1. Geographic Features of Australia

2. I. Australia’s Political Features

3. EQ
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 Great Victoria Desert.
The student will explain the impact of location, climate, distribution of natural resources, and population distribution on Australia. a. Describe how Australia’s location, climate, and natural resources have affected where people live. b. Describe how Australia’s location, climate, and natural resources impact trade
EQ: What are the major physical features of Australia, and where are they located on a map (Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, Ayers Rock, and Great Victoria Desert)?

4. Australia… Is divided into 2 territories and 6 states:
States: Tasmania, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, New South Wales, Queensland
Territories: Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory

6. Tasmania Island off the southeast coast of the mainland
Almost ½ is unspoiled land that is protected by the government

8. Tasmanian Devil?

10. Victoria State closest to Tasmania
Southeast part of the mainland
Capital is Melbourne; it’s the most urban state in Australia
The many rivers of the region are a good source of fresh water for farming

13. South Australia State in south-central Australia
The Great Victoria Desert is located here…

16. Western Australia Largest state; makes up 1/3rd of the mainland
Most of Western Australia is desert (Great Victoria Desert and Great Sandy Desert are located here)

17. Great Sandy Desert

18. New South Wales North of Victoria, on the eastern coast
Has more people than any other Australian state
The capital, Sydney, is the most populated city in Australia /2 million people live there!
Australian Capital Territory is located here

19. Sydney, New South Wales

20. Queensland Second largest state; 7 times the size of England!
In the northeastern part of the mainland
Great Barrier Reef is located off the coast in the Coral Sea
More than half of Queensland’s population lives in the capital: Brisbane

21. Brisbane

23. Northern Territory
Northern coast of the mainland, between Western Australia and Queensland
Largest population of Aborigines in Australia

26. Australian Capital Territory
Located in New South Wales
The national capital, Canberra, is located here

27. Canberra (Australia’s Capital)

28. II. Australia’s Physical Features

29. Australia… The world’s smallest and flattest continent…
Has Earth’s oldest and least fertile soils
Only Antarctica receives less rainfall!
Commonwealth of Australia also includes Tasmania, an island south of the mainland
It’s surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans

30. Huge desert plains stretch across the country’s middle--central Australia’s climate is hot and dry
Milder climates along the southeastern and southwestern coasts
Most Australians live in the southeastern coastal region

31. Great Barrier Reef World’s largest coral reef!
Lies off the northeast coast of Queensland--over 1,200 miles long
Contains an amazing variety of marine life, including the world’s largest collection of coral
400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish, & 4,000 mollusks (snails, clams, octopi, & squid)
Also includes rare species like the sea cow and the large green turtle

32. Great Barrier Reef from space

35. Coral Sea An important source of coral for the Great Barrier Reef
Part of the Pacific Ocean
Off the northeast coast of Australia
When the earth’s crust moved millions of years ago, it created the Coral Sea and the Great Dividing Range (largest mountain range in Australia)
Coral Sea islands are scattered over thousands of miles of ocean--no one lives on the islands except for a small group of weather specialists

37. Ayers Rock A huge, reddish rock in the center of Australia
Very close to the geographic center of the continent…
It’s a monolith, which is a single, large rock sticking out of the earth
Appears reddish because its iron content “rusts” at the surface
Nearly 12 stories high and almost 6 miles wide!

39. Ayers Rock Aborigines call it “Uluru”, which is its official name
European surveyor visited the rock in 1873 and named it after Sir Henry Ayers, an English government official in South Australia
In 1950, Australia created Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park around Ayers Rock
Both are located in the southwest corner of the state called Northern Territory

42. Great Victoria Desert
Stretches through the states of South Australia and Western Australia
Receives only 8 to 10 inches of rain each year, and it never snows!
Some grasslands in the desert along with sandhills and salt

44. Great Victoria Desert
First Europeans to cross the desert named it after British Queen Victoria in 1875
160,000 miles long & is a protected wilderness area
Very few Australians live here because it’s too hot and dry

46. Tropical Rain Forest

48. Australian Food?

50. Design-A-Plate
There is a new Australian restaurant in Marietta! The restaurant owner is planning to serve yummy Australian foods, like Down Under Cheese Hoppers and Sydney Spicy Shrimp. Even though he has an awesome Australian menu lined up, he has one small problem…He doesn’t have any plates to serve the food on! The owner needs your help in designing plates that could be used in his restaurant. He wants you to create a plate that includes the important physical features of Australia: Ayers Rock, Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, and the Great Victoria Desert. Feel free to add any additional illustrations to your plate design—the more Australian, the better! The plate should be colorful, informative, and creative. 