Deserts of Australia, Great Victoria Desert, Great Sandy Desert, Tanami Desert, Gibson Desert, Simpson Desert. Australian deserts Climatic conditions of deserts and semi-deserts of Australia
Deserts and semi-deserts are waterless, dry areas of the planet where no more than 25 cm of precipitation falls per year. The most important factor in their formation is wind. However, it is not observed in all deserts hot weather, some of them, on the contrary, are considered the coldest regions of the Earth. Representatives of flora and fauna have adapted to the harsh conditions of these areas in different ways.
How do deserts and semi-deserts arise?
There are many reasons why deserts arise. For example, there is little precipitation in the city because it is located at the foot of the mountains, which cover it from rain with their ridges.
Ice deserts formed for other reasons. In Antarctica and the Arctic, the bulk of the snow falls on the coast; snow clouds practically do not reach the interior regions. Precipitation levels generally vary greatly; one snowfall, for example, can result in a year's worth of precipitation. Such snow deposits form over hundreds of years.
Hot deserts have a wide variety of topography. Only some of them are completely covered with sand. The surface of most is strewn with pebbles, stones and other various rocks. Deserts are almost completely open to weathering. Strong gusts of wind pick up fragments of small stones and hit them against the rocks.
In sandy deserts, wind moves sand across an area, creating wave-like deposits called dunes. The most common type of dunes is dunes. Sometimes their height can reach 30 meters. Ridge dunes can be up to 100 meters high and extend for 100 km.
Temperature
The climate of deserts and semi-deserts is quite diverse. In some regions daytime temperature can reach 52 o C. This phenomenon is associated with the absence of clouds in the atmosphere, thus nothing saves the surface from direct sun rays. At night, the temperature drops significantly, which is again explained by the absence of clouds that can trap the heat emitted by the surface.
In hot deserts, rain is a rare occurrence, but sometimes heavy downpours occur here. After rain, water is not absorbed into the ground, but quickly flows from the surface, washing away particles of soil and stones into dry channels called wadis.
Location of deserts and semi-deserts
On continents that are located in northern latitudes, there are deserts and semi-deserts of the subtropical and sometimes tropical ones are also found - in the Indo-Gangetic lowland, in Arabia, in Mexico, in the southwestern United States. In Eurasia, extratropical desert areas are located in the Central Asian and South Kazakh plains, in the basin Central Asia and in the Western Asian highlands. Central Asian desert formations are characterized by a sharply continental climate.
In the southern hemisphere, deserts and semi-deserts are less common. Here are located such desert and semi-desert formations as the Namib, Atacama, desert formations on the coast of Peru and Venezuela, Victoria, Kalahari, Gibson Desert, Simpson, Gran Chaco, Patagonia, Great Sandy Desert and Karoo semi-desert in southwestern Africa.
Polar deserts are located on the mainland islands of the periglacial regions of Eurasia, on the islands of the Canadian archipelago, in northern Greenland.
Animals
Over the many years of existence in such areas, animals of deserts and semi-deserts have managed to adapt to harsh climatic conditions. They hide from cold and heat in underground burrows and feed mainly on underground parts of plants. Among the fauna there are many species of carnivores: fennec foxes, pumas, coyotes and even tigers. The climate of deserts and semi-deserts has contributed to the fact that many animals have an excellent thermoregulation system. Some desert inhabitants can withstand fluid loss of up to a third of their weight (for example, geckos, camels), and among invertebrates there are species that are capable of losing water up to two-thirds of their weight.
IN North America and Asia there are a lot of reptiles, especially many lizards. Snakes are also quite common: ephas, various Poisonous snakes, boas. Among the large animals there are saiga, kulans, camels, pronghorn, which recently disappeared (it can still be found in captivity).
Animals of the desert and semi-desert of Russia are a wide variety of unique representatives of the fauna. The desert regions of the country are inhabited by sand hares, hedgehogs, kulan, jaiman, and poisonous snakes. In the deserts that are located in Russia, you can also find 2 types of spiders - karakurt and tarantula.
They live in polar deserts polar bear, musk ox, arctic fox and some species of birds.
Vegetation
If we talk about vegetation, then in deserts and semi-deserts there are various cacti, hard-leaved grasses, psammophyte shrubs, ephedra, acacias, saxauls, soap palm, edible lichen and others.
Deserts and semi-deserts: soil
The soil, as a rule, is poorly developed; its composition is dominated by water-soluble salts. Among them, ancient alluvial and loess-like deposits predominate, which are reworked by winds. Gray-brown soil is typical for elevated flat areas. Deserts are also characterized by salt marshes, that is, soils that contain about 1% of easily soluble salts. In addition to deserts, salt marshes are also found in steppes and semi-deserts. Groundwater, which contains salts, when reaching the soil surface is deposited in its upper layer, resulting in soil salinization.
Completely different are characteristic of such climatic zones like sub tropical desert and semi-deserts. The soil in these regions has a specific orange and brick-red color. Due to its shades, it received the corresponding names - red soils and yellow soils. IN subtropical zone in northern Africa and in South and North America there are deserts where gray soils have formed. In some tropical desert formations, red-yellow soils have developed.
Natural and semi-deserts are a huge variety of landscapes, climatic conditions, flora and fauna. Despite the harsh and cruel nature of the deserts, these regions have become home to many species of plants and animals.
Australia is often called the desert continent because... about 44% of its surface (3.8 million sq. km) is occupied by arid territories, of which 1.7 million sq. km. km - desert.
Even the rest is seasonally dry.
This suggests that Australia is the driest continent on the globe.
Deserts of Australia are a complex of desert regions located in Australia.
The deserts of Australia are located in two climatic zones - tropical and subtropical, with most of them occupying the latter zone.
Big sandy desert
Great Sandy Desert or Western Desert-- sandy-salt desert in the north-west of Australia (Western Australia).
The desert has an area of 360,000 km² and is located approximately within the boundaries of the Canning sedimentary basin. It extends 900 km from west to east from Eighty Mile Beach on the Indian Ocean deep into the Northern Territories to the Tanami Desert, as well as 600 km from north to south from the Kimberley region to the Tropic of Capricorn, passing into the Gibson Desert.
It gradually decreases to the north and west, the average height in the southern part is 400-500 m, in the north - 300 m. The predominant relief is ridges of sand dunes, the average height of which is 10-12 m, the maximum is up to 30 m Ridges up to 50 km long are elongated in the latitudinal direction, which is determined by the direction of the prevailing trade winds. The region is home to numerous salt marsh lakes that occasionally fill with water: Disappointment in the south, Mackay in the east, Gregory in the north, which is fed by the Sturt Creek River.
The Great Sandy Desert is the most hot region Australia. In the summer from December to February, the average temperature reaches 35 °C, in winter - up to 20--15 °C. Precipitation is rare and irregular, mainly brought by the summer equatorial monsoons. In the northern part, about 450 mm of precipitation falls, in the southern part - up to 200 mm, most of it evaporates and seeps into the sand.
The desert is covered with red sands; the dunes are predominantly inhabited by prickly xerophytic grasses (spinifex, etc.). The dune ridges are separated by clay-salt plains, on which acacia shrubs (in the south) and low-growing eucalyptus trees (in the north) grow.
There is almost no permanent population in the desert, with the exception of several Aboriginal groups, including the Karadjeri and Nygina tribes. It is assumed that the interior of the desert may contain minerals. In the central part of the region there is national park Rudall River, in the far south is the World Heritage-listed Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park.
Europeans first crossed the desert (from east to west) and described it in 1873 under the leadership of Major P. Warburton. The Canning Stock Route, 1,600 km long, runs through the desert region in a northeasterly direction from the town of Wiluna through Disappointment Lake to Halls Creek. Wolf Creek Crater is located in the northeastern part of the desert.
Great Victoria Desert
The Great Victoria Desert is a sandy-salt desert in Australia (the states of Western Australia and South Australia).
The name in honor of Queen Victoria was given by the British explorer of Australia Ernest Giles, who in 1875 was the first European to cross the desert.
The area is 424,400 km², while the length from east to west is more than 700 km. To the north of the desert is the Gibson Desert, to the south is the Nullarbor Plain. Due to unfavorable climatic conditions (arid climate), no agricultural activities are carried out in the desert. It is a protected area in Western Australia.
In the state of South Australia in the desert there is a protected area called Mamungari, one of 12 biosphere reserves Australia.
Average annual precipitation varies from 200 to 250 mm of rain. Thunderstorms occur frequently (15-20 per year). Daytime temperatures in summer are 32--40 °C, in winter 18--23 °C. Snow never falls in the desert.
The Great Victoria Desert is inhabited by several Aboriginal Australian groups, including the Kogarah and Mirning peoples.
Gibson Desert
The Gibson Desert is a sandy desert in Australia (in the center of Western Australia), located south of the Tropic of Capricorn, between the Great Sandy Desert in the north and the Great Victoria Desert in the south.
The Gibson Desert has an area of 155,530 km² and is located within a plateau that is composed of Precambrian rocks and covered with rubble resulting from the destruction of an ancient ferruginous shell. An early explorer of the region described it as “a vast, rolling gravel desert.” Average height The desert is 411 m high; in the eastern part there are remnant ridges up to 762 m high, composed of granites and sandstone. The desert is bordered on the west by the Hamersley Range. In the western and eastern parts it consists of long parallel sand ridges, but in the central part the relief levels out. In the western part lie several salt marsh lakes, including the 330 km² Disappointment Lake, which borders the Great Sandy Desert.
Precipitation is extremely irregular, its amount does not exceed 250 mm per year. The soils are sandy, rich in iron, and highly weathered. In some places there are thickets of veinless acacia, quinoa and spinifex grass, which bloom with bright colors after rare rains.
In 1977, a reserve (Gibson Desert Nature Reserve) was organized on the territory of the Gibson Desert, the area of which is 1,859,286 hectares. The reserve is home to many desert animals, such as great bilbies (threatened with extinction), red kangaroos, emus, Australian duckweed, striped grass wren and moloch. Birds flock to Disappointment Lake and neighboring lakes, which appear after rare rains, in search of protection from the dry climate.
Populated primarily by Australian Aborigines, the desert area is used for extensive grazing. The desert was discovered in 1873 (or 1874) by the English expedition of Ernest Giles, who crossed it in 1876. The desert received its name in honor of expedition member Alfred Gibson, who died in it while searching for water.
Small Sandy Desert
The Little Sandy Desert is a sandy desert in western Australia (Western Australia).
Located south of the Great Sandy Desert, in the east it becomes the Gibson Desert. The name of the desert is due to the fact that it is located next to the Great Sandy Desert, but has a much smaller size. According to the characteristics of the relief, fauna and flora, the Small Sandy Desert is similar to its large “sister”.
The area of the region is 101 thousand km². The average annual precipitation, which falls mainly in summer, is 150-200 mm, the average annual evaporation is 3600-4000 mm. Average summer temperatures range from 22 to 38.3 ° C, in winter this figure is 5.4-21.3 ° C. The internal flow, the main watercourse is Savory Creek, flows into Disappointment Lake, located in the northern part of the region. There are also several small lakes in the south. The headwaters of the Rudall and Cotton rivers are located near the northern borders of the region. Spinifex grass grows in red sand soils.
Since 1997, several fires have been recorded in the region, the most significant was in 2000, when 18.5% of the region's area was damaged. About 4.6% of the bioregion's territory has conservation status.
There are no large settlements within the desert. Most of the land belongs to the Aborigines, their largest settlement is Parnngurr. Crossing the desert to the northeast is the 1,600 km long Canning Cattle Trail, the only route through the desert running from the town of Wiluna through Disappointment Lake to Halls Creek.
Simpson Desert
Simpson Desert is a sandy desert in the center of Australia. for the most part located in the south-eastern corner of the Northern Territory, and a small part in the states of Queensland and South Australia.
It has an area of 143 thousand km², bounded from the west by the Finke River, from the north by the MacDonnell Range and the Plenty River, from the east by the Mulligan and Diamantina rivers, and from the south by the large salt Lake Eyre.
The desert was discovered by Charles Sturt in 1845 and was named Arunta in Griffith Taylor's 1926 drawing. After surveying the area from the air in 1929, geologist Cecil Medigen named the desert after Allen Simpson, president of the South Australian branch of the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia. It is believed that the first European to cross the desert was Medigen in 1939 (on camels), but in 1936 it was done by the expedition of Edmund Albert Colson.
In the 1960s-80s, oil was searched unsuccessfully in the Simpson Desert. At the end of the 20th century, the desert became popular among tourists; excursions in four-wheel drive vehicles are of particular interest.
The soils are predominantly sandy with parallel ridges of dunes, sandy-pebble in the south-eastern part, and clayey near the shores of Lake Eyre. Sand dunes 20-37 m high stretch from northwest to southeast over distances of up to 160 km. In the valleys between them (450 m wide) the spinifex grass grows, fixing sandy soils. There are also xerophytic shrubby acacias (veinless acacia) and eucalyptus trees.
The Simpson Desert is the last refuge for some of Australia's rare desert animals, including the comb-tailed marsupial. Vast parts of the desert received the status of protected areas:
· Simpson Desert National Park, western Queensland, organized in 1967, occupies 10,120 km²
· Simpson Desert conservation park, South Australia, 1967, 6927 km²
· regional reserve Simpson Desert, South Australia, 1988, 29,642 km²
· Wijira National Park, northern South Australia, 1985 7770 km²
In the northern part, precipitation is less than 130 mm, dry creek beds are lost in the sand.
The Todd, Plenty, Hale, and Hay rivers flow through the Simpson Desert; in the southern part there are many drying up salt lakes.
Small settlements that raise livestock draw water from the Great Artesian Basin.
Australian desert fauna precipitation
Tanami is a rocky sandy desert in northern Australia. Area -- 292,194 km². There was a desert the last frontier Northern Territory and was little explored by Europeans until the 20th century.
The Tanami Desert occupies the central part of Australia's Northern Territory and a small area of north-eastern Western Australia. Located southeast of the desert locality Alice Springs, and to the west the Great Sandy Desert.
The desert is a desert steppe typical of central Australia with vast sandy plains covered with grasses of the genus Triodia. The main landforms are dunes and sand plains, as well as shallow water basins of the Lander River, which contain water holes, dry marshes and salt lakes.
The climate in the desert is semi-desert. 75--80% of precipitation falls in summer months(October-March). The average annual rainfall in the Tanami region is 429.7 mm, which is high for a desert area. But because high temperatures the rain that falls quickly evaporates, so the local climate is very dry. The average daily evaporation rate is 7.6 mm. The average daytime temperature in the summer months (October-March) is about 36--38 °C, night temperature is 20--22 °C. Temperature winter months much lower: daytime - about 25 °C, nighttime - below 10 °C.
In April 2007, the Northern Tanami Aboriginal Protected Area was created in the desert, covering an area of about 4 million hectares. It lives in a large number of vulnerable representatives of local flora and fauna.
The first European to reach the desert was explorer Geoffrey Ryan in 1856. However, the first European to explore the Tanami was Allan Davidson. During his expedition in 1900, he discovered and mapped local gold deposits. The area has a small population due to unfavorable climatic conditions. The traditional inhabitants of the Tanami are the Australian Aborigines, namely the Walrpiri and Gurindji tribes, who are the land owners of much of the desert. The largest settlements are Tennant Creek and Wauchope.
Gold mining is carried out in the desert. IN Lately tourism is developing.
Strzelecki Desert
The Strzelecki Desert is located in the southeast of the mainland in the states of South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. The desert area makes up 1% of Australia. It was discovered by Europeans in 1845 and named after the Polish explorer Pawel Strzelecki. Also in Russian sources it is called the Streletsky Desert.
Stone Desert of Sturt
The rock desert, which occupies 0.3% of Australia's territory, is located in the state of South Australia and is a collection of sharp small stones. Local aborigines did not sharpen their arrows, but simply dialed stone tips here. The desert got its name in honor of Charles Sturt, who in 1844 tried to reach the center of Australia.
Tirari Desert
This desert, located in the state of South Australia and occupying 0.2% of the mainland's area, has some of the harshest climatic conditions in Australia, due to high temperatures and virtually no rain. The Tirari Desert is home to several salt lakes, including Lake Eyre. The desert was discovered by Europeans in 1866.
About 3.8 million sq. km of Australia's surface (44%) are occupied by arid territories, of which 1.7 million square meters. km - desert. This suggests that Australia is the driest continent on the globe.
The deserts of Australia are confined to ancient structural elevated plains. Climatic conditions Australia is determined by its geographical location, orographic features, the vast area of the Pacific Ocean and the proximity of the Asian continent. Of the three climatic zones of the southern hemisphere, the deserts of Australia are located in two: tropical and subtropical, with most of them occupied by the latter zone.
In the tropical climatic zone, occupying the territory between the 20th and 30th parallel in the desert zone, a tropical continental desert climate is formed. A subtropical continental climate is common in southern Australia adjacent to the Great Australian Bight. These are the marginal parts of the Great Victoria Desert. Therefore, in the summer period, from December to February, average temperatures reach 30 ° C, and sometimes higher, and in winter (July - August) they drop to an average of 15-18 ° C. In some years, the entire summer period temperatures can reach 40° C, and winter nights in the vicinity of the tropics drop to 0° C and below. The amount and territorial distribution of precipitation is determined by the direction and nature of the winds.
The main source of moisture is the "dry" southeast trade winds, since most of the moisture is retained by the mountain ranges of Eastern Australia. The central and western parts of the country, corresponding to about half the area, receive an average of about 250-300 mm of precipitation per year. The Simpson Desert receives the least amount of precipitation, from 100 to 150 mm per year. The precipitation season in the northern half of the continent, where monsoon winds prevail, is confined to summer period, and, in its southern part, dry conditions prevail during this period. It should be noted that the amount of winter precipitation in the southern half decreases as one moves inland, rarely reaching 28° S. In turn, summer precipitation in the northern half, having the same trend, does not extend south of the tropic. Thus, in the zone between the tropics and 28° S. latitude. there is a belt of aridity.
Australia is characterized by excessive variability in average annual precipitation and uneven distribution throughout the year. The presence of long dry periods and high average annual temperatures prevailing over large parts of the continent cause high annual evaporation values. In the central part of the continent they are 2000-2200 mm, decreasing towards its marginal parts. The surface waters of the continent are extremely poor and extremely unevenly distributed throughout the territory. This especially applies to the desert western and central regions of Australia, which are practically drainless, but make up 50% of the continent's area.
Australia's hydrographic network is represented by temporary drying watercourses (creeks). The drainage of Australia's desert rivers belongs partly to the Indian Ocean basin and the Lake Eyre basin. The continent's hydrographic network is supplemented by lakes, of which there are about 800, with a significant part of them located in deserts. The most large lakes– Eyre, Torrens, Carnegie and others are salt marshes or dried-up basins covered with a thick layer of salts. The lack of surface water is compensated by wealth groundwater. There are a number of large artesian basins here (the Desert Artesian Basin, the North West Basin, the northern Murray River Basin and part of Australia's largest groundwater basin, the Great Artesian Basin).
The soil cover of deserts is very unique. In the northern and central regions, red, red-brown and brown soils are distinguished (the characteristic features of these soils are an acidic reaction and coloration with iron oxides). In the southern parts of Australia, sierozem-like soils are widespread. In Western Australia, desert soils are found along the edges of drainless basins. The Great Sandy Desert and Great Victoria Desert are characterized by red sandy desert soils. In the drainless inland depressions in southwestern Australia and in the Lake Eyre basin, salt marshes and solonetzes are widely developed.
Australian deserts are landscape-wise divided into many Various types, among which Australian scientists most often distinguish mountain and foothill deserts, deserts of structural plains, rocky deserts, sandy deserts, clayey deserts, and plains. Sandy deserts are the most common, occupying about 32% of the continent's area. Along with sandy deserts, rocky deserts are also widespread (they occupy about 13% of the area of arid territories. Foothill plains are an alternation of coarse rocky deserts with dry beds of small rivers. This type of desert is the source of most of the country's desert watercourses and always serves as a habitat for aborigines. Deserts Structural plains occur in the form of plateaus with a height of no more than 600 m above sea level.After sandy deserts, they are the most developed, occupying 23% of the area of arid territories, confined mainly to Western Australia.
May 12, 2013The presence of natural zones on the mainland and their location directly depend on climatic zones. Given that Australia is considered the driest continent, it becomes clear that there simply cannot be much diversity here. But natural areas Australia has an extremely unique flora and fauna.
Lots of deserts and few forests
On the smallest continent, zoning is clearly visible. This is due to the prevailing flat nature of the relief. Natural zones of Australia gradually replace each other in the meridional direction following changes in temperature and precipitation.
The southern tropic crosses the continent almost in the middle, and most of its territory is in the hot tropical climate zone, which makes the climate arid. By the number of drops annual precipitation Australia is in last place among all continents. Most of its territory receives only 250 mm of precipitation throughout the year. In many areas of the continent, not a drop of rain falls for several years.
Australia, whose natural zones divide the continent into three parts, has several zones in the east and west, stretched along the coast, where the amount of precipitation is noticeably greater. The mainland is in first place in terms of the relative area of desert areas and in last place in terms of forest area. Moreover, only 2% forest areas Australia is of industrial importance. 
Features of natural areas
Savannas and open forests are located in the subequatorial climate zone. The vegetation is dominated by grasses, among which grow acacias, eucalyptus trees, and bottle trees.
In the east of the continent, in conditions of sufficient moisture, there are such natural zones of Australia as tropical rainforests. Among palm trees, ficus and tree ferns live marsupial anteaters, wombats, kangaroos.
Australia's natural areas differ from similar areas on other continents. For example, semi-deserts and tropical deserts occupy huge areas on the mainland - almost 44% of its territory. In the Australian deserts you can find unusual thickets of dry thorny bushes called scrubs. Semi-desert areas overgrown with tough cereal plants and shrubs are used as pasture for sheep. There are also large sandy deserts, which differ from the deserts of other continents in that they do not have oases. 
In the southeastern part and southwest of the continent there are subtropical forests, in which eucalyptus and evergreen beech grow.
The originality of the organic world
The flora of Australia, thanks to its long isolation from other continents, has big number endemic plants. Almost 75% of them can only be seen here and nowhere else. More than 600 species of eucalyptus, 490 species of acacia and 25 species of casaurines are found on the mainland.
The fauna is even more peculiar. Among animals, endemics account for almost 90%. Only in Australia can you find mammals that disappeared on other continents a long time ago, for example, the echidna and the platypus - ancient primitive animals.
Source: fb.ruCurrent
Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous
Australia is located in the Southern and Eastern hemispheres of the planet. The world's smallest continent occupies only 5% of the Earth's landmass. The area of the continent with islands is 7,692,024 km². The length from north to south is 3.7 thousand km, and from west to east - about 4 thousand km.
The coastline extends for 35,877 km and is slightly indented. The waters of the Gulf of Carpentaria jut into the northern coast of the continent, and the Cape York Peninsula protrudes prominently against the background of the main coastline. The main bays are located in the southeast of Australia.
The most extreme points continent include:
- in the north - Cape York, washed by the waters of the Coral and Arafura seas;
- in the south - Cape South Point, washed by the waters of the Tasman Sea;
- in the west - Cape Steep Point, washed by the waters of the Indian Ocean;
- in the east is Cape Byron, washed by the waters of the Tasman Sea.
The largest island belonging to Australia is Tasmania. Its total area is 68,401 km². Off the northern coast are the islands of Groot Island, Melville and Bathurst, as well as the large islands of Derk Hartog in the west and Fraser in the east. Within the mainland shallows are Kangaroo, King and Flinders Islands.
Big Barrier Reef is an invaluable natural monument located along the northeastern line of the continent. It includes clusters of small underwater and surface islands, as well as Coral reefs. Its length is more than 2000 km.
In the north, west and south, Australia is washed by the Indian Ocean, and in the east - Pacific Ocean. In addition, the continent is washed by the waters of four seas: Timor or Orange, Arafura, Tasman and Coral, which all year round attract tourists from all over the world.
Relief
Blue Mountains, Australia
The relief of Australia is dominated by flat areas. Mount Kosciuszko, 2228 m above sea level, is the highest point of the continent. The average height on the continent is 215 m. The Australian plate, which was once part of the ancient continent of Gondwana, represents the basis of the continent today. The basement area is covered by strata of marine and continental sedimentary rocks.
Modern relief includes the Western Australian Tablelands, the Central Lowlands and the East Australian Mountains. As a result of rising and falling earth's crust, in the east of the Australian platform a trough filled with sedimentary rocks formed rocks. The Great Dividing Range is located in the eastern part of the continent. The mountains formed in the area collapsed over time. Only the Australian Alps exceed the two thousand mark. This is the only place on the continent where snow lies in places in the shaded gorges.
There are no active volcanoes or earthquakes on the mainland. It is located in the center of the Australian Plate, which spares it from seismically active faults at tectonic plate boundaries.
Deserts
Great Sandy Desert in Australia
Australia is the driest continent on Earth. Desert zones make up 44% of the entire region. They are mainly located in the northwest of the continent. The largest deserts in Australia are listed below:
Great Victoria Desert
The largest region, which occupies 4% of the total area of the continent. Named after the British Queen. Part of the territory belongs to the aborigines. Agricultural activities are impossible due to lack of water.
Great Sandy Desert
Occupies an area equal to Japan. Due to the climate, sand forms high dunes. There is no permanent population. Precipitation does not occur every year, and there are no bodies of water.
Tanami Desert
A little-studied area in the north of the continent. There are shallow water basins, precipitation falls periodically. But due to high temperatures, moisture evaporates very quickly. Gold mining is carried out in the desert.
Simpson Desert
The scarlet-colored sands that roll across the area are famous among tourists. The region is named after the English geographer. In the 20th century they searched for oil here to no avail. Today the desert is popular among off-road enthusiasts.
Gibson Desert
Located between Bolshaya sandy desert and the Victoria Desert. There are several saline lakes on the territory. The state has created a reserve here for animals adapted to harsh climatic conditions.
Small Sandy Desert
There are several lakes in the area. The biggest, Disappointment. The water in it is unsuitable for drinking and household needs, although this did not prevent the aborigines from settling in the desert.
Strzelecki Desert
Named after the Polish explorer. There are several villages around the desert whose population is engaged in agriculture. On the territory itself there is a national park that offers entertainment for fans of extreme tourism.
Inland waters
Home river system on the continent is the Murray River and its tributaries: the Darling, Murrumbidgee and Goulburn. The total area is more than 1 million km². Due to low rainfall, most rivers dry up. Springs originating in the mountains of Eastern Australia and the rivers of Tasmania have constant water outflow.
The largest lakes: Eyre, Gairdner, Frome and Torrens are located in the south. Most of the time they are pits covered with salt-bearing clays. On the southeastern coast there are numerous lagoons, separated from the sea by shallows. Freshwater lakes are located on the island of Tasmania. Great Lake is exploited for hydraulic purposes.
Australia has large reserves of artesian water. The total reserves of freshwater underground sources are about 3240 thousand km². However, they are deep, warm and often salty. The water is suitable for watering livestock, but is unsuitable for use on the farm due to its high mineral content. Big Artesian basin occupies 1751.5 thousand km². The development of agriculture on the mainland depends on it.
Climate
The continent is located in three climatic zones:
Tasmania is in temperate climate. Since Australia is located south of the line, winter begins in June and summer begins in December. Sudden temperature changes or extreme weather conditions not visible. From May to October it is always sunny, air humidity is 30%. average temperature in winter it is usually not lower than 13º C. A cold winter is considered when the thermometer drops to zero. Summer is a period of cyclones and thunderstorms, the air warms up to 29º C. On the southeast coast the climate resembles. The coldest region of Australia is the island of Tasmania. In winter there are frosts. In the central regions of the continent, minor temperature changes are observed.
Flora and fauna:
Vegetable world
The flora is quite unique and endemic, since Australia is located at a considerable distance from the rest of the continents. The climate is characterized by severe aridity, because of this, only resilient plants dominate in nature. The trees have a powerful root system, which is adapted to suck water from a depth of up to 30 meters. Some plant species have hard, leathery leaves that are turned away from the sun to avoid excessive evaporation. Eucalyptus, bottle tree, palms and ficus trees dominate.
Represented by acacia and turf grasses. In places where there is a lot of rainfall, the same eucalyptus trees grow, but accompanied by horsetails and ferns, as well as other plants characteristic of the Mediterranean climate. continents are small. The total area of green areas is 5% of Australia's territory, including artificial plantations of pine and other soft tree species. The colonists brought European species trees, grasses and shrubs. Grapes and cotton have taken root well, as have fruit trees and vegetables. Corn, rye, oats, wheat and barley grow well on Australian soil.
Animal world
Because Australia was discovered later than other continents and developed separately, it is home to animals that are unique and not found anywhere else in the world. There are practically no ruminants, ungulates or monkeys on the mainland. But there are a lot of representatives of marsupials: kangaroos; marsupial squirrel; ant-eater; Tasmanian devil; marsupial mouse. There are about 250 species in total. There are many bizarre animals: echidna, koala, platypus, frilled lizards. Unusual birds include lyrebirds and emus. In terms of the number of dangerous representatives of the fauna, Australia can be given the palm. It is better to stay away from the wild dog Dingo, cassowary, reptiles and spiders. The most dangerous animal, oddly enough, is considered to be a mosquito from the genus Kusaki. He is a carrier of dangerous diseases. Marine animals are also dangerous. Species of sharks, jellyfish and octopuses can pose a serious threat to people vacationing on the coast.
Minerals
The main wealth of the continent is considered to be, the potential of which is 20% higher than in the rest of the world. Australia has a lot of bauxite. From the second half of the 20th century. development has begun iron ore. In the west there are deposits of polymetals. Gold is mined in the southwest of the mainland. Scientists have found that there are deposits in the depths natural gas and oil. On this moment Research is underway.
Ecological situation
The country's economy is maintained in high positions due to the extraction of mineral resources. Mining development depletes the subsoil and destroys upper layer soil. Because of this, areas under Agriculture. Chronic water shortages forced the government to create a series of bans. At certain times of the year, people should not water their lawns, wash their cars, or fill their swimming pools.
During times cold war Nuclear tests were carried out in the country. This had a negative impact on the radiation situation. Maraling, the area where the tests were carried out, is still considered contaminated.
Modern uranium springs are located close to Spencer Gulf and national park Cockatoo. This worries the public: a precedent when dirty water poured into a reserve that has already been created. The life of the aborigines depends on natural factors. As a result of desertification of the continent, they have to leave their settled settlements forever. State and world famous public organizations make every effort to preserve the uniqueness of Australia and its . New reserves and national parks are being created.
Population
The first generation of colonists arrived on the mainland in 1788. At that time, Australia was a place of exile for lawbreakers. The number of the first settlers was just over a thousand people. As a result of forced immigration, the number of people increased significantly. Australia ceased to be a place of exile for convicts in 1868. The influx of voluntary colonizers was associated with the development of cattle breeding and the opening of mines.
Modern society does not remind us of the difficult years of development and formation of the country. The population is 24.5 million people. In terms of population, the country ranks fiftieth in the world. The number of Aboriginal people is 2.7%. Migrants most often have British, German, New Zealand, Italian and Filipino roots. There are a large number of faiths in the country. The official language is Australian English. It is used by 80% of the population.
Population densities vary in different regions. On average, no more than three people live per square kilometer. The southeastern coast of the mainland is most densely populated. Australia has a high life expectancy, with an average of about eighty years. The process of rapid aging due to low birth rates, as in Europe, is not observed. Australians are still considered a young nation.
