GOOGLESCHOLAR: Assignment 7

Module 7 Overview

The Austral Realm

This module focuses on the overall geography (topography, historical, economic, political, and cultural/human) of the Austral Realm, which is mostly comprised of Australia and New Zealand.  You will begin by describing the topography of the Austral Realm.  The historical geography of the Austral Realm will be explained.  The political and economical geography of the Austral Realm will be compared and contrasted with the rest of the world’s political and economical systems.  In addition, you will analyze the diverse religions of the Austral Realm.  Lastly, the cultural geography of the Austral Realm will be analyzed in relation to the rest of the world.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:

2N		examine the landform regions, climate zones, and influence of the Southern Ocean, biogeography, and human-environmental interactions in Australia and New Zealand.
6I		describe the Australia’s major geographic features as well as its basic historical, cultural, political, urban, economic geography, and the current issues it faces, especially relations with its Aboriginal population.
6J		evaluate New Zealand’s general layout as well as its basic historical, political, and cultural geography, especially relations with its indigenous Maori population.

Module 7 Reading Assignment

de Blij, H. J., & Muller, P. O. (2012). Geography: Realms, regions, and concepts (15th ed.). New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Chapter 11.

The Austral Realm

Topography of the Austral Realm

Australia’s location makes it the most isolated and diverse.  It is surrounded by the Indian Ocean to the northwest, west, and south, the Timor Sea to the north, the Coral Sea to the northeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the east.  Its famous Great Barrier Reef is located to the northeast near the Coral Sea.  Most of the inland areas are dominated by large deserts due to the global subtropical high pressure.  Australia consists of very flat plains.  Geologically, it is the oldest continent (part of Gondwana) due to its isolation.  Antarctica is located to the extreme south of Australia, New Zealand is located to the east, and Papua New Guinea and Indonesia are located to the North.

Australia is divided into six distinct landform regions or divisions, the Eastern Highlands, the Eastern alluvial Plains and Lowlands, the South Australian Highlands, the Western Plateau, the Central Deserts, and the Northern Plateau and Basins.

New Zealand is a very mountainous region and experiences more of a temperate climate (mostly wet and cold in the mountainous regions to more subtropical and wet in the coastal areas closer to the north) due to less inland areas (continuality) and being located further south toward the Arctic South Pole than Australia.  New Zealand is made up of two main islands and experiences some very intense earthquakes due to different oceanic plates (subduction of the Pacific Plate under the Indo-Australian Plate) converging upon each other.  The southern island is more mountainous than the northern island due to plate tectonics and volcanic activity.  The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand and is located on the northern island.  Lake Taupo is the largest lake and is also located on the north island.  And finally, New Zealand is the transition of the Austral Realm to the Pacific Realm to the east.

Historical Geography of the Austral Realm

Most of the original migrants to Australia were European explorers.  It is believed that people migrated to this region during the end of the last ice age when sea levels were much lower, similar to the way people migrated from Asia to North America.  There have been some tensions between the Europeans and the indigenous people of this region throughout time.  New Zealand has had some influence from the Polynesian culture in the Pacific Rim region.  Please visit the  Australia's Geography and History website for more information.

Historically, this region has been isolated from the mainland, and not until recently has been fully influenced by the mainland.  As a result, many new animal species and cultures have been introduced, thus causing many biological and cultural challenges.

Political Geography of the Austral Realm

Australia's political system is quite stable and very well interwoven into the global world.  It has very good relations with its neighboring countries.  Very little political strife is present.  Australia is divided into six states, which are the following: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia.

New Zealand is made up of a parliamentary representative democratic monarchy similar to England.  New Zealand also has a very progressive form of politics that holds environmental issues very sacred.  In both Australia and New Zealand, the people mostly live clustered in more urban areas near the coasts.  Most of Australia’s population lives on its eastern and southeastern coasts.  Please view the  Political Map of Australia .

Economical Geography of the Austral Realm

Australia's economic geography is very strong due to its abundant mineral resources and wheat production.  Australia has more abundant agriculture than New Zealand.  The areas near the coast are very urbanized and serve as strong economic centers of trade and commerce.  Tourism is quite high as well.

New Zealand is dominated by the export of livestock products and wine.  Both Australia and New Zealand rely on the Asian Pacific Rim as trading partners to keep its overall economy strong.  The region’s isolation from many other parts of the world has challenged its overall economy, but with the recent globalization, this challenge has become more manageable.  Please view the  Economic Geography and Economic Performance in Australia website for more information.

Culture Geography and Religions of the Austral Realm

The entire Austral Realm has been isolated for most of its history.  Recently, it has made some moves to associate more with the neighboring Asian Realm and global culture.  Also, more and more people are migrating to this region each year.  Like many other regions experiencing immigration, some cultural identity issues are always at play.  In the case of the Austral Realm, it is the aboriginals vs. the newer immigrants to this region.

Australia is predominantly Christian with some indigenous religious rituals and forms of animism.  Small pockets of Buddhism and Islam also exist.  Australia speaks mostly English with some small pockets of Spanish and French in addition to the original indigenous languages from the Austronesian family.  Its foods and dress are very unique because of its unique location and isolationism.  English and Maori are the two official languages spoken in New Zealand.  Please visit the  Australia and Oceania: Human Geography - National Geographic Education website for more information on the human geography of this region/realm.

Required Presentation:

Please view the  Chapter 11 presentation .