- the smallest continent in area, located in the eastern and southern hemispheres. Australia's area is 8 million km2. Extreme points of Australia: North: Cape York (10 ° S, 143 ° E); South: Cape Wilson - (39 ° S, 146 ° E); Western: Cape Steep Point (26 ° S, 113 ° E); Eastern: Cape Byron (28 ° S, 153 ° E). From the west and south, Australia is washed by the waters, from the east - by the waters of the Pacific. In the north and northeast, the shores of Australia are washed by and, in the southeast, by the sea. Coastline in general, not too much cut. In the north there are two large peninsulas: Cape York and Arnhemland, between them is the Gulf of Carpentaria, in the south the Great Australian Bight juts into the land. In the southeast there is a large island -.
Oceania - a cluster of islands and archipelagos located in the central and southwestern parts. The largest islands in Oceania are New and. Oceania has more than 7000 islands with a total area of \u200b\u200b1.3 million km2. The relief of Australia is quite flat and monotonous. The center of the mainland is occupied by the Central Plain, the height of which does not exceed 100 m.In the west of the mainland, there is the Western Australian Plateau, 400-500 m in height, in the east - the Big Dividing ridge, which owns the highest point of the mainland - Kostsyushko (2230 m). These are quite old, heavily destroyed mountains, which descend sharply to the coast, and gradually turn into a plain towards the center of the mainland.
Most of the islands of Oceania have arisen as a result of volcanic activity, the relief of such islands is diverse, there are mountains, hills, small ridges. Coral islands are usually flat. There are also islands of mainland origin, for example.
Australia and New Zealand are rich in deposits of iron, manganese, ^ gold, diamonds, oil, etc. On the islands there are reserves of metal ores, phosphorites, however | almost all are poorly developed.
There are no major rivers in Australia. The largest river on the mainland with a large tributary, the Darling, flows into the Great Australian Bight and belongs to the basin Indian Ocean... There are many screams - empty channels that fill up with water during the rainy season and turn into rivers and streams. There is a large Lake Eyre, in summer it is filled with rainwater and can reach 15,000 km2. The rest of the time the lake dries up, splits into a number of small ones. Small lakes of volcanic origin.
Most of Australia has a tropical climate. The western edge of the continent is well moistened, since the wet from the ocean are retained by the Great Dividing Range. In the central part, the climate is arid, with 250-300 mm of precipitation per year. On the northern coast of the mainland, the climate is humid in summer, dry enough in winter. The southern and eastern parts of Australia are in the zone. It is quite humid in the east, with precipitation throughout the year. On the southern coast it is warm and little rainfall, in the southeast it is hot, and in winter it is also very humid.
All except Oceania islands are located in the equatorial and tropical zones, here it is warm, temperature drops and smoothed by the influence of the ocean, so the climate is quite mild. New Zealand has a temperate climate with normal rainfall, moderately warm summers and fairly warm winters.
Australia is located quite isolated from other continents; it was previously separated from the ancient common mainland of Gondwana, therefore it has a unique flora and fauna. Many species are endemic here - that is, they are not found on any other continent. In Australia, the last species of oviparous have survived: the platypus and the echidna, there are many marsupials. Many animals originated from wild domestic animals brought to the mainland from: Dingo dogs, rabbits.
Many plants have adapted to the arid continent, in particular, eucalyptus trees turn their leaves with an edge during the day to reduce evaporation. The bottle tree has a thick trunk in which moisture accumulates.
Savannahs are also located in the center of the mainland; red-brown soils are formed here. Here grow eucalyptus trees, evergreen shrubs, ostriches, kangaroos, dingo dogs, wombats. In the northeast, east and west of the mainland there are zones of humid tropical and subtropical forests, red forests are formed. This zone is home to palm trees, ficuses, beeches, eucalyptus trees, marsupial bears and many birds.
Most of the islands are humid: palms, bananas, breadfruit, etc., there are practically no predators from animals, there are a lot of birds.
The Oceania Grade 7 message will briefly tell you a lot useful information about this geographic region of the world. Also, information about Oceania of the report will help deepen your knowledge of geography.
Oceania Post
Oceania is a separate part of the geopolitical region. It consists of a large number of atolls and islands that are located in the central and western Pacific Ocean.
Oceania: a brief description
Oceania is located between the subtropical latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and the temperate latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere. Oceania is often viewed by geographers as part of Australia. For this there is a geographic name that sounds like Australia and Oceania. The total area of \u200b\u200bthe geopolitical region is 1.24 million km 2. It is inhabited by 10.6 million people.
Oceania is divided into 3 geographic regions: Micronesia, Polynesia and Melanesia. It is washed by such seas of the Pacific Ocean basin as the Solomon, Coral, New Guinea, Coro and Fiji, the Tasman Sea. And the Arafura Sea, which belongs to the Indian Ocean basin.
Climatic features of Oceania
Most of Oceania is dominated by a tropical climate and abundant annual rainfall. The islands, which are located closer to the tropical belt, are characterized by an average annual temperature of +23 ° C. In the area near the equator - 27 ° C. The climate of the geopolitical region is influenced by the El Niño and La Niña flows. Most of the islands are affected by tsunamis, active volcanoes and typhoons.
Oceania differs from other regions by a sharp change in weather conditions: heavy rains are replaced by prolonged drought.
Minerals of Oceania
Mineral deposits are due to the geological structure and origin of the islands. Nickel, chromite and other metals are mined in the New Caledonian region. New Guinea has reserves of bauxite, coal and oil. The atoll islands are rich in phosphorites.
Flora and fauna of Oceania
The islands are large in size and are covered with humid evergreen forests or savannas. The trees are dominated by pandanuses, bamboos, ficuses, casuarins. Several types of trees are beneficial for human activities - sago and coconut palms, mango and bananas, melon and breadfruit. Also on the islands of Oceania there are endemic species: tree ferns, cowrie pine, New Zealand flax and cabbage tree.
The fauna is represented by echid, tree kangaroos, crocodiles, kiwi bird. There are no predators and poisonous snakes on the islands; mammals practically do not live. The Europeans brought pigs, cows, horses, goats, rabbits, and cats to Oceania.
- The indigenous inhabitants of Oceania are representatives of the Australoid-Mongoloid race.
- Here is the Caribati country, which lies in all hemispheres.
- The region is home to an active volcano that has not faded since 1902.
- Heydayway Island is distinguished by the fact that on its territory there is an underwater post office, the only one in the world.
- In the past, Oceanians have practiced cannibalism.
We hope that the report on Oceania helped you to learn a lot of useful information about this part of the world. And you can add a message on the topic "Oceania" through the comment form below.
Oceania is the name of the largest cluster of large and small islands in the western and central Pacific Ocean on our planet. The islands of Oceania occupy about 1.3 million square kilometers of the Earth's surface and all of them, large and small, are almost 7 thousand.
Oceania Islands
Traditionally, the islands of Oceania are divided by geographers, historians and ethnographers into three groups: Melanesia with the most big island New Guinea, Micronesia, Polynesia with the second largest island in Oceania, New Zealand.
The region of the islands of Oceania Melanesia ("black island")
Melanesia is located in the west of Oceania and, in addition to New Guinea, it includes the Bismarck and Louisiada archipelagos, as well as the D "Anttkastro Islands, Santa Cruz Islands, Solomon Islands, New Herbids Islands, New Caledonia Island, Fiji Islands, Loyote and several others. ...
The main share of the territory of Melanesia falls on the island of New Guinea. He owns 829 of the 969 thousand square kilometers occupied by this area of \u200b\u200bthe islands of Oceania.
Islands of Oceania Polynesia ("multi-island")
Polynesia stretches from the southwest to the east of Oceania. Most large islands Polynesia is New Zealand, Hawaii, Tonga, Samoa, Wallis, Tokelau, Horn, Cook, Tuvalu, Tubuai, Society, the Marquesas Islands and Easter Island.
265 thousand square kilometers of the total area of \u200b\u200bPolynesia falls on New Zealand, 17 thousand - on the Hawaiian Islands and 9 thousand - on the rest.
Oceanic Islands Micronesia ("shallow island")
Micronesia is located in the northwest of Oceania. The total area of \u200b\u200bits islands is only 2.6 thousand square kilometers, but these smallest islands are scattered in the ocean with an area of \u200b\u200babout 14 million square kilometers.
The main island groups of Micronesia are the Marshall, Caroline and Mariana islandsas well as the Gilbert Islands.
Oceania Islands by Origin
The islands of Oceania differ in their origin and on this basis they are usually divided into four types: volcanic, coral or atoll (biogenic), continental, and geosynclinal.
Volcanic Islands of Oceania
The volcanic islands of Oceania are the summits of dormant or active underwater volcanoes. Among them there are islands ranging from ten square kilometers to several thousand and they are the main type of islands in Oceania.
The most famous of the volcanic islands are Hawaii, Easter Island, Tahiti and Samoa.
Oceania Coral Islands (biogenic)
In the shallow ocean waters, whole colonies of small marine animals - corals, usually settle. For centuries, when corals die off, their skeletons cover the bottom of the ocean, are pressed and form a rock. Over time, coral reefs and whole islands appear above the surface of the water, and if coral deposits occurred along the contour of the vent of an underwater volcano, then atolls appear - coral islands with a lagoon in the center.
There are hundreds of coral islands (atolls) in Oceania, both single ones and forming entire archipelagos. These are the Caroline, Mariana, Marshall Islands, as well as the Gilbert and Tuamotu Islands. The largest atoll in Oceania is Kwajalein. Its area is 2.3 thousand square kilometers (including the area of \u200b\u200bthe lagoon) and it belongs to the archipelago of the Marshall Islands.
Oceania mainland
The mainland islands of Oceania were once part of the mainland and became islands as a result of the movement of the earth's crust. So New Guinea is separated from the mainland by Australia only by a strait, the bottom of which was land until recently, and New Zealand is a part of the huge continent that once existed, which included both Australia and Antarctica.
The mainland islands of Oceania account for 90% of its territory. They have lowlands, mountain systems, and extended mountain plateaus.
The ocean islands are the most exotic and unusual travel destination. It is enough that when a fierce winter is raging at home, then in the Southern Hemisphere it is the height of summer. And although people there do not walk upside down, and the water does not swirl in back side, the lands of Oceania remain a real terra incognita for many.
What is Oceania?
The boundaries of Oceania are rather arbitrary. In fact, this is a cluster of islands in the central and western Pacific Ocean. Easter Island is considered the eastern point, New Guinea is the western one. Geographers unite Oceania with Australia and consider these lands to be a separate part of the world.
In a rather long list, there are islands such as New Zealand, New Guinea, Fiji, Easter, Solomon, Hawaiian and many others. Most of the islands are formed by volcanic activity, and many fire-breathing mountains are still dangerous.
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea covers an area comparable in area to Sweden and actually connects Australia and Asia. Long before European sailors and Miklouho-Maclay, Indonesian rulers sent their envoys here to hunt for exotic birds and labor. The name of the island was given by the Portuguese don Jorge di Menezis, clearly hinting at the hair of the aborigines: "Papua" in Malay means "curly". More than 820 languages \u200b\u200bare in use here - this is due to some isolation of the tribes from each other due to the highlands.
Fiji
Fiji is an archipelago of 332 islands, with only a third of them inhabited. Europeans discovered the Fiji Islands in the 17th century, but did not risk establishing colonies there until the 19th century. There was only one reason - Aboriginal cannibalism. The leader possessed indisputable authority and power. In the villages, a respectful attitude towards the head of the tribe is still preserved: only he is allowed to wear sunglasses and hats. But as for tourists ... it's hard to find more hospitable people. Here you will be treated to the most unusual dishes: boiled bat, stew in banana leaves and even a fried snake. However, the beauty of Fiji's rainforests and diverse underwater world, for which divers highly value it, is short-lived: due to climate change, the corals to which the island originated are threatened - eco-communities are sounding the alarm.
New Zealand
New Zealand (or "Land of the Long White Cloud") was discovered in 1642 by the Dutch sailor Abel Tasman. Local tribes at that time definitely did not like white Europeans ... Now New Zealand is considered the most safe country the world. Only James Cook in 1769 dared to sail here next, he also contributed to the inclusion of the new country in the English possessions. The island's symbol is the wingless, timid kiwi bird - that's what New Zealanders call themselves. Well, Tolkien fans must know that all parts of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy were filmed among local landscapes, and during special tours you can see Hobbiton and the Baggins' home with your own eyes.
Solomon islands
The Solomon Islands are little known in the world. This stems from the remoteness from other geographic objects. Meanwhile, there is a constant mild climate and nature, unique in its beauty. For example, the list World heritage UNESCO is about to enter the salt lagoon Marovo with sparkling blue water - the largest in the world. There is also the most elevated coral island - East Rennell. Tengano is such a large freshwater lake in the southern hemisphere that its water area includes 200 islands. As for the inhabitants, their manners and habits are quite curious. For example, many of them still worship sharks. Aboriginal people before the arrival of missionaries were predominantly bounty hunters. By the way, about 10% of the black inhabitants of the Solomon Islands are blond. This is due to a mutation that appeared many centuries ago - it has nothing to do with the settlements of Europeans.
Animal and vegetable world
The flora and fauna of the islands of Oceania amaze the imagination of experienced tourists with their exoticism. What is a breadfruit! “Whoever plants a breadfruit will do more to feed his descendants than a grain grower who has worked his field all his life in the sweat of his brow,” wrote James Cook. One plant can produce up to 700-800 "loaves" - special fruits with a sweetish pulp, from which a kind of rolls are "baked". Sago palms in New Guinea produce the starch that makes delicious pancakes. In the abundance of rainforests, you can find cake trees - the sweet taste of their fruits really resembles confectionery. Well, bananas-coconuts are innumerable at all - without these fruits, the aborigines could not survive.
People with entomophobia - fear of insects - have nothing to do on the islands of Oceania. Huge spiders, poisonous flies and giant butterflies are quite capable of scaring and even causing harm. In the jungle there is a danger of stepping on a snake - well, or it itself dives down from a branch. In contrast to the dangers - the indescribable beauty of birds of paradise and the touching muzzles of marsupials. By the way, opossums, as many mistakenly believe, are not found in Oceania: possums live there. This confusion arose even during the research of James Cook - the biologist of the expedition attributed the marsupials to the possums living in America.
Go diving, lie on the world's best coral crumb beaches, ride on alpine skiing, see a parrot in its natural habitat and play the most romantic wedding - this is not a complete list of what the recently opened tourists offer oceania islands.
Pavilion “Around the World. Asia, Africa, Latin America, Australia and Oceania "
ETNOMIR, Kaluga Region, Borovsky District, Petrovo village
In the ethnographic park-museum "ETNOMIR" - amazing place... The "City" street is built inside a spacious pavilion, so it is always warm, light and good weather on Peace Street - just right for an exciting walk, especially since within the framework of the latter you can make a whole trip around the world. Like any street popular with tourists, it has its own attractions, workshops, street artisans, cafes and shops located inside and outside of 19 houses.
The facades of the buildings are made in different ethnic styles. Each house is a "quote" from the life and traditions of a particular country. The very appearance of the houses begins the story of distant lands.
Go inside and you will be surrounded by new, unfamiliar objects, sounds and smells. Colors and decoration, furniture, interior and household items - all this helps to plunge into the atmosphere of distant countries, to understand and feel their uniqueness.
The groups of islands and archipelagos of the western and central parts are combined into a geographical area under the general name Oceania. Historically, all the islands were divided into four ethnographic and geographical areas: (Tonga, Samoa, Cook, Hawaiian, Easter Island, etc.), Melanesia (island, Bismarck archipelago, islands, etc.), (, Mariana Islands, etc.), New. Most of the islands of Oceania are concentrated between 10 ° S. sh. and 20 ° N. sh.
A great contribution to the study of the nature and population of Oceania was made by the Russian scientist N.N.Miklouho-Maclay. He studied the life of the peoples of the island of New Guinea, left descriptions of the nature of the coastal territories. NN Miklouho-Maclay's scientific research was associated with his conviction of the need to protect backward and oppressed peoples. At the very end of the XIX century. on the Hawaiian Islands lived and worked our fellow countryman, a native of the Mogilev province NK Sudzilovsky.
Geological structure and relief of Oceania
Remember how mainland, volcanic and coral islands were formed. The largest mainland islands in Oceania are New Guinea and New Zealand. Volcanism is a characteristic process in this region. The Hawaiian Islands are home to the Kilauea volcano, one of the most active active volcanoes on the ground. Volcanic islands form giant island arcs. They have an elongated configuration. Oceania is replete with coral islands - reefs and atolls, which form whole archipelagos (Gilbert Islands, Tuamotu).
Oceania climate
The islands of Oceania are found mainly in the equatorial, subequatorial and. Only the northern part of the Hawaiian archipelago enters the subtropics, while the southern part of New Zealand is located in the temperate zone. In Oceania, there are two climatic regions: trade wind and monsoon. The climate of Oceania is characterized by small temperature fluctuations: from + 30 ° С during the day to +21 ° С at night. Winds from the ocean soften the heat. It is never too cold or too hot here, so the climate of Oceania is considered the most comfortable on the globe. The main directions are from east to west. They promote the dispersal of organisms.
Oceania is dominated by sea air masses. In areas where monsoon circulation prevails, precipitation falls between 3000-4000 mm per year. The Hawaiian Islands, on the windward slopes, receive over 12,090 mm of precipitation per year. This is one of the wettest places on Earth. The distribution of precipitation is associated with the presence of mountains. On the island of Hawaii, there are areas where less than 200 mm a year falls per year.
Tropical hurricanes are not among the very dangerous and destructive natural phenomena. They destroy plantations, destroy dwellings, and sometimes the emerging waves wash away all living things. The local population is wary of settling on the Cook Islands and Tuamotu, where hurricanes are often observed. The subtropical and temperate climate is typical for New Zealand, where in winter there are frosts down to -13 ° C, and there is snow in the mountains.
Flora and fauna of Oceania
The isolation of the island's landmass most of all affected her and. The diversity of the world of plants and animals depends on the age of the islands, their size and distance from the mainland. It is poorest on coral islands, where fresh water is scarce and soils are poor. Only a few dozen plant species grow on them. On the islands of Oceania, mainly in Melanesia, the most ancient plants have been preserved, for example, tree ferns, reaching 8-15 m in height. The flora of New Zealand is rich and unique (pines, palms).
The flora and fauna of Oceania is distinguished by two features. Rare species that are not found on the mainland have survived here. At the same time, on many islands, entire groups of organisms that are common on the mainland are almost completely absent. Many of the flowering plant species found on land are absent, but spore plants are widespread. The islands have preserved ancient plants that grew on the mainland in the geological past (podocarpus, agathis (kauri), etc.).
The fauna of the islands is poor. There are no mammals on many islands, with the exception of rats, mice, goats and cats brought here. There are many seabirds: petrels, albatrosses, seagulls that nest here and hatch chicks. Weed chicken, a representative of the Australian fauna, is found on the island of New Guinea.
In New Zealand, the oldest flightless bird, the kiwi, is very cautious, living in dense grasses, the Maori shepherd boy. The kiwi bird is featured on the coat of arms of New Zealand. In New and New Zealand, there are rare species of parrots - the kakapo, or owl, and the kea parrot with a strong sharp and curved beak. The first lizard, the tuatara, has survived on one of the islands of New Zealand.
On some islands only 5-7 species of seabirds nest. At the same time, the number of bird species in New Guinea is more than 100, the fauna of insects is rich (more than 3700 species).
Minerals of Oceania
Mineral resources on the islands of Oceania are extremely unevenly distributed. The economy is conducted where there are valuable minerals. So, in New Caledonia there are up to 25% of the world's nickel reserves, on Christmas Island there are reserves of phosphates. Among the states of Oceania, Papua New Guinea stands out, where there are gold, silver, and explored reserves.
Oceania's economic activities
The population of Oceania is about 10 million people. There are several hypotheses about the ways of settling Oceania. Most scientists believe that Oceania was inhabited by people from Southeast Asia many millennia ago. According to the hypothesis of Thor Heyerdahl, immigrants from America settled.
The inhabitants of Oceania were skilled sailors and shipbuilders. They sailed thousands of kilometers from their native islands. The modern inhabitants of Oceania are engaged in growing coconut trees, bananas, cocoa, coffee. The traditional trade is fishing. The nature and life of the people of Oceania are largely subject to natural catastrophic disasters (tropical hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanism).
On many islands of volcanic and continental origin, non-ferrous metal ores, coal are mined, and phosphorite deposits are being developed. Every year the states of Oceania become objects of international tourism. The nature of the islands changes under the influence of human economic activity. On the site of the destroyed natural plantations, where sugar cane, pineapples, bananas, tea, coffee, rubber and other crops are cultivated.
Oceania Political Map
The modern political map of Oceania has developed as a result of the long struggle of the colonial powers for the division of the oceanic archipelagos among themselves. Until the early 60s. XX century in Oceania there was one independent state - New Zealand. By the end of the twentieth century. in Oceania, more than 10 independent states were formed. A number of islands and archipelagos remain politically and economically dependent on the world. Since 1959, most of the Hawaiian Islands archipelago is the 50th US state.
The formation of the nature of Oceania is influenced by the Pacific Ocean, its remoteness from other continents, and its location in tropical latitudes. The basis of the economy of most countries in Oceania is agriculture. Mining is carried out on many islands.
