Australia and New Zealand
Intro
- Officially called – Commonwealth of Australia
- Made up of 6 states and the island Tasmania
- Australia is the youngest and also the smallest continent in the world
- Very far from the other continents
- That it is the reason it was discovered as late as in 1770
Location
- Island continent
- Situated in the southern hemisphere (summer x winter)
- Is located to the southeast of the mainland Asian continent and to the southwest of North America
- Neighbor of other several nations in Pacific – Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and the Philippines to the north; New Zealand to the southeast; Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti to the south
- Washed by the Indian Ocean in west and the south Pacific in east
- Has no land borders
Surface
- Eastern Australia is marked by the Great Dividing Range, Mount Kosciuszko-highest mountain of the Australian inland, runs parallel to the coast
- The northernmost point of the east coast is the tropical-rainforested Cape York Peninsula
- Landscape of the northern part of the country consists mostly of grassland and deserts
- At the heart of the country are the uplands of central Australia, Uluru-famous sandstone monolith
- At the north-west corner of the continent are the sandstone cliffs and gorges of The Kimberley
Climate
- Varies from equatorial to temperate
- Significantly influenced by ocean currents
- Period drought is typical for some parts of Australia, driest inhabited continent in the world
- Very low rainfall rates
- In the southern hemisphere – they have summer when we have winter
- Hurricanes often appear here
Water bodies
- Not many of them
- The largest river is called Murray (1600km long), with tributaries Darling and Lachlan
- Most Australian rivers are only small creeks
- About 760 lakes, Lake Eyre is the biggest on
Natural resources
- Minerals in Australia had a tremendous impact on its history
- Gold – one of the biggest producers in the world, caused few gold fevers, set the Australian demographic pattern, been declining lately
- Has big black coal reserves – they do not need to import
- Rich deposits of uranium ore – used for power plants
Economy
- One of the largest economies in the world
- 17th largest by GDP per person
- Currency – Australian dollar
- Connected with the economy of New Zealand
Agriculture
- Contributes 3% of the Australian GDP, do not have good conditions
- 60% of farm products are exported
- Sheep raising – largest wool producer in the world
- Other products – wheat, barley
- Australian wine is also very popular
Industry
- Mining is most prominent, mostly coal, mostly in Queensland
- Food manufacturing is also one of the biggest ones
- Textile industry has been declining recently
- 4 companies manufacture cars in Australia
Services
- Makes up to 68% of GDP
- Visited by a lot of tourists
Population, languages
- Population of 23 million, most of the people live in the cities
- One of the lowest population density in the world
- Mostly British and Irish origin
- Big migration (working opportunities)– 25% of citizens were born elsewhere; mostly UK, China, India, Italy
- Asian Australians make up to 12%
- Original citizens are called Aborigines, lived in Australia before the arrival of Europeans
- Has no official language – English is mostly spoken
- Very religious – 61% counted as Christian
- One of the most expensive countries to attend universities
Cities
Canberra
- The capitol
- Largest inland city, 8th largest overall
- Capital since 1908, compromise between Sydney and Melbourne
- Modern architecture
Sydney
- Most populous
- Located on the south-east coast
- Lots of immigrants
- Sydney Opera House – UNESCO landmark
- Big harbor
Melbourne
- North-east Australia
- Second biggest
- Leading financial center in Australia
- Often marked as one of the world´s most “livable” cities
Brisbane
- On the coast, east Australia
- Most populous in the state Queensland
- Stands on the original European settlement
- Named after Brisbane river
Points of interest
- Great Barrier Reef –located in the Coral Sea, east of Australia, world´s largest barrier system, formed by millions of living organisms
- Uluru – also called Ayers Rock, large sandstone formation, UNESCO heritage
- The Twelve Apostles – limestone formation, in state Victoria
- Australian Open – every January in Melbourne
- Big amount of endemic species – koalas, kangaroos, emu (non-flying bird related to ostrich), wombat MARSUPIALS
New Zealand
Introduction
- Island country made up of two islands – South and North
- Known for its biodiversity
Location
- Situated 1500km east of Australia, across the Tasman Sea
- Island separated by Cooks Strait
- That is one of the last island to be settled by humans
Surface
- South Island – very mountainous, Southern Alps, highest peak – Mt. Cook
- North Island – less mountainous, marked by volcanism
Climate
- Mild and temperate climate
Water bodies
- Longest river – Wakaito River
- Many notable waterfalls – Huka Falls
Natural resources
- Natural gas, iron ore, coal
Economy
- Currency – New Zealand Dollar (Kiwi dollar)
- Heavily dependent on international trade
- Service sector – the largest
- Tourism is also important – supports 10% of workforce
- Small high tech sectors, mostly tourism and prime sector
- Wool – major agriculture export
People, languages
- Population about 4,5 million
- Has relatively young population
- Maori – original citizens
- Asia – largest source of overseas immigrants
- Predominant language – English
Cities
- Wellington – capitol, second biggest, located on the North Island, sometimes also called “The windy city”
- Auckland – in the North Island, the biggest city, 1,5 million, 32% of the NZ population, Sky Tower – most significant landmark
Places of interest
National parks – from the ones which lie on the beach, to the ones which are high in mountains