Australia and Oceania
AustraliaAustralia
New ZealandNew Zealand
PolynesiaPolynesiaMelanesiaMelanesia
MicronesiaMicronesia
Interplay between European and indigenous culture
European dominance Indigenous dominance
IntroductionIntroduction
Isolated physical setting• Exotic plants and animals• Late arrival of human occupations
Interplay between indigenous peoples and European cultures
• Cultural adaptation, assimilation, and conflicts Youthful political geography
• Fluid geopolitical identity
Environmental GeographyEnvironmental GeographyVaried Natural and Human Habitat
AustraliaAustralia
New ZealandNew Zealand
OceaniaOceania
Arid interior (outback), highly urbanized coast
Rugged mountain
Landform
Volcanic islands
AustraliaAustralia
Western Plateau• Ancient shield landmass
Interior Lowlands• Flat, and featureless
lowland Eastern Highlands
• Barrier between western interior and eastern coastal plain
PlateauPlateauBasinBasin
HighlandsHighlands
Great Artesian BasinGreat Artesian Basin
Landform
Artesian wellArtesian well
Interior basin lacks water supply, but the Great Artesian Basin possesses a rich supply of underground water
Landform
New ZealandNew Zealand
Rugged mountain range featured by volcanic peaks Pacific Rim of Fire
Fjord-like western coast in the South Island Glacial forces
Landform
Landform
PolynesiaPolynesiaMelanesiaMelanesia
MicronesiaMicronesia
OceaniaOceania
Seismic hazards (Pacific Rim)Seismic hazards (Pacific Rim)
Volcanic islandsVolcanic islands
Bora Bora
Landform
Bora Bora, French Polynesia
Volcanic IslandsVolcanic Islands
Evolution of Volcanic IslandsEvolution of Volcanic Islands
Hot spot
High islandsHigh islands
Low islandsLow islands
Landform
Geologic time
1. Active volcanism
2. Volcanism dwindles & erosion intervenes
3. Islands subside below sea level
Climate
B. Arid OutbackB. Arid Outback
C. Temperate Australian and New Zealand C. Temperate Australian and New Zealand coastal plaincoastal plain
A. Tropical OceaniaA. Tropical Oceania
Environmental issues
DroughtDrought
Natural HazardsNatural Hazards
Seismic hazards Seismic hazards (Pacific Rim of Fire)(Pacific Rim of Fire)
Environmental issues
Global Resource PressuresGlobal Resource Pressures
LoggingLogging
MiningMining
Environmental issues
Mining in Papua New GuineaMining in Papua New Guinea
Mining, while providing incomes, causes immense environmental damage to the region
Nuclear TestingNuclear Testing
Environmental issues
1946 - 19581946 - 1958
1990s1990s
Tuamotu ArchipelagoTuamotu Archipelago
Marshall IslandsMarshall Islands
Population and SettlementPopulation and SettlementA Diverse Cultural Landscape
Indigenous settlement• Aborigines in Australia, Maori in New Zealand• New Guinea Highlands, Society Islands
European migrations• Sydney, Melbourne…
Asian laborers and immigrants • Indian in Fiji, Japanese in Hawaii• Recent Asian immigrants in Australia
Australia and New Zealand are highly urbanized and Westernized Most of pacific islands are rural (eg. Papua New Guinea)
Population distributionPopulation distribution
Sydney, AustraliaSydney, Australia
Most Australians (85%) live in cities
Peopling the PacificPeopling the Pacific
European ColonizationEuropean Colonization
Australia• Served as a penal colony (1788)
• Decimation of Aborigines
New Zealand• Wars with Maori chiefdoms (1845 ~ 1870)
Hawaii• U.S. annexed Hawaiian kingdom (1898)
Australian agricultureAustralian agriculture
Commercial farming in the coastal plains
Too dry for farming extensive ranching
Hunting, gathering by Aborigines
• Viniculture in Mediterranean climate region
• Sugarcane in subtropical climate region
• Dairy farming in well-watered area
Oceanic agricultureOceanic agriculture
Village-centered shifting cultivation• Papua New Guinea highlands
Plantation agriculture in coastal plains• Sugarcane fields in Fiji and Hawaii
Current population issuesCurrent population issues
Australia and New Zealand• Influx of Asian immigrants
Less-developed island nations• Growing population given limited land
Cultural Coherence and DiversityCultural Coherence and DiversityA Global Crossroads
Process of Cultural ChangeProcess of Cultural Change
Cultural differentiation geographical isolation
Cultural accommodation/assimilation European colonialism
Cultural homogenization or preservation globalization
Multicultural AustraliaMulticultural Australia
Dominance of colonial European roots• 70% of population is British or Irish• White Australia Policy (~1973)• Remaining links with the British Crown
But increasingly multicultural due to• Political movement of native inhabitants• Inflows of Asian immigrants with a skill• “Asianization” policy• Two-way globalization
Multicultural New ZealandMulticultural New Zealand
Parallel the story of Australia with a slightly different cultural mix
Unique Polynesian roots• Maori (15%)
• Pacific islanders (5%)
The Mosaic of Pacific Cultures (1)The Mosaic of Pacific Cultures (1)
Traditional culture worlds• The division of Oceania into Melanesia,
Micronesia, and Polynesia is based on racial and cultural distinctions by 19c anthropologists
Melanesia Micronesia Melanesia Micronesia PolynesiaPolynesia
Skin color:Skin color: darkdark brownbrown
Social system: village Social system: village chiefdom chiefdom kingdomkingdomBut the actual distinction is rather subtle
• Revolves around village lifeHighlanders in Papua New Guinea
The Mosaic of Pacific Cultures (2)The Mosaic of Pacific Cultures (2)
External cultural influences• Colonial plantation brought contact laborers
Japanese/Chinese in Hawaii, Indian in Fiji
• Creole culturesMulticultural HawaiiansFrench New Caledonia
• Pidgin English & Christianity
• International tourism transforms their livelihoodsFiji, French Polynesia, The Hawaiian Islands, Samoa
Language of Australia and OceaniaLanguage of Australia and Oceania
Geopolitical FrameworkGeopolitical FrameworkA Land of Fluid Boundaries
Colonial legacy• Ever-changing political map
Over the last two centuries
• Persisting colonial tiesFrench PolynesiaU.S. territory
Youthful states • Oldest political states are the 20th century creation
Australia, New Zealand (1907)
Indigenous PatternsIndigenous Patterns
Prior to European contact, the political geography was mosaic of indigenous territories
• Melanesia based on kinship
• Polynesia based on chiefdom
• Some large volcanic islands of Polynesia formed kingdom (eg. Hawaii)
An Imposed Colonial FrameworkAn Imposed Colonial Framework(circa 1900)(circa 1900)
BritainBritainFranceFrance
GermanyGermany
U.S.U.S.
AustraliaAustralia FranceFrance
U.S.U.S.
New ZealandNew Zealand
JapanJapan
An Imposed Colonial FrameworkAn Imposed Colonial Framework(After WWI)(After WWI)
BritainBritain
AustraliaAustralia FranceFrance
U.S.U.S.
New ZealandNew Zealand
An Imposed Colonial FrameworkAn Imposed Colonial Framework(After WWII)(After WWII)
BritainBritain
An Imposed Colonial FrameworkAn Imposed Colonial Framework(present day)(present day)
FranceFrance
U.S.U.S.
New ZealandNew Zealand
Marshall IslandsMarshall Islands
Political control of Micronesia has shifted numerous times during the last two centuries
Spanish (1526~1885)
Germany
(1885~1914)
Japanese
(1914~1944)
U.S.
(1947~1979)
WWI WWII
Independence (1990s)
Native Rights in Australia and Native Rights in Australia and New ZealandNew Zealand
General trends are to acknowledge the land rights of indigenous people
• Establishment of Aboriginal reserves
• Native Title Bill (1993)
Geopolitical tensions
Ethnic tension in FijiEthnic tension in Fiji
The populations of indigenous Fijians and South Asian immigrants are roughly equal
The violation of democratic process by the Fijians (eg. military coup in the late 1980s and 2000)
Geopolitical tensions
Rebellion in Papua New GuineaRebellion in Papua New Guinea
Resource-rich Bougainville’s indigenous inhabitants demand local control
Suppressed by military force
Geopolitical tensions
Geopolitical tensions
Economic and Social DevelopmentEconomic and Social DevelopmentA Hard Path to Paradise
Wealthy Australia, New Zealand, French territoriesWealthy Australia, New Zealand, French territories Impoverished remaindersImpoverished remainders
Economy of Australia and New Economy of Australia and New ZealandZealand
Economic assets• Highly educated population• Diverse base of natural resources• Modern urban and industrial infrastructure
Challenges• Dependence on extraction of raw materials• Small domestic markets• Lack of high-tech and IT industries
Efforts to diversify economic bases
Economy of Australia and New Economy of Australia and New Zealand – economic diversificationZealand – economic diversification Moving away from the traditional extractive econo
mies (eg. tourism) Promoting economic integration within the region
• CER (Closer Economic Relationship) Agreement
Shifting away from Europe and North America in favor of closer links with Asia
• Recent immigration policy
• ARF (ASEAN Regional Forum)
• APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation Group)
Global trade in Australia and New Zealand
Oceania’s Economic DiversityOceania’s Economic Diversity
Subsistence-based economies• Shifting cultivation, fishing
Commercial extractive economy• Plantation, mining, logging
Global tourism Subsidies from the present/former colonial
powers
Relatively fared well regardless of varied level of economic development with the exception of Papua New Guinea