Where Australians Live…

Location, Climate, & Natural Resources in Australia

Location Of AustraliaBoth a continent & a countryLies about 2,000 miles southeast of AsiaIn the southern hemisphere– Literally the “land down under”!

LocationCoastal areas are the most populatedMost people live along east coastMost populated city is Sydney, in New South WalesAnother populated city: Brisbane, Queensland

LocationNearly 80% of Australians live in urban areas– Australia is one of the world’s most

urbanized countries70% of all Australians live in cities of more than 100,000 people– Sydney has 3 and a 1/2 million people– Melbourne has about 3 million people

Climate of AustraliaVaries across the continentIt’s south of the equator, so climate is opposite North America:– Summer: December through March– Winter: June through September

Climate: North Australia Northern part of Australia is closest to the equatorTropical climate and is warm-to-hot all year round– Gets more rain than any other part of

the countryWinter: wet and coolSummer: hot and dry

Climate: Central AustraliaDesert is the largest part of AustraliaLittle rain falls here– Most of this area gets less than 10

inches of rain per year!

Climate: CoastsOnly the southeast and southwest corners have a temperate climate– Summers aren’t too hot & winters

aren’t too cold (similar to Georgia)Climate in these regions is the one that Australians prefer the most– Most Australians live along

southeastern coast

Natural Resources of Australia

Outback refers to the dry interior– Mainly open countryside, including

vast expanses of grazing landFew widely scattered settlements in the Outback– Many of them grew up around mining

operations…

Natural Resources: MiningAustralians mine for coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, zinc, oil, and natural gas– Lead the world in the production of

diamonds, lead, & bauxite (used to make aluminum)!

Natural Resources: MiningMinerals are often found in areas that are difficult to reach – Roads are expensive to build, but

they are needed to get workers & equipment to remote locations

– Expensive equipment is needed to move minerals to populated cities to trade

Natural Resources: Arable Land

Land that is good for farmingEnough areas with good land and rainfall to make farming an important business in Australia– Farmers here produce more than

Australians can consume, so the food is traded and sold around the world

Questions to Consider:Where do most Australians live?

What important business is done in the outback?

Why do most Australians live in southeastern Australia?

“I Think I’ll Move to Australia.”

In the story, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, Alexander has a bad day and decides that his life would be better if he moved to Australia. After reading the story, create a PowerPoint presentation that is designed to convince Alexander’s mother to indeed let him move to the “Land Down Under”. Include information from the “Where do Australians Live?” PowerPoint to help justify your point. You will need to include a title slide, as well as descriptions of Australia’s location, climate, land, and resources.