Oceania Powerpoint

Question 1

three major subregions of Pacific Islands

Answer 1

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)

Question 2

Great Artesian Basin

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Great Dividing Range (also called Eastern Highlands)

Answer 3

located along the eastern coast of Australia

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

Question 4

Outback

Answer 4

remote, dry, sparsely populated interior of Australia

Question 5

Ayers Rock (known as Uluru to Aborigines)

Answer 5

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

Question 6

Great Barrier Reef

Answer 6

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

Question 7

North Island

Answer 7

has more volcanic activity than the South Island

geothermal energy

Question 8

South Island

Answer 8

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)

Question 9

New Zealand is ??? than Australia.

Answer 9

geologically younger and more tectonically active

Question 10

High islands

Answer 10

volcanic
rise steeply from sea
heavy rainfall
receive orographic precipitation

Question 11

Low Islands

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Australia

Answer 12

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

Question 13

New Zealand

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Pacific Islands

Answer 14

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

Question 15

Potential Results of Climate Change

Answer 15

May result in an increase in drought, wildfires in Australia

May result in the melting of glaciers in New Zealand

Question 16

Island nations are particularly vulnerable to climate change

Answer 16

Increased storms
Sea level rise
Saltwater intrusion

Question 17

Alliance of Small Island States

Answer 17

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

Question 18

Reasons for Alliance of Small Island States

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Biodiversity of Australia

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

Biodiversity of New Zealand

Answer 20

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

Question 21

Biodiversity of Pacific Islands

Answer 21

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

Question 22

Native species

Answer 22

a species naturally found in a region

Question 23

Endemic species

Answer 23

a native species that is unique to a specific geographic region

Question 24

Exotic species

Answer 24

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

Question 25

Invasive species

Answer 25

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

Question 26

Feral

Answer 26

domesticated species in the wild | are exotic, but not all exotic animals are feral (some were never domesticated)

Question 27

Pollution of Oceania

Answer 27

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

Question 28

plastic pollution

Answer 28

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)

Question 29

Pacific Garbage Patch

Answer 29

trash accumulation in both the western and eastern Pacific Ocean

Question 30

Mining

Answer 30

``` bauxite coal gold iron ore nickel uranium ```

Question 31

Phosphate mining on the Pacific Island of Nauru

Answer 31

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

Question 32

Uranium Mining in australia

Answer 32

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

Question 33

Ranger uranium mine

Answer 33

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

Question 34

Australia/New Zealand

Answer 34

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

Question 35

Agriculture in Pacific Island countries

Answer 35

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

Question 36

Australia and New Zealand Quality of Living

Answer 36

have high incomes and high standards of living | poverty persists, particularly among Aborigine and Maori populations

Question 37

Pacific Islands Quality of Living

Answer 37

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)

Question 38

Subsistence affluence

Answer 38

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

Question 39

while incomes low...

Answer 39

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.

Question 40

Fishing

Answer 40

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

Question 41

Tragedy of the Commons

Answer 41

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)

Question 42

South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (Treaty of Rarotonga)

Answer 42

declared the South Pacific as a nuclear free zone | bans the use, testing and possession of nuclear weapons within the zone

Question 43

Religion

Answer 43

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)

Question 44

Language

Answer 44

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

Question 45

Australia (History of discriminatory immigration policies)

Answer 45

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

Question 46

White Australia policy

Answer 46

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

Question 47

Oceania Demography

Answer 47

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

Question 48

Antarctica

Answer 48

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

Question 49

Antarctic Treaty (1959)

Answer 49

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 existing territorial claims

Question 50

Antartica Climate Change

Answer 50

Antarctic seabirds may be breeding later | may affect krill (important for food chain)