“Australia Geography Essentials: Your Ultimate Guide for Exam Preparation”

World-Location-Based Topics for UPSC Civil Services Exam by Global Updates Now

Contents

Australia 1

Australia (Country) 2

Major Geographic Features in Australia 5

Oceania 8

Melanesia 10

Fiji 10

Micronesia 11

Polynesia 12

New Zealand 12

Recently in News (Focus Area for Prelims 2020) 13

Carmichael coal-mining project in Australia 13

Bougainville 14

Whakaari / White Island 15

Tulagi Island 15

Zealandia 16

Practise Questions for Prelims 16

Australia: Practise Questions 17

Solutions 23

Important Points for Prelims 2020 are highlighted in Blue and Red

Australia

Australia (Country)

Major Geographic Features in Australia

1. Marginal Seas around Australia

1. The Great Barrier Reef

• The Coral Sea contains numerous islands and reefs, as well as the world’s largest reef system, the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1981.
• GBR covers an area of 348,000 km² and extends for over 2,000 kilometres (10^oS to 24^oS).

1. The Great Dividing Range

• The Australian Alps are part of the Great Dividing Range, the series of mountains, and highlands that runs about 3,000 kilometres from northern Queensland to the northern Victoria.
• The Great Dividing Range reaches its greatest heights in the Australian Alps.
• The highest peak in the Australian Alps is Mt Kosciuszko (2,228 m).
• This chain of highlands divides the drainage of the rivers that flow to the east into the Tasman Sea from those that flow west into the drainage of the Murray–Darling Basin.
• The Alps, particularly the Victorian Alps, are periodically subject to major bushfires.

1. Major Deserts in Australia

• Australia is the driest inhabited continent.
• The Great Victoria Desert in southern Australia is Australia’s largest desert.

1. Uluru (Ayers Rock)

• It is a large sandstone rock formation in central Australia.
• Uluru is notable for appearing to change colour at different times of the day and year.

1. Pilbara Region

• Pilbara is a vast, dry, thinly populated region in the north of Western Australia.
• It is known for its vast mineral deposits, in particular iron ore.

1. Kimberley Plateau

• The Argyle Diamond Mine is located in the East Kimberley region.
• The mine is one of the largest producers of diamonds in the world.

Oceania

• Oceania has traditionally been divided into four parts:
  1. Australasia (Australia and New Zealand),
  2. Melanesia,
  3. Micronesia, and
  4. Polynesia.

Oceania (Australia, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia) (Jailbird, via Wikimedia Commons)

Melanesia

• Melanesia extends from New Guinea island to Tonga.
• The region includes the independent countries of Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, as well as the French special collectively of New Caledonia, and parts of Indonesia (Western New Guinea).
• Most of the region is in the Southern Hemisphere, with only a few small north-western islands of Western New Guinea lying in the Northern Hemisphere.

Fiji

• British established the Colony of Fiji in 1874.
• In the late 19^th century, the British imported indentured labourers from India to work on sugarcane fields.
• The British granted Fiji independence in 1970.
• The population of Fiji is mostly made up of native Fijians (54%) and Indo-Fijians (38.1%).
• Relationships between ethnic Fijians and Indo-Fijians have often been strained.
• In 2014, PM Modi visited Fiji.

Micronesia

• There are four main island groups in Micronesia.
• They are divided between six sovereign nations:
  1. the Caroline Islands (divided between Federated States of Micronesia and Palau);
  2. the Gilbert Islands (Republic of Kiribati);
  3. the Mariana Islands (Northern Mariana Islands and Guam are unincorporated territory of the United States; Guam is the largest island)

• 1. the Marshall Islands (a sovereign nation) (Wake Island is claimed by the Marshall Islands but controlled by United States Air Force);
• Nauru is a small sovereign nation in the region.

Polynesia

• Samoa: Independent nation.
• American Samoa: Unincorporated territory of the United States; located to the southeast of Samoa.
• Cook Islands: Self-governing state in free association with New Zealand.
• Easter Island: Province and special territory of Chile.
• French Polynesia: Overseas country of the French Republic.
• Hawaii: In 1959, Hawaii became the 50^th state of the US (Alaska is the 49^th state; it was purchased from Russia).
• Tonga: Independent nation located to the east of Fiji.
• Tuvalu: Independent nation.

New Zealand

• New Zealand is the largest country in Polynesia.
• The country comprises two main islands — the North and South Islands — and a number of small islands.
• Three in four New Zealanders (total population is 4.9 million) live in the North Island.
• The South Island is important for forestry (Western side of Southern Alps), agriculture, sheep rearing and dairy farming (Marlborough, Canterbury Plains).

• The capital city is Wellington and the largest urban area is Auckland — both located on the North Island.
• Southern Alps (900-3000 m) on the South Island is the major mountain range.
• The western slopes are wet and forested.
• The rain shadow region on the eastern side has vast pasture lands and fertile Canterbury Plains.

Canterbury Plains

Recently in News (Focus Area for Prelims 2020)

Carmichael coal-mining project in Australia

• Adani is building the $16.5 billion Carmichael coal-mining project in Queensland, Australia.
• The Australian government approved its construction in 2018.
• Adani has faced country-wide protests against the Queensland project.
• The project can increase global warming and threaten the Great Barrier Reef.
• Carmichael is located in the Galilee Basin.
• The Galilee Basin is one of the largest untapped reserves of coal in the world.
• Carmichael mine will be connected to the Abbot Port operated by Adani.⸻

Galilee Basin in Australia (Wikipedia)

Bougainville

• Bougainville is a part of the archipelago that includes the Solomon Islands.
• It is a resource-rich autonomous island inherited by Papua New Guinea from Australia.

Why is it in the news?

• Voters backing Bougainville’s independence from Papua New Guinea have won a referendum victory.
• 97% of voters opted for independence from Papua New Guinea (PNG).

The outcome of the poll is however not binding on the government of Papua New Guinea.

• Things to remember for prelims: Solomon Islands, Solomon Sea, Bismark Sea and Papua New Guinea.

Why does Bougainville want to secede?

• PNG failed to honour the many agreed arrangements of the autonomy clause.
• Bougainville/Panguna Copper Mine holds some of the world’s largest reserves of copper.
• Copper extracted from the Panguna mine contributed significantly to Papua New Guinea’s economy.
• The mine created opportunities for people from PNG & Australia, leading to conflicts with Bougainvilleans.

Whakaari / White Island

• The volcanic island Whakaari / White Island in New Zealand’s north-eastern Bay of Plenty region explo-sively erupted on 9 December 2019, killing several people.
• Whakaari / White Island is an active andesite stratovolcano.

Tulagi Island

• A Beijing-based company has secured exclusive development rights for the entire island of Tulagi.
• Tulagi is an island within the Solomon Islands.
• The secretive deal was signed with the provincial government in the Solomon Islands.
• China is also pushing to end the region’s status as a diplomatic stronghold for Taiwan.
• The Solomons cut ties to Taiwan and allied with Beijing just a few days before the Tulagi deal.
• A second Pacific nation, Kiribati, followed suit the same week.
• The US sees the island chains of the Pacific as crucial to keep China in check and protect important sea routes.

Zealandia

• Zealandia (microcontinent – broke away from Australian continental landmass) is an almost entirely sub-merged mass of continental crust that subsided after splitting from Gondwanaland 80 million years ago.
• New Zealand is the largest part of Zealandia that is above sea level, followed by New Caledonia.

Practise Questions for Prelims

Australia: Practise Questions

1. With reference to the Indo-Australian lithospheric plate, which of the following state-ments are true?
   1. Indian lithospheric plate is moving away from Eurasia
   2. Australian lithospheric plate is moving towards Eurasia

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both
4. None
5. Which of the following statements are true?
   1. The latitudinal extent of India is greater than the latitudinal extent of Australia
   2. The longitudinal extent of Australia is greater than the longitudinal extent of India

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both
4. None
5. Which of the following statements are true?
   1. Most of the geographical area of Australia lies to the north of the Tropic of Capricorn.
   2. Arid and semiarid regions occupy more than 60% of the geographical area of Australia.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

• 1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both
  4. None

1. Which of the following statements are true?

1. Kimberley Diamond mine is located in the Kimberley Plateau of Australia.
2. Pilbara region of Australia, known for its rich mineral resources, is located in South-Western Australia

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 1 only
2. 2 only
3. Both
4. None
5. Which of the following statements are true?
   1. Most of the major coal mines in Australia are located in the eastern region.
   2. Carmichael coal-mining project in located in Queensland, Australia.
   3. Port Abbot is the major iron ore exporting port of Australia.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

• 1. 1 & 2 only
  2. 2 only
  3. 1 only
  4. All

1. What is the correct order of the major Australian cities from north to south?
   1. Darwin, Sydney, Perth, Canberra & Adelaide
   2. Darwin, Perth, Sydney, Adelaide & Hobart
   3. Perth, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide & Hobart
   4. Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra & Hobart
2. Which of the following statements are true?

1. Murry River is the longest river in Australia
2. Murray-Darling Basin is the largest river basin of Australia, and most of its drainage is located in the Queensland region.
3. Murray River flows into the Tasman Sea

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

a) 1 only

1. 1 & 2 only
2. 1 & 3 only
3. None
4. Which of the following are correctly matched?
   1. Koolyanobbing ⸻ Iron Ore Mine
   2. Kalgoorlie ⸻ Gold Mine
   3. Olympic Dam ⸻ Polymetallic Mine
   4. Carmichael ⸻ Coal Mine

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

• 1. All
  2. 1 & 2 only
  3. 1, 2 & 4 only
  4. 1, 3 & 4 only

1. What is the correct north-south order of major Australian landforms/geographic fea-

tures?

• 1. Tanami Desert, Great Barrier Reef, Ayers Rock & Eyre Lake
  2. Great Barrier Reef, Kimberley Plateau, Great Sandy Desert & Tanami Desert
  3. Great Barrier Reef, Kimberley Plateau, Great Sandy Desert & Lake Eyre
  4. Great Barrier Reef, Kimberley Plateau, Australian Alps & Great Victorian Desert

1. Which of the following are correctly matched?

1. Port Darwin ⸻ Timor Sea
2. Port Abbot ⸻ Coral Sea
3. Port Brisbane ⸻ Tasman Sea
4. Port Melbourne ⸻ Bass Strait

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. All
2. 1 & 2 only
3. 1, 2 & 3 only
4. 1, 2 & 4 only

1. Which of the following statements are true?
   1. The highest mountain of Australia is Mount Kosciuszko
   2. There are no active volcanoes in Australia
   3. Australia is a part of Oceania

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. All
2. 2 & 3 only
3. 3 only
4. 1 & 3 only
5. Which of the following statements are true?
   1. Port Darwin is the northern-most point of Australia
   2. The Timor Sea and the Arafura Sea are a part of the Pacific Ocean
   3. In Timor Island, West Timor is a part of Indonesia, and East Timor is a part of Australia

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 2 only
2. 2 & 3 only
3. 3 only
4. None
5. Which of the following statements are false?
   1. Denmark is the country with the largest island.
   2. Greenland is the largest island country.
   3. Greenland is the largest island in the world.
   4. Greenland is larger than Australia

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 1 & 3 only
2. 2, 3 & 4 only
3. 2 & 4 only
4. 2, 3 & 4 only

1. Which of the following statements are true?
   1. Bass Strait separates Australia from the Melanesian island of New Guinea
   2. Torres Strait separates Australian mainland from Tasmania
   3. Cook Strait separates the two major Islands of New Zealand

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 2 only
2. 1 & 2 only
3. 2 & 3 only
4. None
5. Which of the following statements are true?
   1. The Solomon Islands is a province of Papua New Guinea
   2. Bougainville Island, which was in the news recently, is a part of the Solomon Islands Archipelago
   3. Solomon Islands Archipelago lies entirely in the southern hemisphere

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 1 & 2 only
2. 2 & 3 only
3. 2 only’
4. 3 only
5. Which of the following statements are true?
   1. The Galápagos Islands are a part of Oceania
   2. Oceania includes the entire continent of Australia
   3. New Guinea is the largest Island of Oceania

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

• 1. 1 & 2 only
  2. 2 & 3 only
  3. 2 only’
  4. 3 only

1. Which of the following statements are true?

1. The Solomon Sea is between the Coral Sea and the Bismarck Sea
2. The Bismarck Archipelago separates the Bismarck Sea from the Solomon Sea
3. The Bismarck Archipelago is an island chain of Papua New Guinea
4. Bougainville Island of Papua New Guinea, which was in the news recently, is in the Bismarck Sea

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 1 & 2 only
2. 1, 2 & 3 only
3. 3 only
4. All
5. Which of the following volcanic landforms are built by layer over layer of basaltic magma?
   1. Hawaii Island
   2. Whakaari / White Island in New Zealand
   3. Mariana Islands

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

1. 1 only
2. 1 & 2 only
3. 2 & 3 only
4. 1 & 3 only
5. Consider the following statements
   1. Zealandia is a part of the Australian Continental Plate
   2. Except for the Islands of New Zealand, the rest of Zealandia is submerged underwater.
   3. Zealandia is a microcontinent

Which of the above statements are true?

1. All
2. 1 only
3. 1 & 3 only
4. 3 only

Solutions

1. d

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