AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA
 Determine the latitudes and longitudes of the northernmost,
southernmost, easternmost and westernmost points of Australia.
Make a latitudinal comparison of the geographical positions of Aus
tralia and South America.
Which oceans wash the shores of Australia?
What large island lies near the southern coast of Australia?
Fig. 187. Part of the Great Barrier Reef at low-tide. Between the blocks of coral there is water.
Australia is the world's smallest continent. Nearly 7,600,000 square kilometres in area, it is one-fourth the size of Africa. East of Australia is Oceania, a group of islands spread over a vast area of the Pacific. Australia and Oceania combined cover an area of nearly 9,000,000 square kilometres, which is but a little less than that of Europe.
Geographical Position. Coastlines. Australia (from the Latin
«australis»=southern) lies wholly within the Southern Hemisphere.
It is surrounded by oceans and seas: in the south, west and north by
the Indian Ocean, in the east bv the Pacific. It lies far from the other
parts of the world, the closest being Asia, with which it is linked by
a group of islands. For this reason Europe was long unaware of its
existence. It was not until the beginning of the 17th century that
Australia was discovered by the Dutch.
Like the other continents of the Southern Hemisphere Austra lia's coastlines are smooth, with few peninsulas and bays. In the south it is washed by the Great Australian Bight which, however, penetrates only slightly inland. Its shores are regular and unsuited for harbours.
Along the north-eastern coast extends the Great Barrier Reef for 2,000 kilometres (Fig. 187), at some distance from the land and interrupted in places by narrow straits. In the north it is barely two  kilometres wide. In the south it widens to 150 kilometres. II consists of submarine rocks (cays), above water in places andj fantastically shaped. These have been built by the coral polyp, a! small sea animal living in the warm waters of the southern seas. The' Great Barrier Reef makes it hard for ships to approach the/1 shore.
Oft the southern shores lies the island of Tasmania, sepa ated by a shallow strait from the mainland.
Fig. 188. Australia: Relief and minerals.
There is much iron and polymetallic ores in the south. Gold is mined in the west. There are large deposits of uranium both in the south and north of the continent.
Questions and Assignments.
- Compare the sizes of Australia and Greenland, first on the political map of the world and then on the globe.
Where are the depictions more
exact: on the globe or
map?
- Use the scale of your
map to determine the length
and width of Australia.
Mark and name on the outline map of Australia the islands, bays and mountains you have studied. Use symbols to show the most important minerals. |
