World Knowledge Series - Oceania

Author: Yu Guohong, Changzhi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-04-01
Features: The World Knowledge Series is a popular reading material introducing the general of countries around the world, divided into six volumes: Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa, and Oceania. It consists of three main parts: text, maps, and images. The text part primarily introduces the natural geography, area, population, ethnic groups, history, politics, national flags and emblems, economy, and people's lives of each country, as well as folk customs, important cities, and scenic spots. The content is rich and concise; the maps include topographic maps, administrative division maps, major country maps, and city maps, which are concise and exquisite. They present the geographical, administrative, and other general of continents and countries, as well as famous cities and places in a more intuitive form; the image part selects representative photographs of people, landscapes, customs, and architecture from each continent, as well as national flags and emblems of various countries. The China Map Publishing House · Map Development Center is a department of the China Map Publishing House specializing in the compilation and publication of reference maps. Its business scope includes compiling and publishing the following maps: · Large and medium-sized thematic map collections. · Practical reference maps of China and its provinces and regions. · Practical reference maps of the world and its countries. · Various transportation and tourism maps. · Various foreign-language maps.
Oceania:
Location: Located in the vast maritime area of the equatorial and subequatorial regions in the southwest and south of the Pacific Ocean. Its narrow definition refers to the three major island groups in the east: Polynesia, the center: Micronesia, and the west: Melanesia. Its broad definition includes Australia, New Zealand, and New Guinea Island (Irian Jaya) in addition to the above three major island groups.
Area: The total land area of Oceania is about 8.97 million square kilometers, accounting for approximately 6% of the total land area of the Earth, making it the smallest continent in the world.
Geographical Regions: Oceania has 14 independent countries, while the remaining ten or so regions are still under the jurisdiction of countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. Geographically, it is divided into six regions: Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.
Coastline: The continental coastline is about 19,000 kilometers long. Except for a few mountains with altitudes exceeding 2,000 meters, the general altitude is below 600 meters, with low and gentle terrain. It is generally divided into two parts: the western plateau of the Australian continent, with an altitude of 2,000 meters, mostly desert and semi-desert, with some mountains over 1,000 meters in altitude; the central plain, with an altitude of less than 200 meters, with the surface of Lake Eyre below sea level by 16 meters, being the lowest point in Oceania; the eastern mountains, with an altitude of 800 meters, with the eastern slope steeper and the western slope gentler. New Guinea Island, the North Island and South Island of New Zealand are continental islands, with narrow plains and many high mountains over 2,000 meters in altitude. Mount Carstensz on New Guinea Island, with an altitude of 5,029 meters, is the highest point in Oceania. The islands of Melanesia are mostly continental-type, extending from the continental marginal arcuate mountains, with deep basins and deep trenches between the island arcs. Most of the islands in Polynesia and Micronesia are coral reef-type, with small areas and flat terrain, and many islands have lagoons surrounded by coral reefs, forming natural harbors and water aerodromes. In addition, there are a small number of volcanic-type islands formed by underwater volcanic eruptions, such as the Hawaiian Islands, the Palau Islands, the Solomon Islands, and the New Hebrides Islands, with mountainous terrain, dangerous terrain, and many natural sheltered harbors. The external drainage area accounts for about 48% of the total area, with the Murray River being the longest and having the largest drainage basin among the external drainage areas. The internal drainage area (including areas without drainage) accounts for about 52% of the total area, all distributed in the central and western parts of Australia, with most internal rivers flowing into Lake Eyre. The rivers of Oceania are relatively scarce compared to other continents, short and with little water, often overflowing in the rainy season and sometimes drying up in the dry season, mostly unfavorable for navigation, but almost all rivers remain unfrozen all year round. Oceania has fewer lakes, with Lake Eyre in Australia being the largest, covering an area of about 8,200 square kilometers and varying with precipitation; Lake Te Anau in the southwest of New Zealand's South Island is the deepest, reaching 276 meters. The Australian continent has many tectonic lakes. In New Zealand, in addition to tectonic lakes, there are also dam lakes formed by lava blocking rivers. On the Hawaiian Islands, there are volcanic lakes. In addition, many islands have lagoons formed by coral reefs. The lagoon on New Georgia Island is one of the largest lagoons in the world, and the Komodo Lagoon in the Palau Islands is also very famous.
Volcanoes: The eastern and northern coastal islands of Australia are part of the western Pacific volcanic belt. There are more than 60 active volcanoes on Oceania's land, with more than 30 in Melanesia. The Mauna Loa volcano on the Hawaiian Islands, with an altitude of 4,170 meters, is the highest active volcano in Oceania.
Climate: Most of Oceania is located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, with most of the region belonging to the tropical and subtropical zones. Except for the inland areas of Australia, which have a continental climate, the rest of the region has a maritime climate. The average annual temperature in most regions is between 25.8°C. The average temperature of the coolest month is from 16°C in the north of the Hawaiian Islands to the equator, increasing to 25°C; in the southern hemisphere, from about 50° south latitude to the equator, increasing from 6°C to 25°C; the South Island of New Zealand and the southeastern mountains of Australia can reach below 0°C. The average temperature of the warmest month is from the north of the Hawaiian Islands to the vicinity of the Mariana Islands, increasing from 24°C to over 28°C; in the southern hemisphere, from about 50° south latitude to the northwest of Australia, increasing from 12°C to 32°C. The extreme highest temperature in Queensland, Australia, reaches 53°C, making it the hottest place in Oceania. The average annual precipitation in the desert areas of the central and western parts of Australia is less than 250 millimeters, making it the region with the least precipitation in Oceania. The average annual precipitation in the northeastern part of Kauai Island, Hawaii, is as high as 12,000 plus millimeters, making it one of the areas with the most precipitation in the world. The northern part of New Guinea Island and the northern part of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia belong to the tropical precipitation zone with abundant rainfall all year round, with the average annual precipitation on the windward slopes exceeding 2,000 millimeters. The northern part of Melanesia, the northern part of New Guinea Island, and the southern part of the Marshall Islands have an average annual precipitation of up to 3,000,000 millimeters, while the leeward slopes have only about 1,000 millimeters. The northern part of Australia and the southeastern coastal areas of New Guinea Island belong to the warm-season rainfall zone, with an average annual precipitation of 750,000 millimeters, with about 50% of the annual precipitation falling in the warm season. The southeastern part of Australia and New Zealand belong to the temperate precipitation zone with relatively uniform monthly precipitation, but slightly more in winter, with an average annual precipitation of over 500,000 millimeters, with some areas reaching over 5,000 millimeters. The southwestern and coastal areas of the southwest belong to the Mediterranean winter precipitation zone, with winter precipitation accounting for 40-60% of the annual precipitation.