THE FEDERATION OF AUSTRALIA, AND THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. Great Vic toria Desert. In what climate belts does Australia lie? How do the seasons in Australia differ from our seasons? Locate the product sections and tell what products are in each belt. Compare these sections and their products with like sections in other grand divi PEARLS monwealth, of Australia. Name and locate each State. Which is the largest? Which the smallest? Which do you think are of the most importance? Why? Locate Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart. sions. What products do you find in Australia which you do not find in other sections? Name and locate the tropical products; the temperate products. Of what does the greater part of the The surface of Australia consists of a plateau bordered by low mountains with nar row coast al plains. The moun ern part. There are no high mountains. in the interior to obstruct the moistureladen winds, so they pass over the land surface, leaving it dry and unfit for cultivation. VICTORIA is the leading State. Melbourne, the capital, is the center of the gold-mining industries. NEW SOUTH WALES is next in importance. The plant and animal life of Australia Mining and grazing are the chief occupations differs from that of other grand divi sions. Many plants grow here which Sheep- and cattleraising are the chief occupations. About one-fourth of all the wool in the world is produced in Australia. Australia is noted for its gold and other mineral wealth. The people of Australia consist of British colonists, who are united in language, laws, and ideas of progress. The Federation of Australia will doubtless become a leading power in the world. The original Australians are fast becoming extinct. Sydney, the capital, has a fine harbor and many manufacturing industries. NOTE.-Ask your teacher for a game in which each pupil asks the route from some of the ports in Australia to other cities of the world. PACIFIC ISLANDS. Locate NEW ZEALAND and tell to whom it belongs. By what sea is it separated from Australia? Name the islands that comprise New Zealand. Describe the surface. Name and locate the capital. Locate Dunedin, an important seaport. In New Zealand there are many high mountains which are the source of numerous glaciers. There are fine geysers in North Island. There is great forest and mineral wealth in these islands. Farming, mining, and grazing are the chief occupations. Locate the SUNDA ISLANDS. Tell what islands comprise this group. Which are the largest islands of this group? To whom do any of them belong? They are of volcanic origin. They produce most of the spices of the world. SUMATRA is rich in minerals, especially in tin. BORNEO is rich in diamonds. JAVA is noted for the production of coffee, sugar, and rice. NEW GUINEA is, next to Greenland, the largest island in the world. Make a list of the islands and island groups of the Pacific, and tell to whom each belongs. Name the bodies of water which separate the islands. Most of the Pacific islands are of volcanic origin, and there are many active volcanoes upon them. Trace routes from America to different Pacific islands. |