Lesson 17: Physical Geography of the Pacific Islands

1)Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia

  1. High Islands and Low Islands
  2. The Pacific Islands are divided up into three separate and particular regions. Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.
  3. Geographers also classify islands here into either the High Island (mountainous) or Low Island (coastal)category.
  4. The Low Islands often form an “Atoll,” or a small coral island in the shape of a ring. A Lagoon is atits center.
  5. The Three Regions
  6. Most of the people in this area live in the Melanesia region. Most of Melanesia’s large islands are High Islands.
  7. Micronesia’s territory is about the size of the continental United States, and it is mostly made of Low Islands.
  8. Polynesia, the largest of the three regions, has many large volcanic islands, dense jungles, and includes Hawaii.

2)Climate and Vegetation of the Pacific

  1. The Pacific Islands are located in the tropics. This means that the temperatures here are always hot all year round.
  2. Some of the islands here do have wet/dry seasons, but most islands in this region receive heavy rainfall all year long.
  3. That heavy rainfall along with warm temperatures and fertile soil makes the environment for great for the vegetation.
  4. One of the most important plants in the region is the coconut palm. It provides food, clothing, and shelter for the people.

Homework: None, Quiz 4.

Lesson 18: Cultures of the Pacific Islands

1)Early Settlers in Australia and New Zealand

  1. The Maori of New Zealand
  2. The earliest people in New Zealand were the Maori. They came from Asia and traveled Polynesia by small boat.
  3. According to legend, seven groups of Maori were traveling the sea to find a new homeland when a storm struck.
  4. When the storm finally ended, the surviving Maori ended up washed ashore on the beaches of New Zealand.
  5. The Maori were a culture of tribal warriors. Their core values highly prized fighting and conquering their foes.
  6. The Arrival of the Europeans
  7. Dutch and British explorers visited the region looking for anything of value, but they declined to create colonies.
  8. In 1788, Britain did establish the first colony in Australia as a Penal Colony, or a place for convicts and prisoners.
  9. In 1851, gold was found in Australia. Britain stopped sending prisoners there but instead started real colonies instead.
  10. Australia won independence from Britain in 1901, but it wasn’t until 1947 that New Zealand finally won theirs too.

2)The Cultures of the Region

  1. The Aborigines Today
  2. Aborigines were the original natives of Australia. They lived a simple, stable, and nomadic lifestyle for over 40,000 years.
  3. In early Australian colonial times the Aborigines were routinely forced off their lands by greedy European Farmers.
  4. Thousands of Aborigines were forced to work on farms. Others died from diseases that the Europeans brought with them.
  5. The Maori Way of Life
  6. Initially, the British colonists promise to leave the Maori lands alone, but in time they went back on those promises.
  7. The Maori fought back and were defeated. There culture was almost lost until laws were passed protecting their lifestyle.
  8. About 300,000 Maori live in New Zealand today and have fully integrated into the modern society with little difficulty.
  9. The Pacific Islanders
  10. There are many unique groups in the Pacific Island region because communication between one another was difficult.
  11. Most Pacific Islands were not independent until after WWII. Today they blend their native culture with the modern life.

Homework: Do you think it was effective to ship criminals away like Britain did? Could we do that today? 6 Sentence Response.

Lesson 19: Australia: Three Ways of Life

1)A Trading Economy

  1. Farming
  2. It seems odd that farm products are an important export of Australia because only 6% of the available land is good for it.
  3. The few areas good for farming are located very close to the even fewer rivers along Australia’s eastern coastal areas.
  4. Australia’s most valuable crop is wheat. While they do grow other gains too, Australia is a world leader in growing wheat.
  5. Ranching
  6. Lamb and cattle ranching is another major industry in Australia. Products like mutton, beef, and wool come from it.
  7. Some of the cattle and lamb stations in Australia can be as big or even bigger than some of the states in the U.S.
  8. Even with that much land available, the animals can have a hard time locating grass and fresh water in the Outback.
  9. To get fresh water to the animals many ranchers will dig “Artesian Wells,” or deep wells dug into porous rock.

2)Aborigines: Seeking Respect

  1. The native Aborigines have worked hard to preserve their culture and rights while growing their economic roll in society.
  2. The Aboriginal leaders have helped to make schools in their area start teaching Aboriginal language, history and culture.
  3. While the Aborigines are glad to have their freedoms, they ultimately would like to reclaim the ancestral lands they lost.

Homework: Imagine that you are living on a huge cattle station in the middle of the Outback. Who are you? What are you doing? Is there anything bothering you? 6 Sentence Response.