Australia is a country located in Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It covers an area of around 7.7 million square kilometers, making it the sixth largest country, and has diverse landscapes including eastern mountain ranges, central lowlands, and a western plateau. The central lowlands contain important river basins like the Murray-Darling, which supports agriculture, and Lake Eyre, a large salt lake. New Zealand is also located in Oceania and consists of two main islands, North and South, separated by Cook Strait. The South Island features high mountain ranges like the Southern Alps, while the North Island has lower volcanic mountains and peninsulas.
Islands of the Pacific: A Guide to Australia and New Zealand's Geography
1.
2. • Australia is one of three southern continents of the world . If we
include NEW ZEALAND and OTHER ISLANDS OF PACIFIC OCEAN ,it
is called oceania.
• The PACIFIC ISLANDS are the islands of the pacific ocean. Three
major groups of islands in the pacific ocean are:
Islands of
Pacific ocean
Polynesia Micronesia Melanesia
3.
4. • AUSTRALIA lies in entirely eastern and southern hemispheres
,tropic of capricon almost passes through its middle.
• LATITUDINAL EXTENT: 10′14ﹾS to 43′93ﹾS
• LONGITUDINAL EXTENT: 113′9ﹾ to 153′93ﹾE
• ARFURA SEA and TIMOR SEA lie to its north and southern
ocean is on its south.
• It is like an east – west extending QUADRANGLE.
• Total surface area of AUSTRALIA is 77.4 lakh square km.
• It is the SIXTH largest country of the world.
• It has 5.2% of the world′s land area.
5.
6. • Australia lies at the middle of the INDO –AUSTRALIAN plate
.The physical landforms of AUSTRALIA were mainly formed by
the process of erosion.
• The landscape resembles the islands found on the collision
boundaries between the EARTH’S CRUSTAL plates . These are
mainly located in the southern pacific ocean .
• The third category of landforms types of OCEANIA represents
the volcanic islands. For example: FIJI ISLANDS.
• The fourth category of land forms represents coral reef islands
and atolls. Foer example: TUVALA
10. THE EASTERN HIGHLANDS
• Eastern highlands are extended from
CAPE YORK in the north to the
SOUTHERN CAPE located in the
extreme south of TASMANIA.
• Shallow BASS STRAIT divides it into two
parts.
• Highlands look like a vast range of
mountains, so these are called THE
GREAT DIVIDING RANGE.
• The highest peak of these mountains is
MT. KOSCIUSKO (2228 meters).
11. THE CENTRAL PLAINS
• The central plains extended from ENCOUNTER BAY in the south to the
GULF OF CARPENTARIA in north.
• these can be divided into three main parts:
THE
CENTRAL
PLAINS
THE MURRAY
DARLING
BASIN
LAKE EYRE
BASIN
THE
CAEPENTARIA
LOWLANDS
12. THE MURRAY-DARLING BASIN
• It is rich in agriculture area due to
prosperity on an adequate water supply.
• The Murray along with its tributaries- The
Darling ,The Murrumbidgee , Lachlan and
Goulburn drains nearly whole the south
eastern australia to south westward
australia.
• The Darling and Murray are fed with water
to melting snow of southern Alps.
• These basin is located in arid region ,yet
these are full of artesian wells.
13. LAKE EYRE BASIN
• LAKE EYRE BASIN is a vast saucer- shaped
area of inland drainage in which lie many
salt lakes among of them LAKE
GAIRDNER,LAKE TORRENS ,LAKE EYRE itself
are much important.
•LAKE EYRE lies below the sea level 11m.
•The rivers falling in the EYRE LAKE form
radial type of drainage system.
•All the rivers falling in EYRE LAKE are
seasonal rivers.
•Northern banks of EYRE LAKE are found in
great Artesian Basin.
14. THE CARPENTARIA LOWLANDS
• These are drained
by rivers Mitchell
and flinders.
• It is separated from
Lake Eyre basin
by the Barkly
Tableland and Selwyn
range.
• This region has no.
of Artesian basin
Which meet the
water demand.
15. THE WESTERN PLATEAU
• About 54% of the total area of AUSTRALIA is covered by
western plateau.
• It includes western australia ,most of the areas of northern
and central australia and western half of south australia.
• The western plateau forms an escarpment as its eastern
slopes are gentle while the western slopes are steep.
• The Western Plateau is composed of sandstone and limestone
strata which lie roughly horizontal layers over igneous rocks.
• It is an undulating region with an average height of 350 mt.
• At some places where sandstone rocks have crumbled as a
result of very hot days are followed by very cold nights.
16. •In south - western Pacific there exists a group of two big islands and many
small is known as NEW ZEALAND.
•It is a part of Oceania. NEW ZEALAND was first discovered and settled by
Polynesian people of Maori of Tahiti Islands in about 1300A.D.
• Later European explorers Abel Tasman (1642), Captain Cook (1769) etc. came
to New Zealand.
LOCATION, SHAPE, SIZE AND NEIGHBOURS
• New Zealand is located in the south - western edge of Pacific Ocean.
• Its LATITUDINAL EXTENSION from 34°17'S to 47°S.
• Its LONGITUDINAL EXTENSION is from 166°20'E to 178°54'E.
• New Zealand is surrounded by Tasman sea on its West and Pacific Ocean on
other sides.
• Total area of New Zealand is about 2,67,710 sq. Km.
• New Zealand consists of two major islands : North Island and South Island.
They are separated by COOK STRAIT.
NEW ZEALAND
17. RELIEF
•NEW ZEALAND has a complex geological history.
• The islands were formed during the Tertiary period.
• Volcanic activity started during the Pleistocene epoch and is still
continuing.
• The islands have a backbone of fold mountains which are high in
South Island and low in North Island.
• It is divided into two parts:
RELIEF
SOUTH
ISLAND
NORTH
ISLAND
18.
19. South mountains are primarily mountains and these are called
SOUTHERN ALPS. Southern Alps are about 480 km long chain of fold
mountains with average height of 2000 m. They are steep and wall like
on the west and dissected and gentle on the east and are fringed by
alluvial plains on the east where country's largest plains area called
'CANTERBURY PLAINS' is found. Southern Alps contain country's
highest peak Mt. Cook (3,764m) and 16 other peaks rising above
3000m.
SOUTH ISLAND
The NORTH ISLAND has low mountains which are broken up into many
ranges and plateau areas. Its average height is about 1,600m. The
Auckland Peninsula, extending north-west ward, has low hills. Between
the main mountain range and the Auckland Peninsula, in the centre of
north island, lies a volcanic region with many high volcanic region with
many high volcanic peaks- Mt. Ruapehu, Mt. Nauru hoe etc.
NORTH ISLAND