Australia The land down under G re at

Australia “The land down under”

G re at Ba rri Coral Sea er Re ef Ayers Rock Great Victoria Desert

Australia The only country in the world that is also a continent. It is referred to as the “land down under” because it is in the Southern Hemisphere. Most of Australia’s interior is desert consisting of plains and plateaus. The Great Dividing Range (mountain range runs along the southeast of Australia ) The Great Barrier Reef- lies off the northeastern coast. It is a coral reef that is formed by the skeletons of small sea animals.

Narrow plains run along the south and south eastern part of the country, where most of the people live, and where agricultural activity occurs (farming) Why do you think most of the people live in this region? The climate! The warmest month is January where the average temperature range is between 6578 degrees. In the winter (July) the average temperature range is between 46 -61 degrees. It rarely drops below 41 degrees. However, the Outback is a different story.

Sydney is a major city located along the southeastern coast.

Brisbane Sydney

Outback refers to the inland regions. Water is scarce, most of the country is desert and really hot during the day! Unusual Animals- the Kangaroo, and the koalas are native to Australia. They are marsupials because they have pouches to hold their young.

The Outback is a physical “nomans land”. Also called “The Bush”. The population is very sparse because of the environment. Very few people live here. It is too hot and dry.

The Outback Because of the dry landscape of the outback, Australia’s cities (urban areas) are located along the coasts. Most of the people live in the southeastern part of the country where the climate is mild.

Outback Roads

Ayers Rock Aboriginal Art

Australia’s History and People The Aborigines are the indigenous people of Australia. Immigrants that arrived 40, 000 years ago from Asia. The Aborigines developed the boomerang (a weapon used to stun prey) In 1770, Capt. James Cook claimed Australia for Great Britain The British government first used Australia as a place to send prisoners (penal colony) The British set up colonies soon after gold was discovered in the Outback in 1851. Land was taken from the Aborigines and many died of European diseases. In 1967, the Australian government recognized the Aborigines as citizens.

Aborigines Indigenous people of Australia Have occupied Australia for at least 40, 000 years! Arrived from Southeast Asia The word aborigines means “people who were here from the beginning”

Aborigines Archaeologists have found early Aboriginal inventions: • Rock art, boomerangs, ground axes, and grindstones There is no written record of prehistoric Aborigines Kept their history by telling stories that were passed down from generation to generation…

Aborigines Developed efficient ways to adapt to the harsh Australian environment • Built containers for storing water and built wells to collect water underground They were hunters and gatherers: ate animals, wild nuts, fruits, and berries. They were nomadic--moved from place to place in search of food

Religion Aboriginal religion is called “Dreamtime” “The Dreaming” is what Aborigines call the beginning of life on Earth During the Dreaming, spirits created the land, people, and animals • Most of the spirits disappeared, but some live on in objects Believe the earth is a link to the spiritual world The land itself is sacred to Aborigines have Dreamtime legends that describe how the earth was created…

Social Structure Consisted of a tribe or “language group” of as many as 500 people A tribe included bands called “hordes” or 10 to 20 people Hordes joined for daily food gathering and hunting

Where? Settled in the same places as present-day Australians • Climate was mild and water was available Before Europeans arrived in 1788, around 500, 000 people lived in Australia

Arrival of Europeans Aborigines lived on Australia’s coast, which is where the Europeans wanted to settle Europeans waged war against the Aborigines in order to take their land

Advantage of Europeans Guns, soldiers Diseases • More than half of the Aborigines in Australia died • Entire population died in Tasmania.

Aborigines Today… � 300, 000 live in Australia today �In the 1960 s, policies were changed to be in favor of Aborigines �Can hold a seat in Parliament �Can have their own schools which teach their culture, language, and art. �Live modern lives, some are teachers, lawyers, mechanics, nurses and politicians.

Australia’s Economy One of the freest economies in the world It is technically a mixed economy, but it’s close to free market because there are very few rules to restrict the market Australia’s location allows ocean shipping and trading with many countries around the globe especially Asia. Government does not own major industry or business • Prices are set by the agreement of buyers and sellers rather than by government rules

Australia’s Economy Strong prosperous economy, many mineral resources including; gold, silver, iron ore, diamonds, pearls, opals, bauxite, zinc Energy resources- oil, natural gas, and coal Livestock (raising sheep and cattle) are their main agricultural activity. The government has encouraged immigration for needed workers. Over 5 million have immigrated in the last few decades.

Economy Continuum Command Cuba Market Russia Germany UK US Australia

Australia’s Government • In 1901, the colonies united to form the commonwealth of Australia • Today, Australia has a British-style parliamentary democracy (leader- prime minister) • Australia still recognizes the British Monarch (Queen of England) as a ceremonial leader and the official Head of State. (constitutional monarchy) • Like the United States, Australia has a federal system. (a division between national and state governments) The country has six states and two territories. • Therefore, Australia’s government is a federal parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy

Role of the citizen Citizens elect members of Parliament then chooses the Prime Minister (Head of the Government). The most powerful government official. The prime minister appoints a Governor General who represents the Queen of England. Voting is compulsory. Citizens over the age of 18 are required by law to vote. Citizens can face a fine and a hearing in a court if they do not vote.

Australia’s Geography Get out a clean sheet of notebook paper, fold it twice so that you will have four equal squares. You will use each square to write down information about the four major physical features you need to know about in Australia. (Ayers Rock, The Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, & The Great Victoria Desert) You will use this information to complete a map activity later!

Ayers Rock is located near the continents center. This rock is a type of monolith, a large rock sticking out of the earth. Ayers rock is the visible top of a massive underground sandstone rock cemented together by sand mud. It appears reddish in color and is nearly 12 stories tall and almost six miles wide around its base! The Aborigines call the rock “Uluru”, which is its official name. It was named Ayers by a European surveyor who visited the rock in 1873 and named it after Sir Henry Ayers, a government official in South Australia at the time. In 1950, Australia created Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, where Ayers Rock is located in the southwest corner of the Northern Territory.

Great Victoria Desert If you travel southwest from Ayers Rock and into the states of South Australia and Western Australia you will enter the Great Victoria Desert. This desert receives only 8 -10 inches of rain each year, and it never snows. There are some grasslands in the desert along with sand hills and salt lakes. The first European to cross the desert named it after British Queen Victoria in 1875. The desert covers a large area, more than 160, 000 square miles and is a protected wilderness area of Western Australia. Very few people live in this area because it is too hot and dry.

Great Victoria Desert

The Great Barrier Reef lies off the northeast coast of Queensland, one of Australia’s states. It is the largest coral reef in the world extending over 1, 200 miles along the northeast coast in the Coral Sea. It holds numerous species of fish, marine mammals, as well as aquatic plants and corals. More and more people from all over the world visit Australia each year. It is one of the primary reasons for Australian tourism.

Great Barrier Reef

Great Barrier Reef

The Coral Sea The Great Barrier Reef lies in the Coral Sea off the northeast coast of Australia. The Coral Sea is actually part of the Pacific Ocean. Coral Sea islands are scattered over thousands of square miles of ocean. No one lives on these islands except for a few weather specialists. Some of the other islands house automated weather stations and light beacons.

Map Activity 1. Label, draw a picture, and write and short summary of each of the four major physical features of Australia. (Ayers Rock, Great Victoria Desert, Coral Sea, & The Great Barrier Reef) 2. Label the Pacific and Indian Oceans. 3. Label the six states and two territories. 4. Draw and label the Murray and Darling Rivers, and the Great Dividing Range. 5. Label the capital city, Canberra and major cities of Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Hobert, and Darwin.

Resources Reefpix. com http: //www. odci. gov/cia/publications/factbook/ geos/as. html Scuba Diving Great Barrier Reef Photo. com http: //www. adventure-toursaustralia. com/australian-outback-photos/ http: //www. student. kun. nl/d. hulshuis/pics/ http: //www. reefpix. com. au/images. htm