Southeast Asia, Oceana, and Antarctica

Southeast Asia, Oceana, and Antarctica

climate and vegetation

Terms and Names

outback sparsely populated, arid, inland region of Australia

Widespread Tropics 

A tropical wet climate is found on the coasts of Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and Oceania. It is also found in most of Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Temperatures are high.

Widespread Tropics 

Most of Southeast Asia has an average yearly temperature of 80°F. Parts of Southeast Asia receive over 100 inches of rain a year, with some parts receiving more than 200 inches.

Multiple Choice

What climate is typical of the islands and coastal parts of SE Asia?

• desert

• mediterranean

• tropical wet

• tropical dry

Multiple Choice

High islands are made from coral while low islands are formed by volcanos and have fertile soil

• True

• False

Widespread Tropics 

Some places in this climate zone have different conditions. Elevation, ocean breezes, and other factors can create cooler temperatures. In Indonesia some places are so high that they have glaciers.

Widespread Tropics 

Bordering the tropical wet climate zone is the tropical wet and dry climate zone. In this zone, monsoons shape the weather. Monsoons are winds that cause wet and dry seasons. This climate is found in parts of Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It generally occurs to the north or inland of the wet climate zone.

Widespread Tropics 

Temperatures stay hot in this zone. But rainfall varies greatly during the year. Local conditions and landforms can affect the amount of rain and snow. For example, mountains create rain shadows. Monsoons often cause disastrous weather. During the wet season, typhoons can occur in Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Widespread Tropics 

Southeast Asia has an amazing variety of vegetation. For example, there are many kinds of trees. Near the equator, there are tropical evergreen forests. Deciduous forests are more common in the wet and dry climate zone. These deciduous forests contain teak. Teak is a valuable tree that Asians cut down to sell.

Widespread Tropics 

In general, Oceania does not have diverse vegetation. The low islands have poor soil and small amounts of rain. As a result, plants don’t grow well. Some high islands have rich, volcanic soil and plentiful rain.

Bands of Moderate Climate 

Australia lies completely in the Southern Hemisphere. New Zealand is even farther south. Australia and New Zealand have generally moderate climates.

Bands of Moderate Climate 

A mountain chain runs parallel to the east coast of Australia. The narrow strip between the mountains and ocean has mostly two climate zones. The northern half of this strip has a humid subtropical climate. This climate has hot summers, mild winters, and heavy rainfall. It receives an average of 126 inches of rain a year. This climate is also found in northern Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar.

Multiple Choice

What climate zone occurs on the northern half of Australia's east coast?

• Tropical wet and dry

• caterpillar

• desert

• humid subtropical

Bands of Moderate Climate 

New Zealand and the southern part of Australia’s east coast share a marine west coast climate. Ocean breezes warm the land in the winter and cool it in the summer. As a result, temperatures are mild. New Zealand’s forests mostly contain evergreens and tree ferns. Those trees and plants do well in such a climate.

Bands of Moderate Climate 

New Zealand receives rainfall year round. But the amount varies dramatically from one part of the country to the other. For example, the mountains of South Island cause rain to fall on their western slopes. Because of this, the eastern part of the island is dryer. Mountains change the climate in another way. The mountainous inland areas of New Zealand are cooler than the coasts.

Bands of Moderate Climate 

Mountains affect Australia’s climate, too. The Great Dividing Range forces winds carrying moisture to rise. As they rise, they shed their rain before moving inland. For that reason, the marine west coast climate and humid subtropical climates exist only on the east coast. That coast is Australia’s most heavily populated region. The moist coastal areas are also the only parts of Australia where trees grow taller than 300 feet.

Hot and Cold Deserts 

One-third of Australia is desert. The desert area lies in an oval in the center of the continent. This region receives less than 10 inches of rain a year. It is too dry for agriculture or for grazing. Encircling the desert is a band of semiarid climate. This area receives no more than 20 inches of rain a year. Crops can only be grown there by using irrigation.

Hot and Cold Deserts 

Several things cause Australia’s dryness. Because it lies in the tropics and subtropics, Australia is hot. Rain evaporates easily. And the mountains make the rain fall on the coasts instead of on the interior.

Hot and Cold Deserts 

Few people live in the dry interior. Australians call the sparsely populated inland region the outback. The Royal Flying Doctor Service gives medical care to the people who live in the outback.

Multiple Choice

How much of Australia is desert and what do they call it?

• 1/3, boondocks

• 1/3, kangaroo

• 1/3, Queensland

• 1/3, The Outback

Multiple Choice

How can Australia's desert be explained?

• rain-x

• rain-gauge

• rain-dance

• rain-shadow

Hot and Cold Deserts 

Antarctica is the earth’s coldest, driest continent. Its lands are located around the South Pole. It has an ice cap climate. In the winter, the inland temperatures can fall to 70°F below zero or colder. 

Hot and Cold Deserts 

Cold air doesn’t hold moisture well. Because of this, Antarctica’s air has only one-tenth the water vapor found in the air of warmer regions. As a result, Antarctica receives little precipitation. It is often called a polar desert. The snow that does fall rarely melts. So Antarctica has heavy snow and ice cover.

         

Hot and Cold Deserts 

The plants of Antarctica have to survive severe cold and long periods of darkness. Lichens and mosses can grow there.

Multiple Choice

Hurricanes are winds that cause wet and dry seasons in Southeast Asia.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Temperatures in Southeast Asia and Oceania are consistently hot.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Southeast Asia has one of the greatest diversities of wildlife of any region in the world.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The unpopulated inner region of Australia is known as the upland.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Because it receives little precipitation, Antarctica is often called an icecap.

• True

• False