Australian Physical Environment

PHYSICAL REGIONS: * The total length of Australia’s coastlines is 35 877 km with western Australia’s being the largest. * Australia’s coastline is relatively short due to its compact shape(all in one) * Australia is the smallest out of the 7 continents * It has and area of7 682 000 km squared * A region is defined as an area with one or more features that distinguish it from surrounding areas. These are either, natural, cultural economic or political. Example- GREAT BARRIER REEF * ORGINS OF THE CONTINENT: AN ABORIGINAL PERSPECTIVE: * Like lots of indigenous and cultural groups, they have their own explanations of how the world was created! * The aboriginals believe that everything around them exists because of the dreaming * This is an ongoing belief of the indigenous Australians that has occurred due to the past, is present in our society and one a belief that will continue in the future. * It was believed that at the beginning of time spirit ancestors wandered the earth in the form of animals. * They believe that then some of these animals went to the sky( created moon, sun and stars) * The others stayed on earth and created the natural world * The spirits shaped the land and created more spirits who then created the flora and fauna, including human life. * They believe that these spirits never died but life on in the flora and fauna, around them. * This dreaming belief is sacred to the Aboriginal people as they believe that there is a spiritual link between them and the land( who are supposedly the spirits. * They believe that these spirits gave each culture its own language, beliefs, religion and practices. * They believe that these spirits created the laws and regulations of each society in order to maintain life and the land. * The dreaming is told through, stories, songs, dances and art * The dreaming defined their pattern of life which reaches back to at least 50 000 years ago