Discover fascinating fun facts about Oceania, it's geography, animals and much more below...
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Population: 32 million +
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No. Countries: 14
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Islands: 10,000 +
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Highest point: Mt Wilhelm 4509m
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Lowest point: Lake Eyre -52m
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Longest river: Murray 2508km
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Biggest country: Australia
Smallest country: Nauru
DID YOU KNOW
This continent is sometimes named Australia after its largest country. Oceania is the geographical area that also includes New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the South Pacific Islands.
THE COUNTRIES OF OCEANIA
Australia
Fiji
Kiribati
Marshal Islands
Micronesia
Nauru
New Zealand
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Samoa
Solomon Islands
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
HERE ARE THE DEPENDENT TERRITORIES THAT MAKE UP OCEANIA
American Samoa • Cook Islands • French Polynesia • Guam • New Caledonia • Niue • Norfolk Island • Northern Mariana Islands • Pitcairn Islands • Tokelau • Wake Island • Wallis and Futuna
QUICK FACTS ABOUT OCEANIA
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
Over 32 million people call this continent home including many indigenous peoples
In particular Aboriginals in Australia, the Maori in New Zealand and the Melanesian in the Pacific Islands such as Fiji. Many traditions and ways of life are still well practiced.
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You can find out more about Aboriginals and other Indigenous Peoples HERE
Platypus
Type of animal - Marsupial
Maximum Length - 63cm
Region - Australia
Diet - Small Invertebrates
Kookaburra
Type of animal - Bird
Maximum Wingspan- 66cm
Region - Australia
Diet - Small Invertebrates
Kangaroo
Type of animal - Marsupial
Maximum Length - 2.4m (Including tail)
Region - Australia
Diet - Grass and Plants
Famed for its unique wildlife, Oceania is home to the Koala, Kangaroo, Kiwi bird and the Platypus.
The Kagu bird, of island nation New Caledonia, is a flightless bird and uses its wings to climb trees instead.
Koalas are Marsupials, a type of Mammal. They actually have 2 thumbs to help them climb!
Pigs are high status amongst Papua New Guinean tribes and are used as a sort of currency for wedding dowries.
The Haka ,a traditional dance of the New Zealand Maori people, is still continued to this day even by the nations rugby team to scare off an opponent!
Aboriginals, the indigenous people of Australia are thought to have lived in Australia for over 80,000 years!
New Zealand is actually 7% of another continent, Zealandia...
...but the other 93% is submerged in the ocean!
The Platypus, easily one of the most unique animals! It has a duck bill, beaver tail and otter fur. When it was first discovered people thought it had been created by humans out of bits of other animals!
OCEANIA ON FILM
ACTIVITY
1. Take a look and read about my travels in Oceania below.
2. Put some of the interesting information into a search engine and see if you can find what country the image is from!
Fig. 57
An Aboriginal man playing his traditional didgeridoo in the Northern Territory. These indigenous people are thought to have lived in their home country for over 80,000 years!
Fig. 13
Joining some of Papuan tribes-women in the highlands for the their village pig feast celebrations. Pigs are high status and are used as a sort of currency for wedding dowries.
Fig. 105
Surfing Cloudbreaks, one of the Top 10 best surf breaks. A wave break is caused by an obstruction, in this case a reef, which causes the water to build and form a huge barrel wave.
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Watch Simon Reeve explore Australia on the BBC: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01xzcwd
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Learn more about the Indigenous Maori culture of New Zealand: www.newzealand.com/uk/maori-culture/
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Get to know Australia's Kangaroo and other unique Marsupials:
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https://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals-source/00000167-3669-d99d-a1ff-3679c4750000
Whilst most of Oceania sits within the Tropic Of Capricorn the south of Australia and New Zealand benefit from a temperate weather system. This means that they have seasonal weather (Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter) compared to the Tropics which experience only Dry and Wet seasons.
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There are many different environments in Oceania including, rainforests, deserts, mountains and lots of beaches! Read more about different countries environments and weather below:
Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands - This group of over 1,200 islands were created by rising coral reefs and volcanic activity below the ocean. This type of land is called an atoll. The land is very low-lying which means they are at risk of flooding and disappearing into the ocean. This threat has increased with rising sea levels due to climate change.
Papua New
Guinea
Papua New Guinea - Due to tropical high temperatures this nation is covered in rainforest all the up to its hilly highlands where 90% of it is given over to local tribes and communities to live on. Having only 2 seasons very heavy rainfall is expected every year in the Wet season.
New Zealand
New Zealand - Unlike the majority of Oceania, all of New Zealand has a temperate climate i.e 4 seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Due to the many high mountains the country has many fjords with are large bays filled with sea water. These are carved out by huge glaciers breaking apart the the rock.
Fiji
Fiji - One of the larger islands in Oceania after Australia and New Zealand, Fiji is best know for its incredible coastline and magnificent waves. These famous breaks are great for surfing. These wave breaks are caused by an obstruction like a reef, which causes the water to build and form a huge barrel wave!
Australia
Australia - The largest island in the world, Australia is split into 2 different climates. In the North it is very hot and has only Wet and Dry seasons. In the South the climate is temperate which means they have all the 4 seasons. A great desert in the middle is nicknamed the 'Red Centre' because the sand is such a vivid red colour.
ACTIVITY
1. Take a look at the map of Oceania.
2. Have a think of what weather you like and pin point a place in the South Pacific Ocean where you'd like to live
3. Draw your own island and decide who would live there and what animals would live alongside you. Make sure you choose animals that suit the weather