Transcript Postcard from Australia Project

Where Australians Live…
Location, Climate, & Natural
Resources in Australia
Postcard from Australia Project
Today you will create a postcard to send to one of your friends
that describes living in Australia.
Directions:
1.
2.
3.
Explain with evidence why living in Australia would be enjoyable for
you. Write a greeting to one of your friends that describes Australia.
Be sure to include:
Location Climate Land
Resources
On the back of the construction sheet, illustrate with your
favorite Australian location or related concept.
Learning Target: Today we are learning about Australia’s
location and resources because we want to know why
people live there.
Front: Illustrate with your favorite
Australian destination or related concept
Location
Nearly 80% of Australians live in urban
areas
– Australia is one of the world’s most
urbanized countries
70% of all Australians live in cities of
more than 100,000 people
– Sydney has 3 and a 1/2 million people
– Melbourne has about 3 million people
Canberra is the capital of Australia. It is very young city.
Population is about 310,000 people.
Capitol Hill
Canberra Fountain
St. Maria Cathedral
The Harbour Bridge
Sydney
Climate of Australia
Varies across the continent
It’s south of the equator, so climate is
opposite North America:
– Summer: December through March
– Winter: June through September
Climate: North Australia
Northern part of Australia is closest to
the equator
Tropical climate and is warm-to-hot all
year round
– Gets more rain than any other part of the
country
Winter: wet and cool
Summer: hot and dry
Climate: Central Australia
Desert is the largest part of Australia
Little rain falls here
– Most of this area gets less than 10 inches
of rain per year!
Climate: Coasts
Only the southeast and southwest
corners have a temperate climate
– Summers aren’t too hot & winters aren’t
too cold (similar to Georgia)
Climate in these regions is the one that
Australians prefer the most
– Most Australians live along southeastern
coast
Natural Resources of Australia
Outback refers to the dry interior
– Mainly open countryside, including vast
expanses of grazing land
Few widely scattered settlements in the
Outback
– Many of them grew up around mining
operations…
Natural Resources: Mining
Australians mine for coal, iron ore,
copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel,
tungsten, mineral sands, zinc, oil, and
natural gas
– Lead the world in the production of
diamonds, lead, & bauxite (used to make
aluminum)!
Natural Resources: Mining
Minerals are often found in areas that
are difficult to reach
– Roads are expensive to build, but they are
needed to get workers & equipment to
remote locations
– Expensive equipment is needed to move
minerals to populated cities to trade
Natural Resources:
Arable Land
Land that is good for farming
Enough areas with good land and
rainfall to make farming an important
business in Australia
– Farmers here produce more than
Australians can consume, so the food is
traded and sold around the world