1. Physical Geography of Southeast Asia,
Oceania, and Antarctica:
A Region of Extremes
This wide and varied region includes the South Pole
icescape, volcanic Pacific islands, Southeast Asian
tropics, and Australian deserts.
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2. SECTION 1 Landforms and Resources
SECTION 2 Climate and Vegetation
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SECTION 3 Human-Environment Interaction
Physical Geography of Southeast Asia,
Oceania, and Antarctica:
A Region of Extremes

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Section 1
Landforms and
Resources
• This region includes two peninsulas of Asia,
two continents, and more than 20,000
islands.
• Its landforms include mountains, plateaus,
and major river systems.

4. Southeast Asia: Mainland and Islands
Peninsulas and Islands
• Mainland Southeast Asia lies on two peninsulas
- rectangular Indochinese Peninsula is south of
China
- Malay Peninsula is 700-mile strip south from
mainland
• Malay Peninsula bridges mainland and island
archipelagoes
- archipelago—set of closely grouped islands,
often in a curved arc
- Malay Archipelago includes the Philippines,
Indonesian islands
Landforms and Resources
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continued Southeast Asia: Mainland and Islands
Mountains and Volcanoes
• Mainland mountain ranges, like Annamese
Cordillera, run north-south
- fan out from northern mountainous area
• Island mountains are volcanic in origin, part of
Pacific Ring of Fire
- volcanic eruptions, earthquakes are common in
region
Continued . . .

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Rivers and Coastlines
• Several large mainland rivers run south through
mountain valleys
- spread out into fertile deltas near coast
• Mekong River starts in China, ends in wide delta on
Vietnam coast
- farming, fishing along river support millions of
people
continued Southeast Asia: Mainland and Islands
Resources
• Volcanic activity, flooding rivers create nutrient-rich,
fertile soil
• Rivers, seas provide fish; some areas have
petroleum, tin, gems

7. Lands of the Pacific and Antarctica
No Exact Number
• No one knows how many islands there are in the
Pacific
- some estimate there are more than 20,000
- hard to count because islands vanish and new
ones appear
• As a group, the Pacific Islands are called Oceania
- includes New Zealand, Australia (a continent, not
an island)
- doesn’t include Philippines, Indonesia—culturally
Asian
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Oceania’s Many Islands
• Some islands vanish due to erosion, new ones are
created
• Volcanoes create high islands, coral reefs make up
low islands
- most islands are small; total land area is smaller
than Alaska
• In general, islands lack minerals but:
- New Caledonia has nickel, chromium, iron
- New Guinea has copper, gold, oil
- Nauru has phosphate
continued Lands of the Pacific and Antarctica
Continued . . .

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Majestic New Zealand
• New Zealand has two main islands, North Island
and South Island
• Southern Alps—300-mile mountain range down
center of South Island
- 16 peaks over 10,000 feet; over 360 glaciers
• North Island has hilly ranges, volcanic plateau
- fertile farmland; forests for lumber; natural harbors
• Few mineral resources, but dams generate electricity
continued Lands of the Pacific and Antarctica
Continued . . .

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Flat Australia
• Australia is earth’s smallest, flattest continent
• Great Dividing Range—chain of highlands parallel to
east coast
• West of range are plains and plateaus
• Murray River is largest of continent’s few rivers
• Little forestry, but rich in bauxite, diamonds, opals,
lead, coal
• Great Barrier Reef—1,250-mile chain of 2,500
reefs, islands
continued Lands of the Pacific and Antarctica
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Icy Antarctica
• Fifth-largest continent is circular in shape, centered
on South Pole
• Thick ice sheet covers landscape—world’s largest
fresh-water supply
• Transantarctic Mountains divide continent
- East Antarctica is plateau surrounded by
mountains, valleys
- West Antarctica is group of separate islands
linked by ice
• There could be coal, minerals, petroleum under ice
- in 1991, 26 nations agreed not to mine region for
50 years
continued Lands of the Pacific and Antarctica

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Section 2
Climate and Vegetation
• This region’s climates range from tropical
to desert to polar icecap.
• There is a great diversity of plant and
animal life, including some species found
nowhere else in the world.

13. Widespread Tropics
Year-Round Rains
• Tropical wet climate in coastal Myanmar, Thailand,
Vietnam, Oceania
- also in most of Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines
• High temperatures—annual average of 80 degrees
in Southeast Asia
• Parts of Southeast Asia get 100, even 200 inches of
rain annually
• Some variations—high elevations in Indonesia have
glaciers
Climate and Vegetation
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Wet and Dry Seasons
• Tropical wet and dry climate borders the wet climate
- weather is shaped by monsoons
- found in parts of Myanmar, Thailand, Laos,
Cambodia, Vietnam
• Temperatures are consistently hot, but rainfall varies
• Monsoon areas often have disastrous weather
- typhoons can occur in region during the wet
season
continued Widespread Tropics
Continued . . .

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Tropical Plants
• Southeast Asia has great vegetation diversity
- tropical evergreen forests near equator
- deciduous forests in wet and dry zone
- teak is harvested commercially
• Oceania doesn’t have diverse vegetation
- low islands have poor soil, little rain (few plants)
- high islands have rich volcanic soil, rain (flowers,
coconut palms)
continued Widespread Tropics

16. Bands of Moderate Climate
Hot Summers, Mild Winters
• Australia and New Zealand have generally mild
climates
• Mountain chain runs parallel to east coast of
Australia
• Strip between mountains and coast divides into two
climate zones
- northern part is humid subtropical—hot summers,
mild winters
- heavy rainfall—gets 126 inches of rain annually
- also climate of northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand,
Myanmar
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Mild Summers, Cool Winters
• Marine west coast climate on Australian southeast
coast, New Zealand
- ocean breezes warm the land in winter, cool it in
summer
- New Zealand’s forests are primarily evergreens,
tree ferns
• New Zealand gets rain all year; regional amounts
vary dramatically
- South Island mountains bring rain down on
western slopes
• Australia’s Great Dividing Range keeps rain on
populous east coast
continued Bands of Moderate Climate

18. Hot and Cold Deserts
Arid Australia
• One-third of Australia is desert, located in the
continent’s center
- under 10 inches of rain annually; too dry for
agriculture
• Band of semiarid climate encircles desert
- 20 inches of rain annually; crops need irrigation
• Dryness caused by tropical, subtropical heat that
evaporates rain
• Few live in dry inland region called the outback
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The White Desert
• Antarctica is earth’s coldest, driest continent
- icecap climate: temperatures can drop to –70
degrees
• Cold air doesn’t hold moisture well
- has 1/10 the water vapor of temperate zones
• Area receives little precipitation; called a polar
desert
• Plants are lichens, mosses; animals are sea life,
birds (penguins)
continued Hot and Cold Deserts

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Section 3
Human-Environment
Interaction
• Pacific Islanders developed technology that
enabled them to travel the Pacific Ocean.
• This region has been damaged by nuclear
testing and the introduction of European
animals.

21. Traveling the Pacific
Navigation Charts
• It’s believed Pacific Island settlers came from
Southeast Asia
- use land bridges, small rafts, canoes to reach
nearest islands
• Later venture further out, use stars and charts to
navigate
- on charts, sticks show wave patterns, shells show
islands
• Islanders keep secrets of charts until late 1800s
- then begin using European navigation methods
Human-Environment Interaction
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Special Canoes
• To sail ocean, islanders develop special voyaging
canoes
- double hulls stabilize canoe, allow it to carry lots of
weight
- canoes use sails, sometimes have cabin on top for
shelter
- carry plants to be grown at destination
• Large voyaging canoes are awkward in island lagoons
- use outrigger canoe—float attached on one side
for balance
continued Traveling the Pacific

23. Invasion of the Rabbits
The Rabbit Problem
• European colonizers bring animals to Australia,
including rabbits
• In 1859, Thomas Austin releases 24 rabbits into
Australia to hunt
- one pair can have 184 descendents in 18 months
- Australia has over one billion rabbits by 1900
• Rabbits strip sparse vegetation, ruin sheep pastures,
cause erosion
- resulting lack of food endangers native animals
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Continued . . .

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Control Measures
• Efforts are made to control number of rabbits
- import foxes to prey on them, but foxes also
endanger native wildlife
• In 1950s, they’re intentionally infected with
myxomatosis; 90% die
- ranches then able to support twice as many sheep
- rabbits become immune to disease; back to 300
million by 1990s
• Today a combination of poisons, diseases, fences are
used
continued Invasion of the Rabbits

25. Nuclear Testing
Tests in Bikini Atoll
• Nuclear arms race between U.S., USSR begins in
the 1940s
- U.S. conducts 66 nuclear bomb tests on Bikini,
Enewetak atolls
- atoll—ringlike coral island, or islands, surrounding
a lagoon
• Marshall Islands’ Bikini Atoll is far from shipping, air
routes
• “Bravo” hydrogen bomb test vaporizes several
islands
- radiation contamination injures or sickens many
islanders
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Continued . . .

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Long-Term Effects
• Bikini Islanders moved to the island of Kili in 1948
- conditions there don’t allow them to fish or grow
enough food
• U.S. declares Bikini safe in late 1960s, some
islanders return
- in 1978, doctors find dangerous radiation levels in
islanders
- islanders leave again
• Cleanup of Bikini Atoll begins in 1988
- still unknown when Bikini will be suitable for
humans again
continued Nuclear Testing

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