THE EASTERN
HEMISPHERE
Europe
Europe
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Europe can be divided into
four major landforms.
 The Northwest Highlands-Ireland,
England, Scotland, most of the Iberian
Peninsula, Norway, and Sweden.
 The Northern European Plains-extends
from France into Russia, bordering the
sea.
 The Central Uplands-includes the plateaus of
Germany and the Czech Republic.
 The Alps-western and central Europe’s
highest mountain range, extending from the
Mediterranean coast of France through
Switzerland, Austria, and northern Italy to the
Balkan Peninsula. (Mont Blanc is the highest
peak in the Alps.)
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Climate
 Most of Europe has mild climate
conditions throughout the year.
Natural Resources
 The Mediterranean Sea is the largest sea
bordering Europe. Other major seas
include the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.
Europe’s coastline is about 37,877 miles
long. The Rhine and Danube rivers are
Europe’s most developed rivers.
 Most of Europe’s original forests were
cut for timber or cleared for farming
centuries ago. Only Finland and
Sweden have large areas of timberproducing forest.
 Europe relies heavily on imports to meet
its current industrial and energy needs.
There are some deposits of iron and coal.
France has been successful in producing
ocean tidal power and in using solar
energy.
Historical Geography
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 Europe has seen many wars and changes in
leadership that have changed the political map
frequently. France was Europe’s strongest
power until the British defeated Napoleon’s
army at Waterloo in 1815, after which Britain
was Europe’s leading political and economic
power. Britain’s colonial empire became the
largest in the world, including ¼ of the world’s
population and 1/5 of the world’s land area.
Human Geography
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 Rapid population growth occurred between
1000 and 1300. Major declines occurred due
to diseases, famines, and wars between 1300
and 1450. As the Industrial Revolution took
hold during the 1800s, Europe’s population
grew dramatically. Millions of Europeans
immigrated to the United States, Canada,
Australia, and South America seeking new
opportunities, or escaping religious
persecutions, wars, famine, and poverty.
 The English language is the most widely
spoken language in Europe, although
there are many other languages. 90% of
all Europeans between the ages of 15
and 24 speak a second language fluently.
 Roman Catholicism dominates Southern
Europe. Northern and Central Europe
is mainly Protestant. Small numbers of
Jews live in many parts of Western
Europe, while significant numbers of
Muslims live in southeastern Europe.
 World War II put severe stress on
Europe’s economy. To strengthen their
economies, the nations of Western
Europe formed economic associations.
– European Union (EU) was formed in 1957
and today is comprised of 15 nations:
Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg,
France, West Germany, and Italy; the
United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark,
Greece, Spain, Portugal, Austria, Finland,
and Sweden. In 1998, 11 EU nations
adopted the euro, a common currency
which will rival the U.S. dollar and may
help unify the continent.
– The European Free Trade Association
(EFTA) is made up of Switzerland, Norway,
Liechtenstein, and Iceland.
Society
 Europe is a society of consumers.
Advanced transportation and
communication networks crisscross
much of Europe. Social programs often
provide for the health care, education,
and welfare of citizens throughout their
lives. These programs are supported by
high taxes.
 Unemployment, crime, traffic
congestion, limited energy resources,
and environmental pollution are all
growing concerns in Europe.
The nations of Europe

The United Kingdom
 Composed of England, Scotland, Wales,
and Northern Ireland. The people are
often referred to as British because most
of them live on the island of Great
Britain. London is the United
Kingdom’s capital and largest urban
area.
The United Kingdom
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The Republic of Ireland
 In 1921, Ireland became a British
dominion, called the Irish Free State. In
the 1930s, the Irish government cut most
of its ties with Britain, and in 1949, a
completely independent republic of
Ireland was recognized by Britain.
Today, the Irish Republic covers about
80% of the island. Dublin is the capital.
The Republic of Ireland
The Nordic Countries
 Norway (Oslo)-Europe’s leading fishing
nation.
 Sweden (Stockholm-a major commercial
center).
 Denmark (Copenhagen)-very densely
populated.
 Greenland (Nuuk)-85% of the island is
covered by thousands of feet of ice cap.
 Iceland (Reykjavik)-a land of lava rocks,
volcanoes, and glaciers.
 Finland (Helsinki)-has 50,000 lakes.
 Lapland-a land of reindeer herders.
France (Paris)
 A nation fiercely protective of their rich
culture.
Germany (Berlin)
 Reunified in the late 1980s.
The Benelux Countries
 Belgium (Brussels)-known for quality
carpets, cut diamonds, and fine
chocolate; headquarters for the EU and
NATO.
 The Netherlands (Amsterdam)sometimes referred to as Holland; the
people are known as Dutch.
 Luxembourg-a world banking center.
The Alpine Countries
 Switzerland (Bern)-a confederation of 26
cantons, or states. Zurich is a leading
world-banking center; Geneva is home
to many international organizations.
 Austria (Vienna)-on the banks of the
Danube River supports tourism.
Spain (Madrid)
 Has one of the world’s largest tourist
industries
Portugal (Lisbon)
 A powerful nation between the 15th &
17th centuries.
Italy (Rome)
 Unified in the late 19th century; a nation
rich in cultural heritage.
Greece (Athens)
 One of the poorest nations in the EU.
The Golden Age of Greece took place
between 477 B.C. and 431 B.C.
Eastern Europe
 After World War II, the Soviet Union came to
dominate Eastern Europe, forming a boundary with
the west known as the Iron Curtain. Beginning in
1989, the countries of Eastern Europe were successful
in establishing independent governments, however
many ethnic conflicts have resurfaced. The Council
for Mutual Economic Assistance, or COMECON,
oversaw economic ties between the Soviet Union and
Eastern Europe. With the breakup of the Soviet
Union, economic reorganization among these
countries has varied.
The nations of Eastern Europe

Poland (Warsaw)
 In 1980, Solidarity formed in Poland
becoming a popular focus for Polish
nationalism and anti-Soviet activities.
The Czech Republic (Prague)
and Slovakia (Bratislava)
 Formerly Czechoslovakia, peacefully
dividing in 1993.
Hungary (Budapest)
 A major agriculture producer.
Romania (Bucharest)
 A developing country.
Bulgaria (Sofia)
 A developing country.
Albania (Tirane)
 Eastern Europe’s least developed and
poorest country.
A region in conflict:
 Yugoslavia was created after World War I by
Allied policy makers. The main Slavic groups
in former Yugoslavia were the Serbs, Croats,
Bosnians, Slovenians, and Macedonians.
Serbs and Croats think of themselves as
separate peoples. Most Croats and Slovenians
are Roman Catholic. Serbs and Macedonians
are Eastern Orthodox Christians. Many
people in Bosnia are Muslims. Yugoslavia
began to unravel violently in 1980.
 Serbia and Montenegro have claimed the
name Yugoslavia.
 Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia,
and Macedonia have all declared their
independence. Due to the ethnic and religious
differences, civil war broke out in Bosnia
between Serbs, Croats, and Bosnians. The
once-beautiful city of Sarajevo was destroyed
by civil war. The history of the Balkan region
is being rewritten every day.
 Russia and Northern Eurasia-Muscovy
rule was prevalent from 1547 to 1917
when the Bolshevik party overthrew the
government in the Communist
Revolution. Thus was formed the Soviet
Union. After World War II, the Soviet
Union and the United States were bitter
rivals in a competition known as the
Cold War.
 In 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev became what
turned out to be the last leader of the Soviet
Union. He introduced glasnost (a policy of
openly discussing the country’s problems) and
perestroika (major economic reforms). On
August 20, 1991, conservative Communist
party leaders staged a coup against
Gorbachev. Gorbachev and his family were
imprisoned in their vacation home.
 The coup was unsuccessful, thanks in
part to the efforts of Boris Yeltsin.
Gorbachev later resigned as the
Communist party leader. The Soviet
Union was replaced with the
Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS).
Physical Geography of Russia
and Northern Eurasia
 The Ural Mountains divide Asia from
Europe. Russia has many rivers
forming a network of waterways that
provide transportation and produce
hydro-electric power.
Economy
 The economy is struggling. Moscow,
Russia’s capital, has a population of 9
million people, and is the heart of the
country’s industrial region. Large areas
of Siberia are nearly uninhabited.
Ukraine
 Economic progress has been slow.
Belarus
 People are often referred to as white
Russians. Byelo means “white” in
Russia.
The Caucasus
 A broad isthmus of mountains that
separate the Black Sea and the Caspian
Sea. Quarreling occurs between Islamic
groups and traditionally Orthodox
Christians.
– Georgia
– Armenia
– Azerbaijan
Central Asia
 Islam is the dominant religion. This
area is the least-developed region of the
former Soviet Union. Since the 1980s,
regional and political turmoil has
contributed to violence and instability in
this region.
Central Asia
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Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Uzbekistan
Turkmenistan
Tajikistan
Eastern Hemisphere
Southwest Asia
&
Africa
Physical Geography
 A desert climate covers most of
Southwest Asia.
 Agriculture is a major occupation.
Resources and industry
 Oil is the region’s richest mineral resource.
 The main deposits lie along the shores of the
Persian Gulf and in Iraq.
 Much of the oil is available for export.
 Other than oil, the countries here have few
resources important for developing industry.
 Israel is the only country in the region that is
considered developed.
 The world’s first civilizations developed
in the Fertile Crescent (Mesopotamia:
between the rivers of the Tigris and
Euphrates).
Three major world religions
originated in this area:
 Judaism-the first major religion to
center around the belief of one God.
 Christianity-the dominant religion of the
Western Hemisphere.
 Islam-followers are called Muslims.
Nations of Southwest Asia:
Israel (Jerusalem)
 The Jews established their first kingdom more
than 3,000 years ago.
 Over time, the Jews were forced to leave and
the region became populated by Arabs.
 The Zionist Movement grew in the 19th
century, with many believing that a Jewish
state should be established in Palestine.
 After millions of Jews were killed during the
Holocaust, The Jewish state of Israel formed
in 1948, in the midst of the Arab countries.
 The United Nations suggested that lands
west of the Jordan River be divided
between Jews and Arabs.
 Arab lands west of the river, called the
West Bank, were joined to Jordan.
 The Arab-Israeli conflict has led to
several wars (1948, 1956, 1967, & 1973)
and, although both sides seek peace,
dominates political issues in Southwest
Asia.
 The Palestinian Liberation Organization
(PLO) is the leader of the Palestinian
cause, attacking Israeli citizens,
airplanes, and property, but has pursued
peace agreements.
Turkey (Istanbul)
 Industrial development, education, and
improved standards of health and
housing are helping Turkey to become a
modern nation.
Syria (Damascus)
 After the Cold War, Syria has proposed
peace negotiations with Israel. About
20,000 Syrian troops took part in the
1991 Persian Gulf War as part of the
alliance of nations opposing Iraq.
Lebanon (Beirut)
 More than 1/3 are Christians. Periodic
civil wars have been fought between
Christians and Muslims.
Jordan (Amman)
 Jordanian and Israeli leaders signed a
peace treaty in 1994.
Iraq (Baghdad)
 Iraq has some of the world’s largest oil
deposits. Iraq has been an aggressive
state in recent years, invading Iran in
1980 and Kuwait in 1990.
Iran (Tehran)
 Stormy politics have long characterized
Iran. In the decades after World War II,
the Shah, Iran’s ruler, used the country’s
oil income to launch a program of
modernization and industrialization.
 In 1979, the Shah fled after increasing
unrest and violence.
 A fundamentalist Islamic government,
led by the Ayatollah Khomeini, came to
power.
 The government is struggling to redirect
the country’s future.
Afghanistan (Kabul)
 A dry, mountainous country landlocked
between Iran, Pakistan, and the Central Asian
republics.
 Afghanistan is one of the world’s least
developed countries. Farming and grazing
livestock are the main occupations.
 Civil war raged during the 1980s and into the
1990s. This included intervention by the
Soviet Union.
 Almost all Afghans are Muslims, and in
recent years, a fundamentalist group,
the Taliban, has led the government,
supporting terrorist Osama bin Laden,
using this nation as a hideout, prompting
attacks from the United States and its
allies for sponsoring terrorism.
Saudi Arabia (Riyadh)
 Mecca and Medina are important holy
cities. People live where there is either
oil or water. Saudi Arabia gives aid to
the poorer states of the region and is
working for a peaceful settlement of the
Arab-Israeli issue.
Kuwait
 An oil-rich slice of land; has one of the
highest per capita incomes in the world,
as well as an extensive social welfare
program.
Gulf States (all oil rich)
 The United Arab Emirates
 Qatar
 Bahrain
 The United Arab Emirates
 Qatar
 Bahrain
Oman
 Oil rich.
Yemen
 The country has one of the world’s lowest
per capita incomes.
Africa
Physical Geography:
 The land is comprised of mostly high
plateaus and wide plains.
 The Nile River (the world’s longest at
4,187 miles) is the most famous in
Africa.
 The world’s greatest desert, the Sahara,
is found here.
 Diseases are a constant threat in Africa.
Contact with Europe:
 Most Europeans first dealt with Africans from
trading posts along the African coast.
 After Europeans started to settle the
Americas, African slaves became a major
source of labor.
 The Europeans divided Africa at a conference
in Berlin in 1884-1885, adding boundaries to
the map of Africa.
 By 1900, all of Africa, except for Liberia
and Ethiopia was under the rule of one
European country or another.
 Pressure for independence grew after
World War II.
 Today, African nations are trying to
achieve the progress of developed
countries, but economic progress is slow.
Nations of North Africa:
Egypt (Cairo)
 Nearly 97% of Egypt’s cultivated land is
irrigated by the Nile, producing rich
farmland. Cotton is the largest cash
crop. Oil is Egypt’s main export. Some
call Egypt the “Hollywood” of the Arab
world because of its large film industry.
Libya (Tripoli)
 Became the first African nation to gain
independence in 1951; led by Muammar
al-Qaddafi.
Tunisia
 A former French colony; center in
Mediterranean culture for years.
Algeria
 Oil and natural gas provides most of its
income.
Morocco
 More than 3 million people live in
Casablanca, the country’s largest city.
Nations of West Africa
 Droughts of the 1970s and 1980s have
devastated the region.
 The Live Aid concert in July, 1985 raised
an estimated $70 million for the
drought-stricken areas of Africa.
 The Sahel
 Mauritania
 Mali
 Niger
 Burkina Faso
 Chad
 Senegal
 Gambia
 Guinea
 Guinea-Bissau
 Cape Verde
 Liberia
 Sierra Leone
– (Both Liberia and Sierra Leone were founded as
settlements for freed slaves.)
 Nigeria
 Ghana
 Cote d’Ivoire
 Togo
 Benin
Nations of East Africa
Kenya
 Its population growth rate is one of the
world’s highest, with half of its
population under the age of 15.
 95% of the young people are enrolled in
school, learning in both English and
Swahili, the country’s two official
languages.
Tanzania
 Greatest landform is Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Rwanda
 Ethnic conflict between the Hutu and
Tutsi has caused hundreds of thousands
of deaths.
Burundi
Uganda
 This country has been hit particularly
hard by AIDS.
Sudan
 One of Africa’s least developed
countries.
Ethiopia
 Periods of drought have hit hard during
the past 30 years.
Eritria
Somalia
 Early in the 1990’s, the country was
devastated by a civil war.
 Violence came during a period of severe
drought.
 Nearly a whole generation of children
died.
 The United Nations sent troops to
Somalia to provide humanitarian aid.
Djibouti
Nations of Central Africa
 Democratic republic of the
Congo/Zaire
 Central African Republic
 Republic of the Congo
 Cameroon
 Sao Tome and Principe-Island
countries
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Equatorial Guinea
Gabon
Angola
Zambia
Malawi
Nations of South Africa
Republic of South Africa
 After 1848 elections, the white-run
government formally established the
policy of apartheid: a series of laws that
separated the races, where they lived,
worked, and went to school.
 In the 1950’s, the African National
Congress openly protested apartheid by
disobeying apartheid laws.
 Leaders included Nelson Mandela, who
received life prison sentences for
treason. Apartheid began to disappear
in 1989.
 In 1990, Mandela was released from
prison and was elected president in allrace elections in 1994.
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Nambia
Botswana
Zimbabwe
Mozambique
 Madagascar – Largest of the island
countries.
East and Southeast Asia
McFarland
Physical Geography
 Rugged mountains, plateaus, and hills
dominate the region. The Himalayas form
a boundary between East Asia and South
Asia. As a protection against foreign
invaders, the Chinese built the Great Wall
of China.
Climate
 Extremes of rainfall characterize much of
the region. Winter months are dry, while
summer months are humid and rainy. The
island nations receive rain even during the
winter.
Economic Geography
 Most of the people of the region are
involved in either agriculture or fishing.
Japan and China are the region’s major
economic powers, heavily involved in
industrialization.
Human Geography
 Roughly 1/3 of the world’s people live in
East and Southeast Asia. Population
growth in much of the region continues at a
rapid rate, although some nations now have
programs to control their population
growth (China instituted a one-child-perfamily rule). A tremendous variety of
cultures exists among the region’s peoples.
Human Geography
 Hundreds of different languages are
spoken throughout the region. While some
countries have adopted one official
language to unify the people, English has
become the business language of many
nations throughout the region.
Human Geography
 In the 18th and 19th centuries, many parts of
East and Southeast Asia came under the
control of foreign countries.
 Great Britain-Myanmar, Malaysia,
Singapore, Brunei, and Hong Kong
 Netherlands-Indonesia
 France-Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam
 Portugal-small possessions on island of
Timor, and Macao
 The United States-Philippines
 Europeans also dominated the coastal ports
of China. Japan invaded China in the
1930s and 1940s.
Republic of China
 After World War II, the countries in the
region sought independence. Maps of the
region were redrawn. The People’s
Republic of China was established in 1949.
Korea
 In the early 1950s, the Korean War pitted
South Korean, U.S., and the United
Nations forces against North Korea and
China.
Vietnam
 In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the
Vietnam War ended in the unification of
North and South Vietnam under a
Communist government.
 Political systems vary widely throughout
the region. Today, tensions continue.
The Nations of East and
Southeast Asia:
China & Taiwan
 China & Taiwan-In 1912, Sun Yat-sen
overthrew the Chinese dynasty and formed
the Republic of China. Chiang Kai-shek
took over after Sun’s death in 1925.
China & Taiwan
 To establish a strong central government
Chiang wanted to defeat the warlords and
the Chinese Communist party.
China & Taiwan
 After World War II, a civil war broke out.
In 1949, the Communists, under Mao
Zedong, defeated the Nationalists and set
up the People’s Republic of China.
China & Taiwan
 The Nationalists retreated to the island of
Taiwan and set up the Republic of China.
Both claim to be the true government of
China.
China & Taiwan
 The government of China has been
resistant to political reform, as evidenced
by the 1989 mass pro-democracy
demonstrations by students and workers in
Beijing.
Mongolia
 Mongolia is a landlocked nation
surrounded by China and Russia.
Japan
 Japan is made up of four large islands and
more than 3,000 smaller ones. More than
70 percent of Japan is mountainous.
Japan
 Throughout its history, thousands of people
have been killed by harbor waves called
tsunami (rising up to 100 feet).
Japan
 After World War II, Japan established itself
as a democratic government.
Japan
 Japan has the largest fishing industry in the
world, and began a period of great
economic growth in the 1950s
Tokyo Bay
 The Tokyo Bay area is the world’s largest
urban agglomeration, being the center of
communications, government, banking,
education, and trade. Japan’s urban areas
face three problems:
– Unaffordable housing
– Air pollution
– Traffic congestion
Tokyo Bay Area
North Korea & South Korea
 North Korea & South Korea-Korea is a
600-mile-long peninsula.
 After World War II, Korea was divided at
the 38th parallel.
 The Soviet Union occupied the north.
 The United States occupied the South.
North Korea & South Korea
 Occupation forces withdrew in 1949, and
in 1950, the Korean War started when
North Korea invaded South Korea.
 The Korean War ended in 1953 with a
truce line established near the original 38th
parallel.
Vietnam
 Vietnam-occupies the eastern portion of
the Indochina Peninsula.
 In 1954, Vietnam was divided along the
17th parallel.
 North Vietnam established a Communist
regime; while South Vietnam established a
government friendly to the U.S.
 In 1963, North Vietnamese troops invaded
South Vietnam.
 The U.S. military supported South
Vietnam.
 In 1975, North Vietnamese forces occupied
Saigon, and the country was officially
united in 1976.
 The war devastated Vietnam’s economy.
Laos
 Laos-one of the poorest countries in the
world.
Cambodia
 Cambodia-faces challenges after years of
war.
Thailand
 Thailand-the only Southeast Asian country
that was not a European colony, and is a
constitutional monarchy, with Bangkok as
its capital.
Myanmar
 Myanmar-still recognized as Burma by the
U.S.
Malaysia
 Malaysia-attracts high-tech industries and
has expanded its tourism industry. The
world’s tallest buildings are in Kuala
Lumpur, with only 88 stories, but
measuring at 1,483 feet.
Singapore and Brunei
 Singapore and Brunei-two of the smallest and
wealthiest nations in the region.
 Living in Singapore means accepting
considerable government regulation of personal
choices. Chewing gum, for example, is banned
by a government obsessed with eliminating
potential littering problems. Failing to flush a
toilet can win you a government fine. Yet, these
dictates have made Singapore one of the world’s
cleanest and most prosperous countries.
Singapore
Indonesia
 Indonesia-the largest nation in Southeast Asia,
comprised of 13,660 islands that stretch for some
3,000 miles between the Indian and Pacific
oceans.
 Indonesia remains a poor, agricultural country.
 In Indonesia there is an average of one television
set for every 16 people, one radio for every 6.8
people, and one telephone for every 59 persons.
Indonesia
 By contrast, in the United States, there is
one television set for every 1.2 people, 1
radio for every .5 person, and 1 telephone
for every 1.6 people.
The Philippines
 The Philippines-comprised of 2 large
islands and 7,000 smaller ones;
 Spain controlled the Philippine islands for
300 years.
 After the Spanish-American War in 1898,
the U.S. took over the islands.
The Philippines
 In 1946, the islands became independent
with a history of troubles, including
government corruption and violent Muslim
rebel movements.
Philippines
Spratly Islands
 The Spratly Islands-a collection of 100
islands and reefs in the South China Sea
claimed by the Philippines, China,
Vietnam, Malaysia, and Taiwan.
South Asia
Physical Geography
 The region is home to the Himalayan
Mountain rim, the world’s highest
mountains.
 Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, is
part of the Himalayas.
Climate
 The climate is characterized by monsoons,
seasonal winds that blow from the oceans
in the summer and from the interior of the
Asian continent in the winter, bringing
thunderstorms and heavy rains.
 Flooding is a constant threat to many
villages.
Human Geography
 Colonialism had a major impact on this area with
Europeans arriving in India during the 16th
century.
 A series of conflicts began in the 1740s, and in
1858, almost all of the Indian subcontinent
officially became part of the British empire.
 Poverty characterizes the region. There is a high
rate of unemployment and crime.
The Nations of South Aisa:
India
 India-The Indian independence movement
was led by Mohandas Gandhi, who
believed in “non-violent non-cooperation.”
His methods included boycotts, marches,
and fasts. Britain granted independence to
India in 1947.
Taj Mahal
Pakistan
 Pakistan-More than 95 percent of the
people are Muslim.
 The country’s major cities include
Islamabad, the capital; Karachi, the largest
city and major seaport; and Lahore, the
cultural center and second largest city.
Pakistan
Kashmir
 Kashmir-In 1949, the UN gave Pakistan
control of the northern portion of Kashmir,
and India control over the southern part.
Pakistan and India have fought over
Kashmir for over 50 years.
Nepal
 Nepal-Mount Everest rises above Nepal’s
border with China.
Bhutan
 Bhutan-remains somewhat cut off from the
rest of the world.
Bangladesh
 Bangladesh-surrounded by India on the
north, west, and east; the major challenge
facing Bangladesh is how to feed, educate,
and employ its more than 125 million
people.
Sri Lanka
 Sri Lanka-just off the southern tip of India,
the world’s largest exporter of tea, which is
the country’s leading source of income.
The Maldaves
 The Maldaves-a group of tropical islands
in the Indian Ocean.
Australia
Australia
 Australia-the world’s smallest continent.
 Because of its island location, many of
Australia’s animals and plants are found
nowhere else in the world.
 Australia is known for its marsupials, such
as the kangaroo and the koala.
 Managing unique wildlife is a source of
concern.
Australia
 The Great Barrier Reef is located in the
Coral Sea off the northeastern coast of
Queensland, the home to the world’s
greatest variety of ocean life.
The Great Barrier Reef
Australia
 Australia produces about 1/3 of the world’s wool
supply, and is the world’s leading beef exporter.
 The Outback is a storehouse of mineral wealth
(iron ore, bauxite, coal, diamonds, opals,
uranium, and oil). About 85% of all Australians
live in urban areas.
 The country’s three largest cities include Sydney,
Melbourne, and Brisbane. Canberra is the capital
of Australia.
Canberra
Islands of the Pacific
 Islands of the Pacific-formed by volcanoes
rising from the deep sea
Melanesia
 Melanesia-includes a number of
independent nations including Vanuatu, the
Solomon Islands, and the Fiji Islands.
 New Guinea is the world’s second largest
island and the most populated island in the
Pacific (The western half is part of
Indonesia; the eastern half is Papua New
Guinea).
Melanesia
Micronesia and Polynesia
 Micronesia and Polynesia-includes more
than 2,000 islands and stretches across the
North Pacific Ocean.
New Zealand
 New Zealand-an island nation that lies
1,000 miles southeast of Australia; a major
exporter of lamb, wool, beef, butter, and
cheese.
 In 1893, New Zealand became the first
nation in the world to give women the right
to vote.
New Zealand
Antarctica
 Antarctica-the frozen continent.