Geography, ternitoni and climate of australia

Geography, ternitoni and climate of Australia

This article is about the geography of the Commonwealth of Australia. For a treatment of the continent, see Australia (continent). For the mainland, see Mainland Australia.

Geography of Australia
Continent	Australia
Region	Oceania
Coordinates	27.000°S 144.000°E
Area	Ranked 6th
• Total	7,686,850 km^2 (2,967,910 sq mi)
• Land	99%
• Water	1%
Coastline	59,681 km (37,084 mi)
Borders	none
Highest point	Mount Kosciuszko 2,228 m (7,310 ft)
Lowest point	Lake Eyre, −15 m (−49 ft)
Longest river	Murray River, 2,375 km (1,476 mi)
Largest lake	Lake Eyre 9,500 km^2 (3,668 sq mi)
Climate	Mostly desert or semi-arid, south-east and south-west corners: temperate, north: tropical climate, varied between tropical rainforests, grasslands, part desert, mountainous areas: subantarctic tundra
Terrain	mostly low plateau with deserts, rangelands and a fertile plain in the southeast; mountain ranges in the east and south-east.
Natural resources	minerals, coal, and timber
Natural hazards	Cyclones along the northern coasts, severe thunderstorms, droughts, occasional floods, heat waves, and frequent bushfires
Exclusive economic zone	8,148,250 km^2 (3,146,060 sq mi)

The geography of Australia encompasses a wide variety of biogeographic regions being the world's smallest continent, while comprising the territory of the sixth-largest country in the world. The population of Australia is concentrated along the eastern and south-eastern coasts. The geography of the continent is extremely diverse, ranging from the snow-capped mountains of the Australian Alps and Tasmania to large deserts, tropical and temperate forests, grasslands, heathlands and woodlands.

The countries that govern nearby regions include Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea to the north; the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and the French dependency of New Caledonia to the east; and New Zealand to the southeast.

Australia is a continent and an island located in Oceania between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean. It shares its name with the country that claims control over it. Properly called the Commonwealth of Australia, its territory consists of the entire continent and smaller outlying islands. This makes it the sixth largest country in the world by area of jurisdiction, which comprises 7,686,850 square kilometres (2,967,910 sq mi) (including Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island), which is slightly smaller than the 48 states of the contiguous United States and 31.5 times larger than that of the United Kingdom.

The Australian mainland has a total coastline length of 35,821 km (22,258 mi) with an additional 23,860 km (14,830 mi) of island coastlines.^[1] There are 758 estuaries around the country with most located in the tropical and sub-tropical zones.^[2] Australia has the 3rd largest exclusive economic zone of 8,148,250 km² (3,146,060 sq mi). This EEZ does not include the Australian Antarctic Territory (an additional 5,896,500 square kilometres).

Australia has the largest area of ocean jurisdiction of any country on Earth.^[3] It has no land borders. The northernmost points of the continental mainland are the Cape York Peninsula of Queensland and the Top End of the Northern Territory, but the northernmost point of the country lies in the Torres Strait Islands.

The western half of Australia consists of the Western Plateau, which rises to mountain heights near the west coast and falls to lower elevations near the continental centre. The Western Plateau region is generally flat, though broken by various mountain ranges such as the Hamersley Range, the MacDonnell Ranges, and the Musgrave Range. Surface water is generally lacking in the Western Plateau, although there are several larger rivers in the west and north, such as the Murchison, Ashburton, and Victoria rivers.

The Eastern Highlands, or Great Dividing Range, lie near the eastern coast of Australia, separating the relatively narrow eastern coastal plain from the rest of the continent. These Eastern Australian temperate forests have the greatest relief, the most rainfall, the most abundant and varied flora and fauna, and the densest human settlement.

Between the Eastern Highlands and the Western Plateau lie the Central Lowlands, which are made up of the Great Artesian Basin and Australia's largest river systems, the Murray-Darling Basin and the Lake Eyre Basin.

Off the eastern coast of Australia is the world's largest coral reef complex, the Great Barrier Reef. The large and mountainous island of Tasmania, also a State of Australia, lies south of the south-eastern corner of the Australian mainland. It receives abundant rainfall, and has highly fertile soils particularly in comparison to the mainland.

Geology

Main article: Geology of Australia

Basic geological units of Australia

Australia is the lowest, flattest, and oldest continental landmass on Earth^[4] and it has had a relatively stable geological history. Geological forces such as tectonic uplift of mountain ranges and clashes between tectonic plates occurred mainly in Australia's early prehistory, when it was still a part of Gondwana. Its highest peak is Mount Kosciuszko at 2,228 metres (7,310 ft), which is relatively low in comparison to the highest mountains on other continents.

Charles Rowland Twidale estimates that between 10% and 20% of Australia's modern landscapes formed during the Mesozoic when the continent was part of Gondwana.^[5]

Australia is situated in the middle of the tectonic plate, and therefore currently has no active volcanism. Minor earthquakes which produce no damage occur frequently, while major earthquakes measuring greater than magnitude 6 occur on average every five years.^[6] The terrain is mostly low plateau with deserts, rangelands and a fertile plain in the southeast. Tasmania and the Australian Alps do not contain any permanent icefields or glaciers, although these may have existed in the past. The Great Barrier Reef, by far the world's largest coral reef, lies a short distance off the north-east coast.

Regions

Main articles: Regions of Australia and Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia

See also: Ecoregions in Australia

IBRA version 7 map

The Australian continental landmass consists of six distinct landform divisions.^[7] These are:

• 
  The Eastern Highlands—including the Great Dividing Range, the fertile Brigalow Belt strip of grassland behind the east coast, and the Eastern Uplands
  
• 
  The Eastern alluvial Plains and Lowlands—the Murray Darling basin covers the southern part; also includes parts of the Lake Eyre Basin and extends to the Gulf of Carpentaria
  
• 
  The South Australian Highlands—including the Flinders Range, Eyre Peninsula, and Yorke Peninsula
  
• 
  The Western Plateau—including the Nullarbor Plain
  
• 
  The Central Deserts
  
• 
  Northern Plateau and Basins—including the Top End
  

Hydrology

See also: Water security in Australia

Relief map showing major rivers and lakes

Map of major drainage basins as defined by Bureau of Meteorology

Much of Australia's interior is arid; the low average annual rainfall and high temperatures mean interior rivers are often dry and lakes empty. The headwaters of some waterways are located in tropical regions where summer rains create a high rate of discharge. Flood events drastically alter the dry environment; thus the ecology of central Australia has had to adapt to the boom and bust cycle.

The Great Artesian Basin is an important source of water, the world's largest and deepest fresh water basin. Access to water from the basin has led to the expansion of grazing into areas that were previously far too dry for livestock. 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.

Billabong is the Australian name given to the oxbow lakes that can form along a meandering river's course. In a worldwide comparison of height, Australia's waterfalls are relatively insignificant, with the longest drop ranked 135th according to the World Waterfall Database.^[8]

Political geography

Main article: States and territories of Australia

See also: Subdivisions of Australia and Suburbs and localities (Australia)

A clickable map of Australia's states, mainland territories and their capitals

Australia consists of six states, two major mainland territories, and other minor territories. The states are New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia. The two major mainland territories are the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. Western Australia is the largest state covering just under one third of the Australian landmass, followed by Queensland, South Australia, and New South Wales.

Australia also has several minor territories; the federal government administers a separate area within New South Wales, the Jervis Bay Territory, as a naval base and sea port for the national capital. In addition Australia has the following inhabited, external territories: Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and several largely uninhabited external territories: Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Coral Sea Islands, and Heard Island and McDonald Islands. Australia also claims a portion of Antarctica as the Australian Antarctic Territory, although this claim is not widely recognized.

Climate

Main article: Climate of Australia

Climate map of Australia

By far the largest part of Australia is arid or semi-arid. A total of 18% of Australia's mainland consists of named deserts,^[9] while additional areas are considered to have a desert climate based on low rainfall and high temperature. Only the south-east and south-west corners have a temperate climate and moderately fertile soil. The northern part of the continent has a tropical climate: part is tropical rainforests, part grasslands, and part desert.

Rainfall is highly variable, with frequent droughts lasting several seasons thought to be caused in part by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation. Occasionally a dust storm will blanket a region or even several states and there are reports of the occasional large tornado. Rising levels of salinity and desertification in some areas is ravaging the landscape.

Australia's tropical/subtropical location and cold waters off the western coast make most of western Australia a hot desert with aridity, a marked feature of the greater part of the continent. These cold waters produce little moisture needed on the mainland. A 2005 study by Australian and American researchers investigated the desertification of the interior, and suggested that one explanation was related to human settlers who arrived about 50,000 years ago. Regular burning by these settlers could have prevented monsoons from reaching interior Australia. The outback covers 70 percent of the continent.

Natural hazards

Cyclones along the northern coasts, severe thunderstorms, droughts, occasional floods, heat waves, and frequent bushfires are natural hazards that are present in Australia.

Environment

Main article: Environmental issues in Australia

Whitehaven Beach in Queensland in October

Current environmental issues include: soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water; desertification (partly as a result of the introduction by European settlers of rabbits); introduced pest species; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and its popularity as a tourist site; limited natural fresh water resources; threats from invasive species.

International agreements:

• 
  party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Kyoto Protocol, Biodiversity, China–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Japan–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban 1963, Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 1994, Ramsar Convention, Whaling
  
• 
  signed, but not ratified: Desertification
  

The geography of Australia is extremely vast and largely diverse.  It is both the smallest continent in the world and the sixth-largest country.  Strangely enough, it is as wide as the distance from London to Moscow and, all in all, it is, including its island nation Tasmania, around the same size as the United States (minus Hawaii and Alaska).  Despite its size, the population is concentrated along the eastern and south-eastern coasts.  The state of Tasmania includes numerous small islands and extends to Macquarie Island. The territories of Australia include the Australian Antarctic Territory, Christmas Island, the Cocos Islands, Heard Island, the McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island, the Coral Sea Islands, Ashmore Island, and Cartier Island.  In fact, in total there are some 12,000 islands meaning Australia has the largest area of ocean jurisdiction in the world.

It is a country whose landscapes are also among both the driest and oldest of the world, and is a continent that is the lowest and flattest across the globe.  Despite this, there are a number of mountain ranges, particularly across the western part of the country such as the Hamersley Range, the MacDonnell Ranges, and the Musgrave Range.  There is also the Eastern Highlands, or the Great Dividing Range, which is the most substantial mountain range in the country and the third longest land-based range in the world; it reaches its highest point in Mount Kosciusko (2 228 m).  There are also some freestanding mountains, the most famous of which is Uluru, or Ayers Rock, in a central part of the country.  The relatively narrow eastern coastal plain has temperate forests, the most rainfall, the most abundant and varied flora and fauna, and thus the densest human settlement.  The western half of the continent is occupied by a desert plateau that rises into barren, rolling hills near the west coast.  In terms of coast, the Great Barrier Reef, extending about 2000 km, lies in the northeast.

Given its size and diversity, the country’s climate is largely dictated by what region you are in.  The central and western plateau tends to have a hot desert climate, the east and southeast coast an oceanic climate, the northern coast a monsoon climate, the southwest coast a warm-Mediterranean climate and the areas in between a hot semi-arid climate.  For the most part, there are four seasons across the country and a wet and dry season in the tropical north.   Thus December to February is summer; March to May is autumn; June to August is winter; and September to November is spring.  Rainfall also differs depending where you are: in some places, like Darwin and Sydney, you experience mostly summer rainfall while other places, like Perth, experience heavy winter rain.  Still, others have more consistent precipitation throughout the year.  Temperature-wise, the north tends to experience hotter weather when compared to the south.

Our conservation volunteer projects in Australia vary in location and are relatively spread out.  In Victoria, average maximum summer temperatures sit in the mid-20℃s with lows in the mid teens and winter sees temperatures drop to maximums of between 13℃ and 16℃ and lows of between 6℃ and 10℃.  Rainfall is largely consistent throughout the year.  In Brisbane Queensland, maximum summer temperatures average at 29℃ while winter ones drop to around 20℃, with minimums sitting at 21℃ and 9℃ respectively.  The rainy season is between October and May.  Further north in Cairns, Queensland, average temperatures are higher, with maximums sitting at 31℃ in summer and 25℃ in winter and minimums 21℃ and 17℃ respectively.  The rainy season is between December and April with the heaviest rains falling between January and March.  The water temperature along the Queensland coast varies from 21℃ in winter to 26℃ in summer.  Along the coast in New South Wales (Wollongong and Newcastle) average maximum temperatures range from 26°C in summer to 16°C in winter with average minimum temperatures falling to between 19°C in summer and 7°C in winter.  The weather is largely mild with consistent rain.  Darwin, in the Northern Territory, has two distinct seasons: Wet (October to April) and Dry (May to September).  Average maximum temperatures sit consistently around 30℃ while minimums range from 25℃ in summer to 17℃ in winter.  Adelaide, in South Australia, experiences mild winters and a warm, dry summer.  It has an average maximum temperature of 29°C in summer and 16°C in winter.  Winter and Spring see the most rain.  In Perth, Western Australia, average maximum temperatures are 29°C in summer and 14°C in winter with lows falling to around 18°C in summer and 10°C in winter.  Winter also sees most of the rain.  Lastly, Hobart, in Tasmania, experiences mild, rainy winters and cool summers.  Maximum summer temperatures sit around 20°C and winter reaches highs of around 13°C with minimum temperatures dropping to 12°C in summer and 6°C in winter.