Discovery August 1770, Captain James Cook discovers and claims Australia for Great Britain. In the late 1700s and early 1800s the country was used as a colony for convicts.

Australia, the country, is divided into six states.

Physical Australia The major area of hills and mountains in Australia is the Great Dividing Range.

The Outback A low area of land called the Western Plateau covers nearly 2/3 of the country. Australians call this area the Outback.

Three deserts cover much of the Outback: The Great Victoria Desert The Great Sandy Desert The Gibson Desert

Ayers Rock

Great Barrier Reef One of the world ’ s most famous natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef lies just off Australia ’ s northeastern coast.

Natural Resources

Australia is one of the world ’ s leading producers of: Wheat Cattle Sheep

Australia is one of the world ’ s leading exporters of: Beef Mutton Lamb Wool

Other natural resources include: Uranium Iron ore Copper Lead Gold Diamonds Silver

Climate and Vegetation Desert: A vast desert region covers the majority of the continent. Steppe: A ring of steppe climate surrounds Australia ’ s desert region. Acacia and eucalyptus trees dominate this region. Humid Subtropical: Humid Subtropical is a moister climate found along the northeast coast

Climate and Weather Doldrums: frequently windless areas near the equator. These areas can be found in the island nations of Oceania. Winds here can also be very fierce at times. Typhoons are also common. These are hurricanes that form in the Pacific Ocean.

Vegetation Acacia trees were called wattles by early settlers

Vegetation Eucalyptus trees are also very common. This is where you will find koalas.

Vegetation Manuka are shrubs found in the plateau regions of New Zealand.

Human Characteristics The natives of Australia are called Aborigines.

What Happened to these People?

Much like the Native Americans, the Aborigines were greatly affected by white settlement.

The British brought many diseases that the Aborigines were not immune to.

The Aborigines attempted to resist the taking over of their land by the British.

As a result, many Aborigines died in skirmishes with the colonists.

As settlements expanded, the colonists destroyed natural resources to the point that Aboriginal groups could not survive practicing their traditional hunting and gathering ways.

Aboriginal populations declined drastically, and the remaining groups began to live on the fringes of the settlements.

Ethnic Groups Living in Australia

Today, the Aboriginal population is once again growing!!! Young Aborigines are becoming more interested in learning their traditional ways.

Human Characteristics Population: Population for Australia is about million people. 89% of Australia ’ s people live in cities or towns. Very few people choose to live in the Outback.

Human Characteristics Population:

Religious Beliefs

Languages English is the predominant language spoken in Australia. Strine is the name for the slang spoken in Australia.

Ranching Australian sheep herders are called graziers. Australian ranches are called stations. Some stations are as large as 6,000 square miles.

Transportation and Communication Large parts of the Australian outback are without any roads. Desert and mountainous terrain make travel difficult The rail gauges, width between the rails, does not match from state to state. This also makes travel difficult.

Animal Life The Europeans introduced camels, rabbits, and sheep to Australia. Australia ’ s most well-known native animals are called marsupials, meaning they are mammals that give birth to offspring who mature in the mothers ’ pouches. Kangaroos, koalas, and wallabies are marsupials.

The End