Australia’s Geography SS6G12a. Locate on a …map: the Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, Ayers Rock, and Great Victoria Desert

E.Q. How have Australia’s location, climate, and natural resources impacted it?

Vocabulary Outback: dry interior in Australia Reef: area underwater built up by coral Bush: remote outback Coral: small sea animal that lives in colonies Monolith: single, large rock Aborigines: indigenous people of Australia Life expectancy: average # of years a person in a country is expected to live

Vocabulary _______: dry interior in Australia ______: area underwater built up by coral _______: remote outback ______: small sea animal that lives in colonies __________: single, large rock _________: indigenous people of Australia _____ ___________: average # of years a person in a country is expected to live

Australia Is the only country on the world’s smallest, flattest continent Has the oldest, least fertile soils Has less rain than everywhere but Antarctica Includes mainland, island of Tasmania, & several other islands Is surrounded by the Indian & Pacific Oceans

4 Important Physical Regions Great Barrier Reef Coral Sea Ayers Rock Great Victoria Desert

Great Barrier Reef World’s largest coral reef Off NE coast of Queensland, Australia In the Coral Sea Has world’s largest collection of coral 400 kinds of coral, 1500 species of fish, 4000 types of mollusks

Coral Sea Part of Pacific Ocean Plate tectonics created Coral Sea Important source of Great Barrier Reef’s coral Lots of uninhabited islands in Coral Sea claimed by Australia

Ayers Rock Large single rock 12 stories tall (1100 feet) 6 miles in circumference Made of sandstone – grey but rusts due to iron in rock Sacred to Aborigines who call it Uluru

Great Victoria Desert SW of Ayers Rock Gets 8-10 inches of rain/year Some grasslands, sand hills, & salt lakes Named after Britain’s Queen Victoria 160,000 square miles Mostly uninhabited

Australia’s Climate Dry across middle North: tropical – rain forests, mangrove swamps, grassland, desert Milder climate on SE & SW coasts – most people live here

Outback Largest part of Australia Mainly open country Mining

Natural Resources: 1/3 of Australia’s Economy Mining – exports more coal & iron ore than any other country; leads in mining bauxite, titanium, industrial diamonds; gold & silver Arable land – grow enough grain, cotton, cattle to sell surplus Tourism – mostly locals – too expensive to go to Australia - summer is December to March

Australia’s Official Language: English Colonized by British after James Cook 1768 claimed lands for England 1788 – England sent prisoners to E. Australia to keep French out, Great Britain built towns in western Australia Gold brought settlers – mostly English speakers After independence, Australia passed laws to stop immigration from Asia & Africa Nowadays some people come from other countries but English is the official language

Religion in Australia 1788 – Christianity was introduced Irish convicts mostly Catholic Other convicts & guards mostly Anglican & Methodist European settlers – Anglican, Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Congregationalist, & Baptist Most today are Catholic or Anglican Less than 5% are Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, or Buddhist

Australia’s Literacy and Standard of Living 99% literacy rate One of highest standards of living in the world But – worse for Aborigines – many are very poor, have poor health care, and lower life expectancy