SOUTHEAST ASIA, OCEANIA AND ANTARCTICA

A R E G I O N O F E X T R E M E S

SOUTHEAST ASIA: MAINLAND AND ISLANDS

Mainland Southeast AsiaIndochinese Peninsula – south of China (rectangular shape)Malay Peninsula – narrow strip of land, 700 miles long (serves as a bridge between mainland and islands)

Islands of Southeast AsiaArchipelago – set of closely grouped islandsPhilippines and islands of Indonesia are part of Malay peninsula

SOUTHEAST ASIA:MAINLAND AND ISLANDS

Mountains & VolcanoesMainland - several mountain rangesIslands – most mountains are of volcanic origin

Rivers & CoastlinesMainland – several large riversEx. Mekong River – begins in China

ResourcesFertile soil – valuable resourcepetroleum, tin, and gems

Australia

New Zealand

Pacific Islands

LANDS OF THE PACIFIC AND ANTARCTICA More than 20,000 islandsOceania – group of pacific islands (the Philippines,

Indonesia, and other islands near the mainland are not considered part of Oceania because their people have cultural ties to Asia)

Oceania’s Many IslandsNumber of islands constantly changesHigh Islands – created by volcanoesLow Islands – made of coral reefs

New ZealandNorth Island

Fertile farmland, forest, seaports, many riverSouth Island

300 mile long mountain range – Southern Alps

LANDS OF THE PACIFIC AND ANTARTICAAustraliaSmallest continent/also the flattestVery few riversRich in minerals (leading supplier of bauxite, diamonds, opals, lead, and coral reef)Great Barrier Reef – 1,250 mile chain of more than 2,500 reefs and islandsIcy Antarctica 5th largest continentCentered on South Pole

CLIMATE AND VEGETATIONEvery climate zone is representedSoutheast Asia

Tropical wet climates are typical of the islands and coastal parts of SE AsiaOne of the greatest diversities of vegetation of any region (tree species)

OceaniaTropical Wet and DryAustralia and New Zealand

Moderate climates1/3 of Australia is desert – The Outback

AntarcticaColdest, driest continentIcecap climate“The White Desert” – little precipitation, dry air, and its icy temperatures do not allow it to hold moisture

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONTraveling the Pacific

Pacific Islanders navigated the ocean by using charts of sticks and shells and the stars. Voyaging Canoes – developed by Pacific Islanders to sail the vast ocean. These canoes had double hulls that made the craft stable and gave it the ability to carry lots of weight.

Outrigger canoe – used on island lagoons

INVASION OF THE RABBITS

1859 – Thomas Austin released 24 rabbits into Australia so he could hunt them

1900 – Australia had more than a billion rabbitsWiped out native plants, destroyed crops, ruined pastures, and

stripped areas of vegetation

NUCLEAR TESTING1940s and 1950s, the US conducted 66 nuclear tests in the PacificIn the Marshall Islands of the central Pacific lies Bikini AtollAtoll – ring-like coral island or string of small islands surrounding a lagoonBikini Atoll – site of the U.S. atomic-weapons tests.

US chose Bikini for testing because it lay far away from regular shipping and air travel routes

1946 – the government moved the 167 Bikini Islanders to another atoll and conducted two atomic-weapons tests

1951-1958 – US Government held about 60 more tests thereBravo – code name for a hydrogen bomb that vaporized several islandsand contaminated the entire area with high levels of radiation