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…the land down under
Where in the world is Australia?
• Island southeast of Asia
• Pacific Ocean on the east.
• Indian Ocean on the west.
• Southern Hemisphere.
• Australia is a continent and a country. If you were to travel east of
Australia, what continent would you first come
across?
Australia’s Climate
Mostly arid to semiarid
Temperate in the south and east
Tropical in north
Australia’s Outback
• Australia is famous for its "outback," the remote lands of the interior.
• The desert outback covers most of the interior.
• It is too hot, dry and barren to support many people
Land Use and Natural Resources
• Land Use: 6.15% of the land is arable.
• Natural Resources: bauxite, coal, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum
• note: Australia is the world's largest exporter of coal (29%).
Where do most people live in Australia?
Population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts (the urban rim).
90% of Australians live within 100 miles of the ocean
Why do so few people live in Australia’s interior?
Cultural Characteristics
Language: English
Religion: Roman Catholic
Literacy Rate: 99%
What does Australia’s literacy rate tell you about its standard of living?
Economy• Currency: Australian dollar
• Australia has a strong booming economy with a GDP of 819 billion and a GDP per Capita of $38,100
• A mixed economy, Australia has one of the freest economies in the world.
• Starting a business takes only two days, compared to the world average of 38.
• One in every 12 adults own his or her own business.
• China is Australia’s major trading partner.
How does Australia’s location impact its trade with China?
Why is Australia the world leader in entrepreneurs?
• Abundant raw materials• Highly educated
workforce• Few rules to restrict
business.• Easy to start a business• Laws protect
entrepreneurs and their property.
Natural Resources
Human Capital
Capital Investments
Trade
In Australia voluntary trade is encouraged, therefore there are very few trade barriers in the country.
Commonwealth of Australia Australia is a federal parliamentary democracy.
• System: Federal• Type: Parliamentary Democracy• Constitutional Monarchy• Executive Head (head of government): Prime Minister • Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II• Capital: Canberra• Australia is comprised of 6 state and two territories.
How is Australia’s government similar to Canada’s government?
40,000 years ago, during the Ice Age, people from Southeast Asia traveled to Australia either by land or canoe.
Several thousand years later when the Ice Age was over, ocean levels rose, and these people were cut off from the rest of the world.
When Cook “discovered” Australia there were about 300,000 Aborigines living in the continent.
Will history repeat itself?
Origin and Culture of the Aborigines
• Arrived from Southeast Asia and occupied Australia for at least 40,000 years.
• Hunters and gatherers.
• Settled, mostly along coasts and rivers.
• Created some of the earliest rock art ,as well as the first boomerangs.
Origin and Culture of the Aborigines
Religion (Dreamtime)
– Focuses on the relationship of people to nature
– They believe that powerful spirits created the land and the role of humans is to care for it
• Did not have a written language.
• The Aborigines kept their history by telling stories that were passed down from generation to generation.
European Exploration
• In 1770, English Captain James Cook claimed the Australian east coast for England.
• Named the area New South Wales.
Reasons for British Colonization
• A place for prisoners
• A good location to base its navy in the South Pacific (WWII).
• Opportunities to trade with Asia, and the Americas.
A Colony for Prisoners
• The American Revolution resulted in independence of the American colonies from Great Britain.
• After Great Britain lost colonies in North America, it began to look for other locations for prisoners
• Australia was a good choice.
• From 1788-1823, the colony of New South Wales officially became a penal colony.
Settlement
• After 1868, Britain stopped sending convicts.• More British settlers began immigrating to Australia.• By 1861 the European population was over 1
million.
Settlement
• Many of the Europeans were farmers.
• Wool becomes a major part of the economy after ranchers discovered that Australian sheep produced a fine wool
• Discovery of gold in 1851 led to a new rush of settlers
Impact of European Colonization on the Aborigines
• European settlements expansion force Aborigines to leave their land.
• European diseases such as small pox kill large number of Aborigines.
• Many Aborigines killed when they tried to protect their land.
• Weapons such as guns gave the colonists a major advantage in fights.
• European ranchers used surviving Aboriginal population to work in their ranches as stockmen and domestic workers.
Independence and After…
• 1901: Australia granted independence. The six colonies join to form the Commonwealth of Australia. It has a democratic government. Britain's royalty has only a ceremonial role.
• 1962: Aboriginal people given the right to vote.
• 1967: Aboriginal people recognized as citizens.
• 2008:The Australian parliament formally apologizes for past wrongs committed against the Aboriginal people.
LEARNING CHECK
What do the countries in light green have in common when it comes to the organization of
their governments?
The kangaroo, one of Australia’s most iconic animals is unique to Australia. Why?
Why was Australia used as a penal colony by the British?
As an entrepreneur why would you like to invest in Australia?
