OCEANIA

Oceania,the planet's smallest continent with 14 countries.Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, as well as the thousands of coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific Ocean, including the Melanesia and Polynesia groups.

Oceania contains a wide variety of landforms, with most of the significant ones located in the countries of Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

AustraliaPalauFiji Papua New GuineaKiribati SamoaMarshall Islands Solomon IslandMicronesia TongaNauruTuvaluNew Zealand Vanuatu

Africa ( 54 ), Europe (49), Asia (44 ), North America (23), Oceania (14), South America (12), Antartica (12) Continents with Number of countriesNamesake:The name "Oceania" (Ocanie) was coined in 1812 by geographer Conrad Malte-Brun.

It is from a French word derived from the Greek word (keans), or ocean.

Hawaiiis politically a part ofNorth America,but geographically not part of any continent.

Population:35,670,000, 6th most populouscontinent.Population Density:4.2; without Australia's mainland, 16.1

Largest Countries (by size)Australia(7,686,850 sq km),Papua New Guinea(468,840),New Zealand(268,680 sq km)

Largest Countries (by pop.):Australia(22,028,000),Papua New Guinea(5,172,033),New Zealand(4,108,037)

Smallest Countries (by size):Nauru(21 sq km),Tuvalu(26 sq km),Marshall Islands(73,600 sq km)

Smallest Countries (by Population) : Tuvalu(11,046),Nauru(12,329),Palau(19,409)Facts

Oceania is traditionally divided into three parts: Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.

AustraliaName:Australia(long form)Commonwealth of Australia

Name:From the Latinaustralis, meaning "southern"

Capital City:Canberra (367,752 pop.)

Australia Population:23,480,939 (2014 est.)

Currency: Australian Dollar (AUD)

Land Divisions:Australia has 6 states and 2 territories** They are: Australian Capital Territory**, New South Wales, Northern Territory**, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia

Largest Cities:(by population) Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Canberra, Wollongong, Logan City

Geographic Center:About 228.37 miles (367.52 km) east of Ayers Rock.

40% of the country's landmass covered by desert and sand dunes, the climate is very dry (and very hot) in those areas.Location Australia is one of the largest countries in the world, but it is also the smallest continent.

Located south of Asia, Australia lies between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

Off the southeastern coast is the island ofTasmania, and along the northeastern coast is the worlds largest coral reef, theGreat Barrier Reef.

Australia is a vast land so weather conditions vary widely and with over40% of the country's landmass covered by desert and sand dunes.

Most of the interior of the country is a vast, dry area where few people live. It is known as the Outback, or bush. The Outback spans the different geographic regions of the country. The western half of the continent is a plateau with several deserts, including the Great Victoria Desert and the Great Sandy Desert.

East of the plateau is a lowland area that rises to the Great Dividing Range, a range of mountains on the east coast.

In the southeast are the Australian Alps and Mount Kosciusko, Australias tallest mountain, stands 7,310 feet (2,228 meters) high.DarlingandMurrayrivers also run through the southeast, Darling River is the longest river inAustralia.

The Australian flag consists of three elements:

the Union Jackthe Commonwealth Star andthe Southern Cross.

In the upper left corner the Union Jack represents Australia's association with Great Britain.

Directly below the Union Jack is the white Commonwealth, or Federation star.

Six of the stars represent the unity of the states.

The seventh point, added to stars in 1909, denotes territories of the Commonwealth of Australia.Australia FlagAnimal:Kangaroo, Koala (unofficial)

Bird:Emu

National Anthem:"Advance Australia Fair

Tree:Golden Wattle (evergreen, spreading shrub or small tree)

Australia is extremely dry, with about 35 percent of the country receiving very little rain (if any). Almost 20 percent of available land is some form of desert.

AYERS ROCK (Uluru)Considered the largest solitary rock on the planet, itsred sandstone surfacesmoothed by high winds over time is revered as a holy place and calledUluruby the aboriginal peoples. It's 1,143 ft. (348 m) high.

CAPE YORK PENINSULADescribed as the world's "last wilderness," and as one of the "wildest unexplored wilderness area on the planet,.

DARLING/MURRAY RIVER SYSTEMThe Darling River, 1,160 miles (1,879 km) in length.DARLING RANGEThis low mountain range runs through far southwestern Australia. Its highest point is Mt. Cooke at 1,910 Ft. (580 m).

FRASER ISLANDLocated along Australia's Coral Sea coastline, to the north of Brisbane (and not shown on this map), Fraser Island is Australia's fourth largest island (after Tasmania, Melville Island and Kangaroo Island), and the largest sand island in the world is 120 km long and about 15 km wide. AUSTRALIA LANDFORMSGIBSON DESERT: Covered by small sand dunes and a few rocky hills, this 120,000 sq. mile desert is home to numerous Aboriginal reserves.

GREAT ARTESIAN BASIN: Also know as "Channel Country," it's one of the largest artesian groundwater basins in the world and a vital source of water for Australian agriculture.

GREAT DIVIDING RANGE: Running along the eastern/ southeastern edge of the country and extending on into Tasmania, these mountains and its varied ranges separate the dry Australian interior from the coastal areas. The highest point is Mt. Kosciusko in the Australian Alps at 7,310 ft. (2,228 m) high. The Blue Mountains World Heritage Area in New South Wales, about two hour's drive from Sydney.

GREAT SANDY DESERT :At 150,000 sq. miles in size this arid expanse of Western Australia, south of the Kimberley Plateau, features scattered scrub vegetation and rocks.

GREAT VICTORIA DESERT : Famous for its red sand dunes, indigenous wildlife and isolation, the Victoria Desert (250,000 sq. miles in size) extends for about 450 miles (750 km), and is mainly a barren area of red sand hills and ridges, dry salt lakes, with very little grassland.

GREAT BARRIER REEF: This spectacular coral reef, about 1,250 miles (2,000 km) in length contains the world's largest deposit of coral. It's not one continuous reef, but rather an irregular jigsaw puzzle of over 2,800 individual coral reefs and assorted coral cays. Famed worldwide for its beauty and wildlife (over 1,500 species of fish alone), it became Australia's first World Heritage Area in 1981.

HAMERSLEY RANGE:Homeland of many Aboriginal peoples. This national park is famed for its red rock gorges and waterfalls.

KIMBERLEY PLATEAU The Kimberley, much of it still unexplored, is famous for the very strong ocean tide that flows in (twice daily), causing dangerous river rapids and whirlpools. Dozens of islands and coral reefs dot the rugged coastline, and access to this area of Australia is most difficult, as roads are few.

LAKE EYRE BASINMACDONNELL RANGEMade famous by Ayers Rock and a favorite of campers and rock climbers, this series of rolling hills, mountain ridges and valleys is popular because of consistently good weather and beautiful scenery. The highest point is Mt. Ziel at 5,023 ft. (1,5312 m).

NULLARBOR PLAIN: Along the southern coastline on the Great Australian Bight, (Bight:a bend or curve in the shoreline) the local terrain is unparalleled. Enormous stretches of pure white sand are found in the Bilbunya Dunes and the Baxter Cliffs along the Bight are absolutely stunning.

SHARK BAY ;Shark Bay is one of only 14 places on the planet natural for World Heritage listings. The bay has the largest area of seagrass species in one place, and supports a rich aquatic life of dolphins, dugongs, sea snakes, turtles, whales, and of course sharks.

SIMPSON DESERT: At 56,000 sq. miles in size this desert of sand drifts and wind-blown sand dunes receives very little rain and summer heat can be brutal. High temperatures in the desert often exceed 120 F, and even though humans are advised to be cautious here in summer, the desert itself is far from lifeless. Tourists are commonplace in winter and many visit the strikingly beautiful landscapes of the Queensland Simpson Desert National Park.

TANAMI DESERTSimilar to the Great Sandy Desert, it has large areas of red sand plains, scrub vegetation and a few scattered hills. It's mostly uninhabited with some isolated mining and livestock raising.

Uluru/Ayers Rock : is one of Australia's most famous landmarks and world heritage UNESCO site.

Uluru/Ayers Rock is one of the best-known features of the Australian landscape.

Parts of the rock and the land around it are sacred to the Aborigines of the area.play the file

Australia: sea stacks

The unusual rock formations off the coast of Victoria, Australia, are called sea stacks.

They were formed over thousands of years by the water washing away at the stone. The process continues, and in 2005 one of the rocks collapsed into the waterUluru/Ayers Rock is composed of a type of coarse-grained sandstone known as arkose.

The rock appears in different shades of pinks, reds, oranges, and browns depending on the position of the sun

Wave Rock in Australia is a formation of granite, an igneous rock.

The colored bands are not layers but stains.

Wave Rockis a natural rock formation that is shaped like a tall breakingocean wave. The "wave" is about 14m (46ft) high and around 110m (360ft) long.

It forms the north side of a solitary hill, which is known as "Hyden Rock.Wave Rock

Bungle Bungle Range

Eroded sandstone landform formations of the Bungle Bungle Range rise behind a dry creek bed, in Western Australia's Purnululu National Park.

Beehive -shaped towers are made up of sandstones andconglomerates.

Aboriginal people have been living in the area and traditional inhabitantsof the area are theKitjapeoples.It is believed that this feature is the eroded remnant of a very ancientmeteoriteimpact craterand is known as thePiccaninny impact structure.

The Sydney Opera House was built on Bennelong Point.Sydney Opera House

The Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of northeastern Australia, is one of the natural wonders of the world.

Extensive array ofcoralreefs, shoals, and islets, theGreat Barrier Reeflies in the Pacific Ocean off the Queensland coast.

It extends for more than 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers) and covers an area of some 135,000 square miles (350,000 square kilometers).

The reef has formed over millions of yearsand is still formingfrom the skeletons of undersea organisms cemented together by algae and bryozoans, or moss animals.Great Barrier Reef :was designed by Danish architect Jrn Utzonopened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1973presented, as its first performance, the Australian Opera's production of War and Peacecost $AU 102,000,000 to buildconducts 3000 events each yearprovides guided tours to 200,000 people each yearhas an annual audience of 2 million for its performancesincludes 1000 roomsNew ZealandName:New Zealand

From the DutchNieuw Zeeland, which translates to "new sea land" and was a reference to the Dutch province of Zeeland

Capital City:Wellington (395,600 pop.)

New Zealand Population:4,451,017 (2012 est.)

Currency : New Zealand Dollar (NZD or NZ$)

Language:English 91.2% (official), Maori 3.9% (official), Samoan 2.1%, French 1.3%, Hindi 1.1%, Yue 1.1%, Northern Chinese 1%, other 12.9%, New Zealand Sign Language (official)

Religion:Anglican 13.8%, Roman Catholic 12.6%, Presbyterian, Congregational, and Reformed 10%, Christian (no denomination specified) 4.6%, Methodist 3%, Pentecostal 2%, Baptist 1.4%, other Christian 3.8%, Maori Christian 1.6%, Hindu 1.6%, Buddhist 1.3%, other religions 2.2%, none 32.2%, other or unidentified 9.9%.

New Zealand Flag:The New Zealand Flag was officially adopted on June 12, 1902.

The flag's blue background represents the Pacific Ocean.

The Union Jack in the upper left hand corner is the recognition that New Zealand was once a British colony.

Stars of the Southern Cross emphasize its location in the South Pacific.

Bird:KiwiFlower:Silver Fern

National Anthems:"God Defend New Zealand "Aotearoa"(MaoriVersion)"God Save The Queen"New Zealand is a country made up of islands in the South Pacific Ocean.

The Maoripeople lived on the islands for hundreds of years before Europeans arrived in the 1600s.

New Zealand lies about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) southeast of Australia. It is the farthest south of all the countries in the region calledOceania.

New Zealands two main islands are called the North Island and the South Island (separated by the Cook Strait).

On the South Island the Southern Alps contain the countrys highest peak, Mount Cook (Aoraki).

New Zealands longest river, the Waikato, is on the North Island.

MANAWATU East and west of the mountain backbone, the rolling lowlands of the Manawatu region support prosperous dairy and sheep farms. The sand dunes of the Manawatu coast are planted with pine forests to hold the shifting sand..

New Zealand: Maori village

A Maori village in Rotorua, New Zealand, includes buildings with complex wood carvings.

Maori artists are famous for their fine, traditional carvings

The kiwi is a flightless bird that is the national symbol of New Zealand.

KiribatiOfficial Name : Republic of Kiribati

Population :103,100

Capital City : South Tarawa

Languages I-Kiribati (Gilbertese), English (official)

Official Currency Australian Dollar

Religions :Catholic, Protestant, others

Land Area 849 sq km (328 sq miles)

Exports: copra 62%, coconuts, seaweed, fishThese low-lying coral atolls, (33 in all) are the protruding tips of undersea volcanoes, and extend only a few feet above sea level.The Republic of Kiribati consists of 33 islands in the central Pacific Ocean and part of Oceania continent. Kiribati gained independence from Britain in 1979.

Most of the islands are low atolls, or coral reefs surrounding a lagoon. The capital isBairiki, on Tarawa Atoll.

Kiribati includes three island groupsthe Gilbert Islands, the Phoenix Islands, and most of the Line Islandsand Banaba Island.

The islands are spread over about 2 million square miles (5 million square kilometers). Kiribati extends about 1,300 miles (2,100 kilometers) from Teraina Island to Flint Island, and about 2,250 miles (3,600 kilometers) from Kiritimati Island to Banaba

Kiritimati (Christmas Island), in the Line Islands, is the worlds largest coral atoll. It makes up nearly half of the countrys land area. The islands are spread over about 2 million square miles (5 million square kilometers).

Almost all the people of Kiribati are Micronesians, & mostly everyone is Christian.

Most people speak Gilbertese, but English is common on Tarawa Atoll. Most of the population lives in the Gilbert Islands, on Tarawa. most of Kiribati the people live in huts in traditional villages.

Tarawa AtollSeaweed: farmingMen farm seaweed in the shallow waters off the coast of Tabiteuea, Kiribati.

Fiji

Name:Fiji (Republic of Fiji)

Name: "Fiji" is derived from the name of the main island Viti Levu

Capital City:Suva (88,271 pop.)(175,399 metro)

Fiji Population:849,000 (2010 est.)

Currency:Fiji Dollar

Ethnicity: Fijian 57.3% (predominantly Melanesian with a Polynesian admixture), Indian 37.6%, Rotuman 1.2%, other 3.9% (European, other Pacific Islanders, Chinese) Language: English (official), Fijian (official), HindustaniLargest Cities: (by population) Suva, Lautoka, Nadi, Lambasa, BaReligion: Christian 64.5% (Methodist 34.6%, Roman Catholic 9.1%, Assembly of God 5.7%, Seventh Day Adventist 3.9%, Anglican 0.8%, other 10.4%), Hindu 27.9%, Muslim 6.3%, Sikh 0.3%, other or unspecified 0.3%, none 0.7%)

The Union Jack (upper left), is representative of the country's long association with Great Britain.

The flag's blue field is symbolic of the surrounding Pacific Ocean.

The coat of arms display a golden British lion holding a cocoa pod.

Panels displaying a palm tree, sugar cane, bananas and dove of peace.Land Divisions:There are 4 divisions and 1 dependency* in Fiji. They are Central, Eastern, Northern, Rotuma*, and Western.Located in theSouth Pacific Ocean, some 1,300 miles (2,000 km) northeast ofNew Zealand'sNorth Island.

The island nation of Fiji is comprised of more than 332 islands, of which 110 are inhabited, and an additional 500 islets.

The two largest islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, and between the two of them make up 87% of Fiji's total landmass.

These mountainous islands were formed around 150 million years ago through volcanic activity, and are subsequently covered in thick tropical forests. Most of Fiji's mountains are dormant or extinct volcanoes.

Mount Tomanivi, located on the main island of Viti Levu, is the highest point at 4,341 feet (1,324 m), and the lowest point is thePacific Ocean(0 m).

VanuatuOfficial Name : Republic of Vanuatu

Population : 208,869

Capital City : Port-Vila (39,300)

Languages : English, French, Bislama, (a Melanesian Pidgin), and numerous local dialects

Official Currency : Vatu

Religions : Presbyterian, Anglican, others

Land Area :12,190 sq km (4,707 sq mil.)

Highest Point Mount Tabwemanasana stands at 6,165 ft. (1,879 m) Vanuatu is an archipelago of 83 islands lying between New Caledonia and Fiji in the South Pacific. 60 islets that form a Y-shaped chain in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.

Largest of the islands is Espiritu Santo (875 sq mi; 2,266 sq km); others are Efate, Malekula, Malo, Pentecost, and Tanna.

FACTSANTARTICA

Antarctica(ntrktk, rtk):, the fifth largest continent, c.5,500,000 sq mi (14,245,000 sq km), asymmetrically centered on the South Pole and almost entirely within the Antarctic Circle.(varies due to changing ice shelves)

Percent of Earth's Land: 8.9%

Status : Antarctica, almost 98% solid ice, was finally considered a continent in 1840, and not just a group of isolated islands.

Capital City none

Climate : Antarctica is the coldest and windiest spot on the planet. In fact, the lowest temperature ever recorded on Earth was recorded in Antarctica (-129.3F) and the mean winter temperatures range from -40 to -94F. Winds are commonly measured at up to 200 miles per hour.

Facts:Highest PointVinson Massif at 16,066 ft. (4,897 m)

Lowest PointBentley Subglacial Trench, -2,555 m)

Official LanguagenoneOfficial CurrencynoneThe icy continent surrounding the South Pole is called Antarctica. Its name means opposite to theArctic, referring to the region around the North Pole.

Antarctica is the fifth in size among thecontinents, larger than Europe and Australia.

It is essentially circular except for the Antarctic Peninsula and two indentations created by the Ross Sea and the Weddell Sea.

The Ross Sea is a southern extension of the Pacific Ocean, and the Weddell Sea is part of the Atlantic Ocean.

At its thickest point the ice sheet is 15,670 feet (4,776 meters) deepalmost 3 miles (5 kilometers). It averages 7,000 to 8,000 feet (2,100 to 2,400 meters) thick, making Antarctica the continent with the highest mean elevation.

This ice sheet contains 90 percent of the worlds ice and 70 percent of the worlds fresh water.

Lake Vostok, beneath the Russian Vostok research station in Eastern Antarctica..The Transantarctic Mountains extend for more than 2,000 miles (3,200 kms) across the continent, dividing the ice sheet into two parts.

The larger, eastern partcalled East Antarcticarests on land that is mostly above sea level. The smaller, western part called West Antarcticais on land that is mostly below sea level

Operation Deep Freeze," by USA concentrated on the building of McMurdo Station, a major base of operations, on Ross Island;

The Russians concentrated on East Antarctica, building Mirnyy, a station on the Queen Mary Coast and three bases inland: Komsomolskaya, Vostok (at the South Magnetic Pole), and Sovetskaya.

Antarctica does not have 24-hour periods divided into days and nights. At the South Pole the sun rises on about September 21 and moves in a circular path until it sets on about March 22. This day, or summer, is six months long. From March 22 until September 21 the South Pole is dark, and Antarctica has its night, or winter

The first recorded landing on Antarctica was on Cape Adare in 1895. The first people to spend a winter on the continent did so in a ship that was caught in ice at Cape Adare during the period from March 1898 to March 1899.

EnglishmenRobert F. Scott and Ernest Henry Shackleton led expeditionsto the Antarctic between 1901 and 1913, who pioneered routes into the interior of the continent, and the research they conducted provided a base for present-day scientific programs.

On December 14, 1911,Roald Amundsenof Norway became the first person to reach the South Pole. THANK YOU