Australia
Relative and Absolute Location
1. Describe Australia’s location
2. Define absolute and Relative location
3. How might Australia's location shape its country?
Essential Question:
How does a
country’s
location shape
life within its
borders?
No Reservations
 Part 1
 Part 2
 Part 3
 Warning: mild language and may cause hunger.
Absolute vs. Relative location
 Absolute location: a locations exact position on earth using
latitude and longitude.
 Ex. Canberra 35 degrees S, 149 degrees E
 Relative location: describes where a location is in relation to
other places.
 Affects a country’s history and way of life.
 Located by South Pacific Islands but was a British colony.
The Land “Down Under”
 Australia is both a
continent AND a country.
 The majority of Australia is
arid, or desert.
 A biologist’s dream: 80%
of plants and animals are
unique to Australia thanks
to the continental drift
theory.
Colonial Australia
 The first Australians were Aborigines.
 They came to Australia over 40,000 years ago.
 Believe that spirits roamed the earth before humans
during a times called Dreamtime and land is sacred.
 James Cook discovered Australia in 1770 and claimed it
for Great Britain.
 After the Revolutionary War ended (1783), Britain set
up Australia as a prison colony.
 Over 160,000 convicts were sent until 1868.
Colonial Australia
 Many convicts who were released from jail were given land
to farm.
 Free settlers arrived from Europe as well.
 1851 gold was discovered causing an influx of treasure
hunters.
 At least 750,000 Aborigines at time of colonization, but
today there’s approximately only 400,000.
 Possible reasons?
Independence
 Australia gained its independence in 1901, but its influences
are still seen today:
 Australian flag still has a union jack in the left hand corner.
 Official language is English
 More than half of Australians have British or Irish roots.
 Approximately 10,000 Britons immigrate to Australia each year.
After Independence
 Australia adopted a “white only” immigration policy to keep
people of color from immigrating.
 Any person wanting to immigrate had to pass a “dictation
test”
 An official read aloud a 50-word statement in a European
language in which the newcomer had to write it down wordfor-word in order to enter.
 “White Australia” ended in the 1970s
 Today about 90,000 people immigrate each year, almost ½ of
which are from Asia or Africa.
Trading Partners
 A hundred years ago, over
half of Australia’s exports
went to Britain.
 Now Australia’s biggest
trading partners are Japan,
South Korea, China, and
Taiwan.
 What could explain this?
Seasons
 Australia is located in the southern hemisphere, causing a
reversal of seasons.
 The tilt of Earth’s axis causes the S. Hemisphere to receive
more sunlight.
 Summer lasts from December through March.
 Good for tourists and fruit lovers.
SEASONS
A Hole in the Ozone
 Earth’s atmosphere is divided into layers:
 The lowest layer is the air we breathe
 The second layer begins six miles above earth and contains a gas
called ozone.
 Ozone protects living species from ultraviolet rays reaching
earth and humans from sunburns, eye disease, and skin
cancer.
 In 1985, discovered an ozone hole over Antarctica which has
moved north over Australia.
 Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), found in hairspray,
refrigerators, and air conditioners, destroys the ozone.
 2/3 of Australians could develop skin cancer.
Look at these images carefully.
• What interesting details do you see?
• What aspect of life is represented by
these images?
• How might location play a role in shaping
this aspect of life in Australia?