Post on 16-May-2015
Political & Physical Features of Australia
Unit 10 Notes
I. Australia’s Political Features
Australia…
Is divided into territories and states:States: Tasmania, Victoria, South
Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland
Territories: Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory
Tasmania
Island off the southeast coast of the mainland
Almost half of Tasmania is unspoiled land that is protected by the government
Tasmanian Devil?
Victoria
State closest to TasmaniaSoutheast part of the mainland
Capital is Melbourne; it’s the most urban state in Australia
The many rivers of the region are a good source of fresh water for farming
South Australia
State in south-central Australia
The Great Victoria Desert is located here…
Western Australia
Largest state; makes up 1/3rd of the mainland
Most of Western Australia is desert (Great Victoria Desert and Great Sandy Desert are located here)
Great Sandy Desert
New South WalesNorth of Victoria, on the
eastern coastHas more people than any
other Australian stateThe capital, Sydney, is the most
populated city in Australia -- 3 1/2 million people live there!
Australian Capital Territory is located here
Sydney, New South Wales
QueenslandSecond largest state; 7 times the
size of England! In the northeastern part of the
mainlandGreat Barrier Reef is located off the
coast in the Coral SeaMore than half of Queensland’s
population lives in the capital: Brisbane
Brisbane
Northern Territory
Northern coast of the mainland, between Western Australia and Queensland
Largest population of Aborigines in Australia
Australian Capital Territory
Located in New South WalesThe national capital,
Canberra, is located here
Canberra (Australia’s Capital)
II. Australia’s Physical Features
Australia…The only country on the world’s
smallest and flattest continent…Has Earth’s oldest and least fertile soilsOnly Antarctica receives less rainfall!Commonwealth of Australia also
includes Tasmania, an island south of the mainland
It’s surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans
Huge desert plains stretch across the country’s middle--central Australia’s climate is hot and dry
Milder climates along the southeastern and southwestern coasts
Most Australians live in the southeastern coastal region
Great Barrier ReefWorld’s largest coral reef!Lies off the northeast coast of
Queensland--over 1,200 miles long
Contains an amazing variety of marine life, including the world’s largest collection of coral400 types of coral, 1,500 species of
fish, & 4,000 mollusks (snails, clams, octopi, & squid)
Also includes rare species like the sea cow and the large green turtle
Great Barrier Reef from space
Coral SeaAn important source of coral for the
Great Barrier ReefPart of the Pacific OceanOff the northeast coast of Australia
When the earth’s crust moved millions of years ago, it created the Coral Sea and the Great Dividing Range (largest mountain range in Australia)
Coral Sea islands are scattered over thousands of miles of ocean--no one lives on the islands except for a small group of weather specialists
Ayers Rock
A huge, reddish rock in the center of AustraliaVery close to the geographic center of
the continent…It’s a monolith, which is a single,
large rock sticking out of the earthAppears reddish because its iron
content “rusts” at the surfaceNearly 12 stories high and almost 6
miles wide!
Ayers RockAborigines call it “Uluru”, which is its
official nameEuropean surveyor visited the rock in
1873 and named it after Sir Henry Ayers, an English government official in South Australia
In 1950, Australia created Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park around Ayers RockBoth are located in the southwest corner
of the state called Northern Territory
Great Victoria Desert
Stretches through the states of South Australia and Western Australia
Receives only 8 to 10 inches of rain each year, and it never snows!
Some grasslands in the desert along with sandhills and salt
Great Victoria Desert
First Europeans to cross the desert named it after British Queen Victoria in 1875
160,000 miles long & is a protected wilderness area
Very few Australians live here because it’s too hot and dry