Australia and It's Neighbours

Oceania Investigation

Oceania is a group of countries that includes the Pacific Islands and Australia. Oceania is made up of mostly ocean and spans a vast/ large area.

Places that you could find in Oceania include:

• Australia (the largest island/ country in Oceania)

• Fiji

• Indonesia

• Kiribati

• Marshall Islands

• Micronesia

• Nauru

• New Caledonia

• New Zealand (has the highest mountain in Oceania - Mount Cook (Aoraki). It is 3,754 metres high.

• Palau

• Papua New Guinea

• Samoa

• Solomon Islands

• Tonga

• Tuvalu

• Vanuatu

Facts About Places In Oceania

Facts About Australia

Climate: Rainforests (wet and humid), dry forests (hot with little rain) and deserts (Very little rain and extreme heat, not much vegetation/ plants survive). In the northern parts of Australia it can we very hot. In the southern parts of Australia it can snow and be quite cold. However, Australia rarely has temperatures below freezing.

Housing: In Australia there are different types of houses. Houses are made especially for the climate and weather in the local area. In Queensland where the weather can be hot, you will find Queenslanders. Queenslander houses are often made of wood, and high on stilts. This is too ensure the breeze can freely flow through the house to keep it cool. You will find brick houses too. Brick houses often have airconditioning, fans or heaters to ensure the house can be kept cool or warm.

Location: Australia can be found in the southern hemisphere. It is south of Europe.

Native Animals: Australia has many types of animals that can not be found anywhere else in the world. Such as, kangaroos, koalas, emus, wombats, goannas, brown snakes, echidnas and platypus'.

Population:

• All of Australia's population: 24 600 000 people

• Brisbane: 2 280 000 people

• Sydney: 5 230 000 people

• Melbourne: 4 936 000 people

• Perth: 1 985 000 people

• Adelaide: 1 306 000 people

• Hobart: 206 097 people

• Canberra: 395 790 people

• Redbank Plains: 19 299 people

Religion: Australia's main religion is Christianity.

More information about Australia:

• People wear singlets, shorts and thongs in the warm weather.

• Aboriginal people were the first people to live in Australia.

• Aboriginal people come from many different groups across Australia, and they speak different languages.

• Aboriginal people have many types of traditional tools/ instruments. Such as didgeridoos.

• Our local Aboriginal people come from three different groups. The Yuggera, Jagera and Ugarapul people.

• The Australian colours are green and gold. That is why many Australian sporting uniforms are green and gold.

• The Aboriginal people have many Dreaming stories that they tell their children. Dreaming stories help teach children about the past and how to live life.

• For more information about the local Ipswich Aboriginal people click on this link here: https://sites.google.com/view/smc-year-3/local-aboriginal-history

Facts About Indonesia

Climate: Indonesia is right on the equator. That means it is very hot. It is a hot tropical place with many jungles.

Housing: Most people in Indonesia live in small villages, known as kampungs. Traditional housing in the villages is made out of bamboo or other plant based materials found from the jungles.

Location: Indonesia is made up of 17 000 different islands and is located North of Australia.

Native Animals: Sumatran Tiger, Komodo Dragon, Sumatran Orangutan, Borneo Elephant

Population: 221, 932, 000 people live in Indonesia.

Religion: Islam/Muslim, Christianity, Catholic and Buddhist. Sometimes there are wars between the Muslim people and the Christians.

More information about Indonesia:

• You might have to take a boat to travel to the shops or to school.

• Indonesia has many volcanoes. Indonesia is part of the 'Ring of Fire.' Most of the world's volcanoes can be found in the 'Ring of Fire.' There are over 400 volcanoes in the Indonesian part of the 'Ring of Fire.' 150 of these volcanoes are active.

• In 2004 they had a large Tsunami that killed and hurt many people and tourists. The wave that hit the beach was at least 15 metres high.

• In Indonesia people like to watch bull fights.

• In Indonesia kids play basketball and football.

• Indonesia is officially known as the Republic of Indonesia

• The largest city in Indonesia is Jakarta. Almost 14 million people live there.

• The money in Indonesia is called Rupiah.

• Lots of people are farmers.

More websites about Indonesia:

• http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/countries/indonesia.html

• https://kids.kiddle.co/Indonesia

• https://easyscienceforkids.com/all-about-indonesia/

Facts About Fiji

Climate: Fiji is known for warm tropical weather.

Housing: A traditional type of housing in Fiji is known as a Bure. They are wooden or straw huts.

Location: Fiji is a group of islands located North East of Australia.

Native Animals: Fiji Crested Iguana, and the Gau Iguana.

Click here to see photos of these animals: https://fijipocketguide.com/10-animals-birds-unique-to-fiji/

Population: 844,330 people.

Religion: Mostly Christianity.

More information about Fiji:

• Fiji is officially named the Republic of Fiji

• The main official language of Fiji is Fijian.

• Fiji has 322 islands.

• The capital city of Fiji is called Suva.

• Fiji is famous for beautiful beaches.

• Fiji is a popular place for people to visit for a holiday.

• Rugby is a very popular game in Fiji.

More websites about Fiji:

• http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/countries/fiji.html

• https://kids.kiddle.co/Fiji

• https://www.scienceforkidsclub.com/fiji-facts.html

Facts About New Caledonia

Climate: a warm tropical climate.

Housing: Traditional housing - a round hut of wood and straw pitched against a central pole.

Location: East of Australia

Native Animals: ...

Population: 264 000 people

Religion: Catholic or Christian

More information about New Caledonia:

• In New Caledonia people speak mostly French

• The first people to live at New Caledonia are the Kanak people. Family is very important to the Kanak people.

More websites with facts:

• https://easyscienceforkids.com/all-about-new-caledonia/

• https://kids.kiddle.co/New_Caledonia

New Zealand

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Location: A group of islands south east of Australia.

Native Animals: kiwi bird

Population: 4 748 439 people

Religion: Christian or Catholic

More information about New Zealand:

• New Zealand has 50 volcanoes.

• It is the closest neighbour to Australia.

• Maori people were the first people to live in New Zealand.

• New Zealand is prone to earthquakes.

• Most people speak Maori or English.

• The capital city is Wellington.

• The Maori people named the country, Aotearoa, which means “The Land of the Long White Cloud.”

Other websites about New Zealand:

• https://easyscienceforkids.com/all-about-new-zealand/

• https://www.coolkidfacts.com/new-zealand-facts-for-kids/

Papua New Guinea

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Samoa

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Soloman Islands

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Tonga

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Vanuatu

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