Oceania

The Land Down Under

Oceania is made up of 23 countries, spread over 10,000 islands.

It covers over 3.3 million square miles, but only has 0.5 percent of the world’s population!

There is great diversity– everything from desert wilderness to tropical islands to active volcanos.

The area is divided into 3 main groups- Micronesia, Melanesia & Polynesia.

Australia is the largest island. Other major islands include New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji.

Oceania

an island ~ a country ~ a continent

• Sixth largest country (about the size of the US

• Smallest & flattest continent

• 2/3 classified as outback (hot & arid land)

• Majority of population lives near the coast

• Settled by European colonial powers such as Great Britain & France

AUSTRALIA

Climate Australia has a temperate climate, which means there are

many sunny days with mild temperatures.

Australia is located below the equator, so its seasons are opposite of ours. Summer is from December to March and winter is from June to August.

The coastal areas get plenty of rain, while the interior stays dry.

The outback is warm during the day, but chilly at night.

Natural Resourceso Many natural resources, such as uranium, natural

gas & zinc, can be found along the coastline.

o One of Australia’s largest natural resources is coal, which is used for energy. They produce enough to provide electricity for the island and sell the rest.

o Australia also has huge deposits of iron ore, (used to make steel) and gold (used to make coins and jewelry).

o There are huge ranches in the Outback where sheep are raised to produce wool.

Geographic FeaturesCoral Sea

Located on the northeast coast of Australia Covers more than 280,00 square miles Location of a major WW 2 battle Home to many types of marine life

Geographic FeaturesGreat Barrier Reef—

It is the largest coral reef system in the worldIt is more than 1200 miles long (longer than the

Great Wall of China!It is located in the Coral Sea on the northeast coast

Geographic FeaturesAyers Rock—

Also called Mount UluruMost famous natural landmarkLocated in central Australia1142 feet highSacred site of the Aborigines

Geographic FeaturesGreat Victoria Desert

Largest desert in AustraliaNamed for Queen Victoria of England by Ernest Giles,

the first European to cross it

History Australia was settled by Great Britain during the colonial

period. Explorers Missionaries Prisoners

Australian ports were a life-line. The Australian colonies were totally dependent on ships for supplies and news from the 'motherland', Great Britain.

1770 - James Cook explored & mapped Eastern Australia .

1623 - Jan Carstensz reported to the Dutch East India captains of seeing a dry land, no use to mankind, whose inhabitants were 'the poorest and most wretched creatures ever seen'.

1600’s Abel Tasman discovered Tasmania, New Zealand, the Tonga and the Fiji Islands, and was the first circumnavigator of Australia

Explorers

When settlers arrived, there were 750,000 Aborigines, or native Australians, living on the continent. Today only 1% of Australia’s population is Aborigine.

Aborigines

These natives formed approximately 500 tribes, each associated with its own language and stretch of territory.

The Aborigines lived by hunting and gathering food.

They had a semi-nomadic lifestyle (which means they moved as they needed to for food sources).

Family units were vitally important, as all members of a tribe were related.

Each tribe was led by religious leaders, with no political chief or formal government, and was broken down into bands (hunting groups)

Spirituality and religion played a major role in the Aboriginal culture.

There were many myths and rituals connected to both the tribe's ancestors and the creators of the world, none of whom ever died but merged with the natural world and thus remained a part of the present.

These myths and rituals, were known as the Dreaming or the Dreamtime, and reflected a belief in the continuity of existence and harmony with the world.

They were also a source of inspiration for much aboriginal art, including paintings, carved objects, symbolic weapons and poetic chants

The settlers viewed the natives as barbarians, seizing tribal land and, in many cases, taking it by force.

Many Aborigines died of disease, starvation, cultural dislocation and neglect.

Today, there are fewer than 230,000 Aborigines in Australia.

Only 39% finish a high school education, compared to 75% of non-indigenous students in Australia.

Australian Culture-- Language

• Although Australians share a common language with Great Britain and America, they have a unique accent & vocabulary.

Aussie

English (American) English (Australian)

barbeque (noun) barbie (noun)

great, fantastic beaut

a funny person dag

hike walkabout

vacation holiday

candy lollies

friend mate

Religions in Australia reflect their heritage.

Over 70% claim to be Christian, with almost half being either Anglican or Catholic.

This goes back to the time when England sent Catholic prisoners from Ireland and when Anglican missionaries came during colonization.

Australian Culture-- Religion

Economics Australia has mixed economy and has the least

government control .

Supply & demand determine the 3 economic questions:

What to produce? How to produce it? Whom to produce it for?

People can own their own businesses and produce what they want.

Their currency is the Australian dollar.

Australia’s economy was originally based on agriculture.

Mining coal and iron ore became important in the 1960’s.

Australia developed trade relations with China & Japan and are working to develop some free trade agreements.

They export coal, iron ore & wool.

Australia import most of their products from China & the U.S.

They import computers, machinery & petroleum.

Tariffs, Quotas & Embargoes

• A tariff is a tax on imported goods. An example of a tariff in Australia would be if China wanted to sell boomerangs in Australia, they might have to pay $100 to do so. The purpose of a tariff is to protect domestic businesses.

• Quotas are restrictions on the amount of a product that can be imported. An example would be if Australia only allowed 20 Chinese boomerangs to be imported. The purpose of quotas is to encourage consumers to buy domestic products.

• Embargoes prohibit trade with another country. An example would be if Australia refused to allow Chinese boomerangs to be sold because they were made in a factory that allowed child labor. The purpose of an embargo is to try to force a country to change its policy on an issue.

Factors that affect GDP

1) Human capital (labor): Australia has invested in their work force by offering free public education and skill training.

2) Capital: Australia has invested in factories, machines & technology.

3) Natural Resources: Australia has developed a strong export trade in coal, iron ore and uranium. There is also a large market for gold and diamonds.

4) Entrepreneurs: Australia encourages new business and provides training on how to get started.

Government

Australia has a federal parliamentary democracy. Federal: It has a

central government with 6 state governments.

Parliamentary: The legislative branch makes the laws.

Democracy: Citizens are highly involved.

States & Territories:

Six states:TasmaniaVictoriaQueenslandNew South WalesSouth AustraliaWestern Australia

Two territoriesNorthern TerritoryAustralian Capital

Territory

• represent the six British colonies that joined together to create the Commonwealth of Australia

• have a constitutional right to convene a state parliament and pass certain laws

• do not have the right to convene their own government or pass laws

• typically the Australian Government makes the laws for the territories

• granted the right of self-government, but can be taken away

Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II

Governor- general

ap

poin

ts

Queen’s representative in

Australia

Prime Minister

Leader of majority party chosen

Officially

commissions

House of representativ

es

Senate

Parliament

Ministry

chose

n

advises

Makes sure decisions

benefit Australians

Suggests

bills

Voting Rights

Everyone over 18 is REQUIRED to vote.

If you do not vote and do not have a good excuse (sick, in jail, handicapped, etc.) you must pay a fine.

This began in 1924 because over half the citizens did not vote.

Now over 90% vote in each election.

Personal Rights & Freedoms:

• Australia does not have a formal “Bill of Rights” like the U.S.,

but instead has “understood freedoms”.

• These include the right to vote, freedom of speech, freedom of

religion and equal rights.