Physical Geography of
Southeast Asia, Oceania and
Antarctica
Mainland and Islands
• Southeast Asia
consists of two
distinct subregions:
– Asian Mainland
– Islands
Peninsulas and Islands
• Two Peninsulas
– Indochinese Peninsula
– Malay Peninsula
Archipelagos
• Philippines
– 7,000 islands
• Indonesia
– Over 13,000 Islands
Rivers and Coastlines
• Rivers:
– Mekong River
• Begins in China and
crosses several
Southeast Asian
nations
• Forms a boundary
between Myanmar
and Laos and
between Laos and
Thailand
Landforms of Oceania
• Estimate: more than
20,000 island not
including Philippines
and Indonesia.
• New Zealand
• Australia
• Micronesia
• Melanseia
Oceania’s Many Islands
• High Islands
– created by Volcanoes
• Low Islands (Atolls)
– created by coral reefs
New Zealand
• Two Islands
– North Island
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•
•
•
•
Hilly mountains
Volcanic plateau
Fertile farmland
Forests
rivers
– South Island
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•
•
•
Southern Alps
360 glaciers
Forests
rivers
Australia
• Smallest continent on
earth
–
–
–
–
Great Dividing Range
Few Rivers
Outback
Great Barrier Reef
• 1,250 mile chain of more
than 2,500 reefs and islands
• 400 species of coral
– Tasmania
Antarctica
• Mountains
– Transantarctic
Mountains
– East Antarctic
Plateau
– Technically a
desert
Neutral Antarctica
• Antarctica is the largest supply of fresh
water in the world.
• Many geologists believe there is a wealth
of mineral resources below the ice.
• In 1991, 26 nations agreed not to mine
Antarctica for 50 years.
Climate and Vegetation
• Tropical Climate Regions
– Myanmar
– Thailand
– Vietnam
– Oceania
– Characterized by high temperatures, over 100 -200”
of rain per year
Wet and Dry Seasons
Myanmar
Thailand
Laos
Cambodia
Vietnam
Characterized by wet and
dry monsoon seasons. Constant hot temperatures, rainfall
varies with season. Landforms affect precipitation such as
mountains.
Moderate Climate Regions
Australia
New Zealand
Characterized by bands of varied moderate climate
zones such as humid subtropical and Marine West Coast
Hot and Cold Deserts
Australia (hot)
1/3 of Australia is desert
Antarctica (cold)
Characterized by less than 10” of rainfall a year
Human-Environment Interaction
• Navigating the Pacific
– Pacific Islanders relied on the stars as a guide but
they made charts out of sticks and shells
– Voyaging canoes were developed with double hulls to
allow the boats to carry a heavy load and remain
stable in the open water.
– For use in lagoons, the Pacific Islanders developed
outrigger canoes to help balance the canoe.
Invasion of Rabbits
• In 1859, Thomas Austin released
24 rabbits in Australia because
he wanted to be able to hunt
rabbits as it was an English
Tradition.
• As a result, the rabbit population
grew exponentially . One pair of
rabbit alone produced 184
descendants in one year. There
were no natural predators in
Australia to control the
population. By 1900 there were
over 1 billion rabbits in Australia
Control Measures
• The rabbits began to
destroy crops and wiped
out native plants. Other
native animals became
endangered as their food
sources were depleted
• In order to control the
rabbits, the brought in
foxes but the introduced
foxes threatened the
natural wildlife as well as
domestic animals.
Rabbit Rebound
• The government acted by
infecting the rabbits with
a contagious disease that
proved fatal to 90% of
the rabbit population but
over time, the surviving
rabbits developed an
immunity to the disease
and their population
quickly rebounded.
Nuclear Testing
• In the 1940s the United
States conducted nuclear
testing in the Marshall
Islands.
• The Bikini Atoll was the
designated test site.
• The U.S. removed 167
inhabitants and conducted
over 60 nuclear tests.
Long Term Effects
• The testing vaporized several small
islands and contaminated the entire
area with high levels of radiation.
• In the 1960s, the U.S. government
declared the Bikini Atoll safe for
human habitation however, after the
people moved back, many became ill
or died.
• In 1978, doctors discovered
dangerous levels of radiation ins the
islanders bodies and they were again
removed from the islands