Below, I have a political map of Australia displayed. Most major settlements and people are in the southeastern and southwestern corners of the country. This is because the climate is temperate there, and most Australians prefer it.. In the center of Australia, it is hot, dry, and mostly desert. In the north of Australia, it is between warm and hot the whole year, and gets more rain than any other part of the country. Australia is also not very close to any other country. Australia is over 2,000 miles southeast of Asia. Australia borders the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. It is 2,582 miles from Australia from New Zealand, and it is 1,250 miles from Timor-Leste, a small country on half of an island extremely close to Australia.
Physical Features
![Picture](/uploads/9/9/4/5/99456706/published/nt-35-1.jpg?1487024225)
Ayers Rock, also known as Uluru, is the world's largest monolith, which is a free-standing rock. It seems reddish because the iron in it appears to rust at the surface. It is roughly 12 stories high and 6 miles wide! It is also located near the continent's geographic center. Aborigines consider it sacred and refer to it as Uluru, its official name.
![Picture](/uploads/9/9/4/5/99456706/published/coral-sea-map.png?1487792492)
The Coral Sea is off the northeastern coast of Australia. It contains the Great Barrier Reef, the largest system of coral reefs in the world. It was formed millions of years ago, along with the Great Dividing Range, when the Earth's crust moved. It is four times Great Britain's size, at 1 million square kilometers. In 1942, a large World War Two sea battle occurred there, when the Japanese tried to capture the capital of Papua New Guinea, an island country adjacent to the sea.
![Picture](/uploads/9/9/4/5/99456706/published/great-barrier-reef.png?250)
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest coral reef system on Earth, at 1,250 miles long. It is located in the Coral Sea, and Australia is to the southwest of it. The water has a minimal temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. There are more than 400 species of coral located in this reef. It can be seen from outer space.
![Picture](/uploads/9/9/4/5/99456706/editor/great-victoria-desert.jpg?250)
The Great Victoria Desert is Australia's largest desert, at 160,000 miles long. It is a dry landmass spread across the states of South Australia and Western Australia. It is a protected wilderness area. It was discovered in 1875 and named after Great Britain's monarch, Queen Victoria. The British tested nine atomic bombs in the desert in the 1950s.
Climates
Northern Australia has a tropical climate. This is because it is close to the equator. It receives more rain than all the other parts of the country, at over 60 inches of rain. In both 1974 and 2006 cyclones (hurricanes, typhoons) hit Northern Australia. In 1974 Hurricane Tracy passed over the capital of Northern Territory, Darwin, causing 71 deaths. In 2006 Cyclone Monica, a Category 5 storm, hit Far North Queensland and Northern Territory, causing around 6 and a half million Australian dollars in damage.
Central Australia is the largest part of the country, but also the least populous. It makes up 70% of the continent. It is mostly desert, and less than 10 inches of rain usually fall here. The temperatures are extreme, and can be scorching in the summer, but temperatures can feel like freezing in winter. In August 2010, the coldest day ever in the Australian Outback was recorded, at an ultimate temperature of 6 degrees Celsius (42.8 degrees Fahrenheit). In 2009, a large dust storm hit Eastern Australia, and could be seen from space. The dust in the dust storm is believed to have started its journey in Outback northeast South Australia. It is believed that there was roughly 16 million tons of dust in the storm, and the dust storm was a distance of 1,000 kilometers vertically and 500 horizontally.
Southern Australia has a temperate climate. Most Australians prefer it, so that is why this is the most populous area. Summers, which are from December to February, are hot, and winters, from June to August, are cool. The highest temperature in Southern Australia is also the highest temperature ever recorded in Australia, at a whopping 50.7 degrees Celsius (123.3 degrees Fahrenheit)! It was recorded in the town of Oodnadatta, South Australia. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Australia was also recorded in this area. In August 1968, Charlotte Pass, New South Wales, experienced the glacial temperature of -20.6 degrees Celsius. That equals -5.1 degrees Fahrenheit!