Australia1

Australia

Section 1 notes

1.      Where is Australia located?

Lies between the Indian and Pacific Oceans

Why is Australia considered a continent and not an island?

It is too large to be considered an island

Australia is the _________ largest country in the world.

• 6th

Describe the physical landscape of Australia.

• It does not have a wide variety of physical features. – Mostly deserts– Dry grasslands– Low mountains– Coastal plains

______________ and ___________ have worn the continent to the lowest and

flattest in the world.

• Wind

• Time

Describe the Great Barrier Reef.

• It is a chain of island created from coral formations

Describe some of the characteristics of the Great

Dividing Range. • It divides the flow of water toward the

Pacific Ocean or inland

Define outback.

• Island parts of Australia

Define stations.

• Australian Sheep and livestock ranches

Why is the Great Artesian Basin important to the people in the

Central Lowlands? • For many people in the Central Lowlands

the artesian wells are their only source of water

Describe the climate of Australia.

• Northern Australia: tropical climate

• Coastal areas of the south and southwest:

 warm summers and mild winters

• Southern Mountains: are the only areas of Australia where the temperature falls below freezing

Define marsupials

• Mammals that carry their young in a pouch

Why do they only live in Australia?

• Because Australia is an isolated country.

What economic activities are important in Australia?

• Mining, Agriculture, and Tourism

Where do most Australians live?

• Most people live along the coasts

Who were the first Australians and when did they arrive?

• The first Australians were and are known as Aborigines

Describe some of the positive results of the one hundred years

of British rule. • Style of Government

Describe some of the negative results of the one hundred years

of British rule. • Many Aborigines died from disease

Name and describe two of Australia’s largest cities and

Australia’s capital city. • Sydney : cultural and commercial center

• Melboune: cultural and commercial center

Define bush.

• Rural areas of Australia