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.