Chapter
32
Australia & Oceania
Chapter 32:1 Objectives
1. Describe how mountains,
plateaus, and lowlands differ
in Australia and New Zealand.
2. Explain how volcanoes and
continental shelves formed
the islands of Oceania.
3. Discuss why the physical
geography of Antarctica
attracts scientists.
Building Geography Literacy
Rock climbing
and mountain
climbing are
popular sports
in Australia.
The Great
Dividing
Range and the
craggy island
of Tasmania
provide rock
climbing
opportunities.
Tasmanian Devil
I. Australia: A Continent and a
Country (p. 793-796)
Australia is the only
country in the world that
covers an entire continent.
Surrounded by water,
Australia is really an
island.
It is called a continent
because of its tremendous
size.
A. Mountains & Plateaus
The Great
Dividing Range
is a chain of
hills and
mountains
along the
eastern coast.
The Western
Plateau
(Outback)
covers almost
2/3rds of the
continent.
There are
three deserts:
Great Sandy,
Gibson, Great
Victoria.
South of the
deserts lies the
barren
Nullarbor (“no
tree”) Plain,
which ends in
cliffs
overlooking the
Indian Ocean.
Great Dividing Range
Australian Outback
(Western Plateau)
Ayers Rock (Uluru Rock)
Uluru Rock
B. Central Lowlands
An expanse of grasslands and desert that
separates the Great Dividing Range from the
Western Plateau (Outback).
Infrequent rains are heavy and fill the area’s usually
dry lakes and rivers.
Great Artesian Basin – an underground source of
water that ranchers use.
C. Great Barrier Reef
Lies off the eastern
coast of Australia.
Great
Barrier
Reef
provides a
home for
many
species of
tropical fish
and sea
creatures.
Has about
2500 coral
reefs.
Is a national park and
World Heritage site.
Great Barrier Reef
D. Natural Resources
Only 10% of Australian land is arable
(farmable).
Major crops are wheat, barley, fruit and
sugarcane.
Arid areas contain live-stock ranching.
Minerals include: bauxite, coal, iron ore,
lead, zinc, gold, nickel and petroleum.
Australia is a major producer of opals.
Opals
Discussion Question
• What do these geographical facts suggest
to you about where most Australians live?
II. Oceania: Island Lands (p. 796797)
A. Island Clusters
The three
main island
clusters are:
Melanesia to
the north &
east of
Australia;
Micronesia to
the north of
Melanesia;
Polynesia,
extending
from Midway
Island to New
Zealand.
Melanisia – meaning the people
are black.
B. Island Types
High islands feature
volcanoes and
coastal plains.
• Fiji & Tahiti
Islands
Low islands are
atolls; each a ring of
land around a
lagoon, the result of
buildup of coral reefs
on a submerged
volcano.
• Marshall Islands
Continental islands –
feature rugged
interior mountains,
plains, swamps &
rivers.
– Papua New Guinea &
New Caledonia.
Atoll
lagoon
Discussion Question
• Which type of island do you think is the
least populated? Why?
III. New Zealand: A Rugged
Landscape (p. 797-798)
New Zealand’s two largest islands are called
North Island and South Island.
Both islands feature mountains, fertile soil,
sparkling lakes and scenic coastlines.
North Island includes hot springs and active
volcanoes.
South Island features the Southern Alps
and the fertile Canterbury Plains.
About 55% of New Zealand’s land supports crops
and livestock.
The country’s sheep and wool products dominate
exports.
Its forests yield valuable timber.
Most power is hydroelectric or geothermal.
Several varieties of fish populate the coastal waters.
New Zealand
Auckland, New Zealand
Discussion Question
• Would New Zealand’s environment be
different if New Zealanders used nuclear
power plants or coal-burning power
plants?
IV. Antarctica: A White Plateau
(p. 797-798)
Antarctica is twice the size of Australia.
98% is covered by a massive ice cap.
It holds 70% of the world’s fresh water.
Activity is limited to scientific research..
Krill is harvested from the ocean
because it is protein-rich.
Krill
Scale
Discussion Question
• Why do you think the countries of the
world have agreed not to permit mining
and exploitation of Antarctica’s natural
resources?
Chapter 32:2 Objectives
1. Examine how variations
in rainfall affect Australia’s
climate and vegetation.
2. Consider how elevation
affects climate patterns in
New Zealand.
3. Identify what vegetation
survives in the cold, dry
Antarctic climate.
Terms to Know
• Wattle
• Doldrums (ITCZ)
• typhoon
• Manuka
• Lichen
• crevasse
Building Geography Literacy
Eucalyptus
trees grow as
tall as 300
feet.
Oil from the
leaves is
used as an
antiseptic.
Europeans
began harvesting
the oil for
medicine,
industry,
flavorings and
perfumes.
I. Australia (p. 799-801)
A. The Western
Plateau is
scorched by the
sun during the
day but,
temperatures
are much
colder after
dark.
Receives
less than
10” of rain,
and its sparse
vegetation
does not
support
grazing.
B. Steppe
climate –
between
10-20” of
rain.
Supports
grazing and
some
agriculture.
C. Coastal
areas have
moister
climates.
This is
where most
of the
country’s
farmland is.
Discussion Question
• Which geographical features account for
Australia’s moister climates? (p. 801)
• answer: air masses block Pacific Ocean
winds that would bring precipitation to the
area.
II. Oceania (p. 802)
• Oceania has a tropical rain forest climate.
• Temperatures are always warm, except on
some high mountain peaks where the
snow never melts.
• Seasons alternate between wet and dry.
• High islands get a lot of rain;
• low islands get very little.
• Oceania is vulnerable to typhoons.
Discussion Question
• Why does snow remain on some
mountaintops year-round?
• answer: the higher the elevation, the
colder the temperature.
III. New Zealand (p. 802-803)
A. New
Zealand has a
marine west
coast climate;
with cool
summers and
mild winters.
Average
yearly
rainfall –
25 to 60”.
B. North Island’s
central plateau is
warm and sunny
in summer, but
mountain tops
may be covered
with snow yearround.
South Island
can get as
much as
315”
annually.
Discussion Question
• Why are summers cool and winters mild in
a marine west coast climate?
• answer: ocean winds warm the land in
winter and cool it in summer.
IV. Antarctica (p. 802-803)
A. Antarctica is the
world’s highest,
driest, coldest and
windiest continent.
Snowfall varies
from 2 to 24”
annually.
Temperatures
may drop to 129°F in
winter.
B. Only the hardiest vegetation survives
in Antarctica – mosses, algae, lichens.
A small area on the Antarctic Peninsula
is home to only two species of flowering
plants, because it is warmer there.
C. Antarctica’s ice cap is frozen but its
weight causes it to move toward the
coast.
As it moves, the ice breaks into pieces
(calves) and leaves huge cracks called
crevasses.
Crevasse
Discussion Question
• Why is there so little precipitation in
Antarctica?
• answer: air loses its moisture as it travels
over Antarctica’s plateau.
End of Slide Show