Chapter 33

An Aborigines man

Section 1
1. The major indigenous groups living in New Zealand ans Australia are the Maori and the Aborigines, respectively.

2. People living in the more urban areas of New Zealand and Australia have easier access to schools and medical care, while the people in the more rural areas, such as the Outback, must use two-way radios to talk to teachers or doctors, or travel long distances to reach hospitals.

creative writing: There are two main groups of people who came to settle the region of New Zealand and Australia: the indigenous peoples, and the European settlers.
   Firstly, the indigenous groups, also called the Aborigines and the Maori, came to Australia and New Zealand somewhere between 20,000 and 60,000 years ago. It is believed that during that time period, due to the ice age, ocean levels were lower, and there was possibly a land bridge connecting Australia, Oceania, New Zealand, and the mainland of Asia, allowing migrants to reach New Zealand and Australia without having to cross vast seas.
   Second of all, the first people from Europe, particularly Great Britain, to settle in Australia and New Zealand were actually prisoners who could not be afforded to keep in overcrowded jails in England. 77 years after the first prisoners where taken to Australia, non-criminals finally settled on Australia's coast. They fought with the Aborigines and the Maori for land, power and resources, and forcefully relocated them to reserves. After about 200 years, the Aborigines and Maori finally gained rights for themselves, and together with their British neighbors declared Australia and New Zealand independent nations.

Section 2
1. Isolation had affected the indigenous cultures among the islands of Oceania: 1,200 out of the world's 3,000 languages come from Oceania; surfing and outrigger canoes came from Oceania.



The outrigger canoe was the easiest way of transportation for
Oceania's people before the European explorers brought their trade ships.


2. With the European settlers came their ideas, religions, and cultures, along with migrant workers from South Asia (and their ideas, religions and cultures). All of this combined with social structures and power weakened the indigenous people's lifestyles, cultures and religions, making them less and less common.

creative writing: If I were a tourist traveling among the islands of any part of Oceania in an outrigger canoe, and were to write what I saw in a journal entry, I would write:

   "We pushed off in the outrigger today, and immediately saw a sea turtle. it swam with us for some way, but eventually went out to sea. The guide took us along the shore of the islands, and we passed many fishermen casting nets and lines. they waved to us as we rowed by. There were also locals and tourists surfing in the break, closer to shore. Rowing was very tiring: it takes a lot of energy from you. We stopped and pulled ashore to rest and to but some breadfruit and coconuts from a small market. when we left again, we went farther out so that we wouldn't have to worry about being struck by incoming waves. The water was so blue and clear, you could see every little fish - and the big ones too. after a while, the small islands that we passed seemed to look exactly the same - I asked if we were going in circles, but the guide said no. As we rowed between two close islands, we were caught up in an outrigger race! There were teams on much longer, narrower boats than ours, going so fast, that we couldn't help but stop and watch them. Thankfully, we weren't hit, but next time, I'd rather be on the shore watching."


A sunset view of one of Micronesia's many islands.



Chapter 32



Map of Australia and Oceania





Section 1
1. In Australia, the mountains, plateaus, and lowlands are dry, arid, and usually support very little plant life. In New Zealand, however, the mountain sides are covered in lush forests or farms, they receive much more rain, and the rivers on the plains run wet most of the year.

2. Volcanoes and continental shelves have shaped the islands of Oceania. volcanic debris builds up in the ocean, either along a fault line or over a hot spot, and eventually breaks the surface, forming a new island. Colliding tectonic plates also form islands by pushing land upward until new ground appears, and grows.

creative writing: If I were to chose whether to go to North Island or South Island in New Zealand, I would rather go to North island. North Island has long, beautiful beaches, fair weather and enormous, ancient rain forests. This island also has volcanic hot springs and active volcanoes, both of which are cool tourist attractions.

One of the many natural hot springs on North Island.



A river flowing through the forests on North Island.



One North Island's amazing hidden beaches.




Rain in Australia's Outback.



Section 2
1. The amount of rainfall in Australia, Oceania, and New Zealand affects the climates and vegetation in theses areas: Australia's interior has a very short supply of rain, and its climate is hot and dry, with little plant life; Australia's coastal regions, however, receive much more rain than does its interior - up to 80 inches in some places - and its climate is much cooler and arable; Oceania receives lots of rain and therefore, its climate is hot, tropical, and lush; New Zealand receives different amounts of rainfall across its many islands - North Island receives 20 to 60 inches of rain, while South Island gets 315 inches of rain annually.

2. Oceania has a tropical rain forest climate because of its bountiful rainfall, and hot temperatures. This is due to its placement between the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer.

creative writing: If I were a travel writer who has been assigned to write a tourist brochure for a destination in Australia, Oceania, or New Zealand, and had to write a paragraph about the climate and vegetation of one destination in the region, then I would write to potential tourists:

   "Sydney: a beautiful city, with many sights, sounds, and . . . storms? Yes, that's right- Sydney, the best-known city in Australia, is victim to as many as 10 hail storms and up to 50 inches of rain each year. In fact, for almost half of the year, the only weather is rain and clouds. But all of this water is just a relief from the hot summer months - from December to February -  when the rain never falls. This fluctuation in weather patterns creates a hot, tropical rain forest climate, with water-dependent plants trees and shrubs."


Bird's-eye-view of Sydney.



Chapter 31

Section 1
1. It is one of the region's largest export product, and it grows well in the fertile soil and large amounts of rainfall in Southeast Asia.



Farmers picking rice in Myanmar

2. Many countries in Southeast Asia are industrializing at different rates because of their differences in economies, industries, populations and governing ideals.

creative writing: Lack of political stability, communication development, abundances of natural resources and changes in business policies change the economic growth rates between countries of Southeast Asia. Political and economic developments in one country can effect another in Southeast Asia because of their interdependence (a rising economy in one country can beneficially influence another, but a failing economy can negatively influence another).


Section 2


Mount Pinatubo erupting in 1991

1. Volcanoes, floods and typhoons in Southeast Asia are dangerous because of their sheer power, their ability to ruin thousands of square miles of crops and kill hundreds of people. volcanic eruptions occur rarely, but they bring destruction to land and water for thousands of miles around. floods ruin crops and contaminate drinking water, and typhoons, with their strong winds and heavy rains can cause flash floods and can cause severe property damage.

2. The larger use of factories, cars and electricity mean more air and water pollution in expanding and urbanizing countries such as Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia. Off-shore oil and gas exploration resulted in the loss of 50% of Thailand's mangrove forests.

creative writing: The people of Southeast Asia face many challenges with both natural and man-made environmental issues.  I believe that the man-made environmental issues are more demanding at the present time. I think this is because of our lack of awareness of just how much our actions towards the environment can affect mother nature's response. Many of the super-storms and climate changes that we are facing today are a result of global warming. If we can address the pollution issues, then perhaps the damage can be reversed and the challenges thrown at us by nature will lessen and we can focus on how to be more prepared to face them.

Chapter 29

Map of Southeast Asia



Section 1
1. Islands, peninsulas and mountain ranges make up the physical geography of Southeast Asia.

2. Rich natural resources like natural gas, gems and agricultural products are sold as exports and affect Southeast Asia's economy in a positive way.


market on the Mekong River
(merchants and farmers meet in their boats)

 creative writing: The people in Southeast Asia depend on their waterways. one reason is for trade. fishers catch their meals on the waters, and also sell surplus to passersby. farmers travel up and down the rivers to deliver produce, and merchants sell their products in trade boats. cargo ships can also sail up the larger rivers to ship imports and exports into and out of Southeast Asian countries.

Section 2
1. The monsoon winds and dry seasons influence the region's weather patterns.



Average climate of Southeast Asia



2. The region's main climate types are tropical wet and tropical dry, along with smaller areas of highland and humid subtropical climates.

creative writing: Singapore, and island country in Southeast Asia, was once covered in lush tropical rainforest. But as the city (and the country) grew, so did the need for space, and the city of Singapore became a sprawling Urban monster.  I am completely agianst this kind of careless development, especially in areas where there are species found no where else on Earth. these are my reasons why: Many native species became endangered and even extinct because of the mass development. Although many new plants have been brought into the city, hardly any of them are native - most are from the Americas. the city and country still encroach on the rain forests there, and more and more natural habitat is disappearing.
  

Chapter 28

Section 1

1. East Asian countries have usually communist or democratic governments and have market economies controlled by private businesses.



China's grain production



2. Agriculture, trade, and industries have a large impact on East Asia's economy.

creative writing: Despite China’s record of human rights violations, the United States granted it full trading privileges and the country has also been admitted to the World Trade Organization. In my opinion, the US and the WTO made the wrong decision.

I think that it was the wrong decision to admit China into the WTO and to grant it full trade rights because the Chinese government would just see it as an opportunity to increase cheap labor and decrease labor laws. if the US and the WTO hadn't granted full trade rights and admission, then perhaps China would have changed its laws and treatment of dissidents to prove itself worthy of being a major trading partner of the world.

Air pollution in an East Asian city

 Section 2

1. Industrialization and urbanization in Eastern Asia causes extreme pollution in the air (coal and dust pollution causes thick smog in China's cities), acid rain, deforestation, industrial waste, landfills, water pollution, and desertification.

2. East Asia normally faces floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions because of its location on the western side of the Ring of Fire. East Asia also suffers from typhoons, hurricane-like storms.

creative writing: East Asian countries are taking steps to solve their environmental problems. Japan, since the 1970's, has curbed its industrial pollution,  and reduced its chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) emissions. other countries such as China and Taiwan are damming rivers and building levees and dikes to reduce flooding damage during typhoon season. These countries are also using the dams to produce hydroelectric power to supply electricity to their immense populations.

Chapter 27

Map of East Asia

Section 1
1. Most of East Asia's ideas and traditions originate from China.

2. Most people in China speak the Mandarin dialect of the Han Chinese language.

creative writing: Before the 1900's, the only educated people in China were the wealthy. They learned to read, and to write. when the communist government took control of china, they pushed the need of literacy, and built schools, to make it accessible to all children. but during the "Great Leap Forward," schools were closed and so were factories: children who were put out of school were also put out of jobs, along with their parents. When Mao Zedong passed away, the government once again maintained the importance of education, and the literacy rate in China is still on the rise today.



Map of Japan



Section 2
1. Japan's dense population is distributed with an average of 875 people per square mile (338 per square kilometer). Approximately 78% of Japan's population lives in coastal urban areas, and very little people living in the mountain regions.

2. In the early to mid- 1900's  - during WWII - the Japanese military invaded much of East Asia and Oceania, creating a modern empire. But this empire came to an end in the late 1940's when the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Japanese military surrendered.

creative writing: Although Japan’s population is ethnically homogeneous, its culture has been influenced by many other cultures. Their language, for example, is believed to be distantly related to the Korean and Mongolian languages. secondly, Japan's religion is a blend of practices and faiths from all over the world: there are Shintos, Christians, Buddhists, and many more.

Map of both North and South Korea



Section 3
1. In reaction to contact with the West, and the Western "gunboat diplomacy," Korea became an isolated country, keeping its people in, and foreigners out. This earned it the nickname, "Hermit Kingdom."

2. The Korean way of life is mainly based on Confucianism.

creative writing: Korea was separated into North Korea and South Korea after the second World War. Although North and South Korea are predominantly ethnically homogeneous, a cultural divergence has taken place between the two countries. This growing apart of their cultures is caused by their radically different economical and political systems. the result of this is a difference in culture, education, food distribution, use of resources, trade, and virtues.