AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIA

1. GEOGRAPHY

   • PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
     • GEOLOGY
       • is the lowest, flattest, and oldest continental landmass on Earth
       • Its highest peak is Mount Kosciuszko at 2,228 metres
       • The terrain is mostly low plateau with deserts, rangelands and a fertile plain in the southeast
     • REGIONS
       • It is divided into six:
         • The Eastern Highlands
         • The Plains and Eastern Alluvial Lands
         • The highlands of southern Australia
         • The western plateau
         • The central deserts
         • Northern plateau and river basins
     • HYDROLOGY
       • Towns and cities across the country sometimes face major water storage and usage crises in which restrictions and other measures are implemented to reduce water consumption
         • Water restrictions are based on a gradient of activities that become progressively banned as the situation worsens.
       • Because much of Australia's interior is arid,rivers are often dry and lakes empty

2. POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY

   • Australia consists of six states
     • Tasmania
     • Victoria
     • Western Australia
     • South Australia
     • Queensland
     • New South Wales
   • Australia has the following inhabited, external territories
     • Norfolk Island
     • Christmas Island
     • Cocos Islands
   • largely uninhabited external territories
     • Coral Sea Islands
     • Ashmore and Cartier Islands
     • Heard Island
     • McDonald Islands
   • LIMITS
     • this: with the Coral Sea and the Tasman Sea
     • south:with the Bass Strait and the Indian Ocean
     • west: with the Indian Ocean
     • north: with the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea and the Torres Strait

3. CLIMATE

   • the largest part of Australia is arid or semi-arid
   • Only the south-east and south-west corners have a temperate climate and moderately fertile soil
   • The northern part of the country has a tropical climate

4. NATUTAL HAZARDS

   • heat waves
   • floods
   • droughts
   • bushfires
   • severe thunderstorms
   • Cyclones

5. ENVIRONMENT

   • environmental issues
     • urbanization
     • industrial development
     • soil erosion
     • desertification
     • introduced pest species
     • poor farming practices

6. ANTIPODES

   • is antipodal to the North Atlantic
   • There are no land areas included