06 11 2012 The Pacific Focus on the environment and the people of Australia New Zealand and Oceana The Environment and it s people o The land o The smallest flattest and least populated of major continents o Interior mostly desert Outback remember where it is right by Alice springs right in the middle of Australia no water and only about 10 live there o Ayers rock world s largest single rock near Alice springs o World s largest coral reef the great barrier reef o South of the Equator winter summer different than US Seasons are opposite January and February are the hottest months o Rainy season June August Usually very dry The south islands The Climate don t receive much snow o Experiences about 400 earthquakes on average The people and their history the aborigines o First inhabitants came from Islands in North and New Guinea Asia over land bridges 50 000 yrs ago aborigines o Spanish and Portuguese sailors explored the area in the o In the 1700 s Captain James Cook claimed the land for o In the 1700 s the British needed a new place to ship convicts Great Britain Australia 1500 s to o Established a penal colony in New South Wales named by Cook male and female convicts o The aborigines were treated badly About 750 000 lived in Australia when the British arrived today less than one percent of the population 1901 gained independence from Great Britain mostly immigrants o Between 1942 and 1972 more than 2 million immigrants came to Australia mostly Italians Greeks Croatians Macedonians and Turks o It is almost same size of the US o There are 6 states and two territories o Canberra is the capital remember why bc they were arguing o Sydney the country s largest city o 80 lives along the coastline New South Wales 1 o In the south eastern corner of Australia o The gateway to Australia o Sydney the capital of New South Wales developed a penal colony o The harbor dominates the landscape great beaches o Outback is the center of the country mostly desert Australian Capital Territory ACT 1T o In the 1900 s the country needed a new capital o Compromise was reached between Sydney and Melbourne capital o Midway between the two cities Canberra became the o In the aborigine means the meeting place o Australian alps northern mountains Victoria southern tip on right of country 2 o Australia s smallest state on the southeast coast o The capital is Melbourne Sports minded city Football soccer Cricket and horse racing o Phillips Island is to the South place to see penguins o Northeast of Melbourne are the Australian Alps many ski villages Tasmania 3 o The Island state o 30 protected world heritage national park o wet and lush o remains of the last convict s prison South Australia 4 o Self reliant state Everything you need is found here wine wildlife and desert o German immigrants established oldest vineyards in Australia o Kangaroo island is to the south kangaroos koalas emus in their natural habitat o Capital Western Australia 5 o It is an area bigger than Texas and Alaska combined o Mostly Mediterranean climate o Perth is the capital o Unspoiled beaches extend along the coast north of Perth NorthernWest Territory 2T o Darwin is the capital o Tropical environment with a mixture of aboriginal Asian and European cultures o Home to Kakadu National Park which is the home of the aboriginal tribes as well as crocodiles buffalo birds etc Queensland 6 o Brisbane is the capital o Queensland has many luxury resorts with beautiful beaches mining towns modern cities rainforests deserts and the great barrier reef o The Gold Coast resorts is where many of the casinos are located o The city of Cairns is the gateway to the reef Third largest city There are two major islands The north island is the most populous South islands are more rugged mountains Stewart island is a small island to the south New Zealand North Island o Known for its sandy beaches active volcanoes geysers Maori culture and grape growing areas o Auckland is the largest city Most visitors to New Zealand arrive in Auckland the city of sails o Maori art and skilled boat builders huge war canoes o Northland enjoys a warm climate Beautiful bay with many islands offers fishing golf boat cruises o Rotorua Thermal wonderland with many geysers hot springs It is a small spa town It is also the center of Maori culture arts and crafts o Waitomo Caves central northern end of North Island Have to limit visitors to caves because if caves heat up more it effects the environment South Island the island o Wellington The capital At the southern end of the N Island The city has a mixture of modern building and Victorian architecture Ferries connect Wellington on N Island with South Island trip takes about 3 hrs o Some of the world s most unspoiled scenery may be found on o Snowcapped peaks of the southern alps o Christchurch the largest city It is NZ 3rd largest It is considered by many close to England s culture o Mount Cook National Park The Tasman Glacier one of the longest outside the Himalaya Spectacular ski plane flights o Queenstown called the adventure capital of NZ It is S Island s most popular resort Commercial bungee jumping began here in 1988 o Fiordland Where mountains meet the sea and flooded valleys have created many fiords The country s National Park is located here o The number of visitor to Oceania is very small Fiji Guam and French Polynesia attract the most visitors Polynesia means many islands in an area Melanesia means having inhabitants with dark skin o Fiji The Cross Roads of the Pacific about 2 3 of the way between Hawaii and NZ Viti Levu suva the capital firewalking surfing fishing etc o French Polynesia Acclaimed as some of the Pacific s most beautiful islands Most are high islands protected by coral reefs It is an overseas territory of France Tahiti is Polynesia s largest island Bora Bora a volcano encircled by a reef and surrounded by a blue lagoon o Guam A U S territory and an important U S naval base Residents are U S citizens o Micronesia Low coral islands in the Pacific North o Northern Marianas Stretch from Guam to almost Japan The Mariana trench is the deepest of the oceans canyon Oceania o Polynesia They occupy the South Pacific largest are 1 Tonga Located in the southwest Pacific They claim to be the first country to greet the new day 2 Samoa The American Samoa make up the seven eastern islands Germany took control of the western islands but lost them after the 2nd World War They are independent now Name all 6 states and 2
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