Australia and Oceania
Purpose Games
• Australia Political Map Quiz
• Australia Physical Map Quiz
The Land Down Under
• Australia is a continent below China in the
Pacific Ocean
• It is a member of the British Commonwealth
• Population: 21,575, 341 (2013)
• It is an island country
Size and Settlement
• Australia is almost as big as the U.S. (excluding
Alaska) and 2 times bigger than Europe!
• Australia was settled by Aboriginal tribes
• Later under British control they put convicts on
the islands when their prisons were full
Physical Geography
• Most people live near the coastline
• Mot of the interior is desert
• The Great Barrier Reef: The world largest coral
reef – over 132,000 miles
Mountains
• Mt. Kosciuszko is the highest peak in Australia
• The most famous terrain is Uluru. A large
sandstone rock formation
•
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbbyGSmCyMY
Murray River
• Australia’s longest river beginning in the
Australian Alps and running to the
Southeastern corner of the country
Major Cities
• Canberra: Capital of Australia
• Sydney: Contains 20% of Australia’s
population, 4.5 million people
– Home to the Sydney Opera House
http://panedia.com/virtualtour/content/1842
• Melbourne: Second largest
city in Australia ; ranks among
the most livable cities in the world
Australia’s Past
• Folklore
– Read the assignment quietly please
Australia today
Government
• A federal parliamentary bi
cameral system (two parts)
with a Prime Minister as an
executive power
– House
– Senate
• Officially part of the British
Commonwealth
– What is a commonwealth?
Australia by the numbers
• 25% Roman Catholic
• 4th highest life expectancy
• 1606: Year found by
Europeans
Australia Quiz
• Two day notice –
– Quiz will be on all information related to Australia
we have learned
Boomerangs
• Read the article silently please and complete
the requirements in full.
Animals of Australia
• Echidna:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHjdIXN9v2g
• Platypus:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7ptN_5BWCc
• Sugar Gliders:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7ptN_5BWCc