Australia. Geographical position
What is interesting about the smallest continent on the planet? How is Australia located in relation to other continents of the world? And why are ugg boots so popular in this sunny country? You will find answers to all these questions in our article!
Ever since antiquity, people have been convinced that south of the equator there is a huge mainland. On hypothetical maps, they often signed it as Terra Australis. The word australis is translated from Latin as "southern". However, the Australia discovered by James Cook turned out to be much smaller than expected.
Speaking of this continent, it is very appropriate to use the prefix "most". After all, Australia is the smallest, sunniest, oldest, driest of the continents of our planet. Many more achievements and records can be attributed to him.
How is Australia located relative to other oceans and seas, large islands? This will be discussed in our next section.
How is Australia located in relation to other continents?
Australia is located simultaneously in the South and East. Together with the numerous archipelagos of the Pacific Ocean, it forms a single part of the world called Australia and Oceania.
How is Australia located relative to other continents of the planet? It is worth noting that it is compact and isolated from other continents. Australia is located south of the equator. Its closest neighbor is Eurasia. However, the distance between (the southernmost point of Asia) and the northwestern Australian coast is almost 3,000 kilometers!
The coast of the continent is washed by the waters of the seas of two oceans - the Indian and the Pacific. In close proximity are two large ones in the south and in the north.
Scientists believe that Australia is the first of the modern continents, which separated millions of years ago from the "body" of a single supercontinent of the planet. This is precisely what explains the amazingly isolated and unique local flora and fauna. So, about 70% of the animal world of Australia is endemic (that is, species that are not found anywhere else in the world). Among them are the koala, the platypus, the Tasmanian devil, the nosed cockatoo and, of course, the kangaroo!
8 amazing facts about the nature and climate of Australia
To better understand the nature of this unusual continent, we bring to your attention 8 amazing facts about Australia:
- the air on the island of Tasmania is recognized as the cleanest in the world;
- in the south of Australia there is a farm larger than Belgium;
- Australians are very fond of dishes from it; they are present on the menu of almost every local restaurant;
- it is in Australia that the coastal taipan lives - the most poisonous snake on the planet;
- the largest coral reef of the planet is located along the coast of Australia;
- in Australia there is the longest wall in the world (5600 km), protecting the lands of Queensland from wild raids;
- there is more snow in the Australian Alps than in all of Switzerland;
- despite the hot climate, warm ugg boots are very popular in Australia; Australians wear them in their homes, which are poorly protected from the cold (cold here means a decrease in air temperature to + 15 ... + 20 degrees).
This is what Australia is like! Unusual, interesting and very contrasting.
Geographic location of Australia
How is it located relative to the equator, the tropics (arctic circles), and the 0 meridian
To the south, the southern tropic passes through the central part of the mainland, the 0 meridian is located to the west of the mainland.
In what climatic zones is the mainland located?
subequatorial, tropical, subtropical belt
WHICH SEAS AND OCEANS WASTE AUSTRALIA
From the west - the Indian Ocean, from the east - the Pacific Ocean; seas: Timor, Arafura, Coral, Tasmanovo; bays: Great Australian, Carpentaria
How is the mainland of Australia relative to the mainland of Eurasia
Australia is closest to the mainland of Eurasia, they are separated by a number of large islands.
Extreme points of Australia
Northern - Cape York 11 ° S latitude, 143° E d.; South - Cape South East Point 38 ° S sh. 147°E; Western - Cape Steep Point 26 ° S sh., 114 ° in. d.; Eastern - Cape Byron 28 ° S latitude, 154° E d.
The history of the discovery of the mainland
The first reliable report of the observation of Australian territory by Europeans refers to 1606 when the Dutch expedition Willem Jansson on the ship "Duyfken" explored the bay Carpentaria and landed on a peninsula Cape York .
In 1606, the Spaniard L. Torres discovered the northernmost tip of the Australian Cape York Peninsula, and called the strait separating New Guinea from Cape York Torres.
Tasman in 1642 discovered an island off the southern coast of the mainland, the island bears the name of the discoverer - the island of Tasmania.
From the end of the XVIII century. Australian exploration begins. At first, the British government exiled convicts there.
The city of Sydney is founded as a colony of convicts. Later, not only fertile lands, lush pastures, but also gold, coal, oil, iron ore, manganese, non-ferrous metals were discovered here.
subtropical belt
WHICH SEAS AND OCEANS WASTE AUSTRALIA
From the west - the Indian Ocean, from the east - the Pacific Ocean; seas: Timor, Arafura, Coral, Tasmanovo; bays: Great Australian, Carpentaria
How is the mainland of Australia relative to the mainland of Eurasia
Australia is closest to the mainland of Eurasia, they are separated by a number of large islands.
Extreme points of Australia
Northern - Cape York 11 ° S latitude, 143° E d.; South - Cape South East Point 38 ° S sh. 147°E; Western - Cape Steep Point 26 ° S sh., 114 ° in. d.; Eastern - Cape Byron 28 ° S latitude, 154° E d.
The history of the discovery of the mainland
The first reliable report of the observation of Australian territory by Europeans refers to 1606 when the Dutch expedition Willem Jansson on the ship "Duyfken" explored the bay Carpentaria and landed on a peninsula Cape York .
In 1606, the Spaniard L. Torres discovered the northernmost tip of the Australian Cape York Peninsula, and called the strait separating New Guinea from Cape York Torres.
Tasman in 1642 discovered an island off the southern coast of the mainland, the island bears the name of the discoverer - the island of Tasmania.
From the end of the XVIII century. Australian exploration begins. At first, the British government exiled convicts there.
The city of Sydney is founded as a colony of convicts. Later, not only fertile lands, lush pastures, but also gold, coal, oil, iron ore, manganese, non-ferrous metals were discovered here.
seas: Timor, Arafura, Coral, Tasmanovo; bays: Great Australian, Carpentaria
How is the mainland of Australia relative to the mainland of Eurasia
Australia is closest to the mainland of Eurasia, they are separated by a number of large islands.
Extreme points of Australia
Northern - Cape York 11 ° S latitude, 143° E d.; South - Cape South East Point 38 ° S sh. 147°E; Western - Cape Steep Point 26 ° S sh., 114 ° in. d.; Eastern - Cape Byron 28 ° S latitude, 154° E d.
The history of the discovery of the mainland
The first reliable report of the observation of Australian territory by Europeans refers to 1606 when the Dutch expedition Willem Jansson on the ship "Duyfken" explored the bay Carpentaria and landed on a peninsula Cape York .
In 1606, the Spaniard L. Torres discovered the northernmost tip of the Australian Cape York Peninsula, and called the strait separating New Guinea from Cape York Torres.
Tasman in 1642 discovered an island off the southern coast of the mainland, the island bears the name of the discoverer - the island of Tasmania.
From the end of the XVIII century. Australian exploration begins. At first, the British government exiled convicts there.
The city of Sydney is founded as a colony of convicts. Later, not only fertile lands, lush pastures, but also gold, coal, oil, iron ore, manganese, non-ferrous metals were discovered here.
bays: Great Australian, Carpentaria
How is the mainland of Australia relative to the mainland of Eurasia
Australia is closest to the mainland of Eurasia, they are separated by a number of large islands.
Extreme points of Australia
Northern - Cape York 11 ° S latitude, 143° E d.; South - Cape South East Point 38 ° S sh. 147°E; Western - Cape Steep Point 26 ° S sh., 114 ° in. d.; Eastern - Cape Byron 28 ° S latitude, 154° E d.
The history of the discovery of the mainland
The first reliable report of the observation of Australian territory by Europeans refers to 1606 when the Dutch expedition Willem Jansson on the ship "Duyfken" explored the bay Carpentaria and landed on a peninsula Cape York .
In 1606, the Spaniard L. Torres discovered the northernmost tip of the Australian Cape York Peninsula, and called the strait separating New Guinea from Cape York Torres.
Tasman in 1642 discovered an island off the southern coast of the mainland, the island bears the name of the discoverer - the island of Tasmania.
From the end of the XVIII century. Australian exploration begins. At first, the British government exiled convicts there.
The city of Sydney is founded as a colony of convicts. Later, not only fertile lands, lush pastures, but also gold, coal, oil, iron ore, manganese, non-ferrous metals were discovered here.
Extreme points of Australia
Northern - Cape York 11 ° S latitude, 143° E d.; South - Cape South East Point 38 ° S sh. 147°E; Western - Cape Steep Point 26 ° S sh., 114 ° in. d.; Eastern - Cape Byron 28 ° S latitude, 154° E d.
The history of the discovery of the mainland
The first reliable report of the observation of Australian territory by Europeans refers to 1606 when the Dutch expedition Willem Jansson on the ship "Duyfken" explored the bay Carpentaria and landed on a peninsula Cape York .
In 1606, the Spaniard L. Torres discovered the northernmost tip of the Australian Cape York Peninsula, and called the strait separating New Guinea from Cape York Torres.
Tasman in 1642 discovered an island off the southern coast of the mainland, the island bears the name of the discoverer - the island of Tasmania.
From the end of the XVIII century. Australian exploration begins. At first, the British government exiled convicts there.
The city of Sydney is founded as a colony of convicts. Later, not only fertile lands, lush pastures, but also gold, coal, oil, iron ore, manganese, non-ferrous metals were discovered here.
Western - Cape Steep Point 26 ° S sh., 114 ° in. d.; Eastern - Cape Byron 28 ° S latitude, 154° E d.
The history of the discovery of the mainland
The first reliable report of the observation of Australian territory by Europeans refers to 1606 when the Dutch expedition Willem Jansson on the ship "Duyfken" explored the bay Carpentaria and landed on a peninsula Cape York .
In 1606, the Spaniard L. Torres discovered the northernmost tip of the Australian Cape York Peninsula, and called the strait separating New Guinea from Cape York Torres.
Tasman in 1642 discovered an island off the southern coast of the mainland, the island bears the name of the discoverer - the island of Tasmania.
From the end of the XVIII century. Australian exploration begins. At first, the British government exiled convicts there.
The city of Sydney is founded as a colony of convicts. Later, not only fertile lands, lush pastures, but also gold, coal, oil, iron ore, manganese, non-ferrous metals were discovered here.
The history of the discovery of the mainland
The first reliable report of the observation of Australian territory by Europeans refers to 1606 when the Dutch expedition Willem Jansson on the ship "Duyfken" explored the bay Carpentaria and landed on a peninsula Cape York .
In 1606, the Spaniard L. Torres discovered the northernmost tip of the Australian Cape York Peninsula, and called the strait separating New Guinea from Cape York Torres.
Tasman in 1642 discovered an island off the southern coast of the mainland, the island bears the name of the discoverer - the island of Tasmania.
From the end of the XVIII century. Australian exploration begins. At first, the British government exiled convicts there.
The city of Sydney is founded as a colony of convicts. Later, not only fertile lands, lush pastures, but also gold, coal, oil, iron ore, manganese, non-ferrous metals were discovered here.
Targets and goals:
- organize the activities of students for the perception, comprehension and primary consolidation of material about Australia; create a general idea of the originality, uniqueness of the geography of the mainland and its only state and reveal the reason for this originality; give an idea of the history of the discovery of Australia;
- improve the ability to work with a map and develop monologue speech;
- fostering interest in travel and discovery through the demonstration of courage, courage, courage of travelers and explorers.
Equipment: physical map of the world, globe, atlases, contour maps, computer
During the classes
I. Organizational moment. The topic of the lesson.
We will conduct our lesson under the motto "The journey continues and continues to Australia."
Have you been to Australia?
Have you seen Australia?
Do you never
Didn't go there?
II. Identification of the goals and objectives of the lesson.
What are we going to do in the lesson?
We are to:
a) identify the features of the physical and geographical position of Australia;
b) put the features of the GP on the contour map:
c) find out how the discovery and exploration of the mainland took place.
III. Learning new material.
1. Statement of the problem. Listen to an excerpt from J. Verne's "Children of Captain Grant".
2. Discussion.
Do you agree with Panagel's view of the formation of Australia? (Australia is part of the ancient continent of Gondwana and Pangea).
3. "Reporters and journalists" who have been there will help us get acquainted with the mainland.
How to get to this continent?
(The student acts as a journalist).
4. So, you are convinced that Australia is indeed a unique continent.
5. Multimedia film "Australia", the journalist will comment on it to us (I give the name and surname of the student).
6. Comparison of the area of Australia with the area of other continents. So, your conclusion.
7. Practical work on determining the geographical coordinates, the length of Australia and drawing on the contour map of objects that characterize the physical and geographical position of Australia.
one). Determination of the geographical position of the mainland according to the plan:
How is the mainland relative to the equator, the tropics, the polar circles and the prime meridian.
What oceans and seas surround the mainland?
How is Australia located in relation to other continents?
What climate zone is Australia in?
2). Comparison of the physical and geographical position of Australia and Africa.
What is the similarity? (Intersected by the southern tropic, washes the Indian Ocean, climatic zones, natural zones).
What is the difference? (Australia is not crossed by the equator and the northern tropic. It is not washed by the Atlantic Ocean, but by the Pacific Ocean. Australia is located entirely in the Eastern Hemisphere).
Why is there so much in common in the geographical position of the continents? (Both continents are located in the same latitudes. Both are part of the split Gondwana).
3) Determination of the geographical coordinates of the extreme points:
- m. York - 11 S and 142 east
- m. Yugo-Vostochny - 39 s. and 146 east
- Cape Byron - 28 S and 153 east
- m. Steep Point - 26 S and 113 east
4) Determination of the length of Australia:
a) from north to south
b) from west to east
5) Travel around Australia - working out the nomenclature.
Seas: Arafura, Coral, Tasman, Timor;
Bays: Carpentaria, Great Australian;
Straits: Torres, Basov;
Peninsulas: Arnhemland, Cape York, Eyre;
Islands: New Guinea, New Zealand, Tasmania, Great Barrier Reef.
6. Primary consolidation of material on the geographical position of Australia. - Maybe in vain we first determined the geographical position of Australia? Maybe we should have started by studying the nature of the mainland?
(No, because the geographical location affects nature. Australia is crossed almost in the middle by the Southern Tropic, so it is within the tropical, subtropical and subequatorial climatic zones).
7) Solution of a logical problem:
Why do you guys think the discovery of Australia began from its northern, southern and southeastern coasts, and not from the east? After all, important sea routes passed from the eastern side of Australia in the Pacific Ocean. (On the way, the sailors met the Great Barrier Reef.)
8) Use of multimedia and educational picture "Great Barrier Reef".
9) Introducing students to the basic information from the history of the discovery of Australia.
Use of multimedia and educational picture.
Comments "historian" based on the table.
Discoveries and explorations of Australia
| the date | Travelers | Discoveries |
| 1606 | Pedro de Quiros | Crossed the Pacific Ocean, the island of Espiritu Santo in the New Hybrids archipelago |
| Louis Vase de Torres | Passed the strait and proved that New Guinea is an island | |
| Willem Janszon | West coast of Cape York - northern peninsula of Australia | |
| 1642-1643 years | Abel Tasman | He proved that New Guinea, New Hebrides are not connected with the Southern Earth. Discovered New Zealand and Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) |
| 1770 | James Cook | Proceeded to the east coast of Australia. Discovered the Great Barrier Reef. I drew the outlines of the mainland. |
| End of the century | English | Colonization and development of the mainland |
| 1870-1880 years | Nikolai Nikolaevich Miklukho-Maclay | Anthropological, geographical and biological studies of Australia and New Guinea. |
IV. Fixing the material
1. Questions.
Why has this continent been an "unknown" land for a long time?
Who discovered Australia and when?
What was the significance of the discovery of the mainland for Europeans and for the natives?
How to explain the unique nature of the mainland?
2. Work with a poem.
Read each paragraph and discuss it.
V. Summing up the lesson
1. Thank the active participants in the lesson and give them grades.
2. Mark the performance of "journalists" and rate them.
VI. Homework.
1) From the text of the textbook, determine what other names are associated with the history of the discovery of Australia.
2) Take a distance trip and make a travel itinerary together:
With A. Tasman,
With James Cook
With N. N. Miklukho-Maclay.
3) Make a crossword about Australia (optional).
Among all other continents, Australia stands out in particular. This is a unique continent in which an unparalleled flora and fauna was formed. In Australia, there are a lot of endemics, that is, plants and animals that live only there and nowhere else in the world. Such features of Australia are explained by its isolation from other continents.
How is Australia located?
To find out how Australia is located relative to other continents, it is necessary to consider the position of all continents. You can do this in the following way:
- Eurasia is entirely located in the northern hemisphere. Meanwhile, Australia is entirely in the southern hemisphere. Thus, Eurasia is located to the north of Australia. They are separated from each other by about a thousand kilometers. After all, the southern tip of Malaysia with Singapore is located near Australia;
- North and South America are washed by the waters of the Pacific Ocean on the western side. Australia is also located in its water area. In fact, the coast of South America is several thousand kilometers west of Australia;
- Africa is located west of Australia. If you sail to the west, then the traveler will get to the eastern coast of Africa. At the same time, it will fall into the waters of the Indian Ocean. He will have to overcome huge spaces - sail past Indonesia, get into the Indian Ocean and move due west;
- Antarctica is located south of Australia. Beyond the warm waters of Australia, the cold waters of Antarctica begin. The further south, the colder it will become, because the movement to the south is the approach to the South Pole.
Thus, Australia is removed from the rest of the continents. This is its main feature.
What is the specificity of Australia
Australia is home to many exotic animals that are not found anywhere else. For example, kangaroos, marsupial rats and so on. The platypus also lives only in Australia. And not far from Australia, in acute Tasmania, the Tasmanian devil lives - another endemic species belonging to endangered animals.