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GEOG 200 Final > Oceania Powerpoint > Flashcards

Oceania Powerpoint Flashcards

1
Q

three major subregions of Pacific Islands

A

Micronesia (includes the Marshall Islands and Guam)
Melanesia (includes Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caldonia, Papua New Guinea)
Polynesia (includes Samoa, Cook Islands, Easter Island, Bora Bora, sometimes Hawaii)

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2
Q

Great Artesian Basin

A

world’s largest reserve of underground water
it is under pressure so water rises to the surface when wells are bored
importantwater supply for livestock, agriculture and domestic use

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3
Q

Great Dividing Range (also called Eastern Highlands)

A

located along the eastern coast of Australia

separates rivers that flow to east coast from those flowing inland or to south

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4
Q

Outback

A

remote, dry, sparsely populated interior of Australia

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5
Q

Ayers Rock (known as Uluru to Aborigines)

A

large sandstone rock located in the Northern Territory
sacred site for Aborigines
tourist attraction

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6
Q

Great Barrier Reef

A

located off the northeast coast of Australia
1200 miles long
tremendous biodiversity
2 million tourists visit each year (fishing, diving, snorkeling)
threatened by climate change ( ocean acidification, coral bleaching), fishing, chemical and sediment pollution, coastal development, and tourism

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7
Q

North Island

A

has more volcanic activity than the South Island

geothermal energy

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8
Q

South Island

A 
Southern Alps (rugged mountains, permanent snowfields, glaciers)
Fjords (steep-sided, narrow inlets of the sea, formed when deeply glaciated valleys are flooded by the sea)
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9
Q

New Zealand is ??? than Australia.

A

geologically younger and more tectonically active

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10
Q

High islands

A

volcanic
rise steeply from sea
heavy rainfall
receive orographic precipitation

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11
Q

Low Islands

A 
coral atolls (low lying island landform consisting of a circle of of coral reefs around a lagoon, often associated with the rim of a submerged volcano or mountain)
drier than high islands (do not receive orographic precipitation)
particularly vulnerable to sea level rise
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12
Q

Australia

A

Dry/Arid climate dominates interior of the continent
one of most arid regions on earth
susceptible to drought and wildfires
coastal regions receive more precipitation than the interior

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13
Q

New Zealand

A

Mild Temperate climate
Westerly winds bring moisture to western coast eastern coast is in a rain shadow
North Island is generally warmer than the South Island

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14
Q

Pacific Islands

A

Tropical climates (hot, rainfall for most of the year)

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15
Q

Potential Results of Climate Change

A

May result in an increase in drought, wildfires in Australia

May result in the melting of glaciers in New Zealand

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16
Q

Island nations are particularly vulnerable to climate change

A

Increased storms
Sea level rise
Saltwater intrusion

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17
Q

Alliance of Small Island States

A

association of low-lying, mostly island, countries (from around the world) that have formed an alliance to combat global warming which threatens their existence through sea level rise

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18
Q

Reasons for Alliance of Small Island States

A

produce almost no greenhouse gas emissions but are tremendously vulnerable to climate change
lack the power to influence international discussions as individual countries

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19
Q

Biodiversity of Australia

A

fauna is distinctly different from SEA (Wallace’s line)
marsupials (kangaroo, koala, and Tasmanian devil)
monotremes (lay eggs, but nurture young with milk), platypus and spiny anteater.

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20
Q

Biodiversity of New Zealand

A

no predators, until introduced by humans
in the absence of predators, some birds lost the ability to fly
the introduction of predators by humans resulted in the loss of some flightless bird species

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21
Q

Biodiversity of Pacific Islands

A

biodiversity declines as one moves eastward, away from larger land masses
few native animals on Pacific Islands (except New Guinea)

22
Q

Native species

A

a species naturally found in a region

23
Q

Endemic species

A

a native species that is unique to a specific geographic region

24
Q

Exotic species

A

a species from a place/region outside their natural location
may or may not be invasive
ex. Cane Toad

25
Q

Invasive species

A

a species from a place/region outside their natural location that causes harm to native ecosystems/species
may be accidentally or deliberately introduced

26
Q

Feral

A

domesticated species in the wild

are exotic, but not all exotic animals are feral (some were never domesticated)

27
Q

Pollution of Oceania

A

fertilizer pollution creates “dead zones” along coasts where marine life lacks oxygen
carbon dioxide contributes to acidification of the ocean and damages coral reefs

28
Q

plastic pollution

A

breaks down into smaller particles (microplastics) but stays in oceans for hundreds of years, contaminating and killing marine life
a major source is abandoned fishing gear
rivers are also a major source (carry waste from the land to the ocean)
carried by ocean currents into gyres where currents circulate and trap waste creating vast mats of floating trash (Pacific Garbage Patch)

29
Q

Pacific Garbage Patch

A

trash accumulation in both the western and eastern Pacific Ocean

30
Q

Mining

A 
bauxite
coal
gold
iron ore
nickel
uranium
31
Q

Phosphate mining on the Pacific Island of Nauru

A

centuries of roosting birds have left Nauru with deep deposits of bird droppings (guano) that produce phosphate
used as fertilizer
exported to Australia to make poor soils more productive
extracted through strip mining, which devastated the landscape of Nauru

32
Q

Uranium Mining in australia

A

large uranium reserves
releases radioactivity into the landscape and creates risks for mine workers
most important uranium resources near Aboriginal lands and conservation areas

33
Q

Ranger uranium mine

A

located within the boundary of Kakadu National Park, Australia (mining leases predate park)
more than 16 million tons of radioactive waste
created serious water pollution problems in area
will cease in 2021

34
Q

Australia/New Zealand

A

diverse economic activities
agriculture (livestock, grains, wine)
-cotton, fruit/vegetables, mining in Australia
-wood products in New Zealand

35
Q

Agriculture in Pacific Island countries

A

is largely dependent on family based, small-scaled farms
subsistence agriculture
export some plantation crops (coconut, oil palm, vanilla, coffee and cocoa)

36
Q

Australia and New Zealand Quality of Living

A

have high incomes and high standards of living

poverty persists, particularly among Aborigine and Maori populations

37
Q

Pacific Islands Quality of Living

A

some Pacific Island countries have high incomes as a result of their associations with the US (Guam) or France (French Polynesia, New Caledonia)
other islands are not as wealthy (Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands)

38
Q

Subsistence affluence

A

a decent standard of living achieved with little cash income through reliance on local foods and community resources

39
Q

while incomes low…

A

natural resources (coconut, fish) provide a reasonable diet
extended family and community support prevent deprivation
relatively effective health and education systems contribute to comparatively high life expectancies
low infant mortality rates and high literacy rates.

40
Q

Fishing

A

Pacific Islanders eat more fish per person than any other population.
fishing in important to the majority of small island economies

41
Q

Tragedy of the Commons

A

when an open-access common resource is overexploited by individuals who do not recognize how their use of the resource can degrade the environment and impact others (for example, overfishing to extinction)

42
Q

South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Rarotonga)

A

declared the South Pacific as a nuclear free zone

bans the use, testing and possession of nuclear weapons within the zone

43
Q

Religion

A

Christianity is the predominant religion (influence of colonialism in the region)
local/indigenous beliefs are important in the region (Aborigine, Maori and Pacific Island populations)
some communities have blended local and Christian practices (syncretism)

44
Q

Language

A

English predominant language of the region
Māori and New Zealand Sign Language official languages of New Zealand
Loss of indigenous languages
almost 20% of all living languages are spoken on the island of New Guinea
-most linguistically diverse country in the world
over 800 languages
Tok Pisin is a lingua franca – combines local and English words

45
Q

Australia (History of discriminatory immigration policies)

A

In the 1970s, the racist restrictions were removed and replaced with a skills criteria
as a result, Australia’s population became more diverse
current refugee policy is controversial
asylum seeks are sent to offshore detention facilities

46
Q

White Australia policy

A

a government policy that restricted immigration to people from northern Europe through a ranking
British and Scandinavian immigrant candidates were given the highest priority, followed by southern Europeans

47
Q

Oceania Demography

A

one of the least populated world regions
most of Australia’s population lives along the southeastern coast
smaller islands tend to have higher population densities and growth rates
Overall population growth is slow

48
Q

Antarctica

A

claimed by many countries, but owned by none
No permanent occupants
Region of scientific interest (5000 scientists live in Antarctica in the summer; that number drops significantly in the winter)
Approximately 50,000 tourists visit Antarctica each year

49
Q

Antarctic Treaty (1959)

A

governs international relations on continent
bans nuclear tests and disposal of radioactive waste
bans mineral and oil exploration
ensures the continent can only be used for peaceful purposes and scientific research
neither denies nor gives recognition to existingterritorial claims

50
Q

Antartica Climate Change

A

Antarctic seabirds may be breeding later

may affect krill (important for food chain)

GEOG 200 Final (14 decks)

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