Goldfields Esperance
Goldfields Esperance | |
The Goldfields-Esperance region |
|
structure | |
State : | Australia |
State : | Western Australia |
LGA : | Coolgardie Shire , Dundas , Esperance , Kalgoorlie-Boulder , Laverton , Leonora , Menzies , Ngaanyatjarraku , Ravensthorpe |
Dates and numbers | |
Area : | 771,276 km² |
Residents : | 58,074 (2008) |
Population density : | 0.08 inhabitants / km² |
Coordinates: 31 ° 0 ′ S , 123 ° 0 ′ E
The Goldfields Esperance , also known as the Golden Outback , is one of the nine regions in Western Australia . It is located in the southeast of Western Australia. The region is bordered by deserts in the north, the Wheatbelt region in the west, the ocean in the south by the Great Australian Bight and borders with the Northern Territory and South Australia in the east. This region is the largest region in Western Australia with 771,276 km².
Local administrative units
The Goldfields-Esperance region is administered by the nine Local Government Areas : Shire of Coolgardie , Shire of Dundas , Shire of Esperance , City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder , Shire of Laverton , Shire of Leonora , Shire of Menzies , Shire of Ngaanyatjarraku and Shire of Ravensthorpe .
Geography and geology
The entire region is a flat plateau that was formed in the Precambrian . The rocks were formed before the Paleozoic . This geological peculiarity and the absence of ice ages since the Carboniferous led to the sterility of the soil and salinization, so cattle breeding is not possible. There are no rivers in this area and precipitation is extremely low and usually seeps away immediately. The groundwater is too salty. To the north are the Small Sand Desert and the Gibson Desert and to the east is the Nullarbor Desert .
climate
The climate is hot and dry. The annual rainfall is around 250 mm. Only in the region near Esperance and in Cape Arid National Park rain falls up to about 635 mm in winter. Most of the rain falls from thunderstorms in spring or winter, or when clouds move across the country from the northwest in autumn and winter. But there are also cyclones that can lead to heavy rainfall when coming from Pilbara .
population
The region has a population of about 59,000 people, about half of whom live in Kalgoorlie-Boulder and another quarter live in the Shire of Esperance . The rest is shared among the other Shires . Almost 10% of the population are descendants of the Aborigines .
Economy
The area was barely populated until 1882; however, when the Coolgardie gold rush broke out, numerous people came to the area. The economy of the Goldfields-Esperance region is still based today on the exploitation of metal and mineral deposits, especially by the mining company BHP Billiton , which mines gold and nickel there. In the south near Esperance the economy is based on agriculture and fishing, wheat and barley cultivation.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Goldfields Esperance Development Commission - Statistics ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Accessed June 11, 2012
- ↑ Goldfields-Esperance Region on www.gedc.wa.gov.au ( Memento of the original from February 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved February 4, 2011
- ↑ a b c Statistics on www.gedc.wa.gov.au ( Memento of the original from February 16, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Retrieved February 4, 2011