Australia: natural resources and their use

The Australian Union is the only state that occupies the whole continent. Did this affect the natural resources of Australia? Details of the wealth of the country and their use will be discussed later in the article.

Geography

The country is on the homonymous continent, which is completely located in the Southern Hemisphere. In addition to the mainland, Australia also includes some islands, including Tasmania. The shores of the state are washed by the Pacific and Indian oceans and their seas.

In terms of area, the country occupies the sixth place in the whole world, but as the mainland Australia is the smallest. Together with numerous archipelagos and islands in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it forms part of the world to Australia and Oceania.

The state is located in the subequatorial, tropical and subtropical belts, part of the island of Tasmania is in the temperate zone. Due to considerable distance from other continents, Australia's climate formation is highly dependent on ocean currents. The territory of the continent is mostly flat, the mountains are located only in the east. About 20% of the total space is occupied by deserts.

Australia: natural resources and conditions

Geographical remoteness and harsh conditions contributed to the formation of a unique nature. Desert central regions of the continent are represented by arid steppes, which are covered with low shrubs. Long droughts here alternate with prolonged downpours.

Rigid conditions contributed to the formation of special adaptations in local animals and plants to retain moisture and cope with high temperatures. In Australia, there are many marsupials, and plants have powerful underground roots.

In the western and northern regions, the conditions are milder. The moisture that monsoons bring helps to form dense tropical forests and savannas. The latter serve as excellent pastures for cattle and sheep.

Marine natural resources of Australia and Oceania are not far behind. In the Coral Sea is the famous Great Barrier Reef area of 345 thousand square kilometers. The reef inhabits more than 1,000 species of fish, sea turtles, crustaceans. It attracts sharks, dolphins, birds.

Water resources

The driest continent is Australia. Natural resources in the form of rivers and lakes are represented here in quite a small amount. More than 60% of the continent is without drainage. The Murray River (length - 2375 km), along with the tributaries Golbern, Darling and Marrambiji is considered the largest.

Most rivers are fed by rain, usually small and small in size. In droughty periods, even Murray dries up, forming separate stagnant reservoirs. Nevertheless, dams, dams and reservoirs have been built on all its tributaries and branches.

The Australian lakes are small hollows, at the bottom of which there are layers of salt. They, like rivers, are filled with rainwater, prone to drying out and have no runoff. Therefore, the level of lakes on the continent is constantly fluctuating. The largest lakes are Eyre, Gregory, Girdner.

Mineral resources

Not the last place in the world in terms of mineral resources is Australia. Natural resources of this type are actively mined in the country. In the shelf and coastal islands, natural gas and oil are extracted, in the east - coal. The country is also rich in non-ferrous metal ores and nonmetallic minerals (for example, sand, asbestos, mica, clay, limestone).

Australia, whose natural resources are mostly of a mineral nature, is leading in terms of the amount of zirconium and bauxite mined. It is one of the first in the world for uranium, manganese and coal reserves. In the western part and on the island of Tasmania there are polymetallic, zinc, silver, lead and copper mines.

Deposits of gold are scattered almost throughout the continent, the largest reserves are in the south-west. Australia is rich in precious stones, among them diamonds and opals. About 90% of the world's opal stock is located here. The largest stone was found in 1989, it weighed more than 20,000 carats.

Forest resources

Australia's natural and vegetative natural resources are unique. Most species are endemic, that is, they are present only on this continent. Among them are the most famous eucalyptus, which here have about 500 species. However, this is not all that Australia can boast of.

The country's natural resources are represented by subtropical forests. True, they occupy only 2% of the territory and are located in river valleys. In connection with the arid climate in the plant world, drought-resistant species predominate: succulents, acacia, some grasses. In the more humid north-western part, there are giant eucalyptus trees, palm trees, bamboos, mangroves, ficuses.

Representatives of wildlife in Australia, there are about two hundred thousand, 80% of which are endemic. Typical inhabitants are kangaroos, emus ostrich, Tasmanian devil, giant lizard, platypus, dingo dog, flying fox, echidna, gecko, koala, kuzu and others. On the continent and the approximate islands there are many species of birds (lyrebirds, black swans, birds of paradise, cockatoos), reptiles and reptiles (narrow-necked crocodile, black, plachene, tiger snake).

Australia: natural resources and their use

Despite the harsh conditions, Australia has considerable resources. The greatest economic value is provided by minerals. The country occupies the first position in the world for the extraction of uranium ores, the third - for the extraction of bauxite and the sixth - for the extraction of coal.

The country has great agroclimatic potential. In Australia, grow potatoes, carrots, pineapples, chestnuts, bananas, mangoes, apples, sugar cane, grains and legumes. For medical purposes, opium and poppies are grown. Sheep breeding is actively developing for the production of wool, cattle are bred for export of milk and meat.