Use this outline to increase your understanding of the important characteristics of the South Pacific.

1. Core in the Periphery -- Australia and New Zealand are core countries located far from other core areas and have small, peripheral island countries as neighbors to the north and east. Populations are small and virtually zero for Antarctica. Distances are long adding to transportation costs.
2. Europe Transplanted -- Distance delayed colonization of this region.

1. South Pacific Cultures -- The Aborigines, Maoris, Melanesians, Micronesians, and Polynesians are the important native cultural groups.
2. European Colonization -- Colonized initially as a penal colony, Australia became several competing colonies until federation in 1901. British settlement in New Zealand lagged behind Australia. The different South Pacific islands were taken over by various foreign powers including the U.S.

3. World Issue: Pacific Rim -- The South Pacific region has to continue to shift its connections away from Europe toward the other countries of the Pacific Rim, especially those in East Asia.
4. Natural Environment -- A distinctive fauna and flora are found here.

1. Oceanic Climates -- Except for Australia’s dry interior and Antarctica coldness, tropical waters determine the climates. El Nino has impacts in this region.
2. Continents and Islands -- The major land areas were part of Gondwanaland until plate tectonics moved the areas to their present positions. The islands are often of volcanic origin.
3. Unique Biosphere -- Marsupials and eucalyptus trees are the best known of the unique fauna and flora.
4. Natural Resources -- Resources vary from islands with none to Western Australia’s many minerals.
5. Environmental Problems -- A variety of natural hazards and misuse of land in Australia are the most important concerns.

5. Australia -- This country is the largest, most populous, and wealthiest in the South Pacific.

1. Regions of Australia -- Each Australian state and territory has its own character. Most of the people live in cities on the coast where the environment is better.
2. People -- Immigration compensates for low levels of natural increase. Some Australians have problems accepting increased interaction with Asians. Better treatment of Aborigines is desired by more people.
3. Economic Development -- Primary products are important exports, especially wool, lamb, beef, coal, and iron ore. These exports increasingly go to East Asia. Low prices for exports are sometimes a problem. Tourism is also important.

6. New Zealand -- This country is much smaller in area and population than Australia.

1. Regions of New Zealand -- North Island differs from South Island.
2. People -- An urban country where its native people, the Maori, are fairly successful within the dominant British New Zealand society.
3. Economic Development -- Primary products and tourism are important. Timber sales to Asia are an important new economic activity.

7. Living in New Zealand -- Ample land, temperate climate, isolation, anti-French feelings, new products like deer meat and kiwi fruit, Maoris, and new Asian markets are all part of life in this country.
8. South Pacific Islands -- These islands are relatively obscure.

1. Islands -- Grouped into three groups based on ethnic background or on location, these islands vary greatly in wealth and standard of living.
2. People -- Rapid population growth leads to overpopulation on some of these islands. The land and resources are limited.
3. Economic Development -- Development is limited in much of this region. Minerals help on some islands, but others face a very difficult future. Foreign aid is crucial to islands like Tuvalu. Tourism offers employment for some South Pacific Islanders.

9. Antarctica -- Not a country, use of this continent is regulated through international agreements. The waters around Antarctica are productive fisheries, but subject to overfishing. Research related to environmental issues is important.
10. Landscapes -- Most cities are also ports. Extensive areas lack any human activity.
11. Future Prospects -- Successfully increasing trade with East Asia, especially Japan and other Pacific countries, is necessary. It is important that these countries work together and that Antarctica is protected.

After reading and studying this chapter you should be able to:

1. Understand the pattern of core and periphery countries and the distances between them.
2. Identify the five important groups of people that are native to this region.
3. Describe colonization of Australia, New Zealand, and the South Pacific Islands.
4. Examine the range of climates and their impacts on human activities.
5. Understand the role of plate tectonics and volcanic activity in determining the distribution of land.
6. Know the ways that environmental damage is greater than expected in portions of this region.
7. Differentiate the important characteristics of the states and territories of Australia.
8. Compare and contrast the economic development of Australia with the economic development of New Zealand.
9. List New Zealand’s old and new exports and markets.
10. Explain the numerous difficulties faced by the islands of the South Pacific.
11. Document the distinctiveness of Antarctica as compared to other regions.
12. Know that the populations of these countries are all relatively small, and in some cases, very small.
13. Discuss the reorientation of attitudes, migration flows, and trade patterns toward East Asia.

Study the Key Terms listed in this chapter. Consult the glossary as needed.

1. Overpopulation _________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

2. Pacific Rim ____________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

3. Terra Australis _________________________________________________________________

__________ 1. Tourism has both positive and negative impacts for the islands of the South Pacific.

__________ 2. The cost of transporting low-value goods from Europe to Australia led to import substitution in manufacturing.

__________ 3. There is no permanent population on Antarctica.

__________ 4. Australia is the only country that is also a continent.

__________ 5. Immigration is more important for New Zealand than Australia.

__________ 6. Only a few of the South Pacific islands have a volcanic core.

__________ 7. Each of the major cities in Australia began as ports of entry for separate colonies.

__________ 8. Australia and New Zealand are not part of the world core because of their isolation.

__________ 9. Australia was colonized as a penal settlement by the British.

__________ 10. Australia is becoming a more multiracial, multiethnic, and multicultural country.

Select the most correct answer from the alternatives given.

1. The Commonwealth of Australia became independent from Britain in:
1. 1850
2. 1867
3. 1890
4. 1901
2. Which country has been called Asia’s "farm and quarry":
1. Japan
2. Australia
3. New Zealand
4. Papua New Guinea
3. New Zealand’s main economic products entering world markets are all of the following except:
1. wool
2. beef
3. lamb
4. dairy products
4. Australia is an urban country with what percentage of people living in towns and cities:
1. 39%
2. 49%
3. 65%
4. 85%
5. What are the three main categories of inhabitants of the South Pacific islands:
1. Aborigine, Maori, and Polynesian
2. Aborigine, Melanesian, and Polynesian
3. Melanesian, Micronesian, and Polynesian
4. Papuan, Maori, and Polynesian
6. The main interest in Antarctica in the 1990s is:
1. its natural resources
2. its role as a laboratory for monitoring global climate change
3. its fish stocks
4. tourism
7. What country imports more from Australia than from Europe and the United States combined:
1. Japan
2. New Zealand
3. South Korea
4. Taiwan
8. Who are the natives of New Zealand:
1. Aborigines
2. Maoris
3. Melanesians
4. Papuans
9. By the end of the 1800s, Australia was a major supplier of what product to British factories:
1. fruit
2. dairy
3. wool
4. beef
10. Colonization of New Zealand came later than Australia mainly because of:
1. distance
2. physical environment
3. resistance by the Maoris
4. gold mining boom
11. Who were the first to discover Australia in the seventeenth century:
1. the Dutch
2. the British
3. the French
4. the Spanish
12. Which of the following is an environmental concern of Australia:
1. deforestation
2. overgrazing and over-irrigation
3. mining extraction
4. all of the above

Study the Key Places listed in this chapter.

1. Using the letters on map 1 and map 2, match the following Key Places and their locations.

__________ American Samoa __________ Northern Mariana Islands

__________ Australian Capital Territory __________ Papua New Guinea

__________ Auckland __________ Perth

__________ Brisbane __________ Pitcairn

__________ Fiji __________ Port Moresby

__________ French Polynesia __________ Queensland

__________ Great Dividing Range __________ Suva

__________ Kiribati __________ South Australia

__________ Marshall Islands __________ Tonga

__________ Melbourne __________ Tuvalu

__________ Murray-Darling River __________ Vanuatu

__________ Nauru __________Victoria

__________ New Caledonia __________ Western Samoa

EXPLORING THE WEB

Visit several of the websites from this chapter to answer the following questions.

1. http://www.smh.com.au/

Describe any articles related to Aborigine issues.

Looking at the sports section, are there any sports being described that are not common in the United States?

2. http://www.press.co.nz/

List some of the problems that New Zealand farmers are currently facing.

3. http://www.govt.nz

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