TOP 5 GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES IN AUSTRALIA
Significant and natural geographical features are what makes a country unique. These are the Top 5 Geographical Features that make Australia unique.
1. Uluru - Australia's Big Rock
Uluru is Australia's most iconic geographic feature and is the largest monolith (single rock formation) in the world. This famous sandstone formation is located in the southern part of the Northern Territory (NT) and west of the Simpson Desert. It was formally named 'Ayers Rock' by the European explorers but the traditional owners of the land named it 'Uluru'. Uluru covers more than 3 square kilometres 10 km around it's base and has a height of 345 m. From the erosion from the surrounding mountain ranges, alluvial fans were created. Later, it was compacted by rising seawater over 500 million years ago which formed a new layer of rock. 400 million years ago, the sea disappeared and the land started to slowly fold. This was caused by geomorphic forces which made the layer of rock tilt on its end. The bald mountains of Kata-Tjuta are believed to be the other end of Uluru. Most of Uluru lies underground.The reason why Uluru has a distinctive red colour is because of the surface oxidation of its iron content. Otherwise, the rock would be a greyish colour. |
2. The Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system and is listed of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World on the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its coral reef system consists of 2,900 individual reefs, 900 islands and covers 344,400 square kilometres. It is located in the coral sea, north-east coast of Queensland, Australia. The Great Barrier reef stretches over 2600 km and it is between 15 km and 150 km from shore. The width of the reed is up to 65 km. Physically, the reef extends from north of Torres Strait between the south of Lady Elliot and the Fraser Islands. |
3. The Twelve Apostles
The Twelve Apostles is a massive collection of limestone stacks in the southern-eastern part of Australia and they are one of Australia's best-known geological landmarks. They are located near Port Campbell, southwest of Melbourne,Victoria. These limestone stacks were formed through an erosion process of 20 million year old limestone cliffs. The wave erosion of the limestone cliffs caused the formation of the large limestone stacks. Each stack is approximately 70 m in height. Originally, there were nine apostles but in the year 2005, one of the stacks collapsed leaving eight. This was a likely thing to happen due to its erosion process. |
4. The Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range is a significant geographical feature of Australia. It is also known as the Eastern Highlands. It includes a number of hills, mountains and plateaux. The Great Dividing Range consists of the New England Plateau, the Australian Alps, the Snowy Mountains, the Blue Mountains, the Grampian Mountains and Australia's tallest mountain: Mount. Kosciuszko which is located in the Australian Alps (it is 2228 m in height). The ranges stretches throughout the states of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria which covers an area of 2,456,547 square kilometres. The Great Dividing Range separates the east coast from the inland. It also has a major impact on our Australia's climate ,population spread and settlement patterns, economics and agriculture. This range is the home to several living species that don't exist anywhere else on earth.
The Great Dividing Range is a significant geographical feature of Australia. It is also known as the Eastern Highlands. It includes a number of hills, mountains and plateaux. The Great Dividing Range consists of the New England Plateau, the Australian Alps, the Snowy Mountains, the Blue Mountains, the Grampian Mountains and Australia's tallest mountain: Mount. Kosciuszko which is located in the Australian Alps (it is 2228 m in height). The ranges stretches throughout the states of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria which covers an area of 2,456,547 square kilometres. The Great Dividing Range separates the east coast from the inland. It also has a major impact on our Australia's climate ,population spread and settlement patterns, economics and agriculture. This range is the home to several living species that don't exist anywhere else on earth.
5. The Great Australian Bight
The Great Australian Bight is a large oceanic bight and is the largest indentation on the Australian coast. It has the longest line of sea cliffs in the world. The Bight is a part of a divergent margin formed in the Cretaceous during the periods of amalgamation and fragmentation throughout the last billion years due to constant tectonic action. But it wasn't until the break of Gondwana that Australia as we know it began to take form. Between 160- 280 years ago, a rift valley began to form between what is now Australia and Antarctica.
The Great Australian Bight is a large oceanic bight and is the largest indentation on the Australian coast. It has the longest line of sea cliffs in the world. The Bight is a part of a divergent margin formed in the Cretaceous during the periods of amalgamation and fragmentation throughout the last billion years due to constant tectonic action. But it wasn't until the break of Gondwana that Australia as we know it began to take form. Between 160- 280 years ago, a rift valley began to form between what is now Australia and Antarctica.