A Physical Map Australia Australia is the only



























- Slides: 27
A Physical Map: Australia
Australia is the only country that is also called a continent. It is sometimes referred to as the “island continent. ”
th 6 Australia is the largest country in the world and the smallest continent in terms of size.
Australia is located between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean.
Most of Australia is low and flat. However, the Great Dividing Range includes some of the highest elevations in Australia. The Australian Alps at the end of the range include the highest peak of Mount Kosciuszko.
The country has four major deserts – the Gibson, Great Sandy, Great Victoria, and the Simpson Desert.
The Great Artesian Basin is an underground water area that has allowed a major part of arid Australia to be settled and turned into grazing land.
The Great Barrier Reef is a chain of more than 2, 500 reefs. It is 1, 250 miles long.
The Great Australian Bight is a wide bay which indents South Australia. They bay is 720 miles long.
Vocabulary Words
Artesian basin – land formed by underground water
bight – a bay formed by the curve of a coastline
cartographer – mapmaker
coral – a substance made up a skeletons of tiny sea creatures
Coral reef – a ridge made of coral and other materials that have solidified into rock
elevation – height of the land above sea level
gulf – a large area of ocean that is partly surrounded by land
Mountain range – a group or chain of mountains
Physical map – a map that shows natural landforms and waterways on Earth’s surface
strait – a narrow channel connecting two bodies of water
tableland – a high, broad, level plateau
Answers
MONDAY 1. Indian, Pacific, and Southern Oceans; Coral, Tasman, and Timor Seas 2. Gibson, Great Sandy, Great Victoria, and Simpson Deserts
TUESDAY 1. Australian Alps 2. Melville Island Tasmania
WEDNESDAY 1. Murray River; southeast Australia 2. Lake Eyre, Lake Mackay, Darling River, Murray River, and Victoria River
THURSDAY 1. Bass Strait 2. The Great Barrier Reef; off the northeast coast of Australia
FRIDAY 1. Gulf of Carpentaria and the Great Australian Bight 2. Barkly Tableland