Australia & New Zealand HONORS Review

What is unique about Australia?

• It is made of thousands of islands, coral reefs and volcanoes.

• It is home to the coldest climate on Earth

• It is the only country located in the Southern Hemisphere

• It is an island, a continent, and a country

Why do most Australians live on the coasts?

• The inland region is too mountainous.

• The shoreline is the only volcano-free region.

• The climate of the inland regions is too humid and rains too much.

• The coastal climates are warm and receive plenty of rain.

What do marsupials have in common?

• They are birds that cannot fly.

• They carry their babies in pouches.

• They only eat eucalyptus leaves.

• They are mammals that lay eggs.

Why is the Great Barrier Reef called “the rainforest of the sea”?

• Many thousands of plant and animal species live there.

• Plants are thick and tall as in a rainforest.

• It rains so much over the reef.

• The coral forms a canopy like tall treetops.

What is the Great Barrier Reef or any reef made up of?

• Thousands of rocks that the sea pushed together

• Underwater volcanoes that formed cones above the sea’s surface

• Colonies of small marine corals that produced hard shells over millions of years

• Algae that covers the sea's surface.

How did Australia’s location cause its plants and animals to develop differently than species in other regions of Earth?

• Australia is connected to Asia.

• Australia has been a separate continent for millions of years.

• Australia is located close to the equator.

• Australia is connected to Africa.

What makes Aborigines different from other groups of indigenous people?

• They are the oldest continuous culture in the world.

• They have strong ties to their land.

• They developed their own culture and language.

• They had conflicts with Europeans.

Who were the first large group of Europeans to settle in Australia?

• Portuguese sailors

• British convicts

• Spanish missionaries

• African slaves

How are invasive species introduced to new regions?

• They migrate to new places.

• People bring them from other parts of the world.

• Mutations cause new plants and animals to evolve.

• Ocean currents wash them ashore.

What threatens the corals that make up the reefs?

• Warmer temperatures, pollution, and overfishing

• Too many new animal and plant species

• Invasive species such as sharks

• Overgrowth of coral colonies