Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands.[13] With an area of 7,617,930 square kilometres (2,941,300 sq mi),[14] Australia is the largest country by area in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country. Australia is the oldest,[15] flattest,[16] and driest inhabited continent,[17][18] with the least fertile soils.[19][20] It is a megadiverse country, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates, with deserts in the centre, tropical rainforests in the north-east, and mountain ranges in the south-east.
The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians began arriving from south east Asia approximately 65,000 years ago, during the last ice age.[21][22] Arriving by sea, they settled the continent and had formed approximately 250 distinct language groups by the time of European settlement, maintaining some of the longest known continuing artistic and religious traditions in the world.[21] Australia's written history commenced with the European maritime exploration of Australia. The Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon was the first known European to reach Australia, in 1606. In 1770, the British explorer James Cook mapped and claimed the east coast of Australia for Great Britain, and the First Fleet of British ships arrived at Sydney in 1788 to establish the penal colony of New South Wales. The European population grew in subsequent decades, and by the end of the 1850s gold rush, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers and an additional five self-governing British colonies established. Democratic parliaments were gradually established through the 19th century, culminating with a vote for the federation of the six colonies and foundation of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901. Australia has since maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and wealthy market economy.
Politically, Australia is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy, comprising six states and ten territories. Australia's population of nearly 26 million[7] is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard.[23] Canberra is the nation's capital, while its most populous city and financial centre is Sydney. The next four largest cities are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. Australia's demography has been shaped by centuries of immigration: immigrants account for 30% of the country's population,[24] and almost half of Australians have at least one parent born overseas.[25] Australia's abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade relations are crucial to the country's economy, which generates its income from various sources including services, mining exports, banking, manufacturing, agriculture and international education.[26][27][28]
Australia is a highly developed country with a high-income economy. As of 2022, it was the world's fourteenth-larges
1. Australia and New Zealand
Background
– basic kinship between Australia and New Zealand
– similarities of population, cultural heritage, and
type of economy
– products of British colonization
– speak English, live under parliamentary forms of
government, schools patterns after British model
– both have aboriginal minorities surviving from
prewhite times
– close political and economic relations with US,
Japan, and Europe
2. – both prosperous nations with per capital incomes
comparable to those of the small states of Europe
– Commonwealth ties with UK
Australia’s Physical and Climatic
Characteristics
– Australia is country and island continent
– sparsely populated
– very arid climate with high temperatures and rapid
evaporation
3. – Only 6% of Australia if cultivated today
– 14% classified as forests or woodlands
– 50% suitable for grazing
– 20% total wasteland in the interior
– despite small proportion of arable land, ratio of
crop-producing land to total population is favorable
– Australia is the size of the continental US but only
has 19 million people, fewer than live in California
– distribution of population follows arable land
– most Australians live in humid eastern highlands
and coastal plains and humid grasslands
4. Natural Regions of Australia
– humid eastern highlands
only major highlands on east coast from Cape York to
Tasmania
elevation under 3,000 feet
only part of country with no drought
Pacific winds bring much rain but rugged relief
prevents much agriculture
south of Sydney has marine west coast climate
north of Sydney has humid subtropical climate
5. – tropical savannas of north Australia
north Australia receives heavy rainfall in summer with
dry conditions in winter
monsoon winds blow onshore in summer and offshore
in winter
produces savanna vegetation with coarse grasses,
scattered trees, and patches of woodlands
arid conditions, poor soils, and lack of rivers make
agriculture difficult
6. – Mediterranean lands of southwest and south
southwest corner of Australia and land around the
Spencer Gulf have a Mediterranean climate
winter rain and summer drought
Mediterranean crops do well here
lack of highlands to catch moisture
limited irrigation
7. – dry interior
huge interior of Australia is desert surrounded by a
fringe of semi arid grassland (steppe)
covers half of the continent
general elevation between 1,000 and 1,500 feet
few mountain ranges too low to influence climate
lowest part of interior around Lake Eyre Basin is driest
part of the country
Murry-Darling Basin only area of river systems with
some irrigation possible
9. Australian Economy
– Country’s leading exports are mining, grazing,
and agriculture
– large and dependable markets for Australian
primary products in Japan, US, and Europe
– cheap and efficient transportation by sea
– sheep and cattle raising important
penal colony near Sydney in 1788
difficult to grow crops but sheep did well
by 19th C Australia was largest supplier or wool
10. sheep industry concentrated on western slop of
eastern highlands, border of New South Wales, and
western border of Victoria
exports of wool have declined due to synthetics
cattle ranching in north around Queensland
exports of meat to Japan, US, and Europe
construction of rural roads to coast aided exports
– wheat farming
wheat is major export of Australia
originally developed to help feed population around
Sydney
State of South Australia now most important wheat
area
11. Adelaide is major port for wheat exports
mechanization, railroads, scientific plant breeding, and
new markets helped wheat exports
wheat and sheep often occupy same areas
southwest corner near Perth second area of growth
small labor force, large acreage, good yields per
worker make this an efficient industry for Australia
– dairy farming
largest industry in terms of employment
humid coastal plains of Queensland, New South
Wales, and Victoria
12. – sugar production
sugar industry begun on coastal plain of Queensland
in 19th C
laborers imported from Melanesia to work fields
formation of Commonwealth of Australia in 1901
led to repatriation of imported black labor in the
interests of preserving a “white Australia.”
high protective tariffs on sugar preserved the
industry
large estates divided up into family farms producing
sugar
13. Urbanization and Industrialization
– most Australians are city dwellers
– Sydney 3.7 million; Melbourne 3.1 million;
Brisbane 1.3 million; Perth 1.2 million and
Adelaide 1 million
– 40% of Australian population live in two largest
cities
– 85% of total Australian population live in urban
areas
– largest cities are all seaports
14.
15. – much of Australian internal trade moves by
coastal steamer
– problems with internal rail system because each
state built it own system with different gauge
tracks
– work underway to standardize rail gauge
– Australian government has encouraged
industrial development to diversify economy
– concern about national security, adequate
defense, self-sufficiency in case of war
16. Mineral Wealth
– mineral resources of continent relatively rich
– adequate supply of minerals for internal
development and export
– ample supply of coal in New South Wales and
Queensland
– steel plants near coal mines at Newcastle north
of Sydney and Wollongong to south
– coal is major export to Japan
– iron ore deposits close to coast facilitating
exports
17. – Major reserves of bauxite near north
Queensland coast, Darling Range near Perth,
and on coast of Amhem Land
– Australia is world’s leading producer of bauxite
for aluminum production
– processed alumina exported overseas
– gold mining played large role in Australia’s
history as it did in California in 1849.
– Australia also source of copper, lead, titanium,
zinc, tin, silver, manganese, nickel, tungsten,
uranium, and diamonds.
18. – Broken Hill Proprietary Company, Australia’s
largest private company, began as a mining
company now produces steel and other related
businesses
– deficiency in petroleum and natural gas though
small fields were developed in the 60’s and 70’s
– Australia dependent on overseas manufactured
products from Japan and US
– domestic manufacturers dependent on
government protection
– manufacturing encouraged to provide jobs and
security for Australian people
19. – Government has encouraged immigration of
white, skilled, English-speaking people
– discriminatory policies against blacks and Asians
criticized by world community
– immigration more dependent on education and
English speaking ability since 1973
New Zealand
– located 1,000 miles southeast of Australia
– New Zealand consists of two large islands- North
Island and South Island separated by the Cook
Strait with a combined population of 4 million
– North Island smaller with larger population
21. – population of New Zealand 4 million
– rugged terrain characterizes much of New
Zealand
– mountains of South Island dominated by the
imposing Southern Alps with many glaciated
summits above 10,000 feet
– mountains of North Island less imposing with
some peaks over 5,000
– lowland areas received more than 30 inches of
rain per year, evenly distributed throughout the
year.
22. – rain shadow east of Southern Alps
– moderate temperatures with pervasive
maritime influence
– temperatures average 60-70 in summer and 40-
50 in winter
New Zealand Economy
– climate idea for growing grass and raising
livestock
– pastures and meadows support a thriving sheep
and cattle industry
23. – meat, wool, dairy products and hides account for
half of New Zealand’s exports
– pastoral exports have provides New Zealander’s
with a comfortable life with per capital incomes
equivalent to smaller European countries
– UK used to be the main market for NZ products
– UK decision to join the EEC hurt New Zealand
– NZ has tried to open new markets in Asia, US, and
Australia
– 1983 Agreement with Australia opened these
markets to NZ products
24. – industrial and urban development growing as
the NZ government has tried to diversify the
economy
– modest reserves of coals, iron, and other
minerals.
– excellent hydroelectric potential
– good forest product exports
– urbanization somewhat smaller than in
Australia
– six urban populations with more than 100,000
people including Auckland 890,000; Wellington
375,000; and Christchurch 335,000
25. – 1840 Treaty of Waitangi- supposed to protect
indigenous Maori people from land grabs
– Different interpretation of this treaty have
worked against Maori tribes who were deprived
of their historic territories
– NZ government set up the Waitangi Tribunal to
investigate land claims. Some compensation
provided to the Maoris, but not much.
– “Whale Rider”- NZ Maori girl seeks to learn
her traditions.
