of oil in the area.

Southeast Asia: The Land Natural Resources

Abundance of minerals. Indonesia mines nickel and iron. Philippines mine copper. Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, and Malaysia mine tin.

Sapphires and rubies in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Pearls in Philippines.

Many of the countries cannot reach their mineral potential because of military control or governmental decisions.

World’s largest flower, the Rafflesia arnoldii. Thailand has over 1,000 species of orchids. Varied fauna as well. Different species of animals. Komodo dragon.

Southeast Asia: Climate and Vegetation Tropical Wet Climate

Island and coastal areas. Little variation in temperature and mostly wet conditions year round.

79°F average temp creates hot, humid and rainy conditions. 79-188 inches of rain annually. 80-90% humidity.

Mount Isarog- in southern Luzon in the Philippines. Rainfall can reach 468 inches of rain a year.

Singapore Developed into an urban area. Replaced natural habitats.

Endemic species (native) are gone. Nearly 80% or trees and shrubs grown there are imported.

Southeast Asia: Climate and Vegetation Tropical Dry Climate

Tropical (winter) dry climate sweep southeastward across the Indochina Peninsula and southeastern parts of Indonesia.

Alternate wet and dry seasons characterize this climate. Mainland monsoon rains from May to September. Winter dry season goes from November to April.

Mid-latitude Climate Most of Laos, small part of Thailand, northern Myanmar and

Vietnam have a humid subtropical climate. November to April temps average 61°F.

Shan Plateau in Myanmar has cooler temps than rest of country. New Guinea, Myanmar, and Borneo have highland climates.

Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica: The Land Australia:

Mountains and Plateaus Great Dividing Range only mountain range. Most rivers start there.

Western Plateau- low are of flat land in central and western Australia. 2/3rds of continent. Called Outback. Great Sandy, Great Victoria, and Gibson Deserts.

Nullarbor Plain- south of Great Victoria Desert. Treeless land that ends in cliffs.

Central Lowlands Great Dividing Range and Western Plateau separated by the central

Lowlands. Get rain once and awhile. Most of the year it is dry.

Murray River and Darling River provide water for irrigation in the southeast. Great Artesian Basin to the south of the lowlands. This is a place where they raise livestock. Water too salty for humans or crops.

Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica: The Land Australia:

Great Barrier Reef Northeastern coast. World’s largest coral reef. It is a national park

because it is home to so many species of animals and plants.

String of more than 2,500 small reefs. Formed from coral and extends 1,250 miles.

Natural Resources 10% of land can be farmed. Agriculture still important.

1/4th world’s bauxite and high quality opals. Deposits of coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, gold, nickel, and petroleum. Make it one of the world’s major mining areas.

Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica: The Land Oceania:

Island Groups Thousands of islands extending across millions of square miles make up

Oceania. Created by tectonic plates and volcanic hot spots.

Classified into three groups, based on location, how they were formed, and cultures. Melanesia: “black islands.” lies north and east of Australia. Micronesia: “Little islands.” north of Melanesia. Polynesia: “many islands.” go from Midway Island to New Zealand.

Island Types High islands: earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Mountain ranges split by

valleys. Not a lot of agriculture.

Low Islands: volcanoes. Atolls- ring shaped islands. Encircle lagoons. Little soil and few natural resources.

Continental Islands: rising and folding of ancient rock. Most of the large islands. Plains, swamps, rivers. Have most of the mineral deposits. Oil, gold, nickel, and copper.

Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica: The Land New Zealand

North and South Islands display sandy beaches, emerald hillsides, and snow tipped mountains.

Northern Island- central plateau of volcanic stone features hot springs and several active volcanoes. Mount Ruapehu.

South Island- Southern Alps along the western edge. Maori aimed the highest peak Aorangi which means cloud piercer. Known as Mount Cook now. 12,316 ft. Canterbury Plains on the eastern coast. Fertile land.

Volcanic soil its best feature. Provides fertile soil. Half farming and half livestock. Sheep and wool products dominate exports. Hydroelectric power and geothermal energy.

Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica: Climate and Vegetation Australia

Tropical climates in the northeast, deserts in the interior, and mid-latitude temperate areas along eastern, southern, and western coasts. Rainfall makes all the difference.

December to March- subtropical high pressure air masses block moist winds from reaching Western Plateau.

Steppe areas encircle deserts. Gets more rainfall. More vegetation. 10 to 20 inches of rain.

Coastal areas have more moist climates. Northeastern climate averages 80 inches and is a humid subtropical climate. This is where the majority of agriculture is.

Australia, Oceania, and Antarctica: Climate and Vegetation Oceania and New Zealand

Most of Oceania lies between Equator and Tropic of Capricorn. Tropical wet climate. Warm year round. Wet and dry seasons. Tropical vegetations. Doldrums. Gives way to typhoons.

New Zealand is mostly marine west coast. Warm winters cool summers. Elevations makes a difference. Southern Alps get average rainfall of 315 inches.

Antarctica Land and Climate

5.4 million square miles. 5th largest continent. Transantarctic Mountains separate into east and west. East- has the South Pole. West- has Vinson Massif- 16,066ft.

Climate is cold depending on location. East has higher elevation so is colder. Lowest temp is -126°F. some areas average right around freezing.

Plant and Animal Life Most plant life is milder West Antarctica. No trees. Most animal life

near the water. Penguins, whales, and seals.

Natural Resources 1% has been surveyed for minerals has coal, copper, lead, zinc,

silver, gold and natural gas. Conditions of climate make it hard to get them. Restrictions placed on mining.

Antarctica Exploration and Scientific Research

1770s Captain James Cook became the first person to cross the Antarctic Circle.

Several nations sponsored scientific exploration. Argentina, Australia, Great Britain, Chile, France, New Zealand, and Norway laid claims to land.

1959 Antarctic Treaty- signed by 12 countries to keep the land for science and research. 27 countries have research stations. 4-10,000 people a year. Global warming is a major issue. Water around Antarctica is warming melting the ice.

Tourism 1958 first tourists came. 10,000 came in the 1990s. 30,000 in

2006. season is short due to weather.