Canadian Geography
Essential Question……
What are the
major physical
features of
Canada, and
where are they
located on a
map?
CANADA
Location in the World: In the Northern and Western Hemispheres. On the
North American continent. Shares border with the USA.
Canadian Shield
The shield is a rich source of natural resources located
around the Hudson Bay & covering 2/3 of Canada…
especially metallic minerals such as iron, nickel,
copper, zinc, uranium, gold, silver, platinum and
molybdenum.
Located in Mid. East Canada.
Surrounded by Canadian Shield.
Connects to Atlantic Ocean.
Hudson
Bay
The Great
Lakes
5 freshwater lakes shared
between USA and Canada.
St. Lawrence River
Stretches far into interior of N. America (Canada).
Allowed the explorers to get deep into the area during
exploration/ colonization times.
St. Lawrence River
Today, the river is used as a very
important trade route with MANY ports.
Rocky Mountains
Stretches over 3,000 miles from New Mexico in SW USA to British
Columbia NW Canada. Tourism. Protects from Ocean storms…
8
2
6
7
4
5
1
3
QUIZ
YOURSELF OVER
LOCATIONS IN
CANADA!
Arctic Ocean
Rocky
Mtns.
Atlantic
Ocean
Hudson
Bay
Pacific
Ocean
Canadian
shield
Great
Plains
USA
Great
Lakes
Province
of
Quebec
St. Lawrence
River
A
U
S
T
R
A
L
I
A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=wbNeIn3vVKM
Sydney, Australia
Ayers Rock
The Outback
Australia is made up of six states and
two territories.
The 2 territories are The Australian Capital Territory
and the Northern Territory
Australia is about the size of
the United States.
18.3 million people
live there, about as
many people as in
New York.
-S & E Hemispheres
-Its own Continent &
Country
Canberra is the capital of Australia.
Unlike other cities in Australia, Canberra is a planned city.
Australia’s Geography
Geographic Understandings
SS6G12 The student will be able to locate
selected features of Australia.
a. Locate on a world and regional political-physical
map: the Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, Ayers Rock,
and Great Victoria Desert.
Australia’s Landscape
• Australia is called the “Land Down Under”
• Island, country, AND a continent – located in
the southeastern hemisphere, south of the
equator
• Geography of Australia – described as large,
semi-arid, dry region with temperate climates
in the southeastern coastal areas =never too
hot or too cold, only Antarctica receives less
rain/ yr.
– (like Coastal Rica or US Virgin Islands)
Northern Australia has a tropical climate,
rain forests, mangrove swamps,
grasslands
Gondwana Rainforest,
Australia
Evergreen tree that are can
survive in saltwater
It is the world’s smallest
and flattest continent.
The Indian Ocean and
Pacific Oceans surround
Australia.
Great Barrier Reef &
the Coral Sea
The reef contains the world’s largest collection of
coral and a large variety of marine life. There are
400 types of coral, 1500+ species of fish, and 400
types of mollusks (snails, clams, octopi, and squid),
and rare animals including the “sea cow” or dugong,
and the large green turtle.
Great Barrier Reef
• The Great Barrier Reef lies off Australia’s
northeastern coast in the Coral Sea and is the
world’s largest coral reef. Coral formations
have piled up for millions of years to create a
colorful chain that stretches 1,250 miles.
• The reef lies a short distance off the
northeast coast of Queensland (one of
Australia’s states).
• A coral reef is a structure formed by the
skeletons of small sea animals.
The Coral Sea
• The Coral Sea is actually part of the Pacific
Ocean (and is an important source for the
Great Barrier Reef).
• The sea lies off the northeast coast of
Australia.
Outback
• The Outback is the vast, remote, arid interior
of Australia.
• The term "the outback" is generally used to
refer to locations that are rural with very low
populations
• Home to the Aborigines- the native peoples of
Australia
• The air here is dry and hot
• The soil around Uluru is bright red
Great Victoria Desert
• From Ayers Rock, travel southwest into the
states of South Australia and Western
Australia – there you will enter the Great
Victoria Desert.
• So, it is located
in southwestern
Australia.
Great Victoria Desert (continued)
• Great Victoria Desert - receives only 8 inches –
10 inches of rain each year…it never snows
• Some grasslands, along with sand hills and salt
lakes
• Very few Australians live in the Great Victoria
Desert because it is too hot and dry.
Ayers Rock…aka “Uluru”
• Located near the center of the continent of Australia
– in the flatlands, in the state called Northern
Territory
• Huge, reddish sandstone rock towering out of the
flatlands – the rock is a monolith (single, large rock
sticking out of the Earth…Stone Mountain, near
Atlanta, is a monolith)
• It is nearly 12 stories tall and almost six miles wide
around its base.
• The Aborigines (Australia’s native/indigenous
peoples) call it “Uluru.”
Ayers Rock
• Ayers Rock is a giant
sandstone rock
formation.
• It lies in central
Australia.
• Ayers Rock has many
waterholes, caves, and
springs.
• The Aborigines believe
Ayers Rock is sacred.
Did you know that…
• Because of Australia’s location in the Southern
Hemisphere, summer begins in December and
winter begins in June? (opposite of the USA)
• The largest part of Australia consists of semiarid or dry lands known as the Outback?
• In the north, you will find a tropical climate
with rain forests, mangrove swamps,
grassland, and even more desert?