In a recent article about Australian Prime Minister John Howard's defeat and end of his tenure as Prime Minister, the New York Times says that Howard is, "one of President Bush’s staunchest allies in Asia." Asia? Australia is definitely not in Asia. Some people consider Australia its own continent but I prefer a regional grouping of countries with Australia part of Oceania. No one ever says Australia is part of Asia! Maybe the Times meant to group Australia with Asia due to the Indo-Australian Plate which includes both Asia and Australia? What are your thoughts?
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These days, Australia is often said to be in the “Asia-Pacific region”
Regards,
Mark
Hi,
I remember during my school years, before Australia was considered as a “continent”, it was considered as part of Asia (South-East Asia to be exact). Our Professor explained that the SEA-Oceania region was re-organized (if you will) due to historical reasons that Australia as it is in this modern world, do not share anything with “Asia”. As we all know, the Australians came from Great Britain.
But these groupings are now a thing of the past. Today, in this “new age” world, groupings are now supra-based or regional-based. We now use “East Asia Community” or “EAC” to refer to Asia-Pacific-Oceania. If we only want to refer to Australia, we use Oceania (we can’t ignore the fact that Guam, Saipan, and especially New Zealand do exists :p ).
I can say thanks to Australia (and New Zealand) for deciding to be closer than ever to Asia-Pacific. Although there are still few who use EAC, it is the way to go. Regardless, we still use Oceania, the easiest, and ASEANs for that matter know what Oceania is (again thanks to a historical grouping that South-East Asian Islands are part of Oceania [so yes, my country, Philippines, was grouped with Oceania before]).
Best Regards,
JC Cuneta
hello all. in the uk. we tend to call aus & n zealand, (australasia). (i have heard this most often). but i have never heard of them mentioned in the same sentence as asia. thank you…..harry……from…n wales…uk.
We have always been taught in school that Australia is a separate continent, not a part of Asia. There is no cultural proximity between both the regions though being neighbours.
I appreciate the previous comments, but I just think Bush is ignorant.
Technically, if Australia is part of Indo-Australia plate, wouldn’t that make it part of India? LOL! I consider Australia to be part of its own continent or Oceania. Simple.
I just think, someone at the Times needs to sign up for Geography 101
Geographically Australia stands alone, but connected gobally by great expanse of sea, sky and ocean. Economically, she lives wth Asia, Europe,Africa, the Americas and the world.. Her British beginings are now very cosmopolitan with a highly diversified people of Asian, African, Middle East.Mediterannean, Easten European , Indian, Chinese plus SE ASIA, pacific islanders and many more countries.
So may be although AUSTRALIAN is enough, we are not alone. However, please dont isolate Australia like what the British did.
Cheers
To say that Austraila has been a stunch ally of the USA in Asia, does not mean that Australia is a part of Asia. This similar to when one says that France is a strong ally of USA on Iran.
Hmmm… while we’re joining up all other places, lets join Iceland and Greenland to Canada – and by extension Scandinavia as well… and by extension Europe too – but while Europe is connected to Asia (by Earth), Asia is also part of the great “United States” – but we’ll have to wipe off those uncomfortable countries like Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the rest of the sort.
Now since these Arab countries are not far from Africa, and since there are (at least some whites) albeit in South Africa and Zimbabwe (just to name a couple), they automatically get annexed to the States – do they have a say? No way Jose!!!
Lets get back to Asia – and since NYT has connected Australia to Asia and Africa and are closest to that southern bit of ice at the bottom there – never know if Bus sould call it the moon or Venus, and the other bit at the north – being connected to Scandinavia (by constant extension), Arctica, Antarctica, Australia, Asia and Europe, moon and Venus are all part of the United States… B-U-T United States of what or where?
That is the question (:
Cheers all
I think New York Times wants to say “allies in war in Asia.” It does not mean that Australia is in Asia.
Hi from New Zealand. Here we consider Australia to be separate from Asia. Please regard us as Oceania or Australasia. We include the Pacific islands (Tonga, Samoa, Fiji etc) We are no part of Asia.
Australia is an island continent in Oceania, within the Asian Pacific region.
John Howard lost this election for domestic rather than foreign reasons.
Australians value our alliance with the USA, which ever party is in power here or there; we just do not want to been seen as its puppet.
It took us a long time to throw off our British colonial status; we want to be ourselves, and so recognised, not for example as “The Americans with the big red rat” (our kangaroo),as some Afghans call us.
Being an “old geography major” (mid-60′s)I am trying to remember my regional geography classes. I do not remember the word “ocean” being in any site definition of Australia. I remember Australia being designated as Australia or The Austral Region. Any place outside of this “region” was designated as Southeast Asia or The Pacific Region. Keep in mind that whatever any place may be called – ie. geographically correct – the most important designation is what the everyday culture calls it. Technically there are no mountains east of the Mississippi River – but try telling that to those living in the Blue Ridge Mountains. See if they care!
The most important thought here is this, “Do you understand what someone is talking about when they talk about a specific place?” If the answer is in the positive, then it does not matter about the technically correct designation. At least not to culture as a whole.
Hi All,
we were taught that Aus was a seperate continent. However, BBC and CNN cover the AUS news under Asian region…
downunder will get it for me.
I consider Australia as a seperate continent, but I’d accept it as a portion of Oceania as well. But Asia?! The nearest Asian country is Singapore, unless you count Indonesia.
I suppose the article could have been that because Australia is the Western nation that is furthest east, it would have more of an effect in Asia than France, but still…
This really goes to show that we do need more maps to educate those people in The Irag and South Africa and the such and like.
heights of ignorance !!
Australia is part of Oceania. Oceania comprises of Micronesia ,Polynesia and Melanesia and Australia !!it mainly comprises the islands of Pacific Ocean and the vicinity !!(and australia is 1 of dem!!)
Come on folks. Everyone knows Australia is the Northern Province of Antarctica.
Thirty years ago, it was appropriate to divvy up the world by physical location. Now, with communications making the world much smaller, location is less relevant.
Maybe someone should re-work Van Thunen’s model.
The bigger question is does the New York Times consider John Howard to be Asian?
Hi all, it’s simply means that’s though Howard is here in Australia as it’s pm still he did much for USA far from his country in Asia. means distand neighbour but close allay. yeah……..
I agree with Harry Bradley. I taught high school geography in South Africa and Namibia for 20 years, and we always referred to Australia as one of the continents (the only one that is both a national state and a continent). As HB says it was usually referred to as a part of Australasia inclusive of Tasmania, New Zealand and parts of the island chains to the north of Australia.
Asia is a continent!!
I reread the article after someone else mentioned that this is not what they meant. They probably meant -concerning Asia – ‘staunchest allies in Asia’
I think that Australia is a continent (which I was taught at (a German) school) or island, but geographically surely NOT a part of Asia. E.g. Japan is also (geographically) not a part of the continent of Asia – economically I consider it Asian.
Besides that I agree with Ilyas Ansari, that NYT wanted to express that Australia helps Bush in the Wars, which are taking place in Asia (like some European countries, that are not Asian, do assist him).
Hey, I would say Australia is part of the Gondwana land, and part of Asia, as there are several town up North of Australia sharing the native name with India, Indonesia etc.. and the people some in remote area look alike with the southern of India. Sometime it’s hard to seperate them. So we cannot ignore it as it is a fact. It’s my view after all.
The comment was made by the New York Times. Did you really expect accurate reporting from this organization?
Matt,
Why not use the IATA definitions? to me, the IATA definitions are usually close to the mark, and work very well for the aviation industry.
Therefore, Australia is an integral part of what is termed the South West Pacific, even though Perth is a long way from the Pacific.
The SW Pacific includes places as east as French Polynesia, Vanuatu, The Solomons, NZ and all of Australia.
In reality, both NZ and Australia are becoming part of Asia economically, and are an integral part of the Asia Pacific Region.
In the late 60′s I attended college and took the Geography of Australia and New Zealand. It was one of the Geography courses for my Secondary Education Certification with teaching fields in History and Geography. Separate and apart from Asia.
I think they need to start teaching geography in school again!
interestingly, while Australia may be considered by some to be part of Asia and others may think it part of Oceania it is a common comment here in Australia that the island is populated by people who are definitely ‘Western’ and more probably European
Australia is in Asia. The US and Canada comprise North America. Welcome to the NewThink of the geographically deprived.
Australia and New Zealand are staunch enemies in every sport. Australia worries most about aggression from Indonesia. We trade enormously with India and China. We fought Japan and still have worries about them. Of course we are of the south east Pacific region but, like it or not, we won’t be Asian until even more of our population is of Asian origin…but we’re working on that.
Doh! That was a Faux Pas
I review movies for the NY Times, so be nice. My favorite movie about Australia is “The Sound of Music”
“As we all know, the Australians came from Great Britain”
What an incredibly ignorant comment. First of all, native Australian’s are the continent’s original inhabitants. They are not from Great Britain. Then there are all of the Australians descended predominantly from Ireland, Italy, Greece and Asia… not to mention more recent migrants who could have come from absolutely anywhere.
“I review movies for the NY Times, so be nice. My favorite movie about Australia is “The Sound of Music””
I don’t understand the comment? Are you accusing Australia of being a Nazi state?