1、-Unique Geographical Culture and Politics Contentsv Geography -Location and Size-Geographic Regions-Climate-Major Citiesv Politics-Three-tier System-The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution ActLocation and Sizev Australia lies in the Southern Hemisphere, between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Oc
2、ean. The country is surround by sea on all sides: the Pacific Ocean on the east, the Indian Ocean on the west, the Arafura Sea(阿拉弗拉海 ) on the north, and the South Indian Ocean on the south.v With a total area of 7.7 million square kilometers, Australia is the sixth largest country in the world, afte
3、r Russia, Canada, China, the U.S. and Brazil. Geographic RegionsBroadly speaking, Australia can be divided into three geographical regions: the Eastern Highland, the Central-Eastern Lowlands and the Western Plateau. Mount Kosciuszko(科修斯科山 ) -the highest point of elevation(高地 ) in AustraliaMurray-Dar
4、ling Basin(墨累 -达令盆地 )the Gulf of Carpentaria(卡奔塔利亚湾 )the Great Artesian Basin(大自流盆地 )Lake Eyre(艾尔湖 )the Great Sandy Desert(大沙沙漠 )the Gibson Desert(吉布森沙漠 )the Great Victoria Desert(维多利亚大沙漠 ) Climate v The location of Australia in the Southern Hemisphere makes its seasons the reverse of those in the N
5、orthern Hemisphere. January and February are the hottest summer months, while June and July are the coldest winter months.v The climate of Australia varies greatly from region to region. In the tropical area of the north, which occupies around 40% of the countrys total landmass, its warm to extreme
6、hot all year round and there is no winter. By contrast, the temperate regions of the south enjoy a moderate climate, which hot summers and mild winters. The coldest areas are the highlands and plateaus of Tasmania and the southeastern portion of the mainland.v The hot and dry conditions of Australia
7、 bring about recurring droughts across the country.Major Cities-CanberraCanberra(堪培拉 )-the Capital of AustraliaCanberra is the political centre in Australia.Canberra is between Sydney and Melbourne. The name Canberra originally means “meeting place” in the Aboriginal language.Major Cities-SydneySydn
8、ey is the largest and oldest city in Australia. It has a metropolitan area population of over 4.2 million, most of whom live in the suburbs. Sydney(悉尼 )-the capital city of New South Wales(新南威尔市州 ) Major Cities-MelbourneMelbourne(墨尔本 )-the capital city of Victoria and the 2nd largest city in AustraliaMajor Cities-BrisbaneBrisbane(布里斯班 ) is the capital city of Queensland and situated in the southeast of the province. It has a population of around 1.8 million, and its the third largest city in Australia.
