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Geographic Features of Australia Unit 10 Notes Bennett I. 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 What: Island that is protected by the government Where: Island off the southeast coast of the mainland Tasmanian Devil? Victoria What: State closest to Tasmania Where: 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 What: State in south-central Australia Where: The Great Victoria Desert is located here… Western Australia What: Largest state; makes up 1/3rd of the mainland Where: Most of Western Australia is desert (Great Victoria Desert and Great Sandy Desert are located here) Great Sandy Desert New South Wales What: Has more people than any other Australian state Where: North of Victoria, on the eastern coast 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 South Wales Queensland What: Second largest state; 7 times the size of England! Where: 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 What: Largest population of Aborigines in Australia Where: Northern coast of the mainland, between Western Australia and Queensland Australian Capital Territory What: The national capital, Canberra, is located here Where: Located in New South Wales Canberra (Australia’s Capital) II. 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 What: World’s largest coral reef! Where: 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 Great Barrier Reef from space Coral Sea What: An important source of coral for the Great Barrier Reef Part of the Pacific Ocean Where: 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 What: A huge, reddish rock in the center of Australia Where: 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 What: largest desert in Australia Where: 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
