Geography of australia

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Topography of Australia

The geography of Australia includes a wide variety of geographic shapes and appearances. Australia is the smallest continent , but the sixth largest country in the world. Settlement is concentrated in the eastern and south-eastern coastal regions.

Territory and containment

Location: Oceania , continent between the Indian Ocean and the southern Pacific Ocean

Coordinates : 27 ° 00 ′ S, 133 ° 00 ′ E

Maps: Oceania

Surface:

• Total: 7,686,850 km²
• Land area: 7,617,930 km²
• Water area: 68,920 km² (1% of the total area)

Note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island

Area comparison:

• about 21.5 times the size of Germany
• The land area of ​​continental Europe is less than that of Australia.
• slightly smaller than the 48 contiguous states of the USA (excluding Alaska and Hawaii )

National borders: 0 km

Coastline: 25,760 km

Maritime dimensions:

• Continental shelf: 200 nautical miles
• Maritime Territory: 12 nautical miles

Port Douglas near Cairns ( Queensland )

Climate and landscape

Most of Australia is covered in deserts or semi-arid areas. 40% of the land mass is covered by sand dunes . Only the southeast and the southwest corners have a moderate climate and partially fertile soils (black earth soils). In the east and south-west there are mainly podsoles . The northern part of the country has a tropical climate: partly tropical rainforests , partly grasslands and desert.

The precipitation shows a high variability. Regular dry periods can last for several years. Frequent sandstorms and less common tornadoes threaten living beings and infrastructure. In general, a steadily increasing salinization of the soil and desertification can be observed.

The geology of Australia is determined by the contrast between the Great Dividing Range in the east and the largely flat central and western areas, in which flat-lying overburden and its sand cover cover several geologically ancient cratons . The entire continent of Australia is located on a tectonic plate and therefore has no active tectonic plate boundaries within its area. For this reason there is no volcanism caused by plate tectonics today , occasional earthquakes are of low strength and intensity .

The landscape is exposed to strong weather conditions. Tasmania and the Australian Alps have ice fields and some glaciers . The Great Barrier Reef , by far the largest coral reef in the world , is a few kilometers off the northeast coast. Uluṟu , also known as Ayers Rock , is located in Central Australia.

relief

While most of the Australian hinterland consists of flat outbacks and deserts , on the east coast and, to a lesser extent , in the west of the continent, mountain ranges up to over 2200 meters high can be found, among others. a. the Australian Cordillera ( Great Dividing Range ), which extends along the east coast from Cape York in the north to Melbourne and the Hamersley Range south of Roebourne and the Stirling Range near Perth on the west coast. The highest part of the Australian Cordillera, the Australian Alps , rises in Mount Kosciuszko at 2228 m. In the plains of Central Australia lies the salty Lake Eyre , in whose basin lies the deepest point on the continent at 16 meters below sea level.

See also:

• List of rivers in Australia
• List of lakes in Australia
• List of mountains in Australia

Raw material resources and land use

Australia's numerous raw material deposits are: bauxite , coal , iron ore , copper , tin , gold , silver , uranium ore , nickel , tungsten , precious stones , lead , zinc , diamonds , natural gas , oil .

Land use:

• usable land: 6%
• permanent grain cultivation: 0%
• Year-round grazing land: 54%
• Forests and scrubland: 19%
• Other: 21%

(Figures from 1993)

Irrigated land: 21,070 km² (1993)

Natural disasters: cyclones along the northern coast; severe thunderstorms , droughts and occasional floods ; also frequent bush fires.

environment

Current problems: erosion due to industrial expansion, urbanization and obsolete tillage; Salinization of the soil due to poor quality water; Desertification; Species extinction; Tourism and shipping threats to the Great Barrier Reef; limited fresh water resources.

International conventions and treaties:

• Signatories of: Antarctic Treaty , Biodiversity Convention , Climate Framework Convention , Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of the Wild Fauna and Flora , Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques , Basel Convention , United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea , Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter , Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas , Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons Tests in the Atmosphere, Space and Underwater , Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty , Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer , International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships , International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994 , Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially As Waterfowl Habitat , International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling
• signed but not ratified: Kyoto Protocol , United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification

See also : National parks in Australia

Geographical records

Australia (continental)

• northernmost point: Cape York , Queensland (10 ° 41 'S)
• southernmost point: Wilsons Promontory , Victoria (39 ° 08 'S)
  southernmost point including the Tasmanian mainland: Southeast Cape , Tasmania (43 ° 38'40 "S)
• westernmost point: Steep Point , Western Australia (113 ° 09 'E)
• easternmost point: Cape Byron , New South Wales (146 ° 22 'E)
• lowest point: Lake Eyre : −16 m
• highest point: Mount Kosciuszko : 2228 m

Australia (continental, including islands)

• northernmost point: Bramble Cay , Torres Strait Islands , Queensland
• southernmost point: Bishop and Clerk Islands south of Macquarie Island , Tasmania
• westernmost point: Flat Island , Heard and McDonald Islands
• easternmost point: Norfolk Island
• highest point: Big Ben , Heard Island : 2745 m

bibliography

• Miller, Gifford, et al. Sensitivity of the Australian Monsoon to insolation and vegetation: Implications for human impact on continental moisture balance . Geology Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 65-67