Australia Relative and Absolute Location

1. AustraliaRelative and Absolute Location

2. Describe Australia’s location • Define absolute and Relative location • How might Australia's location shape its country?

3. Essential Question: How does a country’s location shape life within its borders?

4. No Reservations • Part 1 • Part 2 • Part 3 • Warning: mild language and may cause hunger.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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?

9. 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.

10. 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 word-for-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.

12. 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?

13. 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.

14. SEASONS

15. 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.

16. 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?