The Commonwealth of Australia is the only state that occupies an entire continent. Has this affected Australia's natural resources? We will talk in detail about the country's wealth and its use later in the article.
Geography
The country is located on the mainland of the same name, which is located entirely in the Southern Hemisphere. In addition to the mainland, Australia also includes some islands, including Tasmania. The shores of the state are washed by the Pacific and Indian oceans and their seas.
In terms of area, the country ranks sixth in the world, but as a mainland, Australia is the smallest. Together with numerous archipelagos and islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it forms part of the world of Australia and Oceania.
The state is located in the subequatorial, tropical and subtropical zones, part is in the temperate zone. Due to the considerable remoteness from other continents, the formation of Australia's climate is very dependent on ocean currents. The territory of the continent is predominantly flat, mountains are located only in the east. About 20% of the total space is occupied by deserts.
Australia: natural resources and conditions
Geographical remoteness and harsh conditions contributed to the formation of a unique nature. The desert central regions of the mainland are represented by arid steppes, which are covered with low shrubs. Long droughts here alternate with prolonged downpours.
Harsh conditions contributed to the formation of special adaptations in local animals and plants to retain moisture and cope with high temperatures. Many marsupials live in Australia, and plants have powerful underground roots.
Conditions are milder in the western and northern regions. The moisture brought by the monsoons contributes to the formation of dense tropical forests and savannahs. The latter serve as excellent pastures for cattle and sheep.
The marine natural resources of Australia and Oceania are not far behind. In the Coral Sea is the famous Great Barrier Reef with an area of 345 thousand square kilometers. More than 1000 species of fish, sea turtles, crustaceans live on the reef. This attracts sharks, dolphins, birds.
Water resources
The driest continent is Australia. Natural resources in the form of rivers and lakes are presented here in very small quantities. More than 60% of the continent are endorheic. (length - 2375 kilometers), together with the tributaries of the Golburn, Darling and Murrumbidgee, is considered the largest.
Most rivers are fed by rain and are usually shallow and small in size. During dry periods, even Murray dries up, forming separate stagnant reservoirs. Nevertheless, dams, dams and reservoirs have been built on all its tributaries and branches.
Australian lakes are small basins, at the bottom of which are layers of salt. They, like rivers, are filled with rainwater, tend to dry out and have no runoff. Therefore, the level of lakes on the mainland is constantly fluctuating. The largest lakes are Air, Gregory, Gairdner.
Mineral resources
Australia is far from the last place in the world in terms of mineral reserves. Natural resources of this type are actively mined in the country. In the area of the shelves and coastal islands, natural gas and oil are extracted, in the east - coal. The country is also rich in non-ferrous metal ores and non-metallic minerals (eg sand, asbestos, mica, clay, limestone).
Australia, whose natural resources are mainly mineral, leads in terms of the amount of mined zirconium and bauxite. It is one of the first in the world in terms of uranium, manganese and coal reserves. In the western part and on the island of Tasmania there are polymetallic, zinc, silver, lead and copper mines.
Gold deposits are scattered throughout almost the entire territory of the continent, the largest reserves are located in the southwestern part. Australia is rich in precious stones, including diamonds and opals. About 90% of the world's opals are found here. The largest stone was found in 1989, it weighed more than 20,000 carats.
forest resources
The animal and plant natural resources of Australia are unique. Most of the species are endemic, that is, they are present only on this mainland. Among them are the most famous eucalyptus trees, of which there are approximately 500 species. However, this is not all that Australia can boast of.
The natural resources of the country are represented by subtropical forests. True, they occupy only 2% of the territory and are located in river valleys. Due to the arid climate, drought-resistant species predominate in the plant world: succulents, acacias, and some cereals. In the more humid northwestern part, giant eucalyptus trees, palm trees, bamboos, and ficuses grow.
There are about two hundred thousand representatives of the animal world in Australia, 80% of which are endemic. Typical inhabitants are kangaroo, emu, Tasmanian devil, platypus, dingo dog, flying fox, echidna, gecko, koala, kuzu and others. The continent and nearby islands are inhabited by many species of birds (lyrebirds, black swans, birds of paradise, cockatoos), reptiles and reptiles (narrow-nosed crocodile, black, frilled, tiger snake).
Australia: natural resources and their use
Despite harsh conditions, Australia has significant resources. Minerals are of the greatest economic value. The country ranks first in the world in terms of mining, third in bauxite mining and sixth in coal mining.
The country has a great agro-climatic potential. In Australia, potatoes, carrots, pineapples, chestnuts, bananas, mangoes, apples, sugarcane, cereals and legumes are grown. Opium and poppies are grown for medicinal purposes. Sheep breeding is actively developing for the production of wool, cattle are bred for the export of milk and meat.
Economic and geographical position of Australia
Remark 1
The Commonwealth of Australia is the official name of the state. The country occupies the entire mainland of Australia. It has no land neighbors, only sea borders.
All neighbors are island countries - New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea. Australia is far from the developed countries of Europe and America, that is, from markets and raw materials.
It plays an important role in the Asia-Pacific region.
This continent-state is washed by the waters of two oceans - the east coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean, and the west coast is the Indian. The country lies entirely in the southern hemisphere relative to the equator and in the eastern hemisphere relative to the prime meridian.
This remote state is located at a distance of 20 thousand km from Europe and 3.5 thousand km from the countries of Southeast Asia.
Australia belongs to the highly developed countries of the world, and to the north of it are the new industrialized countries. The remoteness of the country from other territories is a favorable feature of the political and geographical position, because there are no hotbeds of military conflicts near its borders, and no one has territorial claims. The wars of the 20th century practically did not touch it.
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All types of transport are developing on the territory of the country. Internal communications in the country are carried out by rail and road transport.
The eastern and southeastern regions of Australia have a well-developed rail network. The interior and northwestern regions have almost no railways.
Foreign trade relations with other countries are carried out by sea transport. Australian goods are exported on huge ocean liners.
Air transport also plays an important role. For regular internal communications, small aircraft have been greatly developed.
I must say that roads and railways are located mainly on the east coast of the mainland, because here are the country's major cities and leading industries. On the east coast are the major ports of Australia - Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane.
The sparsely populated western part of the country is represented by deserts.
Pipeline transport is also developing. From the places of extraction of hydrocarbons - Mumba, Jackson, Roma, Muni, the pipelines go to the eastern ports of the country.
In the Australian economy, the role of foreign trade is quite large. The main source of obtaining foreign currency is the export of goods.
The main export item is, about half of it, agricultural products, ¼ part falls on the products of the mining industry.
Export commodities are meat, wheat, iron ore, butter, cheese, wool, coal, some types of machinery and equipment.
Imports are dominated by machinery and capital equipment, consumer and food products, oil, oil products.
Its trading partners are Germany, USA, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, Great Britain.
Trade relations are developing with the countries of Oceania and Southeast Asia. Active work is underway to establish a free trade regime with China.
After Japan, China is the second largest foreign trade partner.
Remark 2
Thus, the economic and geographical position of a highly developed country in the southern hemisphere is generally favorable, which, on the one hand, is explained by open access to two oceans, the absence of land neighbors, which means that there are no territorial claims and conflict situations, no hotbeds of tension. The wealth of natural resources makes it possible to develop their own economy and export to other countries both finished products and part of natural resources. On the other hand, Australia is located away from international sea trade routes, and this creates certain difficulties in its foreign trade relations.
Natural conditions of Australia
At the base of Australia lies the Australian platform, which was formed more than 1600 million years ago, so there are practically no mountain systems in the country, and weathering processes have turned the surface into plains during this time.
Only on the east coast of the country is the Great Dividing Range - this is the only mountain system in Australia. The Great Dividing Range is an old ruined mountains, the top of which is Kosciuszko, which has a height of 2228 m above sea level.
Volcanoes are completely absent here, and earthquakes are very rare, which is explained by the remoteness of the plate on which the country is located from the collision boundaries.
In the center of the country in the area of Lake Eyre, there is the Central Lowland, the height of which is not more than 100 m. In the area of \u200b\u200bthe same lake lies the lowest point on the mainland - about 12 m below sea level.
In the west of Australia, the Western Australian Plateau was formed with elevated edges and a height of 400-450 m. The Hamersley Range with flat tops and a height of 1226 m is located in the same part of the country.
In the north is the Kimberley massif with a height of 936 m. The southwestern part is occupied by the Darling Range, with a height of 582 m above sea level.
Climatic conditions largely depend on the geographical location of the territory, which is located on both sides of the Southern Tropic.
The climate is greatly influenced by the terrain, atmospheric circulation, weak indentation of the coast, ocean currents and a large extent from west to east.
Most of the country is under the influence of the trade winds, but their influence is different in different parts.
- subequatorial belt;
- tropical zone;
- subtropical zone;
- temperate zone.
The north and northeast of the mainland lies in a subequatorial climate. Precipitation in large quantities falls mainly in the summer. Winter is dry, air temperature throughout the year is +23, +24 degrees.
The tropical zone occupies 40% of the country. The climate here is tropical hot and tropical humid. It covers the deserts and semi-deserts of the central and western parts of the mainland. This is the hottest part of Australia, the summer temperature is not lower than +35 degrees, and the winter temperature is +20…+25 degrees. Tropical rainforests stretch in a narrow strip in the east. Moisture is brought by southeast winds from the Pacific Ocean.
The subtropical climate is also divided into continental subtropical, it is arid and occupies the central and southern parts of the country, subtropical humid in the southeast, precipitation here falls evenly, in the east there is a Mediterranean climate.
The southern and central part of the island of Tasmania is located in the temperate zone. The summer here is cool with a temperature of +8…+10 degrees, and the winter is warm +14…+17 degrees. Sometimes it snows, but it melts quickly.
natural resources of australia
Nature has not deprived the mainland of its mineral resources, they are rich and varied.
New discoveries of mineral deposits have put the country in one of the first places in terms of their reserves and production.
The Hamersley Range contains the largest iron ore reserves. Zinc with an admixture of copper and silver in the Broken Hill deposit in the western desert.
There are deposits of polymetals and copper on the island of Tasmania. Gold associated with the Precambrian basement lies in the southwest of the mainland, and its small deposits are found throughout the territory.
In terms of uranium reserves, the country ranks 2nd in the world and 1st in zirconium and bauxite deposits.
In the east are the main deposits of coal.
There are large deposits of oil and gas in the bowels and on the shelf.
Platinum, silver, nickel, opal, antimony, and diamonds are mined in fairly large volumes.
The country fully provides its industry with mineral resources, with the exception of oil.
There are few surface waters in the country. In the dry season, both rivers and lakes dry up, even such a large river as the Darling becomes shallow.
Of the 774 thousand hectares of total land resources, more than half can be used for the needs of agriculture and construction. Cultivated areas occupy only 6% of the entire territory.
Forests occupy 2% of the country's area. There are subtropical forests and savannah forests.
Australia is rich in a variety of minerals. New discoveries of mineral ores made on the continent over the past 10-15 years have advanced the country to one of the first places in the world in terms of reserves and extraction of such minerals as iron ore, bauxite, lead-zinc ores.
The largest deposits of iron ore in Australia, which began to be developed since the 60s of our century, are located in the region of the Hamersley Range in the north-west of the country (the Mount Newman, Mount Goldsworth, etc. deposits). Iron ore is also found on the Kulan and Kokatu Islands in King's Bay (in the northwest), in the state of South Australia in the Middleback Range (Iron-Knob, etc.) and in Tasmania - the Savage River deposit (in the Savage river valley).
Large deposits of polymetals (lead, zinc mixed with silver and copper) are located in the western desert part of the state of New South Wales - the Broken Hill deposit. An important center for the extraction of non-ferrous metals (copper, lead, zinc) has developed near the Mount Isa deposit (in the state of Queensland). There are also deposits of polymetals and copper in Tasmania (Reed Rosebery and Mount Lyell), copper in Tennant Creek (Northern Territory) and elsewhere.
The main gold reserves are concentrated in the ledges of the Precambrian basement and in the southwest of the mainland (Western Australia), in the area of the cities of Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie, Northman and Wiluna, as well as in Queensland. Smaller deposits are found in almost all states.
Bauxites occur on the Cape York Peninsula (Waype Field) and Arnhem Land (Gow Field), as well as in the southwest, in the Darling Range (Jarradale Field).
Uranium deposits have been found in various parts of the mainland: in the north (Arnhemland Peninsula) - near the South and East Alligator rivers, in the state of South Australia - near Lake. Frome, in the state of Queensland - the Mary-Katlin field and in the western part of the country - the Yillirri field.
The main deposits of coal are located in the eastern part of the mainland. The largest deposits of both coking and non-coking coal are developed near the cities of Newcastle and Lythgow (New South Wales) and the cities of Collinsville, Blair Atol, Bluff, Baralaba and Moura Kiang in Queensland.
Geological surveys have established that large deposits of oil and natural gas are located in the bowels of the Australian mainland and on the shelf off its coast. Oil has been found and produced in Queensland (the Mooney, Alton and Bennet fields), on Barrow Island off the northwestern coast of the mainland, and also on the continental shelf off the south coast of Victoria (the Kingfish field). Deposits of gas (the largest Ranken field) and oil have also been discovered on the shelf off the northwestern shores of the mainland.
Australia has large deposits of chromium (Queensland), Gingin, Dongara, Mandarra (Western Australia), Marlin (Victoria).
From non-metallic minerals, there are clays, sands, limestones, asbestos, and mica of various quality and industrial use.
The water resources of the continent itself are small, but the most developed river network is on the island of Tasmania. The rivers there have a mixed rain and snow supply and are full-flowing throughout the year. They flow down from the mountains and therefore are stormy, rapids and have large reserves of hydropower. The latter is widely used for the construction of hydroelectric power plants. The availability of cheap electricity contributes to the development of energy-intensive industries in Tasmania, such as the smelting of pure electrolyte metals, the manufacture of cellulose, etc.
The rivers flowing from the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range are short, in their upper reaches they flow in narrow gorges. Here they may well be used, and partly already used for the construction of hydroelectric power stations. When entering the coastal plain, the rivers slow down their flow, their depth increases. Many of them in the estuarine parts are even accessible to large ocean-going vessels. The Clarence River is navigable for 100 km from its mouth, and Hawkesbury for 300 km. The volume of runoff and the regime of these rivers are different and depend on the amount of precipitation and the time of their occurrence.
On the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, rivers originate, making their way along the interior plains. In the region of Mount Kosciuszko, the most abundant river in Australia, the Murray, begins. Its largest tributaries, the Darling, Murrumbidgee, Goulbury and some others, also originate in the mountains.
Food r. The Murray and its channels are mostly rainy and to a lesser extent snowy. These rivers are at their fullest in early summer, when the snow melts in the mountains. In the dry season, they become very shallow, and some of the Murray's tributaries break up into separate stagnant reservoirs. Only Murray and Murrumbidgee retain a constant current (except for exceptionally dry years). Even the Darling, the longest river in Australia (2450 km), during summer droughts, getting lost in the sands, does not always reach the Murray.
Dams and dams have been built on almost all the rivers of the Murray system, near which reservoirs have been created, where flood waters are collected and used to irrigate fields, gardens and pastures.
The rivers of the northern and western coasts of Australia are shallow and relatively small. The longest of them - Flinders flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria. These rivers are fed by rain, and their water content varies greatly at different times of the year.
Rivers whose flow is directed to the interior of the mainland, such as Coopers Creek (Barkoo), Diamant-ina, and others, are deprived not only of a constant flow, but also of a permanent, distinctly expressed channel. In Australia, such temporary rivers are called screams. They fill with water only during short showers. Soon after the rain, the riverbed again turns into a dry sandy hollow, often not even having a definite shape.
Most lakes in Australia, like rivers, are fed by rainwater. They have neither a constant level nor a runoff. In summer, the lakes dry up and are shallow saline depressions. The layer of salt at the bottom sometimes reaches 1.5 m.
In the seas surrounding Australia, sea animals are mined and fish are caught. Edible oysters are bred in sea waters. Sea trepang, crocodiles and pearl clams are fished in warm coastal waters in the north and northeast. The main center of artificial breeding of the latter is located in the region of the Koberg peninsula (Arnhemland). It was here, in the warm waters of the Arafura Sea and Van Diemen Bay, that the first experiments were carried out to create special sediments. These experiments were carried out by one of the Australian companies with the participation of Japanese specialists. It has been found that pearl clams grown in warm waters off the northern coast of Australia produce larger pearls than those off the coast of Japan, and in a much shorter period of time. At present, the cultivation of pearl mollusks has spread widely along the northern and partly northeastern coasts.
Since the Australian mainland for a long time, starting from the middle of the Cretaceous period, was isolated from other parts of the globe, its flora is very peculiar. Of the 12 thousand species of higher plants, more than 9 thousand are endemic, i.e. grow only on the Australian continent. Among the endemics are many species of eucalyptus and acacia, the most typical plant families in Australia. At the same time, there are also such plants that are inherent in South America (for example, the southern beech), South Africa (representatives of the Proteaceae family) and the islands of the Malay Archipelago (ficus, pandanus, etc.). This indicates that many millions of years ago there were land connections between the continents.
Since the climate of most of Australia is characterized by severe aridity, dry-loving plants dominate in its flora: special cereals, eucalyptus trees, umbrella acacias, succulent trees (bottle tree, etc.). The trees belonging to these communities have a powerful root system, which goes 10-20, and sometimes 30 m into the ground, due to which they, like a pump, suck out moisture from great depths. The narrow and dry leaves of these trees are painted mostly in a dull gray-greenish color. In some of them, the leaves are turned to the sun with an edge, which helps to reduce the evaporation of water from their surface.
In the far north and northwest of the country, where it is hot and warm northwest monsoons bring moisture, tropical rainforests grow. Giant eucalyptus trees, ficuses, palm trees, pandanuses with narrow long leaves, etc. predominate in their woody composition. The dense foliage of the trees forms an almost continuous cover, shading the ground. In some places along the coast there are thickets of bamboo. Where the shores are flat and muddy, mangrove vegetation develops.
Rainforests in the form of narrow galleries stretch for relatively short distances inland along the river valleys.
The farther to the south, the drier the climate becomes and the hotter breath of the deserts is felt more strongly. The forest cover is gradually thinning. Eucalyptus and umbrella acacias are arranged in groups. This is a zone of humid savannas, stretching in a latitudinal direction south of the tropical forest zone. In appearance, savannahs with rare groups of trees resemble parks. There is no undergrowth in them. Sunlight freely penetrates through a sieve of small tree leaves and falls on the ground covered with tall dense grass. Forested savannahs are excellent pastures for sheep and cattle.
The central deserts of parts of the mainland, where it is very hot and dry, are characterized by dense, almost impenetrable thickets of thorny low-growing shrubs, consisting mainly of eucalyptus and acacia. In Australia, these thickets are called scrub. In some places, the scrub is interspersed with vast, devoid of vegetation, sandy, rocky or clayey areas of deserts, and in some places - thickets of tall soddy cereals (spinifex).
The eastern and southeastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, where there is a lot of rainfall, are covered with dense tropical and subtropical evergreen forests. Most of all in these forests, as elsewhere in Australia, eucalyptus trees. Eucalyptus trees are industrially valuable. These trees have no equal in height among hardwood species; some of their species reach 150 m in height and 10 m in diameter. The growth of wood in eucalyptus forests is large, and therefore they are very productive. There are also many tree-like horsetails and ferns in the forests, reaching 10-20 m in height. At their top, tree-like ferns carry a crown of large (up to 2 m long) pinnate leaves. With their bright and fresh greenery, they somewhat enliven the faded bluish-green landscape of eucalyptus forests. Higher in the mountains, an admixture of damarr pines and beeches is noticeable.
Shrub and grass covers in these forests are varied and dense. In less humid variants of these forests, grass trees form the second layer.
On the island of Tasmania, in addition to eucalyptus trees, there are many evergreen beeches related to South American species.
In the southwest of the mainland, forests cover the western slopes of the Darling Range, facing the sea. These forests consist almost entirely of eucalyptus trees, reaching considerable heights. The number of endemic species is especially high here. In addition to eucalyptus, bottle trees are widespread. They have an original bottle-shaped trunk, thick at the base and tapering sharply upwards. In the rainy season, large reserves of moisture accumulate in the tree trunk, which are consumed during the dry season. In the undergrowth of these forests there are many shrubs and herbs, full of bright colors.
In general, Australia's forest resources are small. The total area of forests, including special plantations, consisting mainly of species with soft wood (mainly radiata pine), at the end of the 70s was only 5.6% of the country's territory.
The first colonists did not find plant species characteristic of Europe on the mainland. Subsequently, European and other species of trees, shrubs and herbs were brought to Australia. Grapevine, cotton, cereals (wheat, barley, oats, rice, corn, etc.), vegetables, many fruit trees, etc. are well established here.
In Australia, all soil types characteristic of tropical, subequatorial and subtropical natural zones are presented in a regular sequence.
In the area of tropical rainforests in the north, red soils are common, changing towards the south with red-brown and brown soils in wet savannahs and gray-brown soils in dry savannahs. Red-brown and brown soils containing humus, a little phosphorus and potassium, are valuable for agricultural use.
Within the zone of red-brown soils, the main wheat crops of Australia are located.
In the marginal regions of the Central Plains (for example, in the Murray basin), where artificial irrigation is developed and a lot of fertilizers are used, grapes, fruit trees, and fodder grasses are grown on gray earth soils.
Gray-brown steppe soils are widespread in the interior desert territories of semi-desert and especially steppe regions surrounding the ring, where there is grass, and in some places shrub-tree cover. Their power is insignificant. They contain little humus and phosphorus, therefore, when using them even as pastures for sheep and cattle, the application of phosphorus fertilizers is required.
The Australian continent is located within the three main warm climatic zones of the southern hemisphere: subequatorial (in the north), tropical (in the central part), subtropical (in the south). Only a small part of Tasmania lies within the temperate zone.
The subequatorial climate, characteristic of the northern and northeastern parts of the continent, is characterized by an even temperature course (during the year, the average air temperature is 23 - 24 degrees) and a large amount of precipitation (from 1000 to 1500 mm., and in some places more than 2000 mm.). Precipitation is brought here by the humid northwest monsoon, and it falls mainly in the summer. In winter, during the dry season, rain falls only occasionally. At this time, dry, hot winds blow from the interior of the mainland, which sometimes cause droughts.
In the tropical zone on the Australian continent, two main types of climate are formed: tropical wet and tropical dry.
The tropical humid climate is characteristic of the extreme eastern part of Australia, which is included in the zone of action of the southeast trade winds. These winds bring moisture-saturated air masses from the Pacific Ocean to the mainland. Therefore, the entire region of the coastal plains and the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range is well moistened (on average, precipitation is from 1000 to 1500 mm) and has a mild warm climate (the temperature of the warmest month in Sydney is 22 - 25 degrees, and the coldest - 11, 5 - 13 degrees).
Air masses that bring moisture from the Pacific Ocean also penetrate beyond the Great Dividing Range, losing a significant amount of moisture along the way, so precipitation falls only on the western slopes of the ridge and in the foothills.
Located mainly in tropical and subtropical latitudes, where solar radiation is high, the Australian mainland is getting very hot. Due to the weak indentation of the coastline and the uplift of the marginal parts, the influence of the seas surrounding the mainland is weakly felt in the inner parts.
Australia is the driest continent on Earth, and one of the most characteristic features of its nature is the wide distribution of deserts that occupy vast spaces and stretch for almost 2.5 thousand km from the shores of the Indian Ocean to the foothills of the Great Dividing Range.
The central and western parts of the mainland are characterized by a tropical desert climate. In summer (December-February), the average temperatures here rise to 30 degrees, and sometimes even higher, and in winter (June-August) they drop to an average of 10-15 degrees. The hottest region of Australia is the northwestern one, where in the Great Sandy Desert the temperature stays at around 35 degrees and even higher almost all summer. In winter, it decreases slightly (up to about 25-20 degrees). In the center of the mainland, near the city of Alice Springs, in the summer, the temperature during the day rises to 45 degrees, at night it drops to zero and below (-4-6 degrees).
Central and western parts of Australia, i.e. about half of its territory receives an average of 250-300 mm of precipitation per year, and the vicinity of the lake. Air - less than 200 mm; but even these insignificant precipitations fall unevenly. Sometimes for several years in a row there is no rain at all, and sometimes in two or three days, or even in a few hours, the entire annual amount of precipitation falls. Part of the water seeps quickly and deeply through the permeable soil and becomes inaccessible to plants, and part evaporates under the hot rays of the sun, and the surface layers of the soil remain almost dry.
Within the subtropical belt, three types of climate are distinguished: Mediterranean, subtropical continental and subtropical humid.
The Mediterranean climate is characteristic of the southwestern part of Australia. As the name suggests, the climate of this part of the country is similar to the climate of the European Mediterranean countries - Spain and Southern France. Summers are hot and generally dry, while winters are warm and humid. Relatively small fluctuations in temperature by season (January - 23-27 degrees, June - 12 - 14 degrees), a sufficient amount of precipitation (from 600 to 1000 mm).
The subtropical continental climate zone covers the southern part of the mainland adjacent to the Great Australian Gulf, includes the vicinity of the city of Adelaide and extends somewhat further east, to the western regions of the state of New South Wales. The main features of this climate are low rainfall and relatively large annual temperature fluctuations.
The subtropical humid climate zone includes the entire state of Victoria and the southwestern foothills of the state of New South Wales. In general, this entire zone is characterized by a mild climate and a significant amount of precipitation (from 500 to 600 mm), mainly in the coastal parts (the penetration of precipitation into the interior of the continent decreases). In summer, temperatures rise to an average of 20-24 degrees, but in winter they drop quite a lot - up to 8-10 degrees. The climate of this part of the country is favorable for the cultivation of fruit trees, various vegetables and forage grasses. True, artificial irrigation is used to obtain high yields, since in the summer the moisture in the soil is not enough. Dairy cattle (grazing on fodder grasses) and sheep are bred in these areas.
The temperate climate zone includes only the central and southern parts of the island of Tasmania. This island is largely influenced by the surrounding waters and has a climate of moderately warm winters and cool summers. The average January temperature here is 14-17 degrees, June - 8 degrees. The prevailing wind direction is west. The average annual rainfall in the western part of the island is 2500 mm, and the number of rainy days is 259. In the eastern part, the climate is somewhat less humid.
In winter, snow sometimes falls, but it does not last long. Abundant rainfall favors the development of vegetation, and especially herbs, which vegetate all year round. Herds of cattle and sheep graze all year round on evergreen succulent natural and improved by oversowing fodder grasses meadows.
The hot climate and insignificant and uneven precipitation over most of the mainland lead to the fact that almost 60% of its territory is deprived of runoff to the ocean and has only a rare network of temporary watercourses. Perhaps, on no other continent is there such a poorly developed network of inland waters as in Australia. The annual flow of all the rivers of the continent is only 350 cubic km.
The area is 7.7 million km2. Population - 20.3 million people
State in the composition. Commonwealth - six states and two territories. Capital -. Canberra
EGP
. Australia (Australia) It is the only country in the world that occupies an entire continent. Australia is located southeast of. Eurasia. She is bathed in water. Quiet and. Indian Oceans. The main feature of the economic and geographical position of nia. Australia - isolation, remoteness from other continents. Technological progress in transport and communications has brought it closer to other continents. Relative proximity acquires a positive value. Australia to countries. Southeast and. Eastern. Asia and. Oceania. In terms of area, the country ranks sixth in the world after. Russia,. Canada,. China,. USA and. Brazil. From the west to the east is the territory. Australia stretches for 4.4 thousand km, and from north to south - for 3.1 thousand k1 yew. km.
Australia is an economically highly developed country. in absolute terms. GNP it is included in the group of the first 15 countries of the world while in the global division of labor it is agrarian and raw material specialization
Australia is a member. UN,. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and other world and regional organizations
Population
. modern population. Australia was shaped by immigrants. By the beginning of European colonization, about 300 thousand natives lived on the mainland, and now their number is more than 150 thousand people. They belong to the Australoid race and ethnically do not form a single whole. Aborigines are divided into many tribes speaking different languages.
After. Second World War. Australia received many so-called "displaced persons", as well as people from the European south and east - Italians, Yugoslavs, Greeks, etc. Among them were more than 20 thousand Ukrainian rainsiv. Recently, the part of immigrants in the population growth is 40%. In recent decades, the country has been suffering from a growing rate of illegal immigration from countries. Southeast and. Eastern. AsiaAsia.
The population is distributed very unevenly throughout the country. The main areas of greatest density are concentrated in the east and southeast, southwest and south. Here the population density is 25 - -50 people per 1 km2, and the rest of the territory is very poorly populated (the density does not even reach one person per 1 km2). In some inland desert areas. The Australian population is missing. In recent decades, there have been shifts in the distribution of the country's population, thanks to the discovery of new mineral deposits in the north and south. The Australian government encourages the movement of the population to the center of the mainland, to the underdeveloped regions.
By level of urbanization. Australia occupies one of the first places in the world - 90%. Among urban areas. There are three groups of cities in Australia: firstly, these are small mountainous cities that are scattered throughout the continent and are its integral feature, and secondly, these are state capitals that perform not only administrative and political functions, but also economic, commercial, scientific, cultural, thirdly, these are medium-sized centers that have arisen near the capitals, assuming the functions of centers of various industries.
employment structure. Australia is typical of post-industrial countries. Thus, 3.6% is employed in agriculture, 26.4% in industry, and 70% in the service sector. In 2005, unemployment was about 55%.
Natural conditions and resources
At 0.3% of the world population. Australia 5.8% of the earth's surface. Therefore, its provision with natural resource potential is 20 times higher than the average in the world, primarily mineral resources.
resources. The discovery of new deposits brought the country to a leading position in the world in terms of reserves and production of iron and lead-zinc ores, bauxites
The largest deposits of coal, oil and gas are located in the eastern part. Australia. In the western and northern parts of the country there are deposits of ore raw materials: iron, nickel, polymetals, gold, silver and copper, manganese. Bauxite deposits are concentrated on the peninsula. Cape York and the northeast. Northern Territory. With the exception of oil, the country fully provides its needs with the main types of raw materials for industry.
60% of the territory. Australia is occupied by drainless regions. The river network is the densest on about. Tasmania is a full-flowing river country -. Murray with tributaries. Darling and. Murrumbidgee. Rivers flowing down the eastern slopes. Big. Dividing Range, short and fairly full-flowing rivers of the central. Australia does not have a permanent flow. Most of the country's lakes, like rivers, are almost exclusively rain fed. In they have neither a constant level nor a drain. In summer, the lakes dry up and are shallow saline depressions.
Forest resources. Australia are minor. Forested areas, including scrapers, make up about 18% of the country's total area. Under the influence of economic activity, the vegetation has changed tremendously.
The country in relief is a vast plateau, concave in the central part and elevated at the edges. Mountains occupy 5% of the territory. There is a large depression in the center. The central lowland is an arid region. And Australia.
The northern and northeastern parts of the country are located in the tropical climate zone. The largest part. Australia occupies the subtropical climate zone. Only the extreme south is included in the temperate climate zone. Australia is known as an arid continent, but areas with sufficient rainfall make up 1/3 of the total area. In arid regions, there are significant reserves of groundwater.
Unique natural landscapes. Australia and the magnificent beaches of its east coast is the basis for the rapid development of ecological, tourist and sports (diving, yachting, windsurfing) tourism
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Natural conditions and resources
Australia is rich in a variety of minerals. New discoveries of mineral ores made on the continent over the past 10-15 years have advanced the country to one of the first places in the world in terms of reserves and extraction of such minerals as iron ore, bauxite, lead-zinc ores.
The largest deposits of iron ore in Australia, which began to be developed since the 60s of our century, are located in the region of the Hamersley Range in the north-west of the country (the Mount Newman, Mount Goldsworth, etc. deposits). Iron ore is also found on the Kulan and Kokatu Islands in King's Bay (in the northwest), in the state of South Australia in the Middleback Range (Iron-Knob, etc.) and in Tasmania - the Savage River deposit (in the Savage river valley).
Large deposits of polymetals (lead, zinc mixed with silver and copper) are located in the western desert part of the state of New South Wales - the Broken Hill deposit. An important center for the extraction of non-ferrous metals (copper, lead, zinc) has developed near the Mount Isa deposit (in the state of Queensland). There are also deposits of polymetals and copper in Tasmania (Reed Rosebery and Mount Lyell), copper in Tennant Creek (Northern Territory) and elsewhere.
The main gold reserves are concentrated in the ledges of the Precambrian basement and in the southwest of the mainland (Western Australia), in the area of the cities of Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie, Northman and Wiluna, as well as in Queensland. Smaller deposits are found in almost all states.
Bauxites occur on the Cape York Peninsula (Waype Field) and Arnhem Land (Gow Field), as well as in the southwest, in the Darling Range (Jarradale Field).
Uranium deposits have been found in various parts of the mainland: in the north (Arnhemland Peninsula) - near the South and East Alligator rivers, in the state of South Australia - near Lake. Frome, in the state of Queensland - the Mary-Katlin field and in the western part of the country - the Yillirri field.
The main deposits of coal are located in the eastern part of the mainland. The largest deposits of both coking and non-coking coal are developed near the cities of Newcastle and Lythgow (New South Wales) and the cities of Collinsville, Blair Atol, Bluff, Baralaba and Moura Kiang in Queensland.
Geological surveys have established that large deposits of oil and natural gas are located in the bowels of the Australian mainland and on the shelf off its coast. Oil has been found and produced in Queensland (the Mooney, Alton and Bennet fields), on Barrow Island off the northwestern coast of the mainland, and also on the continental shelf off the south coast of Victoria (the Kingfish field). Deposits of gas (the largest Ranken field) and oil have also been discovered on the shelf off the northwestern shores of the mainland.
Australia has large deposits of chromium (Queensland), Gingin, Dongara, Mandarra (Western Australia), Marlin (Victoria).
From non-metallic minerals, there are clays, sands, limestones, asbestos, and mica of various quality and industrial use.
The water resources of the continent itself are small, but the most developed river network is on the island of Tasmania. The rivers there have a mixed rain and snow supply and are full-flowing throughout the year. They flow down from the mountains and therefore are stormy, rapids and have large reserves of hydropower. The latter is widely used for the construction of hydroelectric power plants. The availability of cheap electricity contributes to the development of energy-intensive industries in Tasmania, such as the smelting of pure electrolyte metals, the manufacture of cellulose, etc.
The rivers flowing from the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range are short, in their upper reaches they flow in narrow gorges. Here they may well be used, and partly already used for the construction of hydroelectric power stations. When entering the coastal plain, the rivers slow down their flow, their depth increases. Many of them in the estuarine parts are even accessible to large ocean-going vessels. The Clarence River is navigable for 100 km from its mouth, and Hawkesbury for 300 km. The volume of runoff and the regime of these rivers are different and depend on the amount of precipitation and the time of their occurrence.
On the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, rivers originate, making their way along the interior plains. In the region of Mount Kosciuszko, the most abundant river in Australia, the Murray, begins. Its largest tributaries, the Darling, Murrumbidgee, Goulbury and some others, also originate in the mountains.
Food r. The Murray and its channels are mostly rainy and to a lesser extent snowy. These rivers are at their fullest in early summer, when the snow melts in the mountains. In the dry season, they become very shallow, and some of the Murray's tributaries break up into separate stagnant reservoirs. Only Murray and Murrumbidgee retain a constant current (except for exceptionally dry years). Even the Darling, the longest river in Australia (2450 km), during summer droughts, getting lost in the sands, does not always reach the Murray.
Dams and dams have been built on almost all the rivers of the Murray system, near which reservoirs have been created, where flood waters are collected and used to irrigate fields, gardens and pastures.
The rivers of the northern and western coasts of Australia are shallow and relatively small. The longest of them - Flinders flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria. These rivers are fed by rain, and their water content varies greatly at different times of the year.
Rivers whose flow is directed to the interior of the mainland, such as Coopers Creek (Barkoo), Diamant-ina, and others, are deprived not only of a constant flow, but also of a permanent, distinctly expressed channel. In Australia, such temporary rivers are called screams. They fill with water only during short showers. Soon after the rain, the riverbed again turns into a dry sandy hollow, often not even having a definite shape.
Most lakes in Australia, like rivers, are fed by rainwater. They have neither a constant level nor a runoff. In summer, the lakes dry up and are shallow saline depressions. The layer of salt at the bottom sometimes reaches 1.5 m.
In the seas surrounding Australia, sea animals are mined and fish are caught. Edible oysters are bred in sea waters. Sea trepang, crocodiles and pearl clams are fished in warm coastal waters in the north and northeast. The main center of artificial breeding of the latter is located in the region of the Koberg peninsula (Arnhemland). It was here, in the warm waters of the Arafura Sea and Van Diemen Bay, that the first experiments were carried out to create special sediments. These experiments were carried out by one of the Australian companies with the participation of Japanese specialists. It has been found that pearl clams grown in warm waters off the northern coast of Australia produce larger pearls than those off the coast of Japan, and in a much shorter period of time. At present, the cultivation of pearl mollusks has spread widely along the northern and partly northeastern coasts.
Since the Australian mainland for a long time, starting from the middle of the Cretaceous period, was isolated from other parts of the globe, its flora is very peculiar. Of the 12 thousand species of higher plants, more than 9 thousand are endemic, i.e. grow only on the Australian continent. Among the endemics are many species of eucalyptus and acacia, the most typical plant families in Australia. At the same time, there are also such plants that are inherent in South America (for example, the southern beech), South Africa (representatives of the Proteaceae family) and the islands of the Malay Archipelago (ficus, pandanus, etc.). This indicates that many millions of years ago there were land connections between the continents.
Since the climate of most of Australia is characterized by severe aridity, dry-loving plants dominate in its flora: special cereals, eucalyptus trees, umbrella acacias, succulent trees (bottle tree, etc.). The trees belonging to these communities have a powerful root system, which goes 10-20, and sometimes 30 m into the ground, due to which they, like a pump, suck out moisture from great depths. The narrow and dry leaves of these trees are painted mostly in a dull gray-greenish color. In some of them, the leaves are turned to the sun with an edge, which helps to reduce the evaporation of water from their surface.
In the far north and northwest of the country, where it is hot and warm northwest monsoons bring moisture, tropical rainforests grow. Giant eucalyptus trees, ficuses, palm trees, pandanuses with narrow long leaves, etc. predominate in their woody composition. The dense foliage of the trees forms an almost continuous cover, shading the ground. In some places along the coast there are thickets of bamboo. Where the shores are flat and muddy, mangrove vegetation develops.
Rainforests in the form of narrow galleries stretch for relatively short distances inland along the river valleys.
The farther to the south, the drier the climate becomes and the hotter breath of the deserts is felt more strongly. The forest cover is gradually thinning. Eucalyptus and umbrella acacias are arranged in groups. This is a zone of humid savannas, stretching in a latitudinal direction south of the tropical forest zone. In appearance, savannahs with rare groups of trees resemble parks. There is no undergrowth in them. Sunlight freely penetrates through a sieve of small tree leaves and falls on the ground covered with tall dense grass. Forested savannahs are excellent pastures for sheep and cattle.
Conclusion: Australia is rich in a variety of minerals. Australia is located on a large mainland and this shows the diversity of resources. Australia is mostly a desert continent.