Name:___________________________________________________ Block:_______________________
Study Guide for Australia and Oceania
1. Know the locations of Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, and Antarctica, as well as the
Pacific regions of Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia.
2. Oceania
a. The geography has influenced the cultures of Oceania by scattering them across
isolated islands.
i. Many small airports can be found on islands across the Pacific to better
link them.
b. Atolls are rings of coral reef that have grown up from the ocean floor to form
new islands.
c. Tectonic activity like volcanos is mostly responsible for the formation for Pacific
Islands. The reduction of islands in size over time is mainly caused by erosion.
d. The environment of the islands is ideal and it attracts many tourists.
e. Very few large land masses have allowed for storms to develop and become
some of the most powerful in the world.
3. Australia
a. Australia’s isolation from the rest of the world has contributed to the evolution
of unique plants and animals (endemic species).
b. Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is the largest living thing on Earth and be clearly
seen from space along the
northeast coastline of the
country.
c. Dude to the extremely harsh
sun of the Australian
Outback in the center of the
continent, most settlements
and urban centers are on
the coast. The Outback is
only lightly populated with a
few small towns.
i. Because of the
beaches and the Outback, Australia has developed a kind of
“outdoorsman” culture.
d. Because of holes in the ozone layer, Australians are extremely susceptible to
skin cancer. The government advises Aussies to wear sun screen and hats.