7th Grade UBD - Unit 8 – The Pacific and Oceania

Australia- Australia is a vast land with diverse physical
characteristics and a relatively small population.

People and Culture-Most Australians live in cities located
along the Eastern and Southeastern coasts. In fact, 90 percent
of Australia’s population live within 100 miles of the ocean.

Government and Economy- With its abundant physical
resources, Australia has enjoyed a high standard of living since
the nineteenth century.

Think about what you know about
American history. When settlers
moved West in the United States,
what happened to Native American
lands and way of life?

European settlers in Australia
moved into Aboriginal lands in the
1800s. Make a list of what you think
happened to the Aborigines.
(5 minutes)

Work with a
neighbor and
compare your list
with theirs. What
things are the
same and what
things are
different? (3
minutes)

Australia is country and a continent with a relatively small
population.

The Aborigines were the first humans to live in the
Australian Outback. They learned over time how fragile
their environment was and felt a sacred obligation to
protect it.

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system
in the world and a popular tourist destination.
Video- Tourism Australia
Key Term
Australia – A
country and
continent in
the Southern
Hemisphere.

Australia's ecosystem is an
unusual one because of its
remote location. As a result,
there are many animal
species that occur here and
nowhere else in the world.

Australia has 516 national
parks to protect its unique
plants and animals.
Platypus
Dingo
Kangaroo
Koala
Key Term
Marsupial – An
animal, such as
the kangaroo or
the koala, that
carries its
young in a body
pouch.

Australians often refer to the
harsh wilderness region of the
central western parts of Australia
as the Outback.

The Aborigines were the first
humans to live in the Australian
Outback. They learned over time
how fragile their environment was
and felt a sacred obligation to
protect it.
Key Term
Outback – The
remote rural
part of Australia.
The Outback is
sparsely
populated and
dry.
Australia's eucalyptus
tree has become a
familiar sight in many
nations around the
world.
 Also known as the
Fever Tree, eucalyptus
has been used to help
fight malaria since the
mid-1800s.


Oil from the eucalyptus tree
leaves combats malarial
fever and many other
illnesses.

However, the tree’s most
powerful antimalarial tool is
the root system, which
rapidly drains the marshy
land where malaria-carrying
mosquitoes breed.

The Great Barrier Reef is
the largest coral reef
system in the world.

It is found in the Coral Sea,
off the coast of Australia.

It is a popular tourist
destination with around
two million visitors every
year.

The Great Barrier Reef is
home to a wide range of life.
Over 1,500 different species
of fish live in the Great Barrier
Reef.

The Great Barrier Reef is
around 1,616 miles in length.

Astronauts can see the Great
Barrier Reef from space.

The Great Barrier Reef is a
natural barrier made of the
bodies of living and dead coral.

If damaged, a coral reef takes
many years to regenerate.

There are several human-made
threats to coral reefs, such as
pollution, fishing, and the
carelessness of people.
 Question- What
can humans do
to better protect
and preserve
coral reefs?

Answer- We can
take steps to
decrease pollution
levels and
exercising care
when visiting the
reef.
Video- The Great Barrier Reef
Reading Activity- Eyewitness To History 23
Question- Most Australians live along
the coast. Why do you think the
Australian interior is so thinly settled?
Answer- The arid climate and sparse
vegetation discourage settlement.

Australia is both a continent
and a country and the
smallest, flattest, and except
for Antarctica the driest
continent.

Only about 19 million people
live in Australia. That’s only
one million more people than
the entire population of New
York.

Australia’s capital, Canberra, is the country’s only
major planned city.

Most people who live in Australia live in cities and
towns.

Ninety percent of Australia’s population live within
one hundred miles of the ocean.

Aborigines were nomadic hunter and gatherers who
shared a deep respect for nature and the land.
Questions- What do you think this song is about?
Answer- In Australia slang, a matilda is a bedroll, often the only
possession of farmhands who wander the outback in search of
work. The song glorifies their way of life.
Key Term
Canberra– The
capital city of
Australia.

Most people who live in
Australia live in cities and towns.

The three largest Australian
cities—Sydney, Melbourne, and
Brisbane—are located on the
eastern and southeastern
coasts.

Together their areas account for
nearly half of the country's total
population.

Most Australian cities and
farms are located in the
southwest and southeast,
where the climate is more
comfortable. There are
dense rain forests in the
northeast.

The Australian Outback
contains the country's
largest deserts.

Australia’s hot, dry climate and
forbidding interior have greatly
affected the country’s settlement
and land use.

Most Australians live in cities
located along the eastern and
southeastern coasts.

90 percent of Australia’s population
live within 100 miles of the ocean.

Most Australians live in cities
along the eastern and
southeastern coasts since
they are well-watered.

Sheep and cattle graze in dry
country, but care must be
taken with the soil.
Overgrazing of cattle can
lead to desertification.


Growth in the Australian
cattle industry reflect
changes in both the
supply and demand for
beef.
New breeds of cattle
that thrive better in hot,
dry weather have
increased beef yields,
making Australia one of
the world’s leading
producers of cattle.

Scientists think that the first
Australians, known as Aborigines
came to Australia about 50
thousand years ago.

These people were nomadic
hunter and gatherers. They lived
in small groups, spoke many
languages, and shared a deep
respect for nature and the land.
Key Term
Aborigines –
An original
inhabitant of
Australia.
Video- Rock Art

Aborigines were isolated from the
rest of the world for many years
because of this they developed
their own unique culture.

Australia’s isolation ended in 1770,
however, when Captain James Cook
landed on the east coast of
Australia and claimed it for Great
Britain.

The European settlement of
Australia began 18 years after
Cook arrived.

Britain quickly saw Australia as
a solution to its overcrowded
prisons. In 1787 the first group
of prisoners bordered ships for
the long journey to the
southern continent.

After their sentences ended,
many prisoners stayed in
Australia.

Other settlers from Britain
joined them looking for land on
which to raise sheep and grow
wheat.

Meanwhile, the Aborigines
suffered terrible losses, killed by
European diseases or weapons.
In 1851, gold was
discovered in Australia.
A rush to find riches
brought thousands of
new immigrants, and
by 1859, six separate
colonies existed.
 In 1901, these colonies
joined to form a British
commonwealth.


Australia is one of the
world's most ethnically
diverse nations.

Nearly a quarter of the
people who live in
Australia were born in
other countries.
Australia's warm, sunny
climate and abundance
of open spaces gives the
population a love of the
outdoors.
 The people of Australia
are passionate about
sports, including
swimming, surfing,
sailing, tennis, soccer,
cricket, and rugby.


Today, Australia is a major exporter of
agricultural products.

Australia has large reserves of natural gas and
coal.

Australia has made large investments in its
social infrastructure, including education,
health, and transport.

The government of Australia, like
Australian culture in general, is
dominated by models it inherited from
the British. Australia has a parliament
led by a prime minister and a cabinet.

Unlike Great Britain, however,
Australia has a written constitution
that divides power between the
federal government and the states.

As a commonwealth of the United
Kingdom, Australia's head of state
is the British monarch.

Many Australians think the country
should end its ties to Britain and
become a republic.

In a vote in 1999, Australians
decided against separating from
the UK, but the vote was close, and
the debate continues.

Today, Australia is a major
exporter of agricultural products,
like wool, wheat, beef, fruit, and
wine.

The country is also rich in minerals
and metals and is the world's
fourth largest producer of gold.
Australia also has large reserves of
natural gas and coal.

Tourism is one of the largest and
fastest growing industries in
Australia.
 Spectacular natural
environment
 Multicultural communities
 Friendly people
 Favorable weather

As a result of the shift in focus of
global trade to the Pacific Rim
nations, Australia is now situated
at the “top of the world”.

A region that was once described
as being situated “down under”,
is now a major exporter of wheat,
beef, sugar and the world's fourth
largest producer of gold.
Video- Gorgon Project Overview
1.
How did European migration affect the lives of
the Aborigines?
2.
Why do the majority of Australia’s major cities
lie along the coast?
3.
Do you consider it fortunate or unfortunate
that much of Australia remains unsettled?
Explain your answer.
How did European migration affect the lives of the Aborigines?
1.

Many Aborigines were killed by European diseases or
weapons.
Why do the majority of Australia’s major cities lie along the
2.
coast?

The moist and mild coastal climates are more hospitable
than the dry interior.
Do you consider it fortunate or unfortunate that much of
3.
Australia remains unsettled? Explain your answer.

Student answers will vary.
Directions-Your job is to create a travel poster for Australia.

What has been the
“muddiest” point so far in
this lesson? That is, what
topic remains the least
clear to you? (4 minutes)

Work with a
neighbor and
compare your
muddiest point with
theirs. Compare
what things are the
same and what
things are different?
(3 minutes)