Explore the World: The Geography of Australia and the Pacific Realm
CONTENTS A JOURNEY TO THE PACIFIC 4 AMAZING AUSTRALIA 6 UNDERWATER WONDERS 8 A PEEK AT POLYNESIA 10 NAVIGATING THE OCEAN 12 MELANESIA AND MICRONESIA 14 A COLONIAL PAST 16 REMARKABLE NATURAL RESOURCES 18 LIFE IN THE RING OF FIRE 20 MOUNTAINS AND VOLCANOES 22 SCENIC CITIES 24 CLIMATE ADAPTATIONS 26 WORKING FOR THE FUTURE 28 GLOSSARY 30 FOR MORE INFORMATION 31 INDEX 32
Melanesia Micronesia Polynesia A JOURNEY TO THE PACIFIC The geography of this region is quite diverse The Pacific Imagine a region characterized by the huge Pacific Ocean yet also featuring deserts volcanos and forests It’s home to animals and plants that exist nowhere else on Earth from the koala bear to the duck billed platypus This unique region is Australia and the Pacific realm Islands are a main feature of the Pacific realm region They include the larger islands of New Zealand and New Guinea as well as thousands of smaller islands Three major groups of islands in this region are Melanesia Micronesia and Polynesia Australia is not part of the Pacific realm but it is often included in a term for the broader region Oceania Australia is an island a country and a continent The Pacific realm encompasses three major culture areas Polynesia Melanesia and Micronesia Australia lies to the southwest of the realm DIVERSE DIFFERENT OR VARIED 4
THINK LIKE A GEOGRAPHER THREE TYPES OF ISLANDS Three types of islands make up Oceania continental islands high islands and low islands Continental islands in the Pacific region include Australia New Zealand and New Guinea They are large islands with diverse geography that includes everything from deserts to mountains High islands are created through volcanic activity and have a steep peak in the center Low islands are made up of coral and are usually just around sea level Sometimes rings of low islands form atolls CONTINENTAL ISLAND AN ISLAND FORMED BY TECTONIC PLATE MOVEMENT THAT CAUSES THE RISING AND FOLDING OF THE OCEAN FLOOR Beaches such as Bondi Beach near Sydney Australia are major features of the Pacific realm’s geography Tropical tourism plays an important role in the region PARTS OF THE PACIFIC REALM HAVE STRONG AMERICAN INFLUENCES THE STATE OF HAWAII AND THE TERRITORIES OF GUAM AND AMERICAN SAMOA ARE FOUND WITHIN THE PACIFIC REALM ATOLL A CIRCULAR SHAPED ISLAND THAT HAS FORMED FROM A CORAL REEF 5
