Text 19. AUSTRALIA

The 'Great Southern Land' was the name given by the European explorers to the conti­nent we now call Australia. And it certainly is 'great'. The area of Australia is 32 times greater than the area of the United Kingdom.

It is almost the size of North America— excluding Alaska.

Australia has a total land mass of 7682 300 square kilometres. From north to south its longest distance is 3680 kilometres—from Cape York to the south-east cape ofTasmania. From east to west the longest distance is 4000 kilometres—from Cape Byron in northern New South Wales to Steep Point in Western Australia.

The Australian continent is one of the old­est land forms in the world. About 100 million years ago it broke off from the Antarctic land mass and drifted slowly northward. New Zealand and other island groups then separat­ed from the Australian land mass.

The unique land forms described in this book are the result of millions of years of wind, rain, ice and hot sun beating down on the Australian land mass. The highest peak in Australia, Mount Kosciusko, is only 2228 metres above sea level. The Macdonnell Ranges in the Northern Territory were once as high as the Himalayas, but now reach only 1200 metres above sea level. More recent land forms were the result of volcanic activity. Along the east coast the Great Dividing Range runs from northern Queensland to central Victoria.

Apart from Antarctica, Australia is the dri­est continent in the world. One third of Australia receives less than 200 millimetres of rain per year. However, in the areas which arc populated, a pattern of regular rainfall in the winter is evident in the south of the country, whereas summer rainlall is regular in the north. The El Nino ocean current has, at times, affected the patterns of rainfall on Australia's cast coast—sometimes causing floods over widespread areas. Droughts, which have been attributed to the El Nino effect, have also been felt over large expanses of the continent.

In Australia, the summer months arc December, January and February. The hottest parts of the country can reach temperatures of around 50 С but, in the regions where most of the population lives, the daytime summer temperature is usually in the high 30s (°C) in the northern states, and the high 20s (°C) in the southern states.

The winter months are June, July and August. The lowest temperatures are in the alpine areas of the Great Dividing Range—where snow falls frequently during the winter and early spring. In the regions where most of the population lives, the winter daytime tem­perature is usually in the low 20s (C) in the northern states, and in the range of 1—15 С in the southern states.

Answer the following questions:

1 Who called Australia the 'Great Southern Land'?

2. What is its total area?

3. How was this continent formed?

4. How does the size of Australia compare with the size of North America?

5. Which continent is drier than Australia?

6. What are the summer months?

7. What do you think are the months of autumn and spring?