The Australia and New Zealand have distinct physical geographies. Australia is relatively flat with low elevation highlands and an extensive dry interior, while New Zealand has high mountains and receives adequate rainfall.

Australia

Landscape

In comparison to other continents, Australia has diverse physical features. From the mountain ranges like the Great Dividing Range of Kimberly plateau to Nullarbor Plains and Great Australian Deserts. The two most important rivers of Australia are “Murray” and “Darling”. The Great dividing Range in the east is not a fold mountain but only an edge of plateau which slopes gently from the east to the west. It is not continuous and exists as the Blue Mountain in New South Wales and as the Australian Alps in Victoria.

• It extends from Cape York in the north along the coast of Tasmania in the south. Mt. Kosciusko is the highest peak in Australia. Lying between the western plateau and eastern high land are the central lowlands, made up of Carpentaria lowland in the north.
• Lake Eyre basin lies in the middle – Darling basin in the south. Some of the important physical features are: Lake Eyre and Great Artesian Basin. The Western plateau or “Australian Outbreak” includes both steppe and desert climate types.
• The important deserts include “Gibson”, “Simpson”, “Great Victoria” and the “Great Sandy desert”. The “Great Barrier Reef”, the longest coral reef in the world, is situated on the north – eastern cost of Australia.

Climate and Vegetation

It is the Tropic of Capricorn which cuts the continent into the northern and southern parts. The climatic condition of the entire continent is defined by the Eastern Highlands and monsoonal circulation.

The northern and the northeastern Australia have tropical monsoon and Tropical marine climate, a modified form of the tropical monsoon.

The region is known for deciduous forest, onshore trade winds and uniformly distributed rainfall. The “Natal type of climate” is found in the southeastern parts. Here the rainfall is uneven and annual temperature is very low.

The “Southerly Buster” is a violent cold wind blowing along the coast of New South Wales. In this zone, the vegetation is luxuriant with temperate “Eucalyptus” dominating the Australian Alps of Victoria and the Blue mountains of New South Wales.

• The Mediterranean type of climate is found in the southern coast of Australia which is characterized by warm dry summer and cool moist winters. The Eucalyptus trees are more common while “Jarrah” and “Karri” are commercially most important.
• The “British type” of climate is found in the inlands of Tasmania and New Zealand. Temperate Eucalyptus is found in Tasmania, while coniferous can be seen on the higher slope of southern Alps in New Zealand.
• Most of the parts of Australia is characterized by the arid and semi – arid vegetation. The Great Australian desert is next only to the Sahara. The natural vegetation here is xerophytic, adapted to low moisture high salinity and low humus content. In the northwest especially on the Kimberly plateau, the famed “Bottle trees” can be found. The trees are of bottle- shaped and store water in their bulbous trunk.
• There are two type of grassland in Australia – the “tropical” and the “temperate”. The tropical Savanna Grasslands are found in the North and are marked by hot rainy and cool dry season with extreme diurnal range of temperature. Their natural Vegetation consists of the tall and coarse grasses with deciduous trees. The species like “Mallee” and “Mulga” are found in the scrub of this forest. The temperate grassland of the south are called “Downs”.
• It is characterized by continentality, extreme of temperature and high annual precipitation. The entire region of Australia is famous for sheep rearing and the world’s largest number of sheeps are found here.

Economy

• The wool, meat and wheat have been the country’s top three income earners. The cattle are reared in the wetter regions that allow better growth of grasses.
• It is mainly an agricultural nation, but only 5 per cent of the land is under cultivation and agriculture is mainly carried on the south western and southeastern parts and eastern coastal areas.
• Wheat, the most important crop of Australia, is grown mainly in New South Wales and Western Australia. The commercial grain farming is big business in Australia.
• Australia is also endowed with the diverse mineral resource. The “Gold rush” started with the discovery of Gold in Victoria and New South Wales in 1851.
• At present, minerals exports contribute significantly to the country’s economy.
• Japan is the largest importer.
• Its fairly diversified manufacturing sector is concentrated in Victoria and New South Wales.
• Australia is basically dependent on the exports of primary products which signify its category into a developing rather in a developed economy.

New Zealand

The small island “New Zealand” lies across the Tasman Sea. It is the “Maoris” who first inhabited here. Abel Tasman landed on the island in 1640 from when the process of colonization started.

New Zealand mainly consists of two main islands –

• The North
• The South (a number of smaller ones).

• The south island is relatively longer than the North islands, but they together constitute bigger in size that the Great Britain.
• “Mt. Cook” is the highest peak in New Zealand which lies in the Southern Alps.
• The “Taranaki plain” is the slope of the central highlands in North islands and an important pasture land.
• The “Canterbury Plains” of the south island are also important for cattle.
• The Europeans account for 85 per cent of the total population while the “Maoris” constitute only 10 percent.
• New Zealand is also one of the foremost milk producing countries.
• The cold and humid climate is very conducive for the growth of nutritious grasses.
• The Canterbury plain of New Zealand is well known for sheep rearing and is the main farming regions of “New Zealand.”

Continental Facts

• “Sydney”: It is the oldest and largest city of Australia. Its harbour, “Port Jackson”, is the biggest port of Australia and the main export centre of wheat and wool. It was the venue of the millennium’s last Olympics. The “Sydney Opera House” and “Sydney Harbours” are well known across the world.
• “Boomtang”: It is a carved throwing club of tough wood used by the Australians aborigine. It is widely used for hunting.
• “Canberra”: It is the capital of Australia and located on the “Molonglo River”. Canberra was built as a compromise capital in order to stop squabbling between Melbourne and Sydney.
• Great Barrier Reef: It is the world’s longest coral reef which extends like a long – ridge off the north – east coast of Queensland. It consists of thousands of separate reef. The reef is generally formed from the calcareous remains of micro – organism which is known as “coral polyps”, at present the reef is facing threat from environmental degradation especially from tourists.
• The Northern Territory: It is the only federal territory that has legalized voluntary “euthanasia”. It was done in “1995”.
• “BSC-MA-PhD”: This acronym refers to the mnemonics for clockwise arrangement of the Australian coastal cities which starts from Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Darwin.
• “Don Bradman”: He was the legendry cricketer and regarded as an idol and a national treasure by the Australians. He symbolizes Australian nationalism like no one else.
• “Koala”: The Guinness Book records it as the most discriminating “mammalian eater”. It feed exclusively on eucalyptus leaves.
• “Road Trains”:  It is a type of transportation unique to Australian road in which several cargos container like boxes are connected end to end and hauled by a common engine. They are used by transport cattle and horses.
• “Artesian Basin”: It is a type of structural basin of sedimentary rocks which produces a constant supply of water that rises to the ground surface by means of an artesian well from a subterranean aquifer which hold water under a pressure-head and is sandwiched between two layers of impermeable strata. Australia and New Zealand have some of the largest Artesian basin of the worlds.
• “Niue”: It is a self- governing overseas territory of New Zealand which was sighted by captain James Cook in 1774 who called it the Savage Island. It is the world’s largest uplifted coral islands and the New Zealand has responsibility of looking after external affairs and Defence of this Island.
• “Ayers Rock”: It is a conspicuous Inselberg which reaches out to a height of 348 m as a huge red rock in the middle of a desert.
• “Australian-Trans-Continental Railways”: It is an important link which connects “Sydney with Perth”. Important stations on this route are mining towns like Broken Hills, Peterborough, Port Augusta, Karlgoorlie, Coolgardie etc.

Points to Remember about Australia and New Zealand

1. The Australian cities in decreasing order of population are Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
2. Australian states in decreasing order of population are; New South Wales – Victoria – Queensland- Western Australia.
3. Australia is one of the most important members of “common wealth”.
4. Australia is world’s largest producer of “bauxite”.
5. Western Australia is the largest state while New South Wales is the most populous.
6. New Zealand coast was explored by Cook in 1769.
7. The major roads in Australia are called “Commonwealth Highway”.
8. The “Trans- Continental Stuart Highway” connects Birdum (Northern Territory) to Oodnadatta (South – Australia) via Alice Spring and Tennant Greek.
9. “Rotorua and Maoti’ towns have hot geysers; “Pohutu Geyser ” is the most famous one.
10. Australia is the “smallest” of all continents.
11. Australia stands for Australia and New Zealand.
12. The largest state of Australia is the “Western Australia”.
13. The largest city of Australia is Sidney.
14. “Emu” is the flightless bird of Australia.
15. The New Zealander who was first to scale Mt. Everest was “Edmund Hillary”.
16. “Niue” is the highest uplifted coral island of the world.
17. “Canterbury plains” is the chief farming region of the New Zealand.
18. “Mt Cook” is the highest peak of New Zealand.
19. “Taranaki plain” of New Zealand is famous for the dairy industry.
20. “Lake Eyre” is the region of inland drainage in Australia.
21. “The Great Artesian Wells” is the natural fountain in Australia.
22. “Mt. Kosciusko” is the highest mountain peak   in Australia.
23. “Auckland” is the most populous urban centre in New Zealand.
24. “Abel Tasman” was the first European to discover New Zealand.
25. “Bass strait” is the strait between Australia and Tasmania.
26. The “Great Barrier Reef” lies on the coast of “Queensland”.
27. The “Cook Strait” is the strait between the North and South island of New Zealand.
28. The pride of Australia Don Bradman hails from the city of “Brisbane”.
29. “Marambidgee” is the longest tributary of “Murray – Darling”.
30. “Kalgoorlie” is famous for “Gold – Mining”.
31. “Platypus” is an animal bird with 4 legs that lays eggs.
32. “Kangaroo” is the national animal of Australia.
33. “Wellington” is the southernmost capital city of the world.
34. “Qantas Airways” is the international airline of Australia.
35. “Maoris” is the aborigines of New Zealand of Polynesian descent.
36. “Gippsland” is famous for petroleum.
37. “Sheep – rearing farm” in Australia is called stations.
38. “Hobart” is the capital of Tasmania.
39. “Victoria” is the most industrialized state of Australia.
40. “Mt. Tom Price” is famous for Iron.
41. Lead, Zinc and Silver are mined at Mt. Isa and Broken Hills.
42. “Downs” is the temperate grassland of Australia.
43. “Torres Strait” lies between Australia and New Guinea.
44. “Trans – Australian Railways” runs between Perth and Sydney.
45. “Freemantle” is the out port of Perth.
46. “Bindibu” are the aborigines of Australia.
47. Canberra is located on the banks of river “Molonglo”.
48. New South Wales is the most populated of the Australian states.  

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