Australia and the Pacific Most important things bolded HOLD ON A SEC That doesn t mean only study the bolded terms If you want an A I suggest you remember most if not all of this study guide Australia Phillips Islands Great Barrier Reef Ayers Rock Gold Coast Australian Alps Kangaroo Island Blue Mountains Smallest flattest and least populated of major continents interior is mostly desert outback only continent with one country south of the equator seasons are opposite USA January and February are hottest months rainy season is June August population is 22 million people 80 of population lives on the coast almost size of USA 6 states and 2 territories Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory Canberra is the capital Sydney is biggest city History First inhabitants came from Asia over land bridges 50 000 years ago They are the aborigines Spanish and Portuguese sailors explored the area in the 1500s but weren t interested In the 1700s Captain James Cook claimed land for Great Britain He named it New South Wales Also at this time the British were running out of room for inmates They established a penal colony in what is now Sydney Harbor The aborigines were treated badly About 750 000 lived in Australia when the British arrived Today less than one percent of the population is aborigine In 1901 Australia became an independent nation from Great Britain became a commonwealth Between 1942 1972 more than 2 million immigrants came to Australia because of World War II Mostly Italians Greeks Croatians Macedonians and Turks New South Wales State in the southeast gateway to Australia Cities and Attractions o Sydney capital developed from a penal colony harbor dominates landscape opera house o Blue Mountains Australian Capital Territory In the 1900s the country needed a new capital compromise was reached between Sydney and Melbourne both wanted to be capital and Canberra midway point between the cities became capital in aborigine Canberra means meeting place Victoria Smallest state Cities and Attractions o Melbourne capital sports minded city cricket soccer o Phillip s Island to the south in the summer you can o Australian Alps northeast of Melbourne many ski and horse racing see penguins here villages Tasmania South Australia Island state 30 of land is protected through the World Heritage National Park wet and lush hot air currents keep it warm remains of the last convict prison Self reliant state everything you need is found here wine wildlife desert German immigrants establish oldest vineyards in Australia Cities and Attractions o Adelaide Aborigine art River Torrens the Australian equivalent to the Mississippi o Kangaroo Island north reserve for kangaroos koalas etc Western Australia State bigger than Texas and Alaska combined Mediterranean climate Perth is the capital known for pearls and gold unspoiled beaches along the coast north of Perth Tropical environment with a mixture of aboriginal Asian and Northern Territory European cultures Cities and Attractions o Darwin capital known for casinos o Kakadu National Park home of aboriginal tribes as well as crocodiles buffalo birds etc Queensland State with many luxurious resorts beaches mining towns modern cities rainforests deserts Cities and Attractions o Brisbane capital o City of Cairns gateway to the Great Barrier Reef o Gold Coast where all of the resorts are located New Zealand Stewart Island Southern Alps Two islands north most populated and south rugged mountains Stewart Island is small and to the south North Island o Maori culture Maoris are natives Maoris art is popular they were skilled boat builders huge war canoes grapes volcanoes geysers o Cities and Attractions Wellington capital city has mixture of modern building and Victorian architecture ferries connect North Island with South Island trip takes about three hours Auckland largest city international airport city of sails popular sailing spot Northland warm climate beautiful bay Rotorua thermal wonderland with many geysers center of Maori culture Waitomo Caves central northern end of North Island millions of glowing insects on ceiling of caves visitors can tube raft South Island o Prone to earthquakes snowcapped peaks in Southern Alps o Cities and Attractions Christchurch largest city New Zealand s 3rd largest most English city outside of England Queenstown adventure capital of New Zealand began commercial bungee jumping in 1988 South Island s most popular resort Fjordland mountains meet sea flooded valleys have created many fjords the country s national park is located here o The legend behind bungee jumping One day a woman decided to run away from her abusive husband When she left the husband chased after her She climbed up a tree to get away but he followed her As he climbed up she tied vines to her feet When he was close enough to grab her she jumped and he followed The abusive husband died but the woman was saved because of the vines THE END Random Notes Oceania Numbers of visitors to Oceania is very small Fiji Guam and French Polynesia attracts visitors Fiji o The Cross Roads of the Pacific 2 3rds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand drive on the left side o Suva capital on Viti Levu known for fire walking surfing and fishing French Polynesia o Said to be the most beautiful overseas territory of France Tahiti is the largest island Bora Bora is also popular a volcano encircled by a reef and surrounded by a blue lagoon o US territory and naval base residents are United States Guam citizens Melanesia o Includes high islands in the western Pacific means dark skinned islands o Papua New Guinea consists of eastern half of New Guinea anthropologists paradise o Vanuatu 13 islands and a dozen smaller ones mostly volcanic with coral beaches Micronesia o Low coral islands in the north Pacific means small islands o Northern Marianas stretch from Guam to almost Japan Mariana Trench is deepest ocean canyon o Federated States of Micronesia consist of four states islands spread over 2 000 miles rich marine life o Occupy the south Pacific means many islands o Tonga they claim to be the first to see the new day see the sun rise first o Samoa 7 eastern islands used to be German until WWII independent now Polynesia
View Full Document
Unlocking...