OCEANIA.
In this unit you will learn about…
-Oceania and its parts.
-Some animals of Oceania.
-Natural spaces of Oceania.
-The Sydney Opera House.
-Some interesting facts about Oceania.
Introduction.
The continent of Oceania includes Australia and many surrounding island countries. It is located at the west of Africa and at the south-east of Asia. Australia is the second smallest continent in terms of population and the smallest continent by size. Oceania is surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Ocean. There are areas with forest but a great part of the region's land mass is desert. Oceania has a lot of biodiversity; some examples are the kangaroo, the platypus or the koala.
Population: 36,593,000 (Source: 2010 United Nations).
Area: 3,296,044 square miles.
Major cities: Sydney (Australia), Auckland (New Zealand), Melbourne (Australia), Perth (Australia), Brisbane (Australia), Adelaide (Australia), Gold Coast (Australia), Canberra (Australia), Manukau (New Zealand), Christchurch (New Zealand).
1.-Oceania and its parts.
1.1.-Australia.
Australia is a country in the southern hemisphere between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. Its official name is the Commonwealth of Australia. Australia is the sixth biggest country in the world.
The Australian emblem is a flower called the Golden Wattle.
Approximately, 24 million people live in Australia, and about 80% of them live on the east coast. About 60% live in and around Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. Australia's capital city is Canberra.
Australia is known for its mining and for its production of wool. Australia is the world's largest producer of bauxite.
Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea and other islands on the Australian tectonic plate form one of the world's great ecozones.
1.2.-New Zealand.
New Zealand is an Oceanian country in the south-western Pacific Ocean. It is made up of two large islands (the North Island and the South Island) and many much smaller islands. In 2010, it was ranked as the 8th happiest country in the world. The official languages are English, Māori and New Zealand sign language.
The islands were discovered in 1642 by the explorer Abel Tasman. Some years later, James Cook, was the first to map the islands.
1.3.-New Guinea.
New Guinea is a big island at the north of Australia. On the east side of New Guinea is the country Papua New Guinea and on the west side of the island are the Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Irian Jaya. New Guinea is also very important for its nature and biology, because there are many different animals and plants endemic from the island.
About 6.9 million people live on the island.
1.3.-Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia.
These archipelagos are formed by a large group of more than a thousand islands in the central and southern Pacific Ocean.
Most of the islands are of volcanic origin, with coral formations. The terrain is mountainous in general and tropical climate with abundant rainfall.
Its main economic activity is agriculture. The main industrial crop is coconut, vanilla, coffee and citrus fruits in large quantities.
2.-Animals.
Biodiversity, or biological diversity, is a term used to describe the variety of living things in the natural environment: the different plants, animals and micro-organisms; the genes they contain; and the ecosystems in which they occur.
Oceania is one of the most bio diverse continents in the world. These are some animals that you can find in Oceania (Australia):
The kangaroos are marsupials endemic from Oceania. There is a legend which says that the name kangaroo comes from the ancient aborigine language of Australia, this is because when European explorers arrived in Australia they found these animals. They were surprised by this strange animal and they decided to ask aborigine people its name, and the aboriginal people answered “Kan Ghu Ru” that means “I don´t understand you”, the European believed that this was the name and they named the animal “kangaroo”. It is just a legend.
The Tasmanian devil is a carnivorous marsupial, now found in the wild only on the Australian island state of Tasmania. It has the size of a small dog; it is the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world.
Koalas look like teddy bears; this adorable animal is a marsupial. Females carry their new born in the bag for about six months. Koalas live in eastern Australia, where there is more eucalyptus. Koalas sleep up to 18 hours a day, subject to the trees. When they are not sleeping they are feeding on eucalyptus leaves.
3.-Natural spaces.
3.1.-Great Barrier Reef.
One of Australia´s most important natural gifts is the Great Barrier Reef that is the largest coral reef of the world. The reef contains a great abundance of marine life. Because of its natural beauty, the Great Barrier Reef has become one of the world´s most sought after tourist destinations. A visitor to the Great Barrier of reef can enjoy many experiences including snorkelling, scuba diving, aircraft or helicopter tours, swimming with dolphins and sharks...
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world, and pulling away from it, and viewing it from a greater distance, you can understand why. It is larger than the Great Wall of China and the only living things on earth visible from space.
3.2.-National park of Kakadu.
The Kakadu National Park is a national park in northern Australia, located 171 km at the east of Darwin. The name 'Kakadu' comes from the aboriginal language Gagudju. The park is part of a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Its extension is equivalent to that of Israel and is believed to contain 10% of world uranium reserves. The park has two seasons, rainy and drought. During the rainy season (October to April), it is not possible to access many areas of the park. During the dry season (May to September) it is when you can visit the park.
3.3.-National Park of Naracoorte Caves.
Naracoorte Caves is an Australian national park located near the town of Naracoorte; a tourist region in the southeastern state of South Australia. The site was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994 for its great quantity of fossils. It preserves 6 km² of vegetation, with 26 caves
4.-The Sydney Opera House.
The Sydney Opera House is located in the city of Sydney, Australia; it is one of the most famous buildings in the country and in the world.
It was designed by the Danish architect Jørn Utzon in 1957 and it was inaugurated on October 20, 1973.
In the building there are plays, ballet, opera or musical productions.
The Sydney Opera House is one of the most popular visitor attractions in Australia; more than eight million people visit the site each year.
On 28 June 2007, the Sydney Opera House became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
5.-Interesting facts about Oceania.
Much of Oceania is sparsely populated and there are more sheep in Oceania than people.
Australia was first used as a prison colony by Britain where they would send unwanted criminals and outcasts.
The name Australia means "land of the south".
There are less people that live in all the continent of Oceania than in the Spain.
Oceania is located in the southern hemisphere. This means that it has winter during June, July, and August and summer during the months of December, January, and February.
Activities.
1. - Would you travel sometime to Australia? Why?
2. - Look at these images of Oceania. Choose one and explain what do you see and what´s your opinion about this.
3.-Why do you think that the Sydney Opera House is very important?
4.-Would you swim with sharks and dolphins in the Great Barrier Reef?
6.-With the information that you have make a trip plan to Australia.
Vocabulary
Much many: muchos más.
Surrounding: circundantes, rodeando.
Platypus: ornitorrinco.
Square miles: millas cuadradas.
Mainland: continent.
Mining: minería.
Wool: lana.
Rainfall: lluvias.
Crop: cultivo.
Gifts: regalos.
Seek: buscar.
Sought: buscado.
Pulling away from it: alejándonos de ello.
Seasons: estaciones.
Drought: sequía.
Plays: obras de teatro.
Sparsely: escasamente.
Outcasts: parias, proscritos, marginados.
