Australian

Adventure

6th grade geography

Introduction

G’ Day Mate! We will be taking you on an adventure into the depths of the Outback, Australia of course!

Bell Ringer:What do you already know about Australia?

Physical Geography •Australia is the only country in the world that is also a continent. • It is surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Ocean, making it an

island. •Australia gets its name from the Latin word australis, meaning

“southern.”•Also called “Down Under” because it is under the equator on a

map.•Australia is the second most arid (dry) continent in the world.

The first is Antarctica. •Australia is mostly desert.

Biodiversity• Biodiversity: the variety of plants and animals living in

one area• Botanist: a scientist who studies plants• Joesph Banks was one of the first botanists to study the

unusual species of Australia. • Native species: animals and plants that occur naturally in

an area.• 80% of Australia’s species occur nowhere else on Earth.

• DISCUSSION: Why do so many species only occur in Australia? What are some native species you know of?

Landforms

• Ayers Rock/ Uluru• Lake Hillier• Great Barrier Reef• 10 major deserts

Great Barrier Reef• One of the seven wonders of the

natural world.• Largest coral reef system in the

world. • Larger than the Great Wall of

China.• Only living thing on Earth visible

from space.• Tourist attraction and essential

biodiverse ecosystem.

Outback• Vast desert area of Australia.• Called by locals “a sunburnt country” due to the brown, dry

landscape.• Does not have a specific size or location, does take up most

of Australia. •More than 90% of the Australian population live in urban

areas on the coastal fringes – the Outback is therefore mostly uninhabited.