Geographic Features of

AustraliaUnit 10 Notes

Bennet t

I. Australia’s Physical Features

Australia…� The world’s smallest and flattest continent…

� Has Earth’s oldest and least fertile soils

� Only 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 Reef� World’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 coral� 400 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

Gr eat Bar r i er Reef f r om space

Coral Sea� An important source of coral for the Great

Barrier Reef� Part of the Pacific Ocean� Off 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 Australia� Very close to the geographic center of the

continent…

� It’s a monolith, which is a single, large rock sticking out of the earth

� Appears reddish because its iron content “rusts” at the surface

� Nearly 12 stories high and almost 6 miles wide!

Ayers Rock

� Aborigines call it “Uluru”, which is its official name

� European 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 Rock� Both 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

Design-A-PlateThere is a new Australian restaurant in

Alpharetta! The restaurant owner is planning to serve yummy Australian foods, like Down Under Cheese Hoppers and Sydney Spicy Shrimp. Even though he has an awesome Australian menu lined up, he has one small problem…He doesn’t have any plates to serve the food on! The owner needs your help in designing plates that could be used in his restaurant.

Paper Plate DirectionsHe wants you to create a plate that includes

the important physical features of Australia: Ayers Rock, Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, and the Great Victoria Desert. Feel free to add any additional illustrations to your plate design—the more Australian, the better! The plate should be colorful, informative, and creative.

On the back, explain the important information about each physical feature

II. Australia’s Political Features

Australia…

� Is divided into 2 territories and 6 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 ½ is unspoiled land that is protected by the government

Tasmanian Devil?

Victoria

� State closest to Tasmania� Southeast 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)

Gr eat Sandy Deser t

New South Wales

� North of Victoria, on the eastern coast

� Has more people than any other Australian state� The capital, Sydney, is the most

populated city in Australia -- 3 1/2 million people live there!

� Australian Capital Territory is located here

Sydney, New Sout h Wal es

Queensland� Second largest state; 7 times the size of

England!

� In the northeastern part of the mainland

� Great Barrier Reef is located off the coast in the Coral Sea

� More 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 Wales

� The national capital, Canberra, is located here

Canber r a ( Aust r al i a’ s Capi t al )

Design-A-Plate� There is a new Australian restaurant in Alpharetta! The

restaurant owner is planning to serve yummy Australian foods, like Down Under Cheese Hoppers and Sydney Spicy Shrimp. Even though he has an awesome Australian menu lined up, he has one small problem…He doesn’t have any plates to serve the food on! The owner needs your help in designing plates that could be used in his restaurant.

� He wants you to create a plate that includes the important physical features of Australia: Ayers Rock, Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, and the Great Victoria Desert. Feel free to add any additional illustrations to your plate design—the more Australian, the better! The plate should be colorful, informative, and creative.

� On the back, explain the important information about each physical feature