Slide 1 Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts 15 th Edition Chapter 12: Pacific Realm and Polar Futures Slide 2 Slide 3 Defining the Realm Sea Hemisphere: seas cover nearly an entire hemisphere: Fragmented, culturally complex realm Total land area: Roughly equal to Texas and New Mexico But 90% of land is Island of New Guinea Outside the realm: Indonesia, Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand
Slide 4 Colonization and Independence Most have been colonized or annexed. Changing politics: Some have stayed colonies. Some have become independent. Some are somewhere in between. Island nations are rather disadvantaged in a world of large area states. Slide 5 The Pacific Realm and Its Marine Geography Marine geography is a field encompassing a variety of approaches to studying the oceans and seas. Vast Pacific Ocean: Where Pacific waters meet surrounding shores Incorporates several seas: Sea of Japan East China South China Seas Pacific coastal countries compete for jurisdiction over the waters that bound them. Slide 6 The Pacific Realm and Its Marine Geography: The State at Sea Territorial sea: the ocean area where all the rights of a coastal state would prevail: Beyond that lay the high seas as the free and open seas unfettered by national interests. Continental shelves, as the offshore continuation of coastal plains, became a new littoral frontier to establish boundaries. Scramble for the Oceans Precipitated by the claims of jurisdiction over the continental shelf. Political claims were then issued for territorial seas without a significant continental shelf 2012, John to Wiley base and Sons, them. Inc.
Slide 7 The Pacific Realm and Its Marine Geography: UNCLOS Intervention United Nations Conference on the Law of the Seas Established a 12-mile territorial sea for all countries and a 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) where coastal states had total economic rights Far-reaching impact on various-sized islands of the Pacific Concept Caching: Fishing Industry on Pago Pago, American Samoa Slide 8 The Pacific Realm and Its Marine Geography: UNCLOS Intervention Maritime Boundaries Maritime boundary problems: Where territorial waters or EEZs overlapped, median lines were drawn equidistant from opposite shores. Still subject to dispute in fragmented maritime regions. EEZ Implications Expanding sphere of influence and violation of EEZ rights. Scramble for ownership resulted in disputes for specks of island territories. Process of boundary delimitation continues. Slide 9 Regional Issue: Who Should Own the Oceans? WE WHO LIVE HERE SHOULD OWN THE OCEAN SHOULD BE OPEN AND THE WATERS RESTRICTED Economies of small islands Territorial seas and other need exclusive rights over jurisdictions cause more their seas. problems than they solve. Vast oceans available to all, Overlapping EEZs may lead to but island nations are often the charging of vessels for disadvantaged in comparison. passage through. Entire Pacific should be No more extensions of divided among the island jurisdictions over the ocean nations. should be made. Non-Pacific nations overuse Maritime world is complicated resources of the high seas. enough already.
Slide 10 Melanesia Complex ethnic and human mosaic Dominated by New Guinea Papua New Guinea Development limited to the coasts and largely subsistence economy Numerous nation-building obstacles Discovery of oil and other minerals Slide 11 Melanesia Solomon Islands Cultural fragmentation and inter-island historic animosities worsened by WWII events New Caledonia Under French rule and with a significant European population Violence between French and Melanesian groups Slide 12 Fiji South Asians brought by the British to work on sugar plantations Tensions between South Asians and Melanesians in Fijian politics Suspended from the British Commonwealth for refusal to call democratic elections Melanesia
Slide 13 Slide 14 Region of micro islands Some high islands are volcanic Tend to be well-watered with good volcanic soils Larger populations supported by diverse crops More low islands barely reaching above sea level Smaller populations supported by fishing and coconuts Micronesia Slide 15 Kiribati Three main island groups of an average of 2 m (6.5 ft) in elevation Vulnerable to rising seas Marshall Islands Republic in free association with the United States Bikini Atoll: a nuclear testing site for United States Micronesia
Slide 16 Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth in political union with the United States Billions in aid for foreign policy favorable to United States Palau Dependent on U.S. aid and military agreement Also, rewards for recognition of Taiwan s sovereign status Micronesia Slide 17 Guam U.S. territory Military installations and tourism provides most of its income. Nauru Wealth is from phosphate exports to Austral realm, but crisis looms as main deposits have run out. Micronesia Slide 18 A vast region of diverse poly, or many, islands Polynesian realm: Consistency and uniformity of Polynesian culture Adaptation to maritime environment Forced to accept the harsh realities of seadominated island life Polynesia
Slide 19 Hawaiian Islands Fiftieth U.S. state Superimposed cultural landscape Tonga and Tuvalu Formerly under British colonial rule Both now independent Polynesia Slide 20 Polynesia Politico-geographical fragmentation of Polynesian culture: Tourism and development overtakes some islands like Tahiti. Americanization of societies like in Samoa has created new society. Polynesia has lost much of its ancient cultural consistency. Slide 21 Partitioning the Antarctic A physiographic realm and frontier Attraction of pioneers and explorers: Partitioned into pieshaped sectors Attractive future resources Concept Caching: The Antarctic Peninsula
Slide 22 Partitioning the Antarctic Antarctic Treaty Ensures continued scientific collaboration, prohibits military activities, protects the environment, and holds national claims in abeyance No maritime claims for now: Complicated by the ice shelves attached to the coast Concept Caching: Mount Erebus, Ross Island Antarctica Slide 23 Geopolitics in the Arctic Basin Arctic Ocean is ringed by overlapping EEZs: Proof of continental shelves can extend rights further. Pie-shaped partition not appropriate, yet stakes for claims are high: Estimates of Arctic oil and gas reserves as high as 25% of remaining world total. Slide 24 Geopolitics in the Arctic Basin Disputation and Navigation Global warming: Greenland Ice Sheet is experiencing significant losses. Consequences: Ecological habitats Northern waterways open Competition for claims and ownership of waterways vacated by ice