6. FOCUS ON AUSTRALIA
Australia is slightly smaller than the US contiguous
48 states.
Page
372-373
1.
A core area is the place of a national-state that is understood as the largest
population cluster, the most productive region, or the part of the country with
the greatest centrality and accessibility.
Unusually, Australia
has two cores. Using this political map,
identify where the two core areas. Draw
them on your map.
The
term for the periphery of Australia
is the _____________. (Clue: It also makes up the name of an
Australian-inspired steakhouse in the US.)
At
the Outback Steakhouse one of the new
menu items (I kid you not) is Cyclone Pasta. It’s description is as follows “A heaping portion of penne pasta in Alfredo sauce tossed
with sliced grilled chicken, tasso ham, sun-dried
tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, fresh basil and garlic. Topped
with gouda,
provolone and parmesan cheeses.”
What connection has “cyclone” pasta got with Australia?
Go
to http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/03/20/cyclone.larry/index.html
and answer the following questions about the most recent 2006 cyclone.
1.
Two of the
major crops damated by this year’s cyclone were
_______ and ________?
2.
At its most
intense moment this cyclone research a category ____.
3.
The two
animals that offered the greatest potential threats to volunteers aiding
cyclone victims include _________ and ______.
Aboriginal Claims
Australia’s European bounds are weakening and its Asian ties
are strengthening but here are always risks for any economy that depends
strongly on exports of raw materials and agricultural stapes. There are also challenges at home. One of these is the Aboriginal land issue.
•
Aboriginal culture is
the oldest continuous living culture
•
Archeological data
suggests that aboriginal cultures have been present in Australia since
at least 40,000 BCE possibly 60,000 BCE
•
Pre-colonial
indigenous populations were at approximately 750 000.
•
At colonization there
was a demographic collapse.
•
Today the aboriginal
population is approximately 458,500 making up only 2.4% of Australian
population.
1.
Using the map
above, which realm did Aboriginal Ancestors come from?
2.
What time
period did the Aboriginal ancestors begin to arrive in Australia?
7. Focus on New Zealand
This
image is possibly my most favorite photograph of the semester. This is a fjord in New
Zealand’s South Island. A fjord is a narrow, steep-sided, elongated
and inundated costal valley deepened by glacier ice that has since melted away,
leaving the sea to penetrate.
Diagram
of the making of a Fjord
The
fjord diagram shows the development of a fjord over time. First the landform is covered with ice, then
it melts and as melting occurs it erodes the land to form deep valleys that are
then flooded by the sea.
Image
at http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Rapids/4233/illulisgif.gif
As this image may
indicate, along with the map you have already drawn, New Zealand is a very mountainous
set of islands. Indeed, 75% of the
nation is mountainous. In terms of size, New Zealand comparable to about the size of Colorado.
North Island’s
environment is characterized by being
o highly urbanized (85%)
o Subtropical climate
o Volcanic peaks
o Little indigenous vegetation
South
Island’s environment is characterized by being
o Cooler climate
o high snow-covered mountains
INDIGENOUS ISSUES
Around
the beginning of colonial expansion into New Zealand (1769) the Maori
population was approximately 100,000 by 1896 the indigenous population had
suffered a demographic collapse and had shrunk to 42,113. By 2004: NZ pop 4.0 M 85% European
o Today approx. 525,000 people Maori ethnicity
o 14.7 % of the New Zealand is Maori
o Most Maori on North Island
o 1990s judicial ruled in favor of Maori land claims
8. Commonalities between Australia
and New Zealand
- British heritage
- Pastoral economies
- Small internal markets
- Challenges of distance and remote location
- High % urbanization
- Peripheral development
- Concerns with indigenous peoples
- Excellent quality of life for most but
questionable for indigenous peoples
