AustraliaThe Land Down Under

Ayers Rock

The Outback

Sydney, Australia

Australia is made up of six states and two territories.

The 2 territories are The Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory

Australia is about the size of the United States.

18.3 million people live there, about as many people as in New York.

Canberra is the capital of Australia.

Unlike other cities in Australia, Canberra is a planned city.

SS6G12

The student will be able to locate selected features of

Australia. a. Locate on a world and regional

political-physical map: the Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea. Ayers Rock, and the

Great Victoria Desert

Physical Features of Australia huge desert plains stretching across the

country’s middle

largest part has semi-arid (dry land) called the Outback

milder climates along the southeastern and southwestern Coasts

larger population in the southern coastal regions, esp. on the east coast.

Northern Australia has a tropical climate, rain forests, mangrove swamps, grasslands

It is the world’s smallest and flattest continent

The Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans surround Australia

Gondwana Rainforest, Australia

Evergreen tree that are can survive in saltwater

Coral Sea Great Barrier Reef

Ayers Rock Great Victorian Desert

Physical Regions of Australia

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbNeIn3vVKM

Gre

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eaThe Great Barrier Reef is the world’s large Coral Reef, running more 1200 miles. It lies a short distance off the northeast coast of Queensland. The reef is in waters known as the Coral Sea. The reef contains the world’s largest collection of coral and a large variety of marine life. There are 400 types of coral, 1500+ species of fish, and 400 types of mollusks (snails, clams, octopi, and squid), and rare animals including the “sea cow” or dugong, and the large green turtle.

AYERS

ROCK

• The Aborigines call it Uluru• A large monolith rock (a single

large rock sticking out of the ground) in the flatlands in Uluru-KataNational Park in the Northern Territory,in the center of the continent. It is gray but it appears reddish because its iron content “rusts” at the surface.

• 12 stories tall• Six miles around the base• Named after Sir Henry Ayers, a gov’t

official in the South AustraliaEx. Stone Mountain, Georgia

GREAT VICTORIA DESERT

• Located in the states of South Australia and Western Australia

• Only get 8-10 inches or rain each year (no snow)

• Some grasslands with sandhills, and salt lakes

• Europeans named it after Britain’s Queen Victoria in 1875

• 160,000 square miles• Very few people live in there

because it is too hot and dry

Who were the 1st settlers to Australia?

• The first people to live in Australia were Aborigines who came from Southeast Asia thousands of years ago.

Australia becomes a colony

• Captain James Cook claimed Australia for England in 1770.

• It was first used as a prison colony by the English.

• 6 colonies were created during the 18th &19th centuries.

Australia becomes a country!!!

• Australia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.

• The Commonwealth, is an organization of fifty-three independent member states.

• Most of them were formerly parts of the British Empire.

Government

• Australia is a Constitutional monarchy. • They are a parliamentary democracy with a

prime minister as head of the government.• Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain is the head

of state.

Flag of Australia

• www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFGvNxBqYF