What are the main physical features of Australia?
- Uluru. Located in the heart of the Northern Territory, Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, is the largest monolith in...
- Heart Reef.
- The Bungle Bungle.
- Cradle Mountain.
- Daintree Rainforest.
- The Three Sisters.
- Horizontal Falls.
- Flinders Ranges.
Full Answer
What are the major physical features in Australia?
What are the major physical features of Australia?
- The Pinnacles. The Pinnacles is a stunning landscape of thousands of weathered limestone pillars in the Nambung National Park in Cervantes, Western Australia.
- Shark Bay.
- The Twelve Apostles.
- MacKenzie Falls.
- Kakadu National Park.
- Blue Mountains.
- Bungle Bungle Range.
- Fraser Island.
What are the physical characteristics of Australia?
Geography of Australia: Mapping & Features
- Australia Physical Map. Australia is broken up into eight states and territories. ...
- Oceania Physical Map. Oceania is divided into four sub-regions, according to the United Nations. ...
- Physical Features of Australia. Australia is a popular tourist destination because of the variety of unique and beautiful physical features.
What are the unique features of Australia?
Australia is located in Oceania between the Indian and South Pacific Oceans. Although it is a large country, its topography is not too varied, and most of it consists of low desert plateau. The southeast, however, does have fertile plains. Australia's climate is mostly arid to semiarid, but the south and east are temperate and the north is ...
What are the 5 geographical features of Australia?
Geography of Australia
- Total 7,686,850 km 2 (2,967,910 sq mi)
- Land 99%
- Water
What type of landform is found in Australia?
Australia is also home to a fascinating type of landform called a monolith, a single rock structure that rises from an otherwise flat terrain and stands alone. These are usually the result of millions of years of erosion, exposing igneous deposits from the magma chambers of volcanoes.
What are the oceans that surround Australia?
Australia is surrounded by the Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and the Southern Ocean. Some borders are also established by seas, including the Timor Sea, Arafura Sea, Coral Sea, and Tasman Sea. Australia.
What is the largest artesian basin in the world?
Australia is also home to the Great Artesian Basin, the largest artesian basin on Earth, measuring approximately 1.7 million square kilometers, or 660,000 square miles. Artesian basins are low-lying areas with a vast reserve of water below ground.
What is the branch of geography that studies the natural world?
It is a branch of geography that studies the natural world. All geography examines the spatial aspects of its subject, such as physical locations, barriers, places of note, and movement. However, geography is usually divided into human geography, which studies all aspects of human concepts and activity, and physical geography, ...
What is the largest monolith in Australia?
The largest Australian monolith is Mt. Augustus, with an elevation of approximately 717 meters (2,352 feet).
How many islands are there in Australia?
More than 8,000 islands surrounding the continent are claimed as part of the country of Australia. The largest of these islands is Tasmania. Located off the southeastern coast of the continent, Tasmania has a landmass of 68,401 square kilometers, or 26,410 square miles.
How high is Lake Eyre?
The lowest point on the continent is the dry lakebed of Lake Eyre in South Australia with an elevation of 15 meters (49.2 feet) below sea level.
What are the most famous features of Australia?
Australia's Most Famous Geographical Features. The Pinnacles is known for the stunning limestone formations that dot the desert. Australia is land of many wonders, both natural and human-made. It is a place of extremes and is endowed with forests, mountains, deserts, beaches, and many other natural treasures.
What landform is located in Western Australia?
3. Bungle Bungle Range. This interesting geographical landform is located in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. It comprises of beehive-shaped towers made of conglomerates and red sandstone. Millions of years of erosion by wind from the Tanami Desert and rainfall has carved the domes of the Bungle Bungle Range.
What are some interesting facts about Uluru?
One of the most interesting facts about the Uluru is that is changes color at different times of the day and year. 9. The Pinnacles. The Pinnacles is a stunning landscape of thousands of weathered limestone pillars in the Nambung National Park in Cervantes, Western Australia.
What is the significance of Uluru?
The site is also famous for its ancient cave paintings. One of the most interesting facts about the Uluru is that is changes color at different times of the day and year. 9.
What are the most common animals in Australia?
Some of the most notable terrestrial and marine fauna include the wallabies, kangaroos, dugongs, brown bandicoots, black flying foxes, etc. 4. Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains is another one of Australia’s most famed geographic features as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What are the most visited natural attractions in Australia?
The limestone stacks are erosional landforms formed by wind and wave action. It is one of the most visited natural tourist attractions in Australia. 6. MacKenzie Falls. The MacKenzie Falls is the biggest waterfall in the Grampians National Park, Victoria, Australia.
How many species of birds are there in Australia?
There are over 230 bird species, 150 reptilian species, 26 species of threatened mammals, and more living in the region. 7. The Twelve Apostles. The Twelve Apostles refer to a collection of limestone stacks standing out on the beach off the shore of Port Campbell National Park in the Australian state of Victoria.
What is the name of the continent that is dominated by Australia?
The name “Oceania” justly establishes the Pacific Ocean as the defining characteristic of the continent. Oceania is dominated by the nation of Australia. The other two major landmasses of Oceania are the microcontinent of Zealandia, which includes the country of New Zealand, and the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, ...
Why are Australia and Oceania unique?
After sea levels rose, species adapted to the environment of each island or community of islands, producing multiple species that evolved from a common ancestor. Due to its isolation from the rest of the world, Australia and Oceania has an incredibly high number of endemic species, or species that are found nowhere else on Earth.
How do atolls form?
An atoll forms when a coral reef builds up around a volcanic island, then the volcanic island erode s away, leaving a lagoon. Atolls are defined as one island even though they are made up of multiple communities of coral. The island regions of Micronesia and Polynesia are dominated by low islands.
Why is Melanesia a high island?
The island region of Melanesia contains many high islands because it is a major part of the “ Ring of Fire ,” a string of volcano es around the boundary of the Pacific Ocean. This part of the Ring of Fire is on the boundary of the Pacific plate and the Australian plate.
Why are birds so common in Australia?
Birds are very common in Australia and Oceania because they are one of the few animals mobile enough to move from island to island. There are more than 110 endemic bird species in Australia and Oceania, including many seabirds. Many flightless birds, such as emus, kiwis, cassowaries, wekas, and takahes, are native to Australia, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand. The Pacific Islands have more than 25 species of birds of paradise, which exhibit colorful plumage.
What are the three islands of Oceania?
Oceania also includes three island regions: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia (including the U.S. state of Hawaii). Oceania’s physical geography, environment and resource s, and human geography can be considered separately.
How are high islands created?
High Islands. High islands, also called volcanic islands, are created as volcanic eruptions build up land over time. These eruptions begin under water, when hot magma is cooled and hardened by the ocean. Over time, this activity creates islands with a steep central peak—hence the name “high island.”.
Which climate type is Australia?
The two core areas, where most of Australia’s population resides, are also noted. Not unexpectedly, the core areas have a dominant type C climate, following the general principle that humans gravitate toward type C climates.
What is the largest river in Australia?
The largest river in Australia is the Darling-Murray River system that starts in the highland of the Great Dividing Range and flows inward through New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, and South Australia. The great interior of the country is home to the massive outback.
What are the two largest monoliths in Australia?
In western Australia, more than five hundred miles to the northeast of Perth, is Mt. Augustus National Park , which features the rock known as Mt. Augustus. It is considered to be the largest single rock in the world. Mt. Augustus rises 2,352 feet above the desert landscape. The single structure is about five miles long. Mt. Augustus is more than twice the size of the most famous Australian monolith of Uluru (Ayers Rock). Uluru is located about two hundred miles southwest of Alice Springs in the Northern Territory and is a well-known tourist attraction. Uluru rises 1,142 feet above the outback and is about 2.2 miles long. Both rocks hold significant cultural value to the aboriginal populations in Australia. They both have ancient petroglyphs, and both are considered sacred sites. Uluru has been more popularized through tourism promotions.
How many Aboriginal people are there in Australia?
There are as many as four hundred different groups of Aborigines currently in Australia that make up a total population of about four hundred fifty thousand . This is a small percentage of Australia’s population but involves a large part of the physical area of the country. Their land claims include all of the Northern Territory, a large portion of western Australia, and parts of South Australia and Queensland. This is in addition to claims located within many urban areas, such as the largest city, Sydney. Mining operations on Aboriginal lands have become highly regulated. Concerns have arisen that Australia’s extractive industries will diminish, causing a decline in the economy. The concern for the Aboriginal population has increased in the past few decades and the government has made attempts to mediate their political and economic issues as well as strengthen programs that address their social welfare.
How tall is the Rock of the Outback?
The rock rises 1,142 feet above the outback and is 2.2 miles long. The site is sacred to the Aborigines and is a major tourist attraction. It is listed as a World Heritage Site.
What percentage of Australia's population is Aboriginal?
Only about 2 percent of the current population consists of Aboriginal people, the original people of Australia. Australia’s population has seen periodic growth spurts as waves of immigrants responded to national policies encouraging immigration. This was especially true after World War II.
How many states are there in Australia?
Australia is divided politically into six states and two territories. They are the Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory, Western Australia, Tasmania, South Australia, Queensland, and New South Wales. Australian protectorates are composed of a number of small islands around Australia.
Landmass and Borders
Elevation, Mountains, and Landforms
- Australia is also the lowest and flattest of the world's continents, with an average elevation of only 330 meters (1,803 feet) above sea level. The most significant mountain range in Australia is the Great Dividing Rangethat runs north and south along the entire eastern edge of the continent. The highest peak, and highest point in Australia, is Mt. Kosciuszko in New South Wales. It has a heig…
The Outback
- While many people think all of Australia is the Outback, it refers to a specific area of the continent. This area is the Western Plateau of the continent, a flat and arid region occupying nearly two-thirds of the continent's landmass. The Great Dividing Range causes dry conditions by blocking rain from reaching the interior of the continent. The Outback is home to the Great Sandy, Gibson…
Water and Islands
- The majority of Australia is a dry continent with few bodies of water or rivers. The two most substantial rivers are the Murray River and the Darling River, both located in the southeastern part of the continent. These are not the only water sources, however. Australia is also home to the Great Artesian Basin, the largest artesian basin on Earth, m...