Natural areas of flora and fauna of Australia. Australia: natural areas

Main questions. Which natural area occupies the largest area on the mainland? What are the features of flora and fauna?

Australia amazes travelers with its colors. IN color scheme The mainland is dominated by red, brown, and red tones. there is little green, blue, and even the sky, as if reflecting the hot earth, seems yellow. Red color predominates in soils. Red ferrallitic soils, red-brown and red-brown desert soils are common. (Look at the map of soil distribution on the mainland.)

Exceptionally unique animal world Australia. Nature has created a kind of huge nature reserve in Australia. (Fig. 2) Animals very close to those that inhabited the Earth in distant times have been preserved here. Among Australian animals, the most interesting are marsupials: kangaroo, wombat, marsupial mole, marsupial squirrels, etc. Marsupial cubs are born very small, and the mother carries them in a fold of skin on the abdomen, as if in a pouch.

Particularly highlighted platypus And echidna. They are called "living fossils."

The platypus and echidna hatch their young from eggs and feed them milk, like mammals. Natural areas.

About half of Australia's territory is occupied by deserts and semi-deserts. Australia ranks first among continents in terms of the relative area of deserts and last in terms of forest area. Zone humid and variable-humid equatorial forests located north of 20°N. Palms, laurel trees, and ficus grow on red lateritic soils and red-yellow ferrallite soils. In the forests of the Great Dividing Range, trees reach enormous heights and are entwined with many vines. They are affected by rattan palm and giant eucalyptus trees. Ferns and orchids grow in the lower tier. Thick rainforests characteristic of the entire eastern edge of the continent. Eucalyptus - symbol of Australia. There are more than 300 species of eucalyptus. The foliage of some has a bluish or grayish tint, which gives them a special charm. Trees with powerful roots, like pumps, suck out moisture from great depths. Eucalyptus grows very quickly and in 35 years reaches the height of a two-hundred-year-old oak tree.

Among them there are giants reaching 150 m in height. They provide almost no shade, since the leaves are positioned edge-on to the rays of the sun. (Figure 1,2) There are many climbing animals in the forests. Remarkable, tree kangaroo(koala), which is nocturnal and feeds on eucalyptus leaves. The platypus, with webbed feet and a flat beak, lives along the rivers. Birds are very diverse - cassowaries, lyrebirds, budgies , birds of paradise, parrots. Weed chickens are endemic to Australia. Black swans live along the banks of reservoirs, having the largest number of feathers (up to 25,000) among birds. (Figure 2) (

Study the location of natural areas on the map.) Forests turn into savannas and tropical woodlands . In appearance they resemble parks and occupy large area on the mainland. (Determine from the map what soils are in the savanna). Among the tall dense grasses rise eucalyptus, acacia, casuarina,. bottle tree Acacias with leaf-shaped petioles instead of pinnate leaves adapt to a wide variety of conditions. They can often be seen under the canopy of eucalyptus forests and in deserts. The bottle tree with its thick trunk makes the Australian savannah different from other continents.WITH – crabs

thickets of hard-leaved, thorny, densely intertwined, sometimes completely impenetrable evergreen shrubs of eucalyptus and acacia. Kangaroos live in areas with large food supplies. Giant marsupials kangaroo

reach 3 m in height. Relying on strong hind legs, they jump 8-10 m in length. At the same time, the variety of animal species is small: anteater, echidna, wild dog dingo, emu. The echidna looks like a hedgehog, its body is covered with spines.

The echidna is hunted for its tasty meat. Savannas are the main wheat growing areas in Australia. Large areas of them are occupied by pastures. Vast areas of the interior of the continent are occupied by semi-deserts and deserts. (Fig. 4) Small-leaved grasses grow on the shifting sands, reptiles and the emu live. Lots of poisonous snakes, lizards, locusts. A peculiar lizard Moloch, covered with huge thorns; numerous snakes asps. The most dangerous Poisonous snakes on the land - taipan And

tiger snake . (Show Australia's major deserts on the map) Hard-leaved forests and shrubs subtropical zone grow in the southwestern part of Australia on red and red-brown soils. Expressed in the Australian Alps

The natural landscapes of Australia have changed significantly due to mining, deforestation and burning of forests, and excessive grazing of sheep on pastures. (Fig. 3) The importation of animals from other continents and uncontrolled hunting led to the extermination of a peculiar natural world. Rabbits caused great damage to natural vegetation. Nowadays the reserves are expanding. In the largest natural complexes from eucalyptus forests to alpine meadows. The unique world of corals, a true miracle of nature, is preserved in an underwater park Great Barrier Reef. The largest park was created to protect unique desert areas Great Victoria Desert.

Ecological problems. The natural landscapes of Australia have changed significantly due to mining, cutting and burning of forests, and excessive grazing of sheep on pastures. The importation of animals from other continents and uncontrolled hunting during colonization led to the extermination of the unique animal world of Australia and aggravated the problem of its protection. Currently, the network of reserves is expanding. In the largest National Park named after. Kosciuszko special attention is paid not so much to the preservation of rare plants and animals, but to the protection of natural complexes - from eucalyptus forests to alpine meadows. The unique world of corals, a true miracle of nature, is preserved in an underwater park Great Barrier Reef. The most important problem in Australia is the protection of unique natural complexes of desert areas. For this purpose, the largest park on the continent was created Great Victoria Desert in the center of the country. Its area is over 2 million hectares. The country ranks fourth in terms of area of specially protected areas. natural areas(570 thousand km 2).

Australia is a continent of tropical deserts and semi-deserts with a predominance of endemics (from Greekéndēmos - local) - species of plants and animals characteristic only of this territory. There are few forests in Australia, their total area is only 6% of the mainland.

*1. Orally describe the features of plants and animals of the continent, using the completed advanced tasks. 2. Compare the location of natural areas in Africa and Australia. **3. Let's say you go to tourist trip to one of the natural areas of Australia. Make a route plan with an explanation: 1) What objects would you like to visit? 2) What things do you need to take with you? 3) What would you like to bring back from Australia as a souvenir of your trip?

Natural areas Australia (7th grade) is one of the most interesting topics school geography. Indeed, this continent, despite its small size, is characterized by a very rich natural diversity. This article provides a brief description of all the natural zones of the mainland.

What is a natural area? Formation of natural areas

A natural (or physical-geographical) zone is a part geographic envelope, which is characterized by its own set of natural components and conditions. Any natural area includes a number of structural components, namely:

climate features;
landforms;
inland waters;
soil;
flora and fauna.

All these components are in close interaction with each other, and the nature of these connections will be different for each of the natural zones.

The main factor that influences the formation and distribution of natural zones on the planet is the ratio of moisture and heat received. This ratio will vary depending on the latitude of the area. On natural zoning Other factors also influence (for example, the nature and complexity of the terrain, proximity to the ocean, etc.), but the key factor is still the climatic one.

Each of the continents of our planet has its own set of natural zones. Australia is no exception here. The natural zones of this continent, namely their distribution, differ significantly from the sublatitudinal one. The reason for this is the small size of the continent, as well as the presence of a powerful mountain system stretching from north to south in the east of the continent of Australia.

The natural areas of the mainland, as well as their territorial distribution, are displayed on the following map:

Natural areas of Australia: table

In order to visualize the physical and geographical zoning of Australia, we bring to your attention the following table.

Natural zoning of mainland Australia

Natural areas	Climate type	Typical representatives of the flora	Typical representatives of the fauna
Permanently wet forest zone	Tropical. Monsoon.	eucalyptus; araucaria; ferns; orchids; palm trees	wombat; koala; tiger cat
Zone of evergreen hard-leaved forests	Subtropical (Mediterranean)	eucalyptus (low growing); various cereals; solyanka; acacia	various types of snakes and lizards; wombat; Dingo dog.
Savanna and woodland zone	Subequatorial and tropical	acacia; cereals; casaurins.	echidna; kangaroo; wombat; ostrich Emu.
Desert and semi-desert zone	Tropical (continental)	herbs and some grains; Blackbeard	ostrich Emu; different kinds snakes and lizards; kangaroo.

Australia: natural areas and their brief characteristics

The largest area in Australia is the zone of deserts and semi-deserts, located in tropical zone. This zone is characterized by low precipitation and extremely high evaporation. Therefore, the vegetation of Australian deserts is very poor. Quite often one can observe here extensive salt crusts covering large areas.

To the east, the zone of deserts and semi-deserts is replaced by more wet zone savannah and tropical woodlands. In this natural zone, the plant world is already much richer, but the lack of moisture is noticeable here too.

The eastern outskirts of Australia are known to be occupied by mountain system- The Great Dividing Range is the most important landscape barrier on the mainland. It was on its slopes that two natural zones were formed forest type. Between the 15th and 28th degrees of south latitude there is a zone of evergreen forests, and north of the 15th degree there is a zone of constantly humid forests. Altitudinal zone on this continent it is clearly visible only in the Australian Alps.

Finally

So, we found out that within the smallest continent of the planet there are four natural zones.

The natural zones of Australia are the zone of permanently moist forests, the zone of evergreen hard-leaved forests, the zone of savannas and woodlands, as well as the zone of deserts and semi-deserts. Each of them has its own geographical features(soil, flora, fauna).

Humid and variable humid zone equatorial forests

The zone of humid and variable-humid equatorial forests is located north of 20° N. w. Dense tropical forests are typical for the entire eastern region of the mainland. It has a tropical monsoon climate.

In the zone of equatorial forests, the soil cover is represented by red-yellow ferrallitic and red lateritic soils. Laurel trees, palm trees, ficus trees, pandanuses, and tree ferns grow on these soils. The most common are giant eucalyptus and rattan palms.

Note 1

Eucalyptus is a symbol of Australia; there are more than 300 species in the country. The trees of the Great Dividing Range reach enormous heights. Eucalyptus grows quickly and in 35 years can reach the height of a 200-year-old oak tree. Sometimes eucalyptus trees reach a height of 150 m. The trees have powerful roots and draw moisture from the very depths.

The lower tier is represented by orchids and ferns.

Figure 1. Eucalyptus forests of Australia. Avtor24 - online exchange of student works

The fauna is diverse. There are many climbing animals: koala (marsupial bear), tree kangaroo, wombat, tiger cat. Platypuses and black swans live along the rivers. The avifauna is diverse: cassowaries, budgerigars, lyrebirds, parrots, birds of paradise. Weed chickens are endemic to Australia.

South of 20ºS w. Evergreen tropical forests are located. They are characterized by yellow soils and red soils, which are formed in a humid tropical climate. Evergreen trees (palms, ficus, silverwood, Australian cedar) are entwined with epiphytes and vines. Australian araucaria and Australian cedar are also found.

In the southeastern regions of the continent and in the north of the island of Tasmania there are subtropical variable-humid forests. Mountain brown forest soils. Southern beeches, eucalyptus, agathis, podocarpus, and araucaria grow on them.

Forests temperate zone are found only in the extreme south of the island of Tasmania.

Hardleaf forest zone

Subtropical hard-leaved forests grow in the southwestern regions of Australia. The climate is Mediterranean. The soils are predominantly red and red-brown. Typical plants of the natural area are low-growing eucalyptus, solyanka, cereals, and acacia. Eucalyptus forests with xanthorrhea are common, and they are replaced by scrubs towards the center of the continent.

The hard-leaved forests are inhabited by the Dingo dog, wombat, and various species of snakes and lizards. This is the kingdom of marsupials: marsupial squirrel, tree kangaroo, marsupial bear, marsupial marten. Lots of birds: bird of paradise, lyrebird, cockatoos, kookaburras, weed chickens. The territory is inhabited giant monitor lizard, amethyst python. Narrow-snouted crocodiles are found in rivers.

Zone of savannas and tropical woodlands

Savannas and tropical woodlands occupy a large area on the continent and resemble parks. Savannas and woodlands cover the Central Lowland and the Carpentarian Plain in an arc.

The climate is subequatorial and tropical. Savannah - open spaces, having a herbaceous cover of alang-alang, bearded vulture, individual groves and trees (eucalyptus, casuarina, acacia, Gregory baobab). Among the dense tall grasses rise acacias, eucalyptus trees, bottle trees, and casuarinas. The bottle tree is distinctive feature savannah of Australia.

In Australia they allocate the following types savannah (depending on the degree of moisture):

wet (red soils);
typical (red-brown soils);
desertified (red-brown soils).

They replace each other in subequatorial latitudes from north to south, in tropical latitudes - in the east-west direction, as humidity decreases.

Note 2

Scrabs are thickets of thorny, hard-leaved, densely intertwined, often completely impenetrable evergreen xerophytic shrubs of acacias, eucalyptus, myrtle and legumes. The thickets reach a height of 1-2 meters. In the driest areas the scrub consists only of scrub eucalyptus. In more humid (tropical) areas, scrubs made from sickle-leaved acacia are common.

Savannas are the main wheat growing areas on the continent. Large areas are occupied by pastures.

In places where there are significant food supplies, kangaroos (gray, red, wallaby, hare) live. Marsupial kangaroos can reach up to 3 m in height. The variety of fauna is small: anteater, wild dog dingo, echidna, emu, wombat, bustard, cassowary, budgerigars. Lots of termites.

Deserts and semi-deserts

Deserts and semi-deserts occupy large areas of the interior of Australia (almost 50% of the entire continent). The climate is tropical (continental).

Largest desert areas:

Victoria Desert. The largest desert on the continent - 424 thousand square meters. km.
Tanami. Characterized by average precipitation levels. Due to the intense heat, precipitation quickly evaporates. Gold is mined in the desert.
Sandy desert. The second largest desert on the continent. Here it is national park Ayres Rock.
Simpson Desert. The most arid desert on the continent. Famous for its red sands.
Gibson Desert. The soil cover is heavily weathered. Rich in iron.

In tropical conditions continental climate dominate on the Western Australian Tablelands tropical semi-deserts and deserts. Light forests of casuarinas stretch along river beds in sandy and rocky semi-deserts. Salt-tolerant species of eucalyptus and acacia and quinoa thickets grow in the depressions of clayey semi-deserts. The “pillows” of the spinifex grass are characteristic.

Common soil types in semi-deserts and deserts:

gray soils;
rocky;
clayey;
sandy.

In the south of the continent in the subtropics, semi-deserts and deserts occupy the Murray-Darling Lowlands and the Nullarbor Plain. These territories are formed under conditions of a subtropical continental climate on gray-brown and brown semi-desert soils. There is no tree and shrub vegetation; against the backdrop of rare dry grasses there are saltworts and wormwood.

Animals are adapted to life in conditions of low moisture and high temperatures. Some burrow underground (marsupial jerboa, marsupial mole, kangaroo rat), others can travel considerable distances (Dingo dog, kangaroo).

Small-leaved grasses and blackberry grow on the shifting sands. The emu, poisonous snakes (the asp snake, tiger snake and taipan are especially numerous), lizards, and locusts live here.

Natural areas of Australia.

Goals:

1.Introduce students to the features of the natural area.

2. Show, using the example of a natural area, the relationship of natural components.

3.Develop skills in working with sources geographical knowledge(atlases, maps)

4. Instill a love of nature.

Equipment: atlases, maps: physical Australia, natural zones map of plants and animals of the world.

During the classes.

1.Organizing moment:

One of Jules Verne’s heroes in the novel “The Children of Captain Grant” described this continent as follows: “...This region is the most curious on globe! Its appearance, plants, climate - all this surprised and will still surprise... The most bizarre, most illogical country that has ever existed!

There are traces in the thickets wingless birds,

There cats get snakes for food,

Animals are born from eggs,

And there the dogs don't know how to bark,

The trees themselves climb out of the bark,

There rabbits are worse than a flood...

(G. Usova).

I would like to invite you to go to correspondence travel across Australia.

During which we will find out what is different organic world this continent from other continents, we will discover something new and interesting. - Nature has created a huge reserve in Australia, where many animals close to those that inhabited the Earth in ancient times have been preserved. The organic world of Australia is unique and original: 75% of plant species and 95% of animals in Australia are endemic. There are 162 species of marsupials in Australia. But monkeys and ungulates are not found, plants with juicy fruits are not found, there is not a single domesticated plant or animal. Oviparous and milk-feeding organisms live in Australia and are not found anywhere else on Earth. Why?

I am sure that at the end of the lesson we will be able to solve this problem.

Topic Natural areas of Australia

Target

Let's remember the definition of a natural area?

(A natural zone is a large natural complex with common temperature conditions and moisture, soils, vegetation and fauna).

Well, we decided to travel...

Where does any journey begin?

From studying the address of the mainland where you want to go. Is not it? So tell me about geographical location Australia?

When we go on a trip, we need to know the weather forecast, for which we use the knowledge about the climate of the continent obtained in the previous lesson. You already know in which climate zones Australia is located (students name them) and can independently characterize each of these zones.

(Characteristics of climatic conditions).

Open atlases and try to determine which natural areas may be located in one or another climatic zone?

(in the course of their work, they identify cause-and-effect relationships between climate and the location of natural zones).

Then the teacher asks to open the atlases and compare maps: the climatic and natural zones of Australia.

As a result of the comparison, students come to the conclusion that the placement of natural zones is primarily influenced by precipitation. The boundaries of natural zones almost completely coincide with the boundaries of the average annual precipitation. This suggests that there is a close connection between climatic regions and natural areas.

At the request of the teacher, they list all the natural areas of Australia.

Draw the boundaries of natural areas on a contour map

Look at the pattern we see: the location of natural areas in Australia obeys the law of latitudinal zonation?

Which natural area occupies the largest area?

Check frontally.

The student, at the request of the teacher, sums up: “Most of the continent is occupied by tropical desert and savannas; within Australia, the change in natural zones obeys the law of latitudinal zonation.”

The journey around Australia begins. We will visit you in different natural areas of the mainland

We will record our observations in our notebooks,

which will serve as our logbooks.

So are you ready? Then let's go!

1. Let's start from the southeast of Australia, which is located in the hard-leaved zone evergreen forests and bushes.

There are atlases in front of you, open them and see what climate zone this zone is in, and what soils are common in it? (data is recorded in a table).

Teacher's story

So, we found out that the southeast of the continent has the most favorable climate and fairly fertile soils, which is why this area of the continent is the most populated and developed. Eucalyptus forests predominate here, with evergreen beech found in the far south. But most of these forests were cleared with the arrival of Europeans and now grow there: fruit trees, oaks, poplars, cereals and other species. Many forests have been destroyed by fires, which often occur here during dry periods. Animals brought here: rabbits, foxes, rats pushed aside or exterminated local species of animals. In general, the flora and fauna of Australia have been greatly modified by humans, especially in the most populated areas. The forests of Australia are home to green parrots, whose numbers have also declined greatly since it became fashionable to have them in European homes. Apprentice eucalyptus

Watching a movie.

Filling out the table.

Rain a tropical forest Australia:

1. This forest is somewhat different from other forests. Trees 40-50 meters high, growing so close to each other that their foliage forms a dense canopy, blocking access sun rays. Therefore, the grass cover here is sparse, and instead of it there is a thick layer of rotting leaves, branches, and tree trunks on the ground.

2. Creeping plants twine around the branches and trunks of trees, powerful vines hang from them. The abundance of epiphytic, fern-like, orchids, and lichens is striking. The fallen trees seem to be shrouded in wool. The humidity is very high.

3. They grow here Kauri pine, araucaria, red cedar, maple, Australian walnut, eucalyptus, casuarina. The most interesting tree here is the banyan tree. Its seeds are scattered by birds, and they, getting stuck in the branches, germinate and put down roots, which, intertwined, entangle their owner and choke, taking his place.

4. Koalas are also found here. The koala is a distant relative of the wombat, and even more distantly related to the kangaroo and opossum: all of them are marsupials. Koalas do not drink at all, so the name of this animal is translated as non-drinker of water. They feed exclusively on the foliage of certain types of eucalyptus trees. Their life is spent mostly in limbo; they are quite lazy and only occasionally come down to earth. The koala has thick, warm and very wearable fur, because of which a huge number of individuals were exterminated, and now they are under state protection.

Students fill out the table as the story progresses.

Teacher's story:

3. Imagine that we will travel through the next natural area of savannas and woodlands by bus, and I will act as a guide and briefly talk about it. And at home you will look at it in more detail using the atlas. You can close your eyes, sit back and dream a little, relax while I tell you what we could see from the bus window.

Evergreen eucalyptus trees play the main role in open forests; in drier places, acacias and casuarinas are mixed in with them. The trees are located at a great distance from each other and therefore do not shade the thick green carpet of local grasses: “blue grass”, “Mitchell grass”, “kangaroo grass”, “Flinders grass”. General form The savannah changes greatly with the seasons. In the dry season, life here freezes, the soil dries out and cracks, the leaves become covered with dust, acquiring a deathly hue. And with the first rains, lush grass and bright flowers appear. The dense grass grows up to 1.5 meters and serves as nutritious food for animals. The main representative of the fauna of savannas and woodlands is kangaroo

koala

4..And now, finally, we have reached the most sultry and lifeless zone of Australia - the desert and semi-desert zone. Fill out the table yourself, using the text and atlas.

3/4 of the continent's area is occupied by deserts. What is this connected with? (students associate this with arid climate, find out how much precipitation falls within this zone). There are no deserts in the world like Australian ones. Particularly peculiar sandy deserts, formed as a result of the destruction of ancient ferruginous parent rock. That's why they are red-brown in color. The slopes and tops of the sandy ridges are overgrown with clumps of spinifex - a holly grass; in some places there are thorny bushes of acacias, eucalyptus, and casuarinas. The surface of rocky deserts is covered with specific Australian species quinoa and solyanka, alternating with dense, impenetrable thickets of bushes - scrubs . (for the more curious, the teacher writes the name of scrubs made from eucalyptus and acacia on the board). The vegetation of semi-deserts is somewhat richer: hard turf grasses, wormwood and solyanka, continuous thickets of shrubby acacias and eucalyptus trees. The fauna of deserts is poor. There are only poisonous snakes there, frilled lizard, insects, various species live in semi-deserts Kangaroos live in areas with large food supplies. Giant marsupials , the emu, a wild dog, the dingo, which has contributed significantly to the decline of the kangaroo population, as have humans.

6. Consolidation of knowledge acquired in the lesson.

Teacher: And now I suggest you listen to the text and find any mistakes in it.

Forests are located mainly on west Australia, they have many species monkeys , which feed on the leaves of numerous eucalyptus trees andbreadfruit trees. Parrots live in the forests of Australia. Savannahs occupy a very small area on the mainland.semi-deserts and deserts. Among the continuous thickets of bushes they slowly make their way koalas . Deserts don't seem so lifeless after all... like oases there you meet at every step.

Test:

1. Monkeys and ungulates live on the mainland of Australia.

2. Koalas only eat eucalyptus leaves.

3. Skreb – a forest consisting of tall trees.

4. Eucalyptus forests are light, as the leaves are turned edge-on to the sun.

5. Platypus and echidna are oviparous mammals.

6. The largest area in Australia is occupied by forests.

7. The Dingo dog benefits agriculture.

8. Kangaroo is depicted on national flag Australia.

9. There are many endemics in Australia.

10. Australia has long been separated from other continents, its organic world developed in isolation.

Teacher's Word:

As we conclude our journey, I would like to ask you to pay attention to how man has influenced and changed the nature of Australia. Firstly, the forest area is rapidly declining. Secondly, 75% of the continent's territory is now subject to desertification. Thirdly, some animal species have been completely exterminated, while others are on the verge of extinction. The flora also suffered from economic activity and introduction of a person into wildlife this unique part of the world. And despite all this, only about 2% of the country's land fund is protected areas. Until now, the efforts of conservationists in this country are in constant conflict with the interests of monopolies, and Australian scientists have expressed fears that the nature of the continent could be sacrificed to them!

D.Z.paragraph

Ratings

Natural area	Climate type	Climate Features			Vegetation	The soil	Animal world
Natural area	Climate type	Jan.	July	Total precipitation	Vegetation	The soil	Animal world
Permanently wet forests MOVIE	Tropical humid continental and subtropical monsoon			1000	Eucalyptus , palms, tree ferns, pandanus, flindersia, orchids, araucaria.	Red-yellow ferralite	koala, couscous, tree kangaroo, marsupials: wombat, pademelons, marsupial tiger cats and pygmy possums.
Savannas, woodlands and shrubs	Subequatorial continental and tropical continental				Eucalyptus woodlands, grasses, acacias, casaurines	Brown, red-brown and brown savannas	Marmot, echidna, kangaroo mice, giant Kangaroos live in areas with large food supplies. Giant marsupials , wombat, marsupial mole, emu.
Deserts and semi-deserts MYSELF	Tropical continental				Mitchell's grass, triodia, plectrahne, shuttlebeard	Desert sandy and rocky	Emu, frilled lizard, snakes, kangaroo, dingo dog
Stiffleaf evergreen forests and bushes I + STUDENT	Subtropical Mediterranean climate				Low-growing species of eucalyptus, thickets of thorny acacias, saltwort, saltpeter, quinoa	Brown

create a thematic quiz, a crossword puzzle about the uniqueness of flora and fauna, or more serious tasks - tests, geographical dictation. Write down your choice.

Natural areas of Australia (grade 7) is one of the most interesting topics in school geography. Indeed, this continent, despite its small size, is characterized by a very rich natural diversity. This article provides a brief description of all the natural zones of the mainland.

What is a natural area? Formation of natural areas

A natural (or physical-geographical) zone is a part of the geographic envelope, which is characterized by its own set of natural components and conditions. Any natural area includes a number of structural components, namely:

climate features;
landforms;
inland waters;
soil;
flora and fauna.

All these components are in close interaction with each other, and the nature of these connections will be different for each of the natural zones.

The main factor that influences the formation and distribution of natural zones on the planet is the ratio of moisture and heat received. This ratio will vary depending on the latitude of the area. Natural zonation is also influenced by other factors (for example, the nature and complexity of the relief, proximity to the ocean, etc.), but the key factor is still the climatic one.

The natural areas of the mainland, as well as their territorial distribution, are displayed on the following map:

Natural areas of Australia: table

In order to visualize the physical and geographical zoning of Australia, we bring to your attention the following table.

Natural zoning of mainland Australia

Natural areas	Climate type	Typical representatives of the flora	Typical representatives of the fauna
Permanently wet forest zone	Tropical. Monsoon.	eucalyptus; araucaria; ferns; orchids; palm trees	wombat; koala; tiger cat
Zone of evergreen hard-leaved forests	Subtropical (Mediterranean)	eucalyptus (low growing); various cereals; solyanka; acacia	various types of snakes and lizards; wombat; Dingo dog.
Savanna and woodland zone	Subequatorial and tropical	acacia; cereals; casaurins.	echidna; kangaroo; wombat; ostrich Emu.
Desert and semi-desert zone	Tropical (continental)	herbs and some grains; Blackbeard	ostrich Emu; various types of snakes and lizards; kangaroo.

Australia: natural areas and their brief characteristics

The largest area in Australia is the zone of deserts and semi-deserts, located in the tropical zone. This zone is characterized by low precipitation and extremely high evaporation. Therefore, the vegetation of Australian deserts is very poor. Quite often one can observe here extensive salt crusts covering large areas.

To the east, the zone of deserts and semi-deserts is replaced by a more humid zone of savannas and tropical woodlands. In this natural zone, the plant world is already much richer, but the lack of moisture is noticeable here too.

The eastern outskirts of Australia, as you know, are occupied by a mountain system - the Great Dividing Range - the most important landscape barrier on the mainland. It was on its slopes that two natural forest-type zones were formed. Between the 15th and 28th degrees of south latitude there is a zone of evergreen forests, and north of the 15th degree there is a zone of constantly humid forests. The altitudinal zonation on this continent is clearly visible only in the Australian Alps.

Finally

So, we found out that within the smallest continent of the planet there are four natural zones.

The natural zones of Australia are the zone of permanently moist forests, the zone of evergreen hard-leaved forests, the zone of savannas and woodlands, as well as the zone of deserts and semi-deserts. Each of them is distinguished by its geographical features (soil, flora, fauna).