This continent got its name from the Latin language. In it, the word "southern" is consonant with the name of Australia. And this is no coincidence, because it is completely located in the southern part of the globe. By the total area it occupies (which is about 7.6 million square kilometers), Australia is rightly considered the smallest mainland on our planet. For this reason, some scholars tend to rank it among the mainland islands. Most of the shores are washed by the salty waters of the Indian Ocean, and only on the one eastern side is the Pacific Ocean.
The mainland is located far from other regions of the world, so most trade routes pass away from it. The shores are not rich in deep bays, the most convenient of which are located in the southeast. There is the main port area of the Australian continent. The waters washing Australia are warm even in the winter season - not lower than +20 degrees Celsius. This creates a favorable environment for the existence of corals, of which a great many grow on the coast of the mainland. It is for this reason that the famous Great Reef stretches along the coast of Australia, reaching a length of more than two thousand kilometers.
Due to its geographical location, Australia is a separate continent. This largely influenced its development both in terms of culture and species diversity of animals and plants.
Australia Relief and Minerals
In the past, the continent was not separated from the common mainland as it is now, Australia was an integral part of Gondwana. But by the end of the Mesozoic era, it separated and began to gradually move away, until it reached its present position. Now the basis of the Australian continent is the Precambrian platform, the foundation of which has a crystalline structure. In some parts of the mainland, it comes to the surface, forming shields, especially in the northern, western and central regions. But most of the platform is hidden under the thickness of sedimentary rocks, equally of marine and continental origin.
The most striking relief elements of the Australian mainland can be called the following: Central lowland, the height of which does not exceed one hundred meters above sea level; The East Australian Mountains, which are based on the Great Dividing Range (up to a thousand kilometers in height) and the West Australian Plateau. It is also the only continent of the world where there are no icy mountain peaks and active volcanoes are completely absent. Although in the past there was violent tectonic activity. This is evidenced by the vast hollows and cones from the once erupted volcanoes of antiquity.
Minerals in Australia are rich in variety. Geological discoveries made in just the last ten years have managed to put it in first place in the extraction of iron ore, bauxite and lead-zinc ores. Australia's ore minerals are displayed on the map in the Hamersley area. The deposits at this ridge have been developed for more than half a century and do not threaten to be exhausted in the foreseeable future. Iron ore is also mined on the largest island of the continent - Tasmania, and on the smaller islands in the northwestern region.
Australia's polymetallic minerals, which primarily include zinc and lead with impurities of copper and silver, are located in the desert regions of South Wales. Another important mining center for polymetals is the state of Queensland and the already named island of Tasmania. Small deposits are scattered throughout the mainland, but not so active mining is conducted as at these key points. In addition, Australia has considerable gold reserves. The largest are located in areas of the basement ledge, while the smaller ones can be found in almost any state of the country.
The state of South Wales is also famous for its vast deposits of coal. Although this mineral is found everywhere in the eastern part of the continent, the main developments are in the cities of Wales. In addition to the above, not so long ago considerable deposits of gas and oil were discovered, located deep in the bowels of the Australian mainland. Some of them have been successfully developed recently. The country is also actively mining chrome, clay, sand and limestone.
