MY RESEARCH PROJECT: AUSTRALIAKAYLIE SMITH PER. 2

• AUSTRALIA IS THE WORLD’S SMALLEST CONTINENT BUT THE SIXTH-LARGEST COUNTRY.*THE SEA BREEZE KNOWN AS THE, “FREMANTLE DOCTOR” AFFECTS THE CITY OF PERTH ON THE WEST COAST OF AUSTRALIA. IT IS ONE OF THE MOST CONSISTENT WINDS IN THE WORLD.

Australia

LOCATION/REGION27 degrees South, 133 degrees East

Oceania, continent between the South Pacific and Indian Ocean

Australia is slightly smaller than the US.

This picture displays the size

of Australia compared to the

US.

CLIMATEGenerally little to no rain (arid)

Temperate climate in Southern and Eastern Australia

Tropical climate in North Australia

PHYSICAL FEATURES

WESTERN PLATEAU:

-low, flat area that has eroded down

-fossilized sea creatures can be found here

-sink holes and many deserts have developed

EASTERN HIGHLANDS REGION:

-highest part of Australia

-tallest mountains can be found here

-“Great dividing range”….slopes divide rivers in this region

GREAT BARRIER REEF:

-world’s largest coral reef

-3000+ reef systems

-hundreds of tropical islands and beaches

MURRAY-DARLING RIVER BASIN:

-covers about 14% of Australia

-about half the length of the Nile River

-diverse plants, animals, and ecosystems

*Where the two rivers meet

HUMAN FEATURES

DARWIN:

-flattened twice-bombed during WWII

-Cyclone Tracy demolished almost all buildings

DINGO FENCE:

-world’s longest fence

-originally built to keep away rabbits

SNOWY MOUNTAINS HYDRO-ELECTRIC SCHEME:

-migrants came to Australia to construct dams, tunnels, and power stations

-took 25 years to complete

-Australia's largest engineering project

LANGUAGE

*18% of Australians speak a language other than

English

*Some speak an English dialect known as “strine”

*Long “a” sound is pronounced as a long “I”

GOVERNMENT

• Federal Monarchy

• Parliamentary System

ECONOMICS

**Population: 22.8 million**

GDP- $42,640 per capita

970.8 billion

EDUCATION Primary School- kindergarten to 6th or 7th grade

Secondary School- years 7th to 10th or 8th to 10th

Senior Secondary School- years 11th and 12th

Schooling is similar across all of Australia, there are a

few minor variations between the different

states/territories

FAMILY- Blended families with step parents and siblings are

becoming more common in Australia

- Nuclear family households is the common way of Australian families, but extended family is still a

great support system for many of Australia’s families

RELIGION Australians are predominantly Christian

There is no official national religion

Immigration has made Australia one of the most

religiously diverse societies in the world

CURRENT INTERNATIONAL ISSUE

I. Alcohol abuse is a problem in Australia (similar to the US)

-The Australian Government is looking into the significant health problems that come with over drinking, and getting that information out in public places to remind people of the effects of alcohol abuse

II. Deforestation in Australia is leading to the over abundance of salt in the soil. As a result of the salt in the water streams, it affects the downstream water quality

III. Overfishing has majorly impacted the waters in Australia. The fish stocks are currently dangerously low. Illegal fishing plays a part in the reason why the waters are being overfished.

HUMAN/ENVIORNMENT INTERACTION

*Pollution in the Great Barrier Reef due to land based and chemical/nutrient based pollution. This pollution is from the run off of fertilizers, pesticides, and many other pollutants. Without stopping this on going problem, the Barrier Reef will continue to become more and more polluted.

*Poor Farming Practices leads to the clearing of river banks which then leads to the main problem of erosion. With the common occurrence of over rainfall and than drought the erosion levels are continuing to climb as farmers do not change their practices.

*Loss of Australia’s Grasslands is highly impacting the amount of biodiversity in Australia. With decreasing biodiversity, the land might be invaded by different types of weeds and unwanted pests.

SOURCEShttp://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Australia.html

http://www.scienceinpublic.com.au/stories/usa/the-australian-science-and-technology-system

/

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/as.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2525911/The-longest-fence-world-Boundary-stretches-3-500-miles-south-east-Australia-dingoes-bay.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbit-proof_fence

http://www.greatbarrierreef.org/