Geography: Realms, Regions and Concepts 15 th Edition By de Blij and Muller Chapter 12: Pacific Realm and Polar Futures
Defining the Realm Sea Hemisphere: seas covering nearly an entire hemisphere Fragmented, culturally complex realm Total land area Roughly equal to US States Texas & New Mexico But 90% of land is Island of New Guinea Outside the realm Indonesia, Philippines, Australia & New Zealand
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
The Pacific Realm and its Marine Geography Marine geography is a field encompassing a variety of approaches to studying the oceans & 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
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 & 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 to base them
The Pacific Realm and its Marine Geography: UNCLOS Intervention Concept Caching: Fishing Industry on Pago Pago, American Samoa United Nations Conference on the Law of the Seas Established a 12-mile territorial sea for all countries & a 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) where coastal states had total economic rights Far-reaching impact on various sized islands of the Pacific
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 & violation of EEZ rights Scramble for ownership & resulting disputes for specks of island territories Continuing process of boundary delimitation
Regional Issue: Who Should Own the Oceans? WE WHO LIVE HERE SHOULD OWN THE WATERS Economies of small islands need exclusive rights over their seas Vast oceans available to all, but island nations are often disadvantaged in comparison Entire Pacific should be divided among the island nations Non-Pacific nations overuse resources of the high seas THE OCEAN SHOULD BE OPEN AND RESTRICTED Territorial seas & other jurisdictions cause more problems than they solve Overlapping EEZs may lead to the charging of vessels for passage through No more extensions of jurisdictions over the ocean should be made Maritime world is complicated enough already
Melanesia Complex ethnic & human mosaic Dominated by New Guinea Papua New Guinea Development limited to the coasts & largely subsistence economy Numerous nation-building obstacles Discovery of oil & other minerals
Solomon Islands Cultural fragmentation & inter-island historic animosities worsened by WWII events New Caledonia Under French rule & with a significant European population Violence between French & Melanesian groups Melanesia
Melanesia Fiji South Asians brought by the British to work on sugar plantations Tensions between South Asians & Melanesians in Fijian politics Suspended from the British Commonwealth for refusal to call democratic elections
Micronesia 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 & coconuts
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 US Bikini Atoll a nuclear testing site for US Micronesia
Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth in political union with the US Billions in aid for foreign policy favorable to US Palau Dependent on US aid & military agreement Also, rewards for recognition of Taiwan s sovereign status Micronesia
Guam US territory with military installations Tourism provides most of its income Nauru Wealth through export of phosphates to Austral realm, but crisis as deposits have run out Micronesia
A vast region of diverse poly, or many, islands Polynesian realm Consistency & uniformity of Polynesian culture Adaptation to maritime environment Forced to accept the harsh realities of seadominated island life Polynesia
Hawaiian Islands US State with superimposed cultural landscape Tonga & Tuvalu Formerly under British colonial rule, now both are independent Polynesia
Politico-geographical fragmentation of Polynesian culture Tourism & development overtakes some islands like Tahiti Americanization of societies like in Samoa Polynesia has lost much of its ancient cultural consistency Polynesia
Partitioning the Antarctic A physiographic realm & frontier Attraction of pioneers & explorers Partitioned into pie shaped sectors Attractive future resources Concept Caching: The Antarctic Peninsula
Partitioning the Antarctic Antarctic Treaty Ensures continued scientific collaboration, prohibits military activities, protects the environment & 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
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 & gas reserves as high as 25% of remaining world total
Geopolitics in the Arctic Basin Disputation and Navigation Global warming Greenland Ice sheet is experiencing significant losses Consequences Ecological habitats Opening up of northern waterways Competition for claims & ownership of waterways vacated by ice