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11.11 CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS

Question 11.40

1. As Australia and New Zealand have moved away from their intense cultural and economic involvement with Europe, new policies and attitudes have evolved to facilitate their deeper involvement with Asia. If you were a college student in Australia or New Zealand, how might you experience these changes? Think about fellow students, career choices, language learning, and travel choices.

Question 11.41

2. Discuss the emerging cultural identity of the Pacific islands, taking note of the extent to which Australia and New Zealand share or do not share in this identity. What factors are helping to forge a sense of unity across Polynesia and beyond? (First, review the spatial extent of Polynesia.)

Question 11.42

3. Discuss the many ways in which Asia has historic, and now increasingly economic, ties to Oceania. In your discussion, include patterns of population distribution, mineral exports and imports, technological interactions, and tourism.

Question 11.43

4. To what extent can the countries of Oceania exercise control over their future as the climate changes?

Question 11.44

5. Australia and New Zealand differ from each other physically. Compare and contrast the two countries in relation to water, vegetation, and prehistoric and modern animal populations.

Question 11.45

6. Indigenous peoples worldwide are taking action to safeguard their cultures, rights, and access to land and resources. Discuss how the indigenous peoples of Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific islands are serving as leaders in this movement and what measures they are taking to reconstitute a sense of cultural heritage.

Question 11.46

7. How is tourism both boosting economies and straining environments and societies throughout the Pacific islands? Describe the solutions that are being proposed to reduce the negative impacts of tourism.

Question 11.47

8. Compare how women do and don’t have political and economic power in Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and the Pacific islands.

Question 11.48

9. Compared with other regions, Australia and New Zealand are somewhat unusual in having become broadly prosperous on the basis of raw materials exports. How would you explain this achievement?