The state of Australia is located on the mainland of the same name and some nearby islands, the largest of which is Tasmania. The area of Australia is 7,682,300 square kilometers. The land at the same time occupies 7,617,930 square meters. km. The coastline stretches for more than twenty-five thousand kilometers.
The area of Australia in the central part of the mainland is occupied by a vast zone of lowlands, most of which is the basins of Lake Eyre and the Murray River. In addition, the Nullabor Plain is located there. The Western Territories are famous for the Great Western Plateau - an area of four huge deserts: Gibson, Simpson, Great Sandy and Great Victoria Desert.
Features of Australia are such that there is little fresh water in the country. Most of the rivers are located in the eastern part of the mainland, among them Darling, Murray and others. The waterways in the center and west dry up in summer.
The water in most lakes is s alty. Air is no exception, and the largest of them is Air. It is twelve meters below sea level.
Population
In terms of area, mainland Australia occupies more than seven and a half million square kilometers. Its territory is inhabited by 23,625,130 people (data as of July 2014). For the most part, these are Europeans - 95%, the remaining 5% are Asians and Aborigines (4% and 1%, respectively). The official language is English.
It is known for certain that ancient people occupied a certain area of Australia forty thousand years ago. They are believed to have come from Papua New Guinea and the Indonesian Islands.
The first inhabitants were mainly engaged in hunting and gathering. Representatives of many subsequent generations began to actively settle on the mainland and nearby islands, developing new territories. Despite the rather primitive technical skills based on the use of stone, wood and bone, social and spiritual life was already at a high level. Thus, the majority spoke several languages, and sometimes even territorially remote tribal groups organized confederations.
Currently, the area of Australia is fully developed. There are no so-called white spots on the continent. However, 89% of the country's inhabitants are city dwellers. That is why Australia is considered one of the most urbanized countries in the world. Average life expectancy for 2005-2010 was 81.6 years. This is an impressive figure.
Religion
There is no official religion in the country. Most of the locals are Christians. As of 2006, 25.8% of citizens are adherents of the Catholic faith. Another major denomination is Anglicanism (18.7% of the population). In addition, Presbyterians, Adventists, Pentecostals, Methodists andSalvation Army followers, Buddhists, Islamists and Jews.
About one and a half million people attend church services weekly. Various Christian charitable organizations and hospitals play an important role in public life. The Catholic school system is also very developed. About six and a half million children study in such educational institutions. The Anglican Church is engaged in the education of about a hundred thousand little citizens. There are 48 schools in the United Church network.
Weather conditions
The geographical position of Australia causes significant differences in climate in different parts of the country. Thus, the subequatorial climate dominates in the northern territories, while the equatorial climate prevails in the central and southern territories. Consider the weather features of Australia. The average annual temperature in the northern part of the country ranges from 23-28 degrees Celsius. The maximum amount of precipitation (up to one and a half thousand millimeters) falls on the summer period. In winter, dry cold winds blow, leading to droughts. As for the coastal plains and high slopes, they are quite humid and have a mild warm climate. The temperature of the warmest month in Sydney is about twenty-five degrees Celsius, and the coldest is about fifteen degrees with a plus sign.
In the central and western regions of the mainland, the climate is desert tropical. In summer (December to February), the thermometer is at around thirty degrees or slightly lower for most of the daylight hours, and in winterdrops by ten to fifteen points. In the central part of the mainland, summer is even hotter - up to forty-five Celsius. At the same time, the temperature can drop to zero degrees at night. There is little precipitation in this part of the country - two hundred to three hundred millimeters a year.
The climate in the southwestern territories is similar to Mediterranean Spanish and French. As a rule, summers are hot and dry here, while winters are wet and warm. Temperature fluctuates slightly throughout the year.
Flora
The geographical position of Australia and the country's climate have led to the spread of dry-loving plants - special cereals, umbrella acacias, eucalyptus and bottle trees. It is noteworthy that out of 12 thousand species of local flora, 9 thousand are endemic, that is, they can only be found on the mainland in question.
The rainforests of the northern part of the country include eucalyptus, palm, ficus and bamboo thickets. In the southern zone of the savannas, groups of eucalyptus and umbrella acacias are often found. A dense grass cover spreads along the ground. The eastern part of the country is dominated by subtropical evergreen forests with a large number of tree-like horsetails, eucalyptus trees and tall ferns with twenty-meter stems.
Fauna
The animal world of the country is rightfully considered unique. And all because 9/10 of all animal species are found only on the amazing mainland called Australia. Kangaroos, frilled lizards, koalas and platypuses live only on this mainland. Among the animals, most of all are marsupials (at least one hundred and twenty species). There are many bats, dingoes and mouse-like rodents in the country. In addition, oviparous mammals live here, the so-called living fossils - echidna and platypus.
As for ungulates, monkeys and representatives of predatory orders, they are not on the mainland. But Australia is famous for its large number of birds - emus, cassowaries, cockatoos, crowned pigeons, honey birds, black swans, birds of paradise and lyrebirds. The most unusual reptiles are lizards and asalid snakes. An amazing inhabitant of South Australian rivers - horned tooth - lungfish with one lung.
The device of the state. Political parties
Australia is a federal parliamentary state, the full name is the Commonwe alth of Australia. The federation is formed by six states - Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, South and Western Australia, New South Wales. In addition, under the jurisdiction of the Commonwe alth are the islands of Ashmore and Cartier, McDonald and Heard, about. Christmas, Cocos and Coral Sea Islands.
The capital is Canberra. On January 1, 1901, the country gained independence, at the same time it remains a member of the British Commonwe alth to this day. Legislation is based on the common law of England. Australia Day, which is a national holiday, is celebrated on the twenty-sixth of January.
Executive power is vested in the British monarch, Governor General and Prime Minister, who heads the Cabinet. Parliament is formed by the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Among the political parties with the greatest weight in the state, the PartyAustralian Democrats, the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal Party of Australia and the National Party of Australia.
Economy, transport
The state has a highly developed economy. According to this indicator, it is comparable with the countries of Western Europe. Among the most important industries are mining, steel, chemical, food and automotive. About five percent of GNP provides income from agricultural activities. The main crops are barley and wheat, fruits and sugarcane. Nowhere in the world are there as many sheep bred as in Australia. In addition, poultry and cattle production is widespread in the country.
The currency is the Australian dollar. Among the main trading partners are the USA, New Zealand, Great Britain and Japan. Australia is the world's largest supplier of wheat, wool and beef, and the second largest exporter of mutton. The area of the mainland is used to the maximum in order to ensure the effective economic development of the country and a high level of people's well-being.
Natural reserves
Australia's water resources are not rich. The mainland in question is the driest on the planet. There are few large rivers on the continent. What is so special about Australia in this respect? The Murray River is the country's main waterway. Its largest tributaries are the Goulburn, the Darling and the Murrumbidgee. They are characterized by the highest fullness inthe period of snow melting in the mountains, but in hot weather there is a significant shallowing. Dams have been built on almost all tributaries of the river. Murray, reservoirs are organized near them, used to irrigate gardens, pastures and fields.
Lakes cannot be called serious water resources of the country, because they are mostly silty, shallow and s alty, but some amazing reservoirs attract travelers. For example, Hillier is a bright pink lake located on Middle Island. The unusual color of the water in it never changes. Scientists have not yet found an explanation for this mystery. Of no less interest is the luminous lake Gippsland, in the state of Victoria. In 2008, the highest concentration of microorganisms Noctiluca scintillans (night-flowers) was recorded there. This rare phenomenon was observed not only by local residents, but also by photographer Phil Hart. The man had to constantly throw stones into the water to capture the luminous expanse of water, since unusual microorganisms react with a glow precisely to external stimuli.
Australia's area is only two percent occupied by forests - these resources are also scarce in the country. However, they are the ones that attract many travelers due to their unusual appearance. Rainforests like those along the shores of the Coral Sea are nowhere to be found.
The main natural we alth of the country is, of course, mineral resources. The country has the largest reserves of zirconium and bauxite in the world. In addition, the country is in second place in the production of uranium and coal. Mining discovered in Tasmaniaplatinum. Australia (on the map it is the southwest of the mainland) is rich in gold. Diamonds, bismuth, antimony and nickel are mined in New South Wales.
How it all began
On the mainland, the ancestors of the Australian Aborigines first settled about forty thousand years ago. Because Australia is geographically isolated from the rest of the world, the indigenous people had unique religious and cultural traditions. The continent was discovered by Europeans only at the dawn of the 17th century. The first was the Dutchman Janszon. In 1605 he landed in the Gulf of Carpentaria (northern coast). Due to the territorial remoteness, the colonization of Australia began only in 1770. Then James Cook took possession of the bay on behalf of the king. Subsequently, the city of Sydney appeared near this place.
Until 1840, Australia on the world map was not a full-fledged state, but only a place of exile for subjects of the British monarch, sentenced to hard labor. In 1850, the local colonies became relatively independent from the English crown, and eleven years later they formed the independent Commonwe alth of Australia. The country began to develop according to its own scenario. Nevertheless, the history of Australia has long been associated with England. Thus, the state provided substantial assistance to Britain during the First and Second World Wars.
Australian Time
The continent in question is located in three time zones. In summer, Brisbane and Sydney are six hours ahead of Moscow time, and four hours ahead of Perth. Local time inAustralia also varies from state to state.
Interesting places
Many vacationers are attracted by the east coast of the country. The most popular resort is the Golden Coast with amazing beaches and almost ideal conditions for surfing. Fans of cultural recreation will not be bored either. So, in the capital you can visit the Nicholson Museum of Antiquity, the Museum of Australia and the National Maritime Museum. Melbourne is famous for the National Gallery of Victoria, the famous National Herbarium and the Royal Botanic Gardens are also located here. What other attractions are worth seeing?
- The Great Barrier Reef is especially popular with tourists. It is the most developed coral reef system in the world and consists of 900 islands and 2,900 individual reefs, covering a total area of 344,400 square kilometers. This is the largest formation on the planet can be seen even from space. It is located in the Coral Sea, not far from the northern borders of the mainland.
- Sydney Opera House began to be built in 1973. It is currently one of the most recognizable symbols of the country. This structure looks more like a ship than an ordinary earth building.
- The Blue Mountains are in New South Wales. They are formed of sandstone and are notable for depressions more than seven hundred and fifty meters deep. Mostly tree ferns and eucalyptus trees grow there. The mountains got their unusual name due to the high concentration in the air of suspensions of essential oils emitted byeucalyptus.
- Strange as it may seem, there are no parrots in Kakadu National Park. It got its name from a local tribe. The views in this unique place are simply amazing: the park is surrounded on all sides by the highest cliffs and ledges that reliably hide this piece of paradise from the outside world. That is why its territory is inhabited by such animals that cannot be found anywhere else on the planet - semi-fingered geese, Australian cranes, barramundi and some others.
- If the beauty of the city does not delight you, and the contemplation of protected national parks makes you sad, go to the Barossa Valley - the main wine-growing region of the mainland. Here you can taste marvelous drinks and take part in grandiose festivities.
Let's finish the story with a description of the Sydney Aquarium. Like many things in Australia, it is unique. There are no such huge complexes in the world anymore: even a simple viewing without stopping at numerous exhibits will take at least three and a half hours. The exposition is divided into zones on a geographical basis - the Great Barrier Reef, the Southern and Northern rivers, the Southern Oceans. It is impossible not to notice the entrance to the aquarium, since it is located in the bottomless mouth of an impromptu shark.
