Australasia

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/australasia

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How big is Australasia?Around 8.5 million square kilometers (encompassing Australia and New Zealand)
2. What kind of government does Australasia have?Parliamentary democracies and constitutional monarchies
3. What countries are part of Australasia?Australasia mainly includes Australia and New Zealand. It sometimes also covers New Guinea and its nearby islands.
4. Why is Australasia a special place for plants and animals?Its land has been isolated for a very long time, so many plants and animals evolved there and are found nowhere else.

Biogeography: The study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time.
Endemic Species: Species of plants or animals that are native and restricted to a certain place.
Parliamentary Democracy: A system of government where the executive branch derives its legitimacy from and is held accountable to the legislature.
Constitutional Monarchy: A form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution.