Australia (from Latin australis - "southern") is a continent located in the Eastern and Southern hemispheres of the Earth. The entire territory of the mainland is the main part of the state of the Union of Australia. The mainland is part of the world Australia and Oceania.
Geographical position
Australia is a continent in the Southern Hemisphere with an area of \u200b\u200b7,659,861 km². The length of the continent from north to south is about 3,700 km, width from west to east is about 4,000 km, the length of the mainland coastline (without islands) is 35,877 km.
Australia's north and east coasts are washed by the seas The Pacific: Arafura, Coral, Tasmanovo, Timor seas; western and southern - Indian Ocean. The large islands of New Guinea and Tasmania are located near Australia. The world's largest coral reef, the Great Barrier Reef, stretches along the northeastern coast of Australia for more than 2,000 km.
The easternmost point of Australia is Cape Byron (28 ° 38′15 ″ S 153 ° 38′14 ″ E (G) (O)), the western point is Cape Steep Point (26 ° 09′05 ″ S latitude 113 ° 09′18 ″ E (G) (O)), north - Cape York (10 ° 41′21 ″ S 142 ° 31′50 ″ E (G) ( O)), southern - Cape South Point (39 ° 08′20 ″ S 146 ° 22′26 ″ E (G) (O)) (if we consider the island of Tasmania as part of the continent, then Cape South East Cape 43 ° 38'40 "S 146 ° 49'30" E (G) (O)).
Relief of the Australian continent
Plains predominate. About 95% of the surface does not exceed 600 m above sea level.
Western Australian Highlands - average heights of 400-500 meters, with raised edges: in the east - the Musgrave Mountains (the highest point is Mount Woodruff, 1440 m) and the McDonnell Ridge (the highest point is Mount Zil, 1511 m), in the north - the Kimberley massif (height up to 936 m), in the west - the flat-topped sandstone ridge Hamersley (the highest point is Mount Meharri, 1251 m), in the south-west - the Darling ridge (the highest point is Mount Cook, 571 m).
Central lowland with prevailing heights up to 100 m above sea level. In the area of \u200b\u200bLake Eyre, the lowest point is 16 m below sea level. In the southwest is Mount Lofty Ridge. The Great Dividing Range, medium-high, with flat tops, steep, turning in the west into hilly foothills (downs). In the south, in the Australian Alps, the highest point is Mount Kosciuszko, 2230 m.
Geological structure
At the heart of the continent is the old Australian Plate, which represents part of the Gondwana continent in the Earth's southern hemisphere.
Minerals
Australia is rich in a variety of minerals. The discoveries of mineral ores made on the continent over the past 10-15 years have pushed the continent to one of the first places in the world in terms of reserves and production of such minerals as iron ore, bauxite, lead-zinc ores.
The largest deposits of iron ore in Australia, which began to be developed in the 60s of the XX century, are located in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Hamersley Ridge in the northwest of the mainland (deposits of Mount Newman, Mount Goldsworth, etc.). Iron ore is also found in the state of South Australia in the Middleback Ridge (Iron Knob and others).
Large deposits of polymetals (lead, zinc with an admixture of silver and copper) are located in the western desert part of New South Wales - the Broken Hill deposit. An important center for the extraction of non-ferrous metals (copper, lead, zinc) has developed near the Mount Isa deposit (in the state of Queensland). Copper deposits are also found in Tennant Creek (Northern Territory) and elsewhere.
The main reserves of gold are concentrated in the projections of the Precambrian basement and in the southwestern part of the continent (Western Australia), in the area of \u200b\u200bthe cities of Kalgoorlie and Coolgardy, Norsman and Wiluna, as well as in Queensland. Smaller deposits are found in almost all states.
Bauxites occur in the Cape York Peninsulas (Waipa deposit) and Arnhem Land (Gov deposit), as well as in the southwest, in the Darling Ridge (Jarradeil deposit).
Manganese-containing ores are located in the northwest of the continent - in the Pilbara region. Uranium deposits have been found in various parts of the mainland: in the north (Arnhem Land Peninsula) - near the South and East Alligator rivers, in the state of South Australia - near Lake From, in Queensland - the Mary-Cathleen deposit and in the western part of the continent - the deposit Yillirri.
The main deposits of coal are located in the eastern part of the mainland. The largest deposits of both coking and non-coking coal are located near Newcastle and Lithgow, NSW and Collinsville, Blair Atol, Bluff, Baralaba and Moura Kiang in Queensland.
Geological surveys have established that large deposits of oil and natural gas are located in the bowels of the Australian continent and on the shelf off its coast. Oil is found and produced in Queensland (Mooney, Alton and Bennett fields), on Barrow Island off the northwest coast of the mainland, and on the continental shelf off the southern coast of Victoria (Kingfish field). Deposits of gas (the largest field Ranken) and oil have also been found on the shelf off the northwestern coast of the continent.
In Australia there are large deposits of chromium (Queensland), Gingin, Dongara, Mandarra (Western Australia), Marlin (Victoria).
Of non-metallic minerals, there are clays, sands, limestones, asbestos, and mica of various quality and industrial use. Australia is rich in noble opal.
Mainland history
Australia, due to its remote location, was opened to the world later than other continents. The discovery of Australia took place more than a hundred years after the discovery of America. Dutch navigator V. Janszon in 1606 discovered a certain new land (it was Cape York Peninsula).
Climate of the Australian continent
The Australian continent is located within three main warm climatic zones of the Southern Hemisphere: subequatorial (in the north), tropical (in the central part), subtropical (in the south). Only a small part of the island of Tasmania lies within the temperate zone.
Subequatorial belt
The subequatorial climate, characteristic of the northern and northeastern parts of the continent, is distinguished by an even course of temperatures (during the year the average air temperature is 23-24 ° C) and a large amount of precipitation (from 1000 to 1500 mm, and in some places more than 2000 mm.). Precipitation is brought here by the humid northwest monsoon, and it falls mainly in summer. In winter, during the dry season, it rains only sporadically. During this time, dry, hot winds blow from the interior of the mainland, which sometimes cause droughts.
Tropical belt
In the tropical zone on the Australian continent, two main types of climate are formed: tropical humid and tropical dry. A tropical humid climate is characteristic of the extreme eastern part of Australia, which is included in the zone of action of the southeast trade winds. These winds bring moisture-laden air masses from the Pacific Ocean to the mainland. Therefore, the entire area of \u200b\u200bthe coastal plains and the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range is well humidified (on average, precipitation is from 1000 to 1500 mm) and has a mild warm climate (the temperature of the warmest month in Sydney is 22-25 ° C, and the coldest month is 11.5 -13 ° C). The air masses, bringing moisture from the Pacific Ocean, also penetrate beyond the Great Dividing Ridge, having lost a significant amount of moisture along the way, therefore, precipitation falls only on the western slopes of the ridge and in the foothills.
Located mainly in tropical and subtropical latitudes, where solar radiation is high, the Australian mainland is very hot. Due to the weakly indented coastline and the elevation of the marginal parts, the influence of the seas surrounding the mainland weakly affects the interior.
Australia is the driest continent of the Earth, and one of the most characteristic features of its nature is the widespread deserts, which occupy vast spaces and stretch for almost 2.5 thousand km from the shores of the Indian Ocean to the foothills of the Great Dividing Range.
For central and western parts the mainland is characterized by a tropical desert climate. In summer (December - February) the average temperatures rise here to 30 ° C, and sometimes even higher, and in winter (June - August) they drop to an average of 10-15 ° C. The hottest region of Australia is northwestern, where temperatures in the Great Sandy Desert are around 35 ° C and even higher for most of the summer. In winter, it decreases slightly (to about 20-25 ° C). In the center of the mainland, in the area of \u200b\u200bthe city of Alice Springs, in summer time During the year, the temperature rises to 45 ° C during the day, and drops to zero and below (-4-6 ° C) at night.
The central and western parts of Australia, that is, about half of its territory, receive an average of 250-300 mm of precipitation per year, and the vicinity of Lake Eyre - less than 200 mm; but even these minor precipitations fall unevenly. Sometimes it does not rain at all for several years in a row, and sometimes in two or three days, or even in a few hours, the entire annual amount of precipitation falls. Part of the water quickly and deeply permeates through the permeable soil and becomes inaccessible to plants, and part of it evaporates under the hot rays of the sun, and the surface layers of the soil remain almost dry.
Subtropical belt
Within the subtropical zone, there are three types of climate: Mediterranean, subtropical continental and subtropical humid.
The Mediterranean climate is characteristic of the southwestern part of Australia. As the name suggests, the climate of this part of the continent is similar to that of the European Mediterranean countries - Spain and southern France. Summers are hot and usually dry, while winters are warm and humid. Relatively small fluctuations in temperature over the seasons (January - 23-27 ° C, June - 12-14 ° C), sufficient precipitation (from 600 to 1000 mm).
The subtropical continental climate zone covers the southern part of the mainland adjacent to the Great Australian Bight, includes the vicinity of the city of Adelaide and stretches somewhat further east, into the western regions of New South Wales. The main features of this climate are low rainfall and relatively large annual temperature fluctuations.
The subtropical humid climate zone includes the entire state of Victoria and the southwestern foothills of New South Wales. In general, this entire zone is distinguished by a mild climate and a significant amount of precipitation (from 500 to 600 mm), mainly in the coastal parts (the penetration of precipitation into the interior of the continent decreases). In summer, temperatures rise to an average of 20-24 ° C, but in winter they drop quite dramatically - up to 8-10 ° C. The climate of this part of the mainland is favorable for the cultivation of fruit trees, various vegetables and forage grasses. True, to obtain high yields, artificial irrigation is used, since in the summer there is not enough moisture in the soil. In these areas, dairy cattle (grazing on forage grasses) and sheep are raised.
The hot climate and insignificant and uneven precipitation on most of the continent lead to the fact that almost 60% of its territory is deprived of drainage to the ocean and has only a rare network of temporary watercourses. Perhaps, on no other continent there is such a poorly developed network of inland waters as in Australia. The annual flow of all rivers on the continent is only 350 km³.
Water resources
The continent's water resources are small. Australia is the poorest mainland in rivers. The rivers flowing from the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range are short, in the upper reaches they flow in narrow gorges. Here they may well be used, and in part are already being used for the construction of hydroelectric power plants. When entering the coastal plain, the rivers slow down their flow, their depth increases.
Many of them in the estuary parts are even accessible to large ocean-going vessels. The volume of flow and the regime of these rivers are different and depend on the amount of precipitation and the time of their fallout.
On the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, rivers originate, making their way along the inner plains. The longest river in Australia, the Murray (2375 km), begins in the area of \u200b\u200bMount Kosciuszko. Its largest tributaries are also emerging in the mountains - the Marrumbidgee (1485 km), Darling (1472 km), Goulbury and some others.
The Murray River and its channels are fed mainly by rain and, to a lesser extent, by snow. These rivers are most full-flowing at the beginning of summer, when the snow melts in the mountains. In the dry season, they become very shallow, and some of the Murray tributaries break up into separate stagnant bodies of water. Only Murray and Marrumbidgee maintain a constant flow (except for exceptionally dry years). Even the Darling, Australia's third longest river, does not always reach Murray during summer droughts, lost in the sands. Almost all the rivers of the Murray system have been built with dams and ponds, around which reservoirs have been created, where flood waters are collected, which are used to irrigate fields, gardens and pastures.
The rivers of the north and west coasts of Australia are shallow and relatively small. The longest of them, Flinders, flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria. These rivers are rain fed, and their water content varies greatly at different times of the year.
Rivers, the flow of which is directed to the inner regions of the mainland, such as Coopers Creek (Barku), Diamantina, etc., are deprived not only of a constant flow, but also of a constant, clearly expressed channel. In Australia, these temporary rivers are called creek. They fill up with water only during intermittent rainstorms. Soon after the rain, the river bed again turns into a dry sandy hollow, often without even definite outlines.
Most of Australia's lakes, like rivers, are fed by rainwater. They have neither a constant level nor a drain. In summer, the lakes dry up and are shallow saline depressions. The salt layer at the bottom sometimes reaches 1.5 m.
In the seas surrounding Australia, sea animals are hunted and fish are caught. Edible oysters are bred in sea waters. In the warm coastal waters in the north and northeast, sea trepangs, crocodiles and pearl mussels are fished. The main center of their artificial breeding is in the area of \u200b\u200bthe Koberg Peninsula (Arnhem Land). It was here, in the warm waters of the Arafur Sea and Van Diemen Bay, that the first experiments to create special sediments were carried out. These experiments were carried out by one of the Australian companies with the participation of Japanese specialists. It was found that pearl mussels grown in warm waters off the northern coast of Australia produce larger pearls than off the coast of Japan, and in a much shorter time. At present, the breeding of pearl mussels has spread widely along the northern and partly northeastern coasts.
Lakes in Australia, quite significant in number and size, represent swamps for most of the year. North of Spencer Bay (but not connecting to it) lies Torrens Lake surrounded by sand dunes, which has 225 km in circumference. Further north, 12 meters below sea level, is the largest Lake Eyre, and to the east of it Lake Gregory can be divided into several separate lakes. To the west of Lake Torrensa lies on a plateau, rising 115 m, the great Lake Gardner, which, as well as countless smaller lakes in the same area, are extremely abundant in salt and apparently only recently separated from sea \u200b\u200bwater... In general, there are clear signs that the southern coast of the mainland is still slowly rising from the sea waters.
Vegetable world
Since the Australian mainland has been isolated from other parts of the world since the mid-Cretaceous, it vegetable world very peculiar. Of the 12 thousand species of higher plants, more than 9 thousand are endemic, that is, they grow only on the Australian continent. Among the endemics are many species of eucalyptus and acacias, the most typical plant families in Australia. At the same time, there are also such plants that are inherent in South America (for example, southern beech), South Africa (representatives of the Proteaceae family) and the islands of the Malay Archipelago (ficus, pandanus, etc.). This indicates that many millions of years ago, land connections existed between the continents.
Since the climate of most of Australia is characterized by severe aridity, dry-loving plants dominate in its flora: special cereals, eucalyptus, umbrella acacias, succulent trees (bottle tree, etc.). Trees belonging to these communities have a powerful root system, which sinks 10-20, and sometimes 30 m into the ground, due to which they, like a pump, suck moisture from great depths. The narrow and dry leaves of these trees are mostly painted in a dull gray-greenish color. In some of them, the leaves are facing the sun with an edge, which helps to reduce the evaporation of water from their surface.
In the extreme north and northwest of the continent, where the hot and warm northwest monsoons bring moisture, rainforests grow. Their woody composition is dominated by giant eucalyptus trees, ficuses, palms, pandanuses with narrow long leaves, etc. The dense foliage of the trees forms an almost continuous cover that shades the ground. In some places on the coast there are thickets of bamboo. In places where the banks are flat and muddy, mangrove vegetation develops.
Rain forests in the form of narrow galleries stretch for relatively short distances inland along river valleys. The further south you go, the drier the climate becomes and the hot breath of the deserts is felt. The forest cover is gradually thinning. Eucalyptus and umbrella acacias are arranged in groups. This is a zone of wet savannas, stretching in a latitudinal direction to the south of the tropical forest zone. In their appearance, savannahs with rare groups of trees resemble parks. There is no shrub undergrowth in them. Sunlight freely penetrates the sieve of small tree leaves and falls on the ground, covered with tall, dense grass. Forested savannas are excellent pastures for sheep and cattle.
The central deserts of parts of the mainland, where it is very hot and dry, are characterized by dense, almost impenetrable thickets of thorny low-growing shrubs, consisting mainly of eucalyptus and acacias. In Australia, these thickets are called scrub. In some places, the scrub is interspersed with extensive sandy, stony or clayey desert areas devoid of vegetation, and in some places with thickets of tall soddy grasses (spinifex).
The eastern and southeastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, where there is a lot of rainfall, are covered with dense tropical and subtropical evergreen forests. Most of all in these forests, as elsewhere in Australia, eucalyptus. Eucalyptus trees are industrially valuable. These trees are unmatched in height among hardwood species; some of their species reach 150 m in height and 10 m in diameter. The growth of wood in eucalyptus forests is large and therefore very productive. There are also many treelike horsetails and ferns in the forests, reaching 10-20 m in height. At their apex, tree ferns carry a crown of large (up to 2 m long) feathery leaves. With their bright and fresh greenery, they somewhat enliven the faded bluish-green landscape of eucalyptus forests. Higher in the mountains there is an admixture of damarre pines and beeches.
Shrub and grass cover in these forests is varied and dense. In less humid variants of these forests, the second layer is formed by herbal trees.
In the southwest of the mainland, forests cover the western slopes of the Darling Ridge, facing the sea. These forests are almost entirely composed of eucalyptus trees, reaching considerable heights. The number of endemic species is especially large here. In addition to eucalyptus, bottle trees are widespread. They have an original bottle-shaped trunk, thick at the base and sharply tapering upwards. In the rainy season, large reserves of moisture accumulate in the tree trunk, which are consumed during the dry season. In the undergrowth of these forests, there are many shrubs and grasses dazzling with bright flowers.
In general, Australia's forest resources are small. The total area of \u200b\u200bforests, including special plantations, consisting mainly of softwood species (mainly radiant pine), at the end of the 70s amounted to only 5.6% of the continent.
The first colonists did not find plant species characteristic of Europe on the mainland. Later, European and other types of trees, shrubs and grasses were brought to Australia. Here grapevine, cotton, cereals (wheat, barley, oats, rice, corn, etc.), vegetables, many fruit trees, etc. are well grafted.
Animal world
The diversity of Australia's animals is small: only 235 species of mammals are known, 720 - birds, 420 - reptiles and 120 species of amphibians living on this continent and adjacent islands.
Soil
In Australia, all types of soils characteristic of tropical, subequatorial and subtropical natural belts are represented in a regular sequence.
In the region of tropical rainforests, red soils are widespread in the north, changing towards the south with red-brown and brown soils in moist savannas and gray-brown soils in dry savannas. Red-brown and brown soils, containing humus, some phosphorus and potassium, are valuable for agricultural use. The main wheat crops in Australia are located within the zone of red-brown soils.
In the outskirts of the Central Plains (for example, in the Murray Basin), where artificial irrigation is developed and a lot of fertilizers are used, grapes, fruit trees, and forage grasses are grown on gray soil.
In the surrounding inner desert areas of the semi-desert and especially steppe areas, where there is a grassy, \u200b\u200band in some places shrub-tree cover, gray-brown steppe soils are widespread. Their power is insignificant. They contain little humus and phosphorus, therefore, when used even as pastures for sheep and cattle, phosphorus fertilizers are required.
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The smallest continent on planet Earth is Australia. With an area of \u200b\u200b7,659,861 km2 (with islands 7,692,024 km2), it occupies only 5% of the entire land mass of the planet. At the same time, the size of the continent, if you look from north to south, will be 3.7 thousand kilometers, and from west to east about 4000 kilometers. At the same time, the length of all the continent's coasts will be approximately 35,877 kilometers.
The continent is located in the southern hemisphere of the planet. From the north, south and west, the mainland Australia is washed by the Indian Ocean, and from the east it is washed by the Tasman and Coral Seas. Australia is also famous for the largest coral reef in the world (more than 2000 km), which is located on the northeastern coast of the continent.
The entire territory of the mainland belongs to one state, which is called Australia. Officially, this state is called the Commonwealth of Australia.
Extreme points of mainland Australia
There are four extreme points that are located on mainland Australia:
1) The most extreme point in the north is Cape York, which is washed by the Coral and Arafura Seas.
2) The westernmost point of the mainland is Cape Steep Point, which is washed by the Indian Ocean.
3) The southernmost point of Australia is South Point, which is washed by the Tasman Sea.
4) And finally, the easternmost point of the mainland is Cape Byron.
Relief of Australia
On the territory of mainland Australia, plains prevail. More than 90% of the entire land area of \u200b\u200bthe continent does not exceed 600 meters above sea level. There are also mountain ranges on the territory of Australia, which usually do not exceed an altitude of 1500 kilometers. The highest mountains in Australia are the Australian Alps, the highest mountain of which is Kosciuszko, reaching an altitude of 2,230 meters above sea level. Also in Australia there are the Musgrave Mountains, the Western Australian Highlands, the Kimberley Plateau, Darling Ridge and Mount Lofty.
The entire territory of the continent of Australia is located on the Australian platform, which includes the mainland of Australia and part of the adjacent ocean.
Inland waters of Australia
In terms of inland waters, this continent is characterized as the poorest continent in terms of rivers. The longest river on the mainland Murray originates from the region of Australia's highest mountain, Kostsyushko, and reaches a length of 2375 km.
The rivers are fed mainly by rain or melt water. The rivers are most full-flowing at the beginning of summer, and then they begin to shallow, and in some places turn into stagnant bodies of water.
Just like rivers, lakes on the mainland also feed on rainwater. Such lakes do not have a constant level and flow. In summer, they can dry out completely and turn into depressions, the bottom of which is covered with salt. The thickness of the salt at the bottom of dried up lakes can reach up to 1.5 meters. Australia's fairly large lakes can be swamps for most of the year. There is a hypothesis that the south of the mainland continues to rise from the ocean.
Australia mainland climate
The mainland Australia is located in three climatic zones at once - the subtropical belt, the tropical belt and the subequatorial belt.
The subtropical zone of the continent of Australia includes three climates - subtropical continental, subtropical humid and Mediterranean.
The Mediterranean climate is characterized by dry and hot summers, but also warm and humid winters. There are small fluctuations in the seasons (in summer the temperature rises to 27 degrees Celsius, and in winter the air temperature drops to 12 degrees Celsius) and a lot of precipitation falls. This climate is typical for the southwestern part of Australia.
The subtropical humid climate is characterized by large temperature differences in different periods of the year (in summer the temperature rises to +24 degrees Celsius, and in winter it drops to -10 degrees Celsius below zero) and significant precipitation. Such a climate is typical for the entire state of Victoria in the part of New South Wales, which is located in the southwest.
The subtropical continental climate is characterized by light rainfall and large temperature fluctuations and is inherent in the south of Australia.
The tropical belt is formed from tropical dry and tropical humid climates.
The tropical humid climate is found in the east of the mainland and is characterized by little rainfall. Such a climate is formed due to the action of the southeast winds, which are saturated with moisture from the Pacific Ocean.
The tropical dry climate is typical for the central and western part of the mainland. The hottest climate is in the northwest of the mainland - in summer the temperature rises to 35 degrees Celsius, and in winter it drops very slightly to 20 degrees Celsius. It is worth noting the city of Alice Springs, which is located in the central part of the continent, where the temperature can rise to 45 degrees during the day and drop to -6 degrees Celsius below zero at night. At the same time, precipitation may not fall in some places for years, and then in a matter of hours the annual precipitation rate may fall. In this case, moisture is very quickly absorbed by the ground or evaporates.
The subequatorial climate on mainland Australia is characterized by stable temperatures throughout the year (23 degrees Celsius) and high rainfall.
Flora and fauna of Australia
Due to the fact that the mainland is isolated from other continents, the flora of this continent is very diverse. At the same time, there are plants and animals that live only on this continent and are absent elsewhere. And due to the peculiarities of the dry climate on the continent, dry-loving plants prevail among the plants. For example, eucalyptus, acacia and others. In the north of the mainland, you can find tropical forests.
The area of \u200b\u200bthe mainland covered with forests is only 5%. Over time, many trees and plants were brought from other continents, which took root well in Australia, for example, cereals, vines, some types of fruits and vegetables.
But the diversity of animals on the mainland is not so diverse. In total, there are just over 230 species of mammals living on the mainland, more than 700 species of birds and more than 120 species of amphibians. But most of these animals exist only on the mainland and will not survive anywhere else, as they feed on plants that also exist only on mainland Australia. This is such a peculiar world that is worth seeing with your own eyes.
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Rocks "Twelve Apostles"origin of name
Even ancient geographers were convinced of the existence of a hypothetical land in the Southern Hemisphere, which was designated as Terra Australis Incognita on the maps of those times - “unknown southern land”. This name was first mapped in the II century by Ptolemy of Alexandria, who assumed that Africa in the south was passing into an undiscovered continent.
Dutch sailors, the first to reach this land, gave it the name "New Holland". In 1814, the English navigator Matthew Flinders was the first Europeans to circumnavigate the continent and proposed to call it Terra Australis, "as more pleasing to the ear." But his proposal was not immediately accepted, but only in 1817 the governor of South Wales Lachlan Macquarie began to use the name "Australia" in official documents and suggested that the Department of Colonial Affairs of the British Empire accept, which was done in 1824.
Big cities
Flora and fauna
Equal warm climate, variety natural conditions in different parts continent and long-term isolation of the continent contributed to the fact that the evolutionary processes in Australia were not as rapid as on other continents. Thanks to this, amazing plants and animals, long extinct on other continents, have survived to this day. Out of 12 thousand species of vegetation, more than 9 thousand are endemics that are not found anywhere else in the world. Due to the fact that the climate of the continent is mostly arid, plants here are dry-loving, among them the most famous are eucalyptus and bottle tree. The rainforests of the north are rich in umbrella acacias, huge eucalyptus trees (up to one hundred meters in height!), Bamboo, different kinds ficuses and palms. Eastern subtropical evergreen forests are striking with huge twenty-meter ferns and treelike horsetail.
Unique animals live in the vastness of Australia, they not only do not exist anywhere else on the planet, they simply will not survive elsewhere, as they feed on plants that grow only here. Almost 90% of the continent's fauna are endemic. Half of 235 mammal species are marsupials. “Living fossils” - the platypus and the echidna - have survived to this day on the mainland. Australia is the only continent where there are no ungulates or monkeys. There are two surviving representatives of the predators - the Tasmanian devil, the carnivorous marsupial, and the dingo dog. One of the symbols of Australia, the Tasmanian devil, used to live throughout the mainland, but man and dingo drove him to Tasmania.
The world of birds of Australia is extremely rich, numbering 720 species of birds, of which almost half are endemic. Emu, cockatoo, cassowary, black swans, honeybirds, birds of paradise, lyrebirds are recognized symbols of the continent.
There are no predators here, but there are many other dangerous representatives of the animal world - there are 65 species of poisonous snakes in Australia. If you see a sign prohibiting swimming, do not ignore the warning - deadly jellyfish and sharks are found in coastal waters. Blue-ringed octopuses are among the most poisonous animals on the planet.
The appearance of man did not in the best way affect the flora and fauna, many of their unique representatives were irretrievably destroyed. But now, thanks to the efforts of the government, the situation is changing dramatically - the observance of laws on protection is strictly controlled. environment... Many nature conservation parks and reserves have been created. It was possible to restore some species of animals and plants that were on the verge of extinction. National parks have given impetus to the development of tourism. In many protected areas, interesting tourist routes have been created that allow you to touch the past of the planet and personally observe the life of Australia's wildlife.
Geographic features
Australia ranks last among the continents in terms of area, which is 7.7 million square kilometers. Australia has no borders with any state. The shores of the continent are washed by the seas of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Australia is the only continent without glaciers and volcanoes. Most of the country's territory is occupied by deserts and semi-deserts, there is fertile land in the east and southwest, and in the north there are woodlands, savannas and jungles of the Arnhemland Peninsula.
The most fertile regions of the country are coastal. Thanks to the humid sea winds that bring precipitation with them, they get enough water for vegetation, there are alpine meadows and tropical jungles here.
Along the northeast coast, the Great Barrier Reef stretches for 2000 kilometers, a unique attraction in Australia. Many reef islands have become elite resorts.
There are mountains on the mainland, but there are few of them, only 5% of the entire territory, and their smaller half is higher than 1000 meters. In the mountain range of the Great Dividing Range, which rises on the east coast, there is the highest point of the continent - Cape Kostsyushko with a height of 2228 meters.
The main rivers of Australia flow in the southeast of the country. There are only two large rivers - Murray, 2.5 thousand kilometers long, and Darling, whose length is no more than 2000 kilometers. Murray is a more full-flowing river, keeping a constant flow, and the Darling dries up during the hot season. The island of Tasmania boasts an abundance of deep and fast rivers.
The south of Australia is replete with salt lakes that do not have runoff and are filled only during the rainy season. The largest lake is Eyre with an area of \u200b\u200b9.5 thousand square kilometers. Eyre is 16 meters below sea level and is the lowest point on the mainland.
Story
The ancestors of the aborigines, immigrants from the island of New Guinea, began to populate the mainland many millennia ago. The idyllic existence of the indigenous people was first disturbed in the 17th century by Dutch explorers. The Europeans landed in the north of the continent and discovered a nearby large island, which they named Tasmania after the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman.
Almost a hundred years later, in 1770, James Cook arrived here. He explored the eastern lands of the mainland, named them New South Wales and declared the property of Britain. A decade later, Europeans began to actively settle in new lands.
The first inhabitants of the continent were criminals. In those days, England evicted its convicts in North America, but this measure of punishment had to end with the outbreak of the War of Independence in the United States.
The British government decided to use the new lands very conveniently and developed a plan for sending convicts to New South Wales. In January 1788, the first flotilla reached the distant mainland. There were 1373 people on board 11 ships, 700 of them were criminals. The newcomers soon founded a settlement that later became the city of Sydney. And now on January 26, the inhabitants of the Green Continent celebrate Australia Day.
Over the next 80 years, another 160,000 criminals were sent to Australia. And in the second half of the 19th century, gold was found on the continent, the gold rush began, and more than 40 thousand Chinese emigrants came here in search of happiness.
After World War II, the country accepted thousands of migrants from 200 countries, making Australia one of the most multicultural countries in the world.
State structure. Population
Australia is a federal parliamentary state. Formally, the head of state is the English Queen Elizabeth II, but the executive power is concentrated in the hands of the Prime Minister.
The Federation consists of 6 states:
- New South Wales, a hub for cultural, recreational and sporting events.
- Western Australia, occupying almost a third of the mainland and consisting practically of only deserts. Three quarters of the country's gold is mined here and one fifth of the world's aluminum is produced. The state has the highest average income, but also the largest population shortage due to the hot climate. The size of the state is comparable to Western Europe.
- Queensland, named after Queen Victoria, is famous for its banana plantations and the Great Barrier Reef.
- Victoria, the smallest alpine skiing state. The history and development of the state is closely related to the gold rush.
- South Australia is known for its wine and the fact that this state has never accepted prisoners.
- Tasmania, nearly half of the state is protected by World Heritage Sites.
In addition to the states, the Australian Union includes two mainland territories - North and Capital. And also several small territories. Half of the land in the Northern Territory is owned by Aboriginal people, it is the most sparsely populated and least urbanized area of \u200b\u200bthe country. The metropolitan area at one time separated from South Wales, here in 1927, Canberra, the capital of Australia, was built.
Australia is a country with a highly developed economy, the largest exporter of beef and wool, and also exports a large amount of wheat, lamb, and minerals. Accordingly, the standard of living of the population is consistently high.
In terms of population, the country ranks 50th in the world. About 24 million people live in Australia, of which 230 thousand are indigenous. The aborigines received their legal rights only in the 60s of the last century and they live mainly in reserves and national parks in Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
According to the Australian constitution, none of the religions is legally approved and does not receive financial support from the state. Australians are free to practice any religion and be free of any religion.
The population density is different. While up to 80% of the population is concentrated in cities, in other areas the density may be less than one person per square kilometer. This is due to the fact that more than half of the country's territory is unsuitable for human habitation due to the extremely hot climate.
Australians are friendly and open-minded people, their temperament mingling the traits of the Puritan Great Britain with the cheerful character of immigrants from America. Locals they prefer free style in casual clothes, with foreigners they are friendly and smiling.
Holidays
- January 1 - New Year.
- January 26 - Australia Day.
- Easter Monday.
- April 25 - Anzac Day
- May 1 - Labor Day.
- July 14 - Queen's Birthday.
- December 25 - Christmas.
- December 27 - Boxing Day.
Helpful information
The national currency is the Australian dollar. Along with paper money, the world's first plastic money is in circulation here. It is more profitable to exchange currencies in banks, it is important to remember that they do not work on weekends.
From the Green Continent, tourists bring crocodile leather goods, famous Australian ugg boots, original aboriginal crafts - boomerangs, spears, ritual masks. Here you can buy opals for inexpensive. Various eucalyptus souvenirs are very popular with travelers. Many people buy clothes made from unique merino wool. If you buy goods worth more than $ 300, you will be refunded 9.1% of the amount spent, you just need to keep the receipt.
You cannot import food, weapons, some medicines, animal and vegetable products, wood products and even soil on the soles. You can import duty-free goods worth no more than $ 900, 50 cigarettes and 1 liter of alcohol. At the airport of arrival, you and your luggage will be disinfected with a special agent.
Remember - in Australia, spitting on the streets, smoking in in public places and driving under the influence of alcohol is punishable by a large fine.
Traffic in Australia is left-hand, so tourists need to be extremely careful. Due to the long distances, the most popular transport in the country is airplanes.
Bus travel is also in demand in the country.
Railway transport is almost undeveloped due to the difficulties of laying the railway.
A car can be rented if you have an international license, more than 1 year of driving experience and over 21 years of age and under 75 years of age. Bail will be required.
If you travel inland, stock up on food, water, fuel, and be sure to take a satellite phone with you, since mobile communication does not work everywhere.
Be extremely careful in nature - there are many poisonous snakes and insects around, refresh your memory of the rules of first aid for the bites of poisonous animals.
The mains voltage is 240/250 Volts, adapters are needed for Asian and European devices.
Australia has 3 time zones. Time in Canberra is 7 hours ahead of Moscow time.
A quarter of Australia's residents were born outside Australia.
Australia is the most law-abiding country in the world, although the ancestors of many of its citizens are deported criminals.
Low Price Calendar for Flights to Australia
Australia was discovered by Europeans in the early 17th century. This honor fell to the Dutch admiral Willem Janszon. Before the appearance of Europeans on the Australian continent, the local aborigines lived calmly and peacefully. After the appearance of Europeans in Australia began modern history of this "Green Continent".
In 1901, the former British colonies in Australia formed a state called the Commonwealth of Australia. Now this country administratively consists of six states (Victoria, Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Tasmania and South Australia), three mainland territories (Northern Territory, Federal Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory) and several outer territories.
Geography of Australia
The continent of Australia is located in the southern hemisphere of the Earth. From the west and south, Australia is washed by the Indian Ocean, and from the north and east - by the Tasman, Timor, Arafur and Coral Seas. The Bass Strait separates this continent from the island of Tasmania. New Zealand and New Guinea are not far from the Australian coast. The total area of \u200b\u200bthis continent is 7,659,861 sq. km.
Along the northeast coast of Australia in the Coral Sea, the Great Barrier Reef stretches for 2,000 km, which is considered the largest coral reef in the world.
Plains occupy about 95% of the continent. Only to the east are the Musgrave Mountains, the McDonnell Ridge, the Kimberley Ridge to the north, and the Darling Ridge to the southwest. The highest local peak is Kosciuszko Peak, whose height reaches 2,228 meters.
Rivers in Australia are not very long compared to other continents. However, some of the longest are Murray (2,375 km), Marrumbidgee (1,485 km) and Darling (1,472 km). As for the Australian lakes, they are even fewer in number than rivers, and in the summer, almost all of them dry up.
To the west, south, and northwest are the largest Australian deserts - the Great Sandy Desert and the Great Victoria Desert.
The climate in the north of Australia is subequatorial, in the central part it is tropical, and in the south it is subtropical.
Population
At the moment, the population of Australia already exceeds 23.3 million people. About 98% of the population of this continent belongs to the Caucasian race - they are descendants of the British, Scots and Irish. There are also descendants of Scandinavians, Germans, Dutch, Poles, Italians and Greeks. In addition, many Australians consider Arabs and Chinese as their ancestors.
In the north of the continent, in the central regions, as well as in the northeast and northwest, tribes of Australian aborigines still live, which form a separate race - the Australian.
Most Australians speak Australian of English language... Other popular languages \u200b\u200bare Chinese, Italian, Arabic and Greek.
Country
There is only one state on the continent of Australia - the Commonwealth of Australia, a member of the British Commonwealth. The capital of the Commonwealth of Australia is the city of Canberra, on the territory of which there were once settlements of local aborigines. Now about 400 thousand people live in Canberra.
Regions of Australia
Topographically, the Australian continent is sometimes divided into four regions - the lowland, the coastal plain to the east, the central plain and plateau, and the western plateau.
The oldest Australian city is Sydney, founded by the British in 1788. Sydney is now the largest city on the Australian continent with more than 4.6 million inhabitants.
Australia is the most mysterious and controversial piece of land on planet Earth. Discussions about whether to consider it a mainland or an island began at the time of its discovery and continues to this day.
Even regarding the name of this part of the land, there are many conflicting versions rooted in the legends about the existence of the mysterious southern land even in medieval times and even earlier. One of the translation options is the adjective "southern". Allegedly, the first governor of New South Wales in the messages to the British crown called the local lands this term, and later it was recommended to call them that. However, a similar term was previously applied to all newly discovered and poorly explored lands.
The official name today is the Commonwealth of Australia.
To this day, the country remains, even on the Australian flag this presence is felt. At one time, the territory was used as a springboard for the exile of convicts of the British Empire. The settlers of those times and their descendants made up the majority of the European population. There is a legend about the origin of the slang name for immigrants from England and Ireland. They are unofficially called "Pomami" - an abbreviation of the English phrase "Prisoner of His Majesty." A similar patch was supposed to be worn by British convicts, but there is no evidence of this.
Australia even had time to recover from the "gold rush".
When, in pursuit of untold treasures, immigrants from Great Britain, and after them the rest of the world, rushed to conquer the Australian expanses. Due to this, the population of the country has exceeded one million people, having increased threefold.
In general, the population density is low.
This is due to the vast desert lands. Unfortunately, the proximity of the cold West Australian Current only aggravates the picture, preventing the formation of the required amount of precipitation. But the northern coastal parts of the mainland are spoiled by a tropical climate, and the eastern and southeastern parts have a gentle, temperate Mediterranean version, which perfectly contributes to the development of tourism.
The low population density gave rise to such an exclusive form of transport as road trains. It is a powerful tractor that pulls several loaded trailers with it. Australians even set world records in this matter. The longest road train consisted of 79 trailers, with a total length of more than 1000 meters and traveled about 8 kilometers in the state of Western Australia.
The Australian mainland is the latest major human discovery.
Thanks to such a long isolation, a lot of things that are unlike the entire existing world have survived, especially with regard to nature. Some representatives of Australian flora and fauna are not found anywhere else in the world: eucalyptus, koala, kangaroo, platypus and others.
I would delight schoolchildren and graduates with the fact that in public universities do not rent entrance exams, applicants are enrolled in universities based on the results schooling... In general, the entire education system is similar to the English one. Australian language is slightly different from classical English, but the difference is at the adverbial level, although in recent timesdue to the dominance of American television, young people are trying to use American slang, imitating the heroes of TV shows and films, and are even proud of it.
At one time, Melbourne and Sydney could not decide which of them would take this honorary position, and it was decided to specially build new town, and until the end of construction, the management function was carried out by Melbourne.
This smallest continent on the planet is so unusual that it will not leave anyone indifferent, but when choosing a time to visit it, tourists should remember that it is located in the southern hemisphere and the seasons there are opposite to those in Europe. When it is summer in the north, it is winter there, and vice versa.