A brief interesting information about the continent of Australia and New Zealand.

1. The Continent of Australia
Discovering Australia
 Dutch explorersfirstsightedAustraliainearly17th
century. Capt.JamesCook exploredthe eastcoastin1770
and claimedthe landforGreat Britain.
 The Discoveryof Gold and othermineralsattracted immigrants,ButAustraliaremainedprimarilyanagricultural
countryuntil WorldWar II.
 Today Australiaranksasone of the world’smosteconomicallydevelopedcountries.
 One of the sevencontinentsof the world,consideredthe world’ssmallestcontinent andsixthlargestcountry.
 “Terra AustralisIncognita”meansUnknownSouthernLand.
 Australia,alsoknownas“The Land DownUnder”
 Kangaroois endemicintheirContinent.
 It has highproportionof drylands.
 Unique Varietiesof Vegetationandanimal life.
Early Australians
The Aborigines people of Australia,descendedfromgroupsthatexistedinAustraliaandsurroundingislandsprior
to British Colonisation.
7 States of Australia
States Capitals
NorthernTerritory Darwin
SouthAustralia Adelaide
WesternAustralia Perth
NewSouthWales Sydney
Queensland Brisbane
Victoria Melbourne
Tasmania Hobart
Land and Resources
Australiaisprimarilyaflatlow-flyingplateau,withabout95% of the landstandinglessthan1, 970 feetabove sea
level.The Continentwasnotaffectedbyrecentgeological mountain-buildingforces,andall itslandformsare highly
eroded.Australia’sHighestmountainsreachonly2,228 m. (7, 310 feet) in MountKosciusko inSoutheasternNewSouth
Wales.

2. Onlythe reddesertloamshave farmingpotentials.Australiacanbe dividedphysicallyintothreemainparts,the high
groundand plateauin the west,the interiorlowlandsinthe middle,andthe mountainrangesinthe east.Much of the
countryis very dry,and inthe central andwesternregions,there are large areasof deserts.Onlyinthe eastisthe
climate suitable forgrowingwheat,oats,fruitsandhuge sheepfarmsthatmake Australiathe world’slargestwool
producer.
The Uluru or Ayers Rock
Uluru, or Ayers Rock, is a massive sandstone monolith in the heart of the Northern Territory’s arid "Red
Centre". The nearest large town is Alice Springs, 450km away. Uluru is sacred to indigenous Australians and is
thought to have started forming around 550 million years ago. It’s within Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which
also includes the 36 red-rock domes of the Kata Tjuta (colloquially “The Olgas”) formation.
Climate in Australia
Australiais a continent that experiencesavariety of climates due to itssize.The temperature can range from
belowzero inthe Snowy Mountains in southernAustraliato extreme heatin the Kimberleyregioninthe north-west
of the continent.There is a Summer/ Autumn/ Winter / Spring pattern in the Temperate zone,also affectingthe
Desert and the Grassland climatic zonesand, a Wet / Dry pattern in the tropical north whichincludesthe Equatorial,
Tropical and sub-tropical zones.
 Summer: Decemberto February
 Autumn: March to May
 Winter: June to August
 Spring: Septemberto November
Water Forms
The territory is a possession of Australia, administered from Canberra by theAustralian Department of the
Environment. The Tasman Sea is the large body of water between Australia and New Zealand and is a south-
western segment of the South Pacific Ocean.
LongestRiver- The MurrayRiver is Australia's longest river, at 2,508 kilometres (1,558 mi) in length.
Deepest Lake - Lake St Clair with a maximum depth of 200 m is Australia's deepest lake.
Top 5 Tourist Attractions
1. SydneyOpera House - Mention"Sydney,Australia"andmostpeoplethinkof the OperaHouse andone of the
world'sgreatarchitectural icons.
2. Great Barrier Reef - WorldHeritage-listedGreatBarrierReef isone of the largestlivingstructureson the planet.
3. Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park - Deepinthe heart of the Australia'sRedCentre, Uluru(formerly AyersRock),is
one of the mostphotographednatural wondersinthe country.
4. SydneyHarbour Bridge - Alongwiththe OperaHouse,the SydneyHarbourBridge isone of Australia'smost
famousicons.Affectionatelycalled"the Coathanger",thisimpressive featof constructionisthe largeststeel
arch bridge inthe world.
5. Blue Mountains National Park - A UNESCOWorld Heritage Site,beautifulBlue MountainsNational Parklies81
km westof Sydneyandisa populardaytripfrom the city.

3. New Zealand
It is a country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean consisting of 2 main islands, both marked by volcanoes and
glaciation. Capital Wellington, on the North Island, is home to Te Papa Tongarewa, the expansive national museum.
NewZealandissituatedsome 1,500kilometres(900mi) eastof Australia across the Tasman Seaand roughly1,000
kilometres(600 mi) southof the Pacificislandareasof New Caledonia,Fiji,andTonga.Because of itsremoteness,itwas
one of the lastlandsto be settledbyhumans.
The Maori People
Māori are the tangata whenua,the indigenouspeople,of New Zealand.Theycame here more than1000 yearsago
fromtheirmythical Polynesianhomelandof Hawaiki.TodayMāori make up 14% of our populationandtheir
history, Language andTraditionsare central to New Zealand’sidentity.
Climate of NewZealand
New Zealand has a largely temperate climate. While the far north has subtropical weather during summer,
and inland alpine areas of the South Island can be as cold as -10 C in winter, most of the country lies close to
the coast, which means mild temperatures, moderate rainfall, and abundant sunshine.
Spring (September–November) Autumn / Fall (March – May)
Summer (December–February) Winter(June – August)
Economy
The agricultural,horticultural, forestry,miningandfishingindustriesplayafundamentallyimportantrole inNew
Zealand's economy,particularlyinthe exportsectorandinemployment.Overall,the primarysectoraccountsfor7.6%
of GDP andcontributesover50% of NewZealand'stotal exportearnings.
Throughthe rest of NewZealand, sheepfarmingisthe majorrural activity,withbeefcattle farminginthe hillsand
highcountry,and dairyingincreasinginCanterbury,OtagoandSouthland.New Zealandisthe
world'seighthlargestmilkproducer,withabout2.2% of worldproduction.
Landforms
Mountainsdominate large areasof the NewZealandlandscape.About60% of the SouthIslandiscoveredbyranges
withpeaksover1,500 metreshigh.Some peaksinthe Aoraki/Mt Cook regionof the central Southern Alpsare more
than twice thisheight. Aoraki / Mount Cook isthe highestmountaininNew Zealand.Itsheightsince 2014 is listedas
3,724 metres(12,218 feet),downfrom3,764 m (12,349 ft) before December1991, due to a rockslide andsubsequent
erosion.Itliesinthe SouthernAlps,the mountainrange whichrunsthe lengthof the SouthIsland.

4. Water Forms
Waters in New Zealand. In New Zealand, there are more than 425,000 km of rivers and streams, about 4,000
lakes and over 200 underground aquifers. Annual water flow is 145 million litres per person.
Longest rivers - The longest river in New Zealand is the Waikato River with a length of 425 kilometres (264
mi).
Deepest Lake - Hauroko Lake. Hauroko Lake is the deepest lake in New Zealand and 23rd
deepest in the
World,
Largest Lake - Lake Taupo. Lake Taupo is the largest lake in New Zealand, so large, in fact, that it is the size
of Singapore.
Tourist Attractions
1. Fiordland National Park and Milford Sound, South Island - A WorldHeritage Site, FiordlandNational
Park protectssome of the most spectacularsceneryinthe country.Glacierssculptedthisdramaticlandscape
carvingthe famousfjordsof Milford,Dusky,andDoubtful Sounds.
2. Bay of Islands, North Island - A three-hourdrive northof Auckland,the beautifulBayof Islandsisone of
the most popularvacationdestinationsinthe country.More than144 islandsdotthe glitteringbaymaking it
a havenfor sailingandyachting.
3. Queenstown, South Island - Snuggledbetweenthe shoresof shimmeringLake Wakatipuandthe snowy
peaksof the Remarkables, Queenstown isNew Zealand'sadventurecapital andone of the country'stop
destinationsforinternational visitors.
4. Lake Taupo and TongariroNational Park, North Island - Inthe centerof the NorthIsland,afew
kilometersfromglitteringLake Taupo,New Zealand'slargestlake,TongariroNational Parkisadual World
Heritage Site due toitsspectacularvolcanicfeaturesanditsimportance tothe Maori culture.
5. Rotorua, North Island - Onthe tumultuousPacificRingof Fire, Rotoruaisone of the mostactive
geothermal regionsinthe world.Thisisalandwhere the earthspeaks.Boilingmudpools,hissinggeysers,
volcaniccraters,and steamingthermal springsbetraythe forcesthat birthedmuchof New Zealand's
dramatictopography.
6. Fox and Franz JosefGlaciers,South Island - Amongthe most accessible glaciersinthe world,FranzJosef and
Fox glaciersare the maintouristattractionsinspectacularWestlandTai Poutini National Park.
7. Abel Tasman National Park and the Abel Tasman Coast Track, South Island - The Abel TasmanCoast
Track in Abel TasmanNational Parkisone of New Zealand's GreatWalks.Windingalongsparkling Tasman
Bay, fromMarahau to SeparationPoint,thisscenic51-kilometerhike liesinone of the sunniestregionsof the
SouthIsland.
8. Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park, South Island -Inthe heartof the SouthernAlps,NewZealand's
highestpeaksrise above the alpinelandscapesof Aoraki NationalPark,alsocalledMountCookNational Park.
More than 40 percent of the parkis coveredinglaciers,andthe country'stallestmountain Aoraki/Mount
Cookand longestglacier,the TasmanGlacier,lie withinitsbordersmakingthisatopdestinationfor
mountaineering.
9. Napier, Hawke's Bay, North Island - Inthe sunnyregionof Hawke'sBay, Napierisfamousforits gourmet
foodand Art Decoarchitecture.After apowerful earthquake destroyedthe townin1931, it wasrebuiltinthe
SpanishMissionstyle andArtDecodesignforwhich Miami Beach isalsofamous.
10. Coromandel Peninsula, North Island - Justacrossthe Hauraki Gulf fromAuckland,the rugged
Coromandel Peninsulaseemsaworldawayfromthe city'shustle andbustle.