Oceania agriculture. Summary: Economic-geographical characteristics of Australia and Oceania. Natural resources and conditions

Plan:

Introduction.

Geographic location of Australia and Oceania.

Natural resources and conditions.

Population of the country. Demographic situation.

Household:

Industry.

Ferrous metallurgy

Non-ferrous metallurgy

Chemical and oil refining industry

building materials industry

Light industry

food industry

mechanical engineering

Agriculture.

Geography of transport.

Foreign economic relations.

Import

Export

Conclusion.

List of literary sources.

Introduction:

Realizing that in the 11th grade it is necessary to take a lot of subjects and there is such an opportunity to reduce the number of subjects, I decided to do this, I decided that it would be nice to start doing it, but I found out that I was not the only one taking the same subject, I decided to compete. And find out whose project will be better.

Why Australia? I just would like to get there, get to the whole continent, go there, admire the business part of Sydney, look at people to show themselves. The abstract is a good excuse to get to know this country better. Get to know everyone better. Find out what Australia is. Find out why there is little fresh water. As I described in the abstract.

The structure of this essay is not something unusual and extraordinary

What I mean to say is that history influences natural conditions, the many changes in Australia's frontiers have affected geographic location and consequently natural conditions), which in turn affect the distribution of population, and all this already affects the geography of industry and foreign economic relations.

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Geographical position.

Australia is the only state in the world that occupies the territory of an entire continent, therefore Australia has only maritime borders. Australia's neighboring countries are New Zealand, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and other island states of Oceania. Australia is remote from the developed countries of America and Europe, large markets for raw materials and sales of products, but many sea routes connect Australia with them, and Australia also plays an important role in the Asia-Pacific region.

Australia has a federal structure and includes 6 states:

The capital of Australia is Canberra.

A state located on the mainland of Australia and a number of nearby islands, the largest of which is the island of Tasmania. Total area - 7,682,300 km2 (land area - 7,617,930 km2). The length of the coastline is 25,760 km. The Great Barrier Reef stretches along the northeastern coast in the Karal Sea, the length of which is 2,500 km. Along the eastern coast, leaving a narrow coastal strip, from Cape York in the north to Bass Strait in the south and continuing on the island of Tasmania, stretches the Great Dividing Range, 3,300 km long. Its average height is 300-400, the highest part is the southern Australian Alps (Mount Kostyusha 2228 m). In the center of the mainland there is a vast zone of lowlands, most of which are the basins of the Murray (Mary) River and Lake Eyre, as well as the Nullarbor Plain. In the west of the country is the Great Western Plateau with four deserts: the Great Victoria Desert, the Great Sandy Desert, the Gibson Desert and the Simson Desert. Australia is very poor in fresh water. The main part of the rivers is located in the north: the Murray (Murray), Darling and others. The rivers located in the center and in the west are strange, they dry up in the summer season. Most of the country's lakes are salty. The largest Lake Eyre is no exception, with a water level below sea level by 12m. Australia has minerals: coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, lead, zinc, diamonds, there is also natural gas and oil. Meadows and pastures occupy most of the country's territory (58%), 6% is allocated for arable land.

Oceania

Oceania is the world's largest cluster of islands in archipelagos in the central and southwestern Pacific Ocean. The islands and archipelagos of Oceania are located in the vast area of the Pacific Ocean between 290 N.S. and 530yu. sh. and 1300v.d. and 1090z.d. All of Oceania, except for two relatively large land masses - New Guinea (829 thousand sq. Km.) And New Zealand (265 thousand sq. Km.), consists of nearly 7 thousand islands. The total area of Oceania is only about 1.3 million square meters. km.

Melanesia, located in the western part of Oceania, includes New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, the D Antcasto Islands, the Louisiade Archipelago, the Solomon Islands, the Santa Cruz Islands, the New Hebrides, New Caledonia, the Loyalty Islands, the Fiji Islands and a number of others. The total area of Melanesia (Black Island) is 969 thousand square meters. km, of which almost 6/7 falls on New Guinea - this microcontinent of Melanesia.

Polynesia (multi-island), stretching from the extreme southwest to the eastern limits of Oceania, includes the islands: New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, Wallis, Horn, Tuvalu, Tokelau, Cook, Tubuai, Societies, Tuamotu, Marquesas, Hawaiian Islands, Easter Island and others. The area of Polynesia without New Zealand is only 26 thousand square meters. km, and 17 thousand of them are in the Hawaiian Islands.

Micronesia (small island), occupying the northwestern part of Oceania, is a collection of small, tiny islands and archipelagos, predominantly of coral, but also of volcanic origin. The most important island groups of Micronesia are the Caroline, Mariana, Marshall and Gilbert Islands. The total area of the islands of Micronesia is only about 2.6 thousand square meters. km, but these islands are scattered over a vast expanse of water with an area of 14 million square meters. km.

On most of the islands of Oceania, natural conditions are basically favorable for human life. It is not surprising that man has populated almost all of Oceania, mastered even the most remote and small patches of land, having had a considerable impact on the natural world of the islands over the past millennia.

The total population of Oceania is currently about 10 million people. Of these, 5 million live in Melanesia, 4.5 million in Polynesia and over 0.3 million in Micronesia.

The modern population of Oceania consists of three main components. The first component is the indigenous people, whose ancestors mastered the archipelagos of Oceania a millennium ago. The second is the newcomer population. These descendants come from Europe, Asia and America, whose migration continues to this day. And the third - the most diverse groups of mixed origin.

The basis of the modern political map of Oceania was formed as a result of the long and stubborn struggle of the colonial powers to divide the oceanic archipelagos and individual islands among themselves. Until the beginning of the 60s of our century, there was only one independent state in Oceania - New Zealand, created by colonists from England, Scotland and Ireland. In the last decade, in the context of the general crisis of capitalism and the collapse of the world colonial system in Oceania, the national liberation movement has intensified.

Oceania is an ethnographic concept rather than a geographical one. Many of the oceanic islands differ significantly from one another in their size, vegetation, soils, and natural resources. These differences are connected, first of all, with their origin. Islands in the ocean are a special natural-territorial complexes, including various rocks, fresh ground or surface waters, soils, terrestrial vegetation and wildlife. These are peculiar micromeres scattered on the surface of ocean waters and representing ecological systems.

By origin, the islands of Oceania belong to four types: volcanic, biogenic, geosynclinal and continental. Volcanic islands range in size from a few square kilometers to several thousand kilometers. Biogenic islands are formed by animal organisms. These are coral reefs, including. Geosynclinal islands are found in the western part of the ocean, in the continuation of the earth's crust of the transitional continent. The mainland islands are entire mountainous countries.

Islands in Oceania are washed by the waters of warm seas. Almost all of it lies in the tropical zone, and only New Zealand and its neighboring islands are in the subtropics. At the same time, the water environment is diverse in its properties, and these differences are clearly manifested in the landscapes of the islands and affect the life of the peoples inhabiting them. Water currents not only carry heat or cold, but also contribute to the settlement of organisms. The main direction of movement of surface water masses in Oceania is from east to west. The waters of the seas and oceans washing the islands of Oceania are rich in biological resources. The mineral resources of the seabed are significant.

Climate. Warm, even, mild - such a climate can be described in Oceania. The position of the islands in the equatorial and tropical latitudes causes high air temperatures. At the same time, the winds from the ocean significantly soften the heat, so the climate of the tropical islands is one of the most comfortable on the globe. It is no coincidence that the Pacific Islands attract a huge number of tourists. There are two climatic regions in Oceania: trade winds and monsoons. The first occupies the eastern and central parts of this territory of the Pacific Ocean, the second - its western part, including the island of New Guinea.

However, different islands have different climates. Within the vast expanse of Oceania, there are great differences in the temperature conditions of winter and summer, in the amount of precipitation and its constancy, in the susceptibility of the islands to tropical hurricanes.

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Natural resources and conditions.

Australia is rich in a variety of minerals. New discoveries of mineral ores made on the continent over the past 10-15 years have pushed the country to one of the first places in the world in terms of reserves and extraction of such minerals as iron ore, bauxite, lead-zinc ores.

The largest deposits of iron ore in Australia, which began to be developed since the 60s of our century, are located in the region of the Hamersley Range in the north-west of the country (the Mount Newman, Mount Goldsworth, etc. deposits). Iron ore is also found on the Kulan and Kokatu Islands in King's Bay (in the northwest), in the state of South Australia in the Middleback Range (Iron-Knob, etc.) and in Tasmania - the Savage River deposit (in the Savage river valley).

/>/>Large deposits of semi-metals (lead, zinc with an admixture of silver and copper) are located in the western desert part of the state of New South Wales - the Broken Hill deposit. An important center for the extraction of non-ferrous metals (copper, lead, zinc) has developed near the Mount Isa deposit (in the state of Queensland). Deposits of semimetals and copper are also found in Tasmania (Reed Rosebury and Mount Lyell), copper - in Tennant Creek (Northern Territory) and in other places.

The main gold reserves are concentrated in the ledges of the Precambrian basement and in the southwest of the mainland (Western Australia), in the area of the cities of Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie, Northman and Wiluna, as well as in Queensland. Smaller deposits are found in almost all states.

Bauxites occur on the Cape York Peninsula (Waype Field) and Arnhem Land (Gow Field), as well as in the southwest, in the Darling Range (Jarradale Field).

Uranium deposits have been found in various parts of the mainland: in the north (Arnhemland Peninsula) - near the South and East Alligator rivers, in the state of South Australia - near Lake. Frome, in the state of Queensland - the Mary-Katlin field and in the western part of the country - the Yillirri field.

The main deposits of coal are located in the eastern part of the mainland. The largest deposits of both coking and non-coking coal are developed near the cities of Newcastle and Lythgow (New South Wales) and the cities of Collinsville, Blair Atol, Bluff, Baralaba and Moura Kiang in Queensland.

Geological surveys have established that large deposits of oil and natural gas are located in the bowels of the Australian mainland and on the shelf off its coast. Oil has been found and produced in Queensland (the Mooney, Alton and Bennet fields), on Barrow Island off the northwestern coast of the mainland, and also on the continental shelf off the south coast of Victoria (the Kingfish field). Deposits of gas (the largest Ranken field) and oil have also been discovered on the shelf off the northwestern shores of the mainland.

Australia has large deposits of chromium (Queensland), Gingin, Dongara, Mandarra (Western Australia), Marlin (Victoria).

From non-metallic minerals, there are clays, sands, limestones, asbestos, and mica of various quality and industrial use.

The water resources of the continent itself are small, but the most developed river network is on the island of Tasmania. The rivers there have a mixed rain and snow supply and are full-flowing throughout the year. They flow down from the mountains and therefore are stormy, rapids and have large reserves of hydropower. The latter is widely used for the construction of hydroelectric power plants. The availability of cheap electricity contributes to the development of energy-intensive industries in Tasmania, such as the smelting of pure electrolyte metals, the manufacture of cellulose, etc.

The rivers flowing from the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range are short, in their upper reaches they flow in narrow gorges. Here they may well be used, and partly already used for the construction of hydroelectric power stations. When entering the coastal plain, the rivers slow down their flow, their depth increases. Many of them in the estuarine parts are even accessible to large ocean-going vessels. The Clarence River is navigable for 100 km from its mouth, and Hawkesbury for 300 km. The volume of runoff and the regime of these rivers are different and depend on the amount of precipitation and the time of their occurrence.

On the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, rivers originate, making their way along the interior plains. In the region of Mount Kosciuszko, the most abundant river in Australia, the Murray, begins. Its largest tributaries, the Darling, Murrumbidgee, Goulbury and some others, also originate in the mountains.

Food r. The Murray and its channels are mostly rainy and to a lesser extent snowy. These rivers are at their fullest in early summer, when the snow melts in the mountains. In the dry season, they become very shallow, and some of the Murray's tributaries break up into separate stagnant reservoirs. Only Murray and Murrumbidgee retain a constant current (except for exceptionally dry years). Even the Darling, the longest river in Australia (2450 km), during summer droughts, getting lost in the sands, does not always reach the Murray.

Dams and dams have been built on almost all the rivers of the Murray system, near which reservoirs have been created, where flood waters are collected and used to irrigate fields, gardens and pastures.

The rivers of the northern and western coasts of Australia are shallow and relatively small. The longest of them - Flinders flows into the Gulf of Carpentaria. These rivers are fed by rain, and their water content varies greatly at different times of the year.

Rivers whose flow is directed to the interior of the mainland, such as Coopers Creek (Barkoo), Diamant-ina, and others, are deprived not only of a constant flow, but also of a permanent, distinctly expressed channel. In Australia, such temporary rivers are called screams. They fill with water only during short showers. Soon after the rain, the riverbed again turns into a dry sandy hollow, often not even having a definite shape.

Most lakes in Australia, like rivers, are fed by rainwater. They have neither a constant level nor a runoff. In summer, the lakes dry up and are shallow saline depressions. The layer of salt at the bottom sometimes reaches 1.5 m.

In the seas surrounding Australia, sea animals are mined and fish are caught. Edible oysters are bred in sea waters. Sea trepang, crocodiles and pearl clams are fished in warm coastal waters in the north and northeast. The main center of artificial breeding of the latter is located in the region of the Koberg peninsula (Arnhemland). It was here, in the warm waters of the Arafura Sea and Van Diemen Bay, that the first experiments were carried out to create special sediments. These experiments were carried out by one of the Australian companies with the participation of Japanese specialists. It has been found that pearl clams grown in warm waters off the northern coast of Australia produce larger pearls than those off the coast of Japan, and in a much shorter period of time. At present, the cultivation of pearl mollusks has spread widely along the northern and partly northeastern coasts.

Since the Australian mainland for a long time, starting from the middle of the Cretaceous period, was isolated from other parts of the globe, its flora is very peculiar. Of the 12 thousand species of higher plants, more than 9 thousand are endemic, i.e. grow only on the Australian continent. Among the endemics are many species of eucalyptus and acacia, the most typical plant families in Australia. At the same time, there are also such plants that are inherent in South America (for example, the southern beech), South Africa (representatives of the Proteaceae family) and the islands of the Malay Archipelago (ficus, pandanus, etc.). This indicates that many millions of years ago there were land connections between the continents.

Since the climate of most of Australia is characterized by severe aridity, dry-loving plants dominate in its flora: special cereals, eucalyptus trees, umbrella acacias, succulent trees (bottle tree, etc.). The trees belonging to these communities have a powerful root system, which goes 10-20, and sometimes 30 m into the ground, due to which they, like a pump, suck out moisture from great depths. The narrow and dry leaves of these trees are painted mostly in a dull gray-greenish color. In some of them, the leaves are turned to the sun with an edge, which helps to reduce the evaporation of water from their surface.

In the far north and northwest of the country, where it is hot and warm northwest monsoons bring moisture, tropical rainforests grow. Giant eucalyptus trees, ficuses, palm trees, pandanuses with narrow long leaves, etc. predominate in their woody composition. The dense foliage of the trees forms an almost continuous cover, shading the ground. In some places along the coast there are thickets of bamboo. Where the shores are flat and muddy, mangrove vegetation develops.

Rainforests in the form of narrow galleries stretch for relatively short distances inland along the river valleys.

The farther to the south, the drier the climate becomes and the hotter breath of the deserts is felt more strongly. The forest cover is gradually thinning. Eucalyptus and umbrella acacias are arranged in groups. This is a zone of humid savannas, stretching in a latitudinal direction south of the tropical forest zone. In appearance, savannahs with rare groups of trees resemble parks. There is no undergrowth in them. Sunlight freely penetrates through a sieve of small tree leaves and falls on the ground covered with tall dense grass. Forested savannahs are excellent pastures for sheep and cattle.

The central deserts of parts of the mainland, where it is very hot and dry, are characterized by dense, almost impenetrable thickets of thorny low-growing shrubs, consisting mainly of eucalyptus and acacia. In Australia, these thickets are called scrub. In places it is scraped, interspersed with vast, devoid of vegetation sandy, rocky or clay areas of deserts, and in places - thickets of tall soddy grasses (spinifex).

The eastern and southeastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range, where there is a lot of rainfall, are covered with dense tropical and subtropical evergreen forests. Most of all in these forests, as elsewhere in Australia, eucalyptus trees. Eucalyptus trees are industrially valuable. These trees have no equal in height among hardwood species; some of their species reach 150 m in height and 10 m in diameter. The growth of wood in eucalyptus forests is large, and therefore they are very productive. There are also many tree-like horsetails and ferns in the forests, reaching 10-20 m in height. At their top, tree-like ferns carry a crown of large (up to 2 m long) pinnate leaves. With their bright and fresh greenery, they somewhat enliven the faded bluish-green landscape of eucalyptus forests. Higher in the mountains, an admixture of damarr pines and beeches is noticeable.

Shrub and grass covers in these forests are varied and dense. In less humid variants of these forests, grass trees form the second layer.

On the island of Tasmania, in addition to eucalyptus trees, there are many evergreen beeches related to South American species.

In the southwest of the mainland, forests cover the western slopes of the Darling Range, facing the sea. These forests consist almost entirely of eucalyptus trees, reaching considerable heights. The number of endemic species is especially high here. In addition to eucalyptus, bottle trees are widespread. They have an original bottle-shaped trunk, thick at the base and tapering sharply upwards. In the rainy season, large reserves of moisture accumulate in the tree trunk, which are consumed during the dry season. In the undergrowth of these forests there are many shrubs and herbs, full of bright colors.

In general, Australia's forest resources are small. The total area of forests, including special plantations, consisting mainly of species with soft wood (mainly radiata pine), at the end of the 70s was only 5.6% of the country's territory.

The first colonists did not find plant species characteristic of Europe on the mainland. Subsequently, European and other species of trees, shrubs and herbs were brought to Australia. Grapevine, cotton, cereals (wheat, barley, oats, rice, corn, etc.), vegetables, many fruit trees, etc. are well established here.

In Australia, all soil types characteristic of tropical, subequatorial and subtropical natural zones are presented in a regular sequence.

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In the area of tropical rainforests in the north, red soils are common, changing towards the south with red-brown and brown soils in wet savannahs and gray-brown soils in dry savannahs. Red-brown and brown soils containing humus, a little phosphorus and potassium, are valuable for agricultural use.

Within the zone of red-brown soils, the main wheat crops of Australia are located.

In the marginal regions of the Central Plains (for example, in the Murray basin), where artificial irrigation is developed and a lot of fertilizers are used, grapes, fruit trees, and fodder grasses are grown on gray earth soils.

Gray-brown steppe soils are widespread in the desert inland territories surrounding the semi-desert and especially steppe regions, where there is grass, and in some places shrub-tree cover. Their power is insignificant. They contain little humus and phosphorus, therefore, when using them even as pastures for sheep and cattle, the application of phosphorus fertilizers is required.

The Australian continent is located within the three main warm climatic zones of the southern hemisphere: subequatorial (in the north), tropical (in the central part), subtropical (in the south). Only a small part of Tasmania lies within the temperate zone.

The subequatorial climate, characteristic of the northern and northeastern parts of the continent, is characterized by a smooth temperature range (during the year, the average air temperature is 23 - 24 degrees) and a large amount of precipitation (from 1000 to 1500 mm, and in some places more than 2000 mm.). Precipitation is brought here by the humid northwest monsoon, and it falls mainly in the summer. In winter, during the dry season, rain falls only occasionally. At this time, dry, hot winds blow from the interior of the mainland, which sometimes cause droughts.

In the tropical zone on the Australian continent, two main types of climate are formed: tropical wet and tropical dry.

A humid tropical climate is characteristic of the extreme eastern part of Australia, which is included in the zone of action of the southeast trade winds. These winds bring moisture-saturated air masses from the Pacific Ocean to the mainland. Therefore, the entire area of the coastal plains and the eastern slopes of the Great Dividing Range is well moistened (on average, from 1000 to 1500 mm of precipitation falls) and has a mild warm climate (the temperature of the warmest month in Sydney is 22 - 25 degrees, and the coldest - 11.5 - 13 degrees).

Air masses that bring moisture from the Pacific Ocean also penetrate beyond the Great Dividing Range, losing a significant amount of moisture along the way, so precipitation falls only on the western slopes of the ridge and in the foothills.

Located mainly in tropical and subtropical latitudes, where solar radiation is high, the Australian mainland is getting very hot. Due to the weak indentation of the coastline and the uplift of the marginal parts, the influence of the seas surrounding the mainland is weakly felt in the inner parts.

Australia is the driest continent on Earth, and one of the most characteristic features of its nature is the wide distribution of deserts that occupy vast spaces and stretch for almost 2.5 thousand km from the shores of the Indian Ocean to the foothills of the Great Dividing Range.

The central and western parts of the mainland are characterized by a desert tropical climate. In summer (December-February), the average temperatures here rise to 30 degrees, and sometimes even higher, and in winter (June-August) they drop to an average of 10-15 degrees. The hottest region of Australia is the northwestern one, where in the Great Sandy Desert the temperature stays at around 35 degrees and even higher almost all summer. In winter, it decreases slightly (up to about 25-20 degrees). In the center of the mainland, near the city of Alice Springs, in the summer, the temperature during the day rises to 45 degrees, at night it drops to zero and below (-4-6 degrees).

Central and western parts of Australia, i.e. about half of its territory receives an average of 250-300 mm of precipitation per year, and the vicinity of Lake. Air - less than 200 mm; but even these insignificant precipitations fall unevenly. Sometimes for several years in a row there is no rain at all, and sometimes in two or three days, or even in a few hours, the entire annual amount of precipitation falls. Part of the water seeps quickly and deeply through the permeable soil and becomes inaccessible to plants, and part evaporates under the hot rays of the sun, and the surface layers of the soil remain almost dry.

Within the subtropical zone, three types of climate are distinguished: Mediterranean, subtropical continental and subtropical humid.

The Mediterranean climate is characteristic of the southwestern part of Australia. As the name suggests, the climate of this part of the country is similar to the climate of the European Mediterranean countries - Spain and Southern France. Summers are hot and generally dry, while winters are warm and humid. Relatively small fluctuations in temperature by season (January - 23-27 degrees, June - 12 - 14 degrees), a sufficient amount of precipitation (from 600 to 1000 mm).

The continental subtropical climate zone covers the southern part of the mainland adjacent to the Great Australian Gulf, includes the vicinity of the city of Adelaide and extends somewhat further east, to the western regions of the state of New South Wales. The main features of this climate are low rainfall and relatively large annual temperature fluctuations.

The humid subtropical climate zone includes the entire state of Victoria and the southwestern foothills of the state of New South Wales. In general, this entire zone is characterized by a mild climate and a significant amount of precipitation (from 500 to 600 mm), mainly in the coastal parts (the penetration of precipitation into the interior of the continent decreases). In summer, temperatures rise to an average of 20-24 degrees, but in winter they drop quite a lot - up to 8-10 degrees. The climate of this part of the country is favorable for the cultivation of fruit trees, various vegetables and forage grasses. True, artificial irrigation is used to obtain high yields, since in the summer the moisture in the soil is not enough. Dairy cattle (grazing on fodder grasses) and sheep are bred in these areas.

The temperate climate zone includes only the central and southern parts of the island of Tasmania. This island is largely influenced by the surrounding waters and has a climate of moderately warm winters and cool summers. The average January temperature here is 14-17 degrees, June - 8 degrees. The prevailing wind direction is west. The average annual rainfall in the western part of the island is 2500 mm, and the number of rainy days is 259. In the eastern part, the climate is somewhat less humid.

In winter, snow sometimes falls, but it does not last long. Abundant rainfall favors the development of vegetation, and especially herbs, which vegetate all year round. Herds of cattle and sheep graze all year round on evergreen succulent natural and improved by oversowing fodder grasses meadows.

The hot climate and insignificant and uneven precipitation over most of the mainland lead to the fact that almost 60% of its territory is deprived of runoff to the ocean and has only a rare network of temporary watercourses. Perhaps, on no other continent is there such a poorly developed network of inland waters as in Australia. The annual flow of all the rivers of the continent is only 350 cubic km.

Population. Demographic situation

In 1996 Australia's population was 18,322,231 people, so Australia's place in terms of population in the world is in the fortieth. In 2000, the population was 19.2 million people.

The country is mainly inhabited by Europeans 77% of the population of Australia - the descendants of immigrants from the British Isles - the British, Irish, Scots, who formed the Anglo-Australian nation, the rest are mainly immigrants from other European countries, Aborigines and mestizos - 250 thousand. people (1991). Most of the country's population are immigrants. Every fourth inhabitant of Australia was born outside of it. After. During the Second World War, an immigration program began to be implemented, during which the country's population was increased from 7.6 million. people in 1947 up to 15.5 million people in 1984 About 60% of this growth came from immigrants and their children born in Australia. The core population of Australia is made up of Anglo-Australians.

Australia belongs to the countries with type I reproduction.

Out of 18,322,231 people Men aged 1 to 14 - 2,032,238, from 15 to 64 - 6,181,887, from 65 and older - 934,374, women aged 1 to 14 - 1,929,366, from 15 to 64 - 6,017,362, from 65 and older - 1,227,004 people.

The average population density is about 2 people per km2. But the population density varies across the country. This is due to the fact that about half of the territory of Australia is occupied by deserts and semi-deserts that are not suitable for habitation. Therefore, the population density in desert areas is less than a person per square kilometer, and on the east coast the climate is much more favorable, therefore, the large cities of Australia are located here - Sydney (3.6 million people), Melbourne (3 million people), Brisbane (1.2 million people). ), and the population density here is from 1 to 10 people. per sq. km., also on the west coast in the area of Perth (1.2 million people), the population density is up to 10 people per sq. km. km.

In the capital of Australia, 311 thousand people live in 1999. Australians are mostly city dwellers. At the beginning of the twentieth century. 50% of the country's population lived in cities, after. World War II - 70%, in the 60s. the rural population was 16%, in the 80s. - fourteen%. The process of urbanization continued all the time, and its pace has steadily increased, so according to forecasts at the end of the twentieth century. the rural population will be 8%.

More than 70% of Australians live in 12 major cities of the country: in the federal capital, state capitals and the Northern Territory and cities with a population of more than 100 thousand. people About 40% of the country's population lives in Melbourne and Sydney.

Birth rate - 14 newborns per 1,000 people. (1995) Mortality - 7 deaths per 1,000 people (infant mortality rate - 7.1 deaths per 1,000 births). The average life expectancy for men is 74 years, for women, 81 years (1995). The working capacity of the population is 8,630,000 people, of which 34% are employed in the financial sector and the service sector, 22% in the public and communal sectors of the economy, 20% in trade, 16% in industry, and 6% in agriculture ( 1991).

Household:

Australia in a relatively short period of time - only about 80 years - has gone through a difficult path of economic development of the agrarian and raw material appendage of the metropolis, which the country was at the beginning of the 20th century, it has become an economically highly developed state. This was facilitated by a number of historical and economic conditions. After that, the economic development of Australia immediately followed the capitalist path.

Of great importance for the development of the economy was also the fact that in the entire history of its existence, Australia did not experience military destruction, did not pay war debts and reparations. The military conjuncture not only did not weaken the country's economy, but, on the contrary, contributed to the general economic, and mainly industrial, development, since it was necessary to produce with our own means what had previously been brought from the metropolis.

Satisfying this demand and thereby increasing labor productivity in agriculture and increasing its productivity was especially important for the country.

Australian industry.

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One of the oldest branches of the Australian economy is the mining industry. The Australian mainland is rich in a wide variety of minerals. From 50% to 90 and even 99% of mining products are exported to other countries.

The mining industry in Australia plays an important role in the country's economy. Mining raw materials have been, and still are, one of the main items of Australian exports.

According to a scientific study, per inhabitant of Australia, on average, 50 tons of iron ore, 55 tons of limestone, 4 tons of zinc, 200 tons of coal, 175 cubic meters are mined per year. crude oil. Australia is one of the world's major exporters of minerals, although it develops only 0.02% of the entire territory of Australia, because. in some regions there are difficulties in access or remoteness of deposits, or unprofitable development.

During the 1980s a large influx of investment in the mining and manufacturing industries has led to an increase in the pace of production. Australian workers are the most skilled. Working conditions today are very different from working conditions 10 or more years ago. The need to use new technologies is constantly increasing, and therefore today the industry includes new branches of science and technology, business administration and marketing, environmental control, etc.

The development of the mining industry from its very inception was determined by the extensive investment of British capital.

Ferrous metallurgy of Australia.

In 1994, the extraction of iron ore amounted to 123.9 million tons (by weight). The smelting of some metals increased and amounted to 7.2 million tons (pig iron), and steel 7.6 million tons.

In Australia, all stages of the production of ferrous metals are developed - blast furnace, steelmaking, rolling, as well as the manufacture of special steels and alloys and various types of metalworking. The smelting of non-ferrous metals (copper, tin, zinc, etc.) has received great development. Ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy meet the increased needs of mechanical engineering and other industries.

The main deposits of iron ore: Pilbara (Western Australia), Mount Newman, Mount Goldsworth, on the islands of Kulan and Kokatu in King's Bay (in the northwest), in the state of South Australia in the Middleback Range (Iron Knob, etc.) and in Tasmania - the Savage River field (in the valley of the Savage River).

Ferrous metals are also smelted in the area of the Mount Isa copper deposit and some others.

The main centers of ferrous metallurgy in Australia are located on the east coast (the cities of Port Kembla, Newcastle, Melbourne).

Non-ferrous metallurgy of Australia.

For 1994 Mining of copper, thousand. tons 381. Production of refined copper from ores and secondary raw materials, thousand tons 331. Mining of zinc, thousand tons 985.1. Production of zinc ingot, thousand tons 315. Mining of lead, thousand tons 519. Production of refined lead from primary and secondary raw materials, thousand tons 211. Mining of tin, thousand tons8. Production of primary tin, thousand tons 0.2. Aluminum mining, thousand tons 1382. Production of primary aluminum, thousand tons 1382. Bauxite, thousand tons 41733.

The main centers of non-ferrous metallurgy are Sydney, Bell Bay, Risdon, Port Kembla, Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

Fuel and energy industry

australia.

For 1992 Oil, million tons 26.9. Gas, billion cubic meters m 23.2. Coal, million tons 175.1. Brown coal, million tons 50.7. Electricity generation, billion kW/h 162.

The main fuel and energy base of Australia is hard and brown coal, large deposits of which are directly located in the southeastern parts of the country. Coal-fired thermal power plants provide a significant portion of all electricity supplied to consumers. These thermal power plants are located where there are coal deposits. In the early 1970s, several thermal power plants operating on natural gas were built. Australia is not rich in hydroelectric resources, the bulk of hydra energy resources are concentrated in the southern highlands of the East Australian Mountains and on the island of Tasmania. The rivers of the coastal part of the states of New South Wales and Queensland have insignificant reserves of energy.

The hydropower system in the Snowy Mountains, completed in 1975, is the largest (3740 MW).

Australian chemical and petroleum industry.

The chemical industry began to develop especially rapidly in the postwar years. In many large port cities, powerful oil refineries were built, working on oil produced in the country and on imported oil. The processing of crude oil contributed to the development of petrochemistry.

Since agriculture, one of the most important sectors of the economy, is in great need of mineral fertilizers, superphosphate is produced in large quantities in Australia based on imported raw materials. Plants for the production of fertilizers are located in those areas where there are deposits of coal, coke is produced, cast iron and steel, non-ferrous metals, etc. are smelted. Since phosphorites are brought by sea, an important factor in the location of enterprises for the production of phosphate fertilizers is their proximity to port cities.

The main centers of the chemical and oil refining industry Sydney, Clyde, Melbourne, Gladstone, Perth.

Forestry, woodworking industry

and building industry

Australian materials.

The timber industry is one of the most interesting to study due to its complexity, versatility, worldwide distribution and the need for its products for the economy of any country.

The extraction of building materials and minerals that do not contain metals is carried out by small developments. Concentrates and pellets are produced at special enterprises.

Export of timber, million cubic meters m 21.3. Production of lumber, million cubic meters m 3.3. Production of fibreboard, million sq.m. 31.6. Particle board production, thousand cubic meters m 780. Production of paper, thousand tons 1580. Production of cement, million tons 5.9

The main centers of light and food industry are Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart.

Light industry

australia.

The Australian light industry is mainly provided with locally produced raw materials and its own goods (shoes, knitwear, fabrics, etc.), to a large extent satisfies the needs of the population, but high-quality products and some semi-finished products and raw materials are imported. Light industry enterprises are concentrated mainly in large industrial cities in the southeast of the country. Small factories are found in many medium and small towns.

The main part of the enterprises of all manufacturing industries is located in the southeastern, most economically developed part of Australia - in the states of New South Wales, Victoria and partly South Australia. After the end of the Second World War, new industrial enterprises began to be created in cities or even small towns in the interior, remote areas of the states from the coast. Many immigrants arriving in Australia are sent here in an organized manner. Most new enterprises are built, as a rule, in already developed and settled areas, mainly in an area with sufficient rainfall. The creation of industrial enterprises in the desert or semi-desert zones is expensive. It is carried out only in some cases: during the construction of military facilities or enterprises, which, even at high costs, guarantee a quick profit and products that are in demand in the domestic or foreign markets.

food industry

Australia.

The food industry, one of the oldest industries, has gained great importance. It is represented by butter-making, cheese-making, the dairy-canning industry, brewing, meat-packing, meat-packing, flour-grinding, bacon production, tobacco leaf processing, etc. Numerous enterprises for the preservation of vegetables and fruits.

For the food industry, both before and today, export orientation is typical. A significant part of fully or partially processed agricultural products is sent to other countries. For example, the export of meat of all kinds is up to 45% of its production, butter - up to 50%, cheese - 45%, wheat and flour - up to 80%, sugar - 60-65%.

Since a significant part of food products is exported, the largest and most well-equipped food plants and factories are located in the port cities of the country. Some small and medium-sized enterprises are located in areas that produce one or another agricultural product. Butter factories and cheese factories are located where dairy cattle are bred and there are railway stations, which makes it possible to quickly ship butter and cheese to consumption centers or ports. Bakery, confectionery, breweries and some other enterprises are found everywhere where the population is concentrated.

Most of the enterprises of the meat industry are large factories where cattle are slaughtered and carcasses are cut, canned meat, sausages and sausages are produced. Many of them also have special workshops where they process bones, bristles, horns, hooves, produce food for poultry, glue, various fats and other products.

Since beef cattle breeding is developed mainly in the northern, northeastern and eastern parts of the mainland, the largest meat processing plants are located mainly in the port cities of Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. A number of factories are also concentrated in the interior regions, where animal husbandry is combined with grain farming.

Vegetable and fruit canning enterprises are located where vegetable growing and horticulture are developed. Many of them, even very large ones, are located in rural areas where the necessary raw materials are produced, some in large cities on the coast. Vegetables and fruits are delivered to them chilled by rail or in special vans.

Engineering Australia.

Since the development of industry since 1967. In Australia, 25 cities with a population of over 40,000 were built. people, 12 ports and laid 1900 km. Railway tracks.

Nowadays, in Australia, such new branches of engineering as the production of aircraft and automobile engines, locomotives, tractors, trucks and cars, electrical equipment, electronic equipment and various devices are developing especially rapidly. Mechanical engineering products to a large extent meet the needs of the country.

Continuation
--PAGE_BREAK--

Agriculture in Australia.

Australia's agriculture is highly marketable and has a pronounced capitalist character. It makes extensive use of machinery and hired labor. Australia is a country of historically established large land ownership.

In the 20s of the 19th century. Australian wool has gained a strong position in the textile industry of the metropolis. So the Australian landowning companies were transferred to the land in the river valley. Gloucester in the colony of New South Wales; The Van Diemen Green Company settled in the northern part of the island of Tasmania. Soon she added other most convenient lands to her possessions.

In the 70s of our century, the share of farms with plots of more than 4 thousand hectares and accounting for only 3.6% of the total number of farms accounted for 82.3% of the land fund, including the largest, with a size of 40 thousand hectares (0.6% of farms), - 62.7% of land. Farms with plots of land from 0.4% to 200 hectares own only 1.8% of all land used in agriculture.

Farms with large tracts of land are found mainly in the arid interior and north, where extensive farming means large areas are used.

Intensive farming is mainly concentrated in the southeastern and southwestern coastal areas, as well as in the Murray-Murrabidgee interfluve, where there are tracts of irrigated land. Farms with a suburban type of economy are located near large industrial cities.

Australia, later than other developed capitalist countries, embarked on the path of a technical revolution in agriculture. This project was uneven. To a large extent, it covered such industries as dairy and fattening, the cultivation of vegetables, fruits, grapes, cotton, rice and other food and industrial crops. Grain farming and grazing remain largely extensive.

In conditions of an extremely arid climate and uneven rainfall, artificial irrigation is of great importance for agriculture, not only in the interior of the continent, but also in coastal areas already inhabited and developed, where it helps to increase productivity and intensify the economy. For example, the average yield of wheat on non-irrigated lands is from 11 to 15 centners per hectare, while the use of irrigation increases the yield by 5-6 times.

The leading place in agriculture belongs to the oldest industry - pasture animal husbandry. In the 1970s, it accounted for 68% of the total value of agricultural products, and for agriculture - a little more than 32%. In animal husbandry, sheep breeding occupies the first place. The main group of the total number of sheep are merinos, the wool of which is of the highest quality and the most expensive. The second group is sheep of semi-fine-fleece meat-wool breeds. They get good wool and meat.

In addition to wool, Australian sheep breeding also provides a significant amount of meat. Among the capitalist countries, Australia ranks first in the production of mutton and lamb meat and second in their export. In Australia, beef and dairy cattle are also bred. Its livestock began to grow rapidly in the last quarter of the 19th century. The rearing of cattle for meat is concentrated in the hands of individual cattle breeders or cattle breeding companies. They own herds and pastures, large slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants in port cities, and partly the transportation of meat products to the world market. Beef cattle breeding is developed mainly in tropical and subtropical parts in the north of the country. Here, livestock is grazing mainly on natural pastures (extensive farming method).

Dairy farming is particularly intensive. The warm climate of the country makes it possible to keep dairy cattle throughout the year on pastures. In areas where there are strong winds, trees and dense shrubs are planted along the boundaries of the paddocks to protect animals from them. Many farms also use locally manufactured concentrated feed and imported feed supplemented with vitamins and growth simulants. The most common breeds of dairy cattle are Jersey, Guernsey, Holstein and the Illovar shortgon bred in Australia. Dairy farms are located mainly in coastal areas where there is relatively high rainfall. Pig breeding is associated with dairy farming.

Developed in Australia and poultry farming. Poultry farms are small and highly specialized: some breed chickens, others fatten broiler chickens, others supply eggs and partly chicken carcasses. Live chickens, chilled carcasses and eggs are exported. Other types of animal husbandry include breeding horses, mainly racehorses, and camels.

Wheat, like other grain crops (oats, barley, corn), except for rice, is mainly grown on rainfed lands without the use of artificial irrigation, but phosphate fertilizers are applied. Grain farming is mainly extensive. In addition to wheat, the cultivation of fodder crops, such as clover, lupine and other legumes, ryegrass and other grasses, is of great importance in crop production. On the coastal plains in the tropical part of Queensland, pineapples, bananas, mangoes, and papayas are grown. Cotton, tobacco and other industrial crops are grown in Australia.

In Australia, both crop production (horticulture, grain farming) and animal husbandry (cattle and sheep breeding) have been developed.

The Australian agricultural map shows that there is a decrease in the intensity of land use with distance from the coast.

On the east coast of Australia, the climate is warm and mild, so here sheep are raised for slaughter on pastures, dairy cows are discharged, and horticulture and grain farming are practiced.

On the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range, where a sufficient amount of precipitation falls, a strip of forest reddish-brown soils is stretched, rich in humus, and when fertilizers are applied, suitable for growing wheat and other crops. It is here that the “wheat belt” of Australia stretches.

The southwestern part of Australia is characterized by a Mediterranean climate, conducive to the development of intensive agriculture.

The state of Victoria and the southwestern foothills of New South Wales have a subtropical climate conducive to the cultivation of fruit trees, various vegetables and forage grasses.

Abundant rainfall and slight temperature fluctuations on about. Tasmania allow cattle and sheep to be raised.

The steppe and semi-desert regions of Australia are the world's largest areas of sheep breeding. Sheep, being on private farms, are kept on natural pasture all year round.

Wool is Australia's top export product, bringing in billions of dollars annually to manufacturers and creating jobs across the country. This is why the Australian Wool Corporation is supporting a broad based research program on the application of robotics to the wool industry. This research has been ongoing since 1973. to this day.

Robotics is also used in gardening. The robotics system increases the productivity of orchards by several times, as the robot selects the fruit, “calibrated” each time, thus avoiding further sorting.

Productivity is the key, and without further development of agricultural robotics, and if products are produced at uncompetitive prices, Australia could be squeezed out of the world's product markets.

Geography of transport.

For Australia, external and internal relations are of great importance. The state power pays much attention to the construction of internal communications, the restructuring of ports and the creation of an extensive network of radio and telecommunications. Rail transport is almost entirely the responsibility of the federal and state governments. The most dense railway network is in the coastal industrialized regions, especially in the southeastern, eastern and partly southwestern outskirts of the mainland; the north, northwest, and hinterland are almost completely devoid of railroads.

The seas and oceans washing the shores of Australia are important for the economic life of the country. Australia's main trade links with other states and continents are carried out by waterways. Huge ocean liners export Australian goods - wheat, meat, butter, cheese, valuable minerals (iron ore, non-ferrous metals and their alloys, coal, bauxite, etc.), as well as industrial products. From across the ocean, finished products, semi-finished products and raw materials come to Australia, which industry, agriculture, transport and other sectors of the Australian economy need.

Air transport is also important for Australia. A network of regular airlines exists in many major cities in Australia, and small aircraft have also become widespread. Millions of passengers pass through Australia's airports every year.

The most developed highway and rail transport networks are located on the east coast of the mainland. Transport routes depart from the major ports of the East and West of Australia (Sydney, Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne) inland. In Australia, pipeline transport has also been used. From oil and gas production sites (Mumba, Jackson, Roma, Muni) pipelines go to ports in the East.

The length and density of transport

paths of Australia.

Length of transport routes, thousand km:

Railways 35.8

Highways 810.3

Density of the network of transport routes (km. of transport routes per 1000 sq. km of territory)

Railways 4.7

Highways 105.4

Australia offers tourists everything that their weary soul craves so much: white sandy beaches, modern cities, bizarre deserts, lush jungles and unique wildlife.

In Australia you can:

Try to mine gold. In places that survived the gold rush in the last century, gold is still found today;

Learn to skydive. It is a popular sport here, with many international skydiving competitions taking place in Australia;

Go kayaking down the mountain rivers. Also a popular pastime;

Fly in balloons. They hang in the sky of Australia continuously.

Learn to scuba dive. They will help and even issue a certificate, however, without the right to be an instructor in this dangerous form of leisure;

To drive a rented car across the whole of Australia - ten days is enough, but memories!

To fish from the heart, both in the sea and in the rivers;

Continuation
--PAGE_BREAK--

Take up rock climbing. Fanatics of this cause flock here from all over the world;

Go sledding… off the sand dunes!

Foreign economic relations.

The role of foreign trade in the Australian economy is very large. Export is one of the main sources of foreign exchange. Domestically, firms that can increase their exports enjoy a tax rebate. For exporters, the conditions for financial payments have been facilitated, and a special export insurance corporation has been created. In the late 1970s, more than 47% of the total value of Australian exports came from various agricultural commodities, 27% from mining and over 23% from manufacturing. Of the exported mining raw materials, iron ore and concentrates occupy the first place, and the second is coal.

Imports are represented by various machines used in agriculture, construction and manufacturing industries (over 40%), capital equipment (over 22%), consumer and food products, lubricating oils and other goods. The import of mineral raw materials and semi-finished products is extremely small (from 6 to 7%). Oil and oil products, phosphorites, as well as chromium ores and, in a small amount, ores or concentrates of other metals are imported.

Australia imports goods mainly from the US, UK, Japan and Germany. Australia's trade with its neighbor New Zealand began to expand after August 1965. Australia exports food products to the countries of East and Southeast Asia, as well as coal, some types of machinery, textiles, shoes, etc. Imports from these countries are mainly natural rubber, oil, tea, coffee, vegetable oils and fibers, packaging materials . The volume of Australia's trade with the territories of Oceania is small. However, Australia has gained a fairly strong position in trade with them, pushing the UK and other countries.

Australia is a member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the ANZUS pact, and is part of the Commonwealth led by Great Britain.

Australia is one of the largest exporters in the world.

Indicators

Foreign trade turnover

Foreign trade balance

Main indicators of foreign trade

(at current prices in billions of dollars)

Australia.

77% of the population of Australia are immigrants from different parts of the Earth and Australians speak not only English, state, but also Portuguese, German, Greek, Russian, etc. Modern Australia is a country of mass immigration, annually accepting 100-150 thousand people, therefore Australia has direct cultural links with many countries in the world.

Conclusion:

Working on this essay took me enough time, on average, this work took me 1 hour every day, but be that as it may, I don’t think that this time was wasted, during my work I learned a lot of interesting things about Australia. I never knew anything about the history of this country and I would hardly have known if it were not for the work on this essay, I did not know that Australia is so dependent on the external market, etc. In my opinion, Australia has quite good development prospects, if only because of the high level of tourism, which brings quite a lot of income to the country, and currently brings even more profit to the whole other industry.

I already said in the introduction that I want to go there and because of this I had a double impression of this country: from the point of view of a tourist - Australia made a very strong impression on me because of the beauty of Sydney (where the Olympic Games were held), nature, but, and from the point of view of the person who prepared the essay on this country, it made a much smaller impression than China, Great Britain, with which I am very familiar from a geographical point of view.

In the last lines of the work, I would like to briefly summarize everything that has been said above. The geographic, economic and intellectual potential of Australia is enormous, and despite all the current difficulties, I am convinced that time will pass and it will take its rightful place not only in culture, not only in science, but also in technology and economics.

“Everything will be right. This is what the world is built on.” One cannot but agree with Bulgakov here.

Bibliography:

Lucian Volyanovsky “The Continent that has ceased to be a legend”, 1991

Encyclopedic reference book "Countries of the World" Smolensk "Rusich" 2000.

"Australia and Oceania. Antarctica "Countries and peoples Moscow" thought "1981.

"Economic geography" I. A. Rodionov and T. M. Bunaskova Moscow "lyceum" 1999.

Countries and peoples "Universal Encyclopedia for Youth" Moscow Pedagogika-Press Publishing House.

Textbook Grade 10 "Economic and social geography of the world" Yu.N.

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General features of the economic development of Oceania

Oceania is a geographic, often geopolitical region of the world, consisting predominantly of hundreds of small islands and atolls in the central and western Pacific Ocean. The total area is 8.52 million km², the population is 32.6 million people. Geographically, Oceania is subdivided into Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia; sometimes New Zealand is singled out.

Due to the long period of colonial domination and some other factors in the vast majority of countries in Oceania, the economy has not received significant development. These are mainly agrarian countries, whose economy is based on tropical agriculture - the cultivation of various vegetables and fruits, and partly animal husbandry. Such types of agricultural production, in which the colonial powers were interested, were predominantly developed (for example, the cultivation of coconut palms - their fruits in the form of dried pulp - copra is used to produce various products). Only in some countries (New Caledonia, Nauru), where there were mineral raw materials, a mining industry was created.

A significant brake on socio-economic development was the geographical disunity of most of the island territories, their remoteness from each other, and their position on the periphery of the world capitalist market. All these factors taken together contributed to the social and economic conservation of the oceanic countries.

As a result of the rule of the colonialists, the countries of Oceania eventually turned into raw materials appendages of the metropolises, which exported agricultural and industrial raw materials from there. And although, as already mentioned above, at present, many countries have gained independence or achieved self-government, their economic and social enslavement continues, but in the form of neo-colonialism.

By controlling the economies of the countries of Oceania, the imperialist powers also direct their social life, establishing the rules and norms inherent in the bourgeois social system. The modern economy of Oceania is characterized by the presence of different social structures. In addition to tropical agriculture, animal husbandry has received little development in the oceanic countries - the breeding of large and small cattle, pigs, and poultry.

The economic development of the states of Oceania to a large extent depends on the power supply of their economy. It should be said that the energy resources of the countries are small. Significant reserves of coal, oil, and gas have not yet been found here. Oceania is also not rich in hydropower resources. Only a few islands have the capacity to generate hydroelectric power. Such opportunities exist, for example, in Papua New Guinea, but the construction of hydroelectric power plants here is difficult due to a lack of financial resources and technical experience.

Industry in most countries is poorly developed and does not satisfy the needs of the domestic market. A significant part of industrial enterprises is engaged in the processing of agricultural raw materials. Small factories produce coconut oil, tobacco products, tea, canned fruits and juices, etc. There are mills, sawmills, factories that produce clothes, shoes and other consumer goods. Traditional crafts are developed: weaving baskets, mats, etc., making art products from wood and other materials, jewelry, souvenirs intended for tourists and exports.

The presence of minerals in some countries contributed to the establishment of the mining industry. Phosphorites are mined on the island of Nauru, and nickel is mined on New Caledonia. The industry's products are entirely exported, which gives these countries (for example, Nauru) significant cash receipts. But the economy of such countries is characterized by the dominant position of the mining industry among other sectors of the economy, while the manufacturing industry and agriculture are much less developed.

Important branches of the economy of the oceanic states are fishing and related fish processing. Coastal fishing has always played a big role in the life of the local population. However, now fishing is becoming a commercial and export focus. Growing and promising sectors of the economy of some states are the forestry and woodworking industries. Raw wood, wood chips, pulp and other products of the woodworking industry are exported on a large scale to Japan, Australia, New Zealand and other countries. Exploitation of the forest resources of the island states, deforestation, destruction of valuable tree species, etc. lead to a sharp violation of the ecological balance in nature, which has a negative impact on the living conditions of the island peoples.

In the economy of many countries, an important place was taken by the "tourism industry", which is a source of foreign exchange. Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, French Polynesia and some other countries receive 20-30% of their total currency from tourism. The development of tourism is accompanied by the construction of roads, airfields, trade and communication enterprises, etc. Tourism has caused an increase in demand for traditional handicrafts. A significant part of the local population was drawn into the tourist service sector.

Oceanic countries conduct foreign trade mainly with Australia, New Zealand, USA, Japan, Great Britain, Canada, France. As mentioned above, these states export minerals, timber, various agricultural products from Oceania, and import industrial and food products there. Thus, foreign trade remains one of the channels for the economic expansion of the big capitalist powers.

Most countries in Oceania have a very weak economy, which is due to several reasons: limited natural resources, remoteness from world markets for products, and a shortage of highly qualified specialists. Many states depend on financial assistance from other countries.

The basis of the economy of most countries in Oceania is agriculture (the production of copra and palm oil) and fishing. Among the most important agricultural crops stand out the coconut palm, bananas, breadfruit. Possessing huge exclusive economic zones and not having a large fishing fleet, the governments of the countries of Oceania issue licenses for the right to catch fish to vessels of other states (mainly Japan, Taiwan, the USA), which significantly replenishes the state budget. The mining industry is most developed in Papua New Guinea, Nauru, New Caledonia, and New Zealand. oceania production economy trade

A significant part of the population is employed in the public sector. Recently, measures have been taken to develop the tourism sector of the economy.

Name of the region, countries and flag of the country	Area (km²)	Population	Population density (person/km²)
Australia
Australia				Canberra	AUD (Australian Dollar)
coconut islands				West Island	AUD (Australian Dollar)
Norfolk Island				kingston	AUD (Australian Dollar)
Christmas Island				Flying Fish Cove	AUD (Australian Dollar)
Melanesia
				Port Vila
Irian Jaya (Indonesia)				Jayapura, Manokwari
New Caledonia (France)					XPF (French Pacific Franc)

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		Port Moresby
Solomon islands				SBD (Solomon Islands Dollar)
				FJD (Fiji Dollar)
micronesia
Guam (USA)				USD (US Dollar)
Kiribati			South Tarawa	AUD (Australian Dollar)
Marshall Islands

			Melekeok
Northern Mariana Islands (USA)
Wake Atoll (USA)
micronesia
Polynesia
American Samoa (USA)			Pago Pago, Fagatogo
Baker Island (USA)	uninhabited
Hawaii (USA)			Honolulu
Johnston Atoll (USA)
Kingman Reef (USA)	uninhabited
Midway Islands (USA)
Niue (New Zealand)
New Zealand			Wellington	NZD (New Zealand Dollar)
Cook Islands (New Zealand)
Palmyra Atoll (USA)
Easter Island (Chile)			Hanga Roa
Pitcairn Islands (UK)			adamstown
				WST (Samoan tala)
Tokelau (New Zealand)
			Nuku'alofa	TOP (Tongan pa "anga)
			funafuti
Wallis and Futuna (France)
French Polynesia (France)
Howland Island (USA)	uninhabited

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Remark 1

Most of Oceania is represented by colonial possessions and only 10 islands belong to independent states.

The population of the inhabited islands, before the advent of Europeans, was engaged in hunting, fishing, and primitive agriculture.

With the advent of European colonialists, the development of an export-oriented plantation economy began - sugar cane, rubber plants, pineapples, bananas, coffee, cocoa, etc.

Valuable tree species were being cut down. The economy of Oceania has acquired a monocultural export character.

The western part of the independent state of Papua New Guinea belongs to Indonesia, and the Hawaiian Islands are a US state.

New Zealand belongs to the countries with developed market economies.

A characteristic feature for all states and possessions in Oceania is limited labor, land, mineral resources.

Along with them, difficult intersectoral communication is a significant deterrent to the development of the economy.

The main activity of the population is connected with the development of agriculture.

It must be said that some mineral deposits, for example, chromites, bauxites, oil, were discovered at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries. Papua New Guinea stands out in this respect. The country may become an exporter of gold and copper concentrate.

The industry of Oceania is represented by small enterprises engaged in the primary processing of export crops, timber, and mining.

A significant area of the maritime economic zone allows the countries of Oceania to engage in fishing, the annual catch of which is 300 thousand tons.

International tourism is developing. Export industries are in the hands of international monopolies.

Of all the countries in this region, until recently, the Republic of Nauru stood out, with a population of 12 thousand people. Its main asset was phosphorite deposits with low production costs.

Nauru exported them to the foreign market and received significant income, becoming the richest state in Oceania. True, at present, phosphorite deposits are almost exhausted.

If we consider the countries of Oceania in terms of the well-being of the local population, then they can be divided into four groups:

The state of Nauru, by type of economy, is close to Bahrain, Qatar, Brunei;
The State of Fiji, where, in addition to plantation agriculture, the tourism industry and some manufacturing industries are developing;
Papua New Guinea, dominated by agriculture, mining and fish processing, and the service sector;
Small island states with a predominance of tropical agriculture.

Economic assessment of the natural conditions of Australia

The relief of the country is mostly flat, and the mountains that stretch in the eastern part of the mainland do not pose a big obstacle to development.

For the development of agriculture, the climatic conditions of Australia are far from ideal. Most of the mainland is occupied by deserts with insufficient moisture, which can only be used as pastures for grazing sheep.

The country has significant mineral resources, arable land and pastures.

Figure 1. Minerals of Australia. Author24 - online exchange of student papers

Arid regions of the country have significant reserves of groundwater. For the development of their own industry in Australia, there are many types of minerals, among them lead, zinc with an admixture of silver and copper.

Large deposits of these ores are located in the west of the country in the desert region, on the island of Tasmania and in other areas.

Quite large gold deposits are concentrated in the southwest, and smaller deposits are found in almost all states, there are also deposits of bauxite.

The country occupies a prominent place in the reserves of iron, manganese, tungsten, uranium ores and coal.

This economically developed country has a livestock bias in agriculture - dairy and meat cattle breeding, sheep breeding. In terms of the number of sheep, Australia ranks first in the world.

The export of wool, lamb, beef, veal occupies a leading place in its economy. In addition, horse breeding, camel breeding, and poultry breeding are developed in the country's animal husbandry.

In this regard, in crop production, great importance is given to the cultivation of fodder crops, which occupy 49% of the arable land.

There are some features of the country that have a negative impact on economic development, among them extreme (desert) conditions for life and activity, covering a large territory, as well as large distances between individual regions, making communication between them difficult, frequent droughts, floods and fires.

Australian industry

The presence of its own natural resources in the bowels of the country makes the mining industry one of the important sectors of the economy.

Metallurgy, both ferrous and non-ferrous, is closely related to mining.

Mechanical engineering in Australia is engaged in the production of trucks and cars, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, and instruments.

The petrochemical and chemical industries produce nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers, plastics and chemical fibers.

Light industry products are shoes, fabrics, knitwear, but the industry is mainly of local importance.

The food industry is important - meat, dairy, flour-grinding, sugar, fruits and vegetables and vegetable canning.

The food industry operates on local agricultural raw materials - large industry centers in port cities and in the southeast of the country - Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Adelaide.

The industry's products are used not only domestically, but are also exported in large quantities.

Australia is characterized by internal differences in the level of development and specialization of the economy. There are four economic regions:

The South-East region belongs to the leading one. It occupies 20% of the country's area, but concentrates 70% of the population and 80% of the manufacturing industry on its territory;
The Northeast region specializes in the cultivation of sugar cane and tropical fruit crops, cattle breeding, bauxite and oil extraction;
The West-Central region is the largest in area and the driest, with a low population density and economic development. Its leading industries are mining and agriculture, and the main centers of the region are Perth and Darwin;
Tasmania is an area of agriculture, non-ferrous metallurgy and developed tourism, the main center of the area is Hobart.

Remark 2

Australia's main export is mineral resources and agricultural products, while industrial goods dominate imports.

The area is 806.454 thousand km2.

Population - 6736.5 thousand people (excluding New Zealand).

Oceania is a macro-region that forms the islands of the southwestern and central parts of the Pacific Ocean. Most of the islands are grouped into archipelagos. They stretch along the coasts of Asia and Australia between 28°N. latitude and 52°S. sh. and 130° in. and 109°W stretching from north to south for 10,500 km, and from east to west - 14,000 km. The whole of Oceania has more than 1 (thousand scattered islands. About 7 million people live here, the population density is low - slightly more than 8 abs/km2. The number of independent states is 12 (excluding New Zealand).

General characteristics. Oceania is traditionally divided into three historical and ethnographic parts: Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia (Fig. 40). For the first time such a division was made by the French navigator Julius-Sebastian-Caesar Dumon d'Urville at the beginning of the 19th century.

The name Melanesia (from the Greek word "melas" meaning "black" and "nesos" meaning "island") is associated with the predominance of black residents. It includes New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, the D'Antracasto Islands, the Louisiade Archipelago, the Solomon Islands, the Santa Cruz Islands, the New Hebrides (the state of Vanuatu), the islands of New Caledonia, and others. The largest territory is occupied by New Guinea, which some authors attribute to Oceania.

Micronesia is so named because of the small size of the islands, mainly of coral, as well as volcanic origin. It occupies the northwestern part of Oceania, which includes the Mariana and Marshall Islands, as well as the islands of Kiribati and the Caroline Islands. The islands of Micronesia are scattered over a vast area of the Pacific Ocean with an area of 14 million km2.

In the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean, within a conditional triangle, there are numerous islands of Polynesia (from ancient Greek means "many islands"). It includes the Hawaiian Islands, Samoa, Tonga, the islands of French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, Easter Island, and others. In recent years, many local historians do not classify New Zealand as part of the group of countries in Oceania. Perhaps this is due to its remote location relative to the main group of the Pacific islands, and perhaps to a level of development that is much higher than in any other country in Oceania. The islanders of Polynesia have much in common with the culture of the island of Fiji, so this island should be considered a transitional island from Polynesia to Melanesia.

Oceania has long been of interest to representatives of Western civilization. The diversity of the Pacific environment, due to a closed island location, with peculiar continental-oceanic and oceanic physical-geographical complexes, ethnogeographical features, is a real laboratory for sociocultural research.

One of the famous explorers of Oceania was Mykola Miklouho-Maclay, of Ukrainian origin, who in 1879 visited the islands of New Caledonia, the New Hebrides, the Santa Cruz Banks, Admiral, Trobriand, Solomon, Louisaid Islands and along the southeast coast of New Guinea, and in 1880 he visited some of the islands of the Torrezov Strait and the east coast of Australia.

Political map of Oceania until the middle of the 20th century. determined by the special interests of the five largest metropolises: Australia, France, Great Britain, New Zealand and the United States. In the 1960s, a new era begins for Oceania - the collapse of the colonial system. The two largest territories under UN protectorate - Western Samoa and Nauru - became the first countries to gain independence in accordance with 1962 and 1968. The formerly dependent Cook Islands in 1965 and Niusans in 1974 became self-governing in a voluntary union with the former metropolis - New Zealand. In 1975, Australia, as a country within the Commonwealth, with territorial interests in Melanesia, renounced its rights over Papua, which they received from Great Britain at the beginning of the 20th century, possessing the northeastern part of New Guinea. Soon the independent state of Papua New Guinea was formed here.

British Fiji and Tonga gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1970. Other British colonies became free in subsequent years: the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu in 1978; the islands of Kiribati - in 1979, and the new Hybrid Islands, which the British ruled jointly with the French - in 1980, the latter soon became an independent state - the Republic of Vanuatu.

France still includes such territories as French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna. Each of these territories is entitled to local autonomy and is represented in the French Parliament by elected delegates. True, in French Polynesia and New Caledonia there are movements for full autonomy.

The US dominates the North Pacific. The Hawaiian Islands in 1959 became the fiftieth state of the United States. Other American territories are Guam and (Eastern) Samoa. Most of the islands of Micronesia, by decision of the UN in 1947, were placed under the guardianship of hay. The Northern Mariana Islands accepted the status of a commonwealth territory with the United States. Political entities such as the Republic of Guinea (white), the Federated States of Micronesia (Kosrae, PONP, Truk, Yap) and the Republic of the Marshall Islands were admitted in 1981 to the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands Islands. Each of these countries became part of a free association with the United States. Palau was the last country to gain independence in 1994.

Two peripheral territories, in particular Western New Guinea, which was a colony of the Netherlands, since 1963 went to Indonesia and became its province, called Irian Jaya, and Easter Island is oriented to Chilean interests.

So, the main changes in the political map of Oceania took place in the 20th century. At the same time, this territory remains an important strategic macro-region of the world in the 21st century, since the political and economic interests of many states of Europe, Asia, and America intersect here.

Physical and geographical features of Oceania. The islands of Oceania are classified by origin into continental and oceanic. The former are associated with the ancient continental platform of Asia and Australia. Thus, the Torres Strait, which separates the southern part of New Guinea and the northern shores of Australia, was formed no earlier than 5-11 thousand years ago, being tectonically the only ancient Australian platform. The relief of the large continental islands located closer to Australia (Melanesia) is predominantly mountainous and strongly dissected. In New Guinea is the highest mountain in all of Oceania - Jaya (5029).

Oceanic islands located in the central and eastern parts of the Pacific Ocean are distinguished by volcanic origin, being covered with magma benches and other eruptive products, the age of which reaches hundreds of thousands and millions of years. Many of the islands are active volcanoes. The volcanic islands include: the southeastern part of the Hawaiian Islands, the Marquesas, Samoa, a number of islands from the Caroline and Mariana groups, Easter Island, etc. The volcanic islands are predominantly mountainous with a steep coast. In the tropical and equatorial waters of Oceania, there are many islands of biogenic origin - these are coral islands. their occurrence is associated with the vital activity of calcareous algae and coral polyps (Tuvalu, Gilbert, Marshall). Corals predominate on the Carolina, Cook, Tuamotu, Line, and Phoenix Islands.

The minerals of the islands of Oceania are associated with the peculiarities of the geological structure. Islands of continental origin (New Guinea, New Caledonia) are rich in iron, copper, gold, lead, zinc, silver, platinum. The sedimentary rocks of these islands contain coal, oil, and natural gas. The richest in mineral resources are New Caledonia. Here is one of the largest nickel deposits in the world. Bougainville Island contains significant deposits of copper ores.

The soils of the islands of Oceania are very diverse. They depend on the composition of the rocks, the influence of temperature, precipitation and organic impacts on the surface. The soils of the islands of coral origin are the least developed, i.e. young. They are thin, often gravel or sandy loam. Such soils are not particularly fertile, they are most often used for growing coconut palms.

On the islands of volcanic origin, loamy soils of bright red or red-brown hues are formed. These soils are considered fertile.

The soils of islands of continental origin with mineral composition and humus content are the most fertile soils in Oceania. In New Guinea, they are used to plant coffee, cocoa and other tropical crops.

The flora of Oceania is rich and diverse. On the islands of New Guinea, Bismarck, Louisiade, New Caledonia, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, the Malay Archipelago, pandanus, palm trees, ficuses, laurel, legumes, and dzban-like tropical families predominate. The islands southeast of Australia, including New Zealand, are covered with evergreen trees, tree ferns, and southern conifers.

The Hawaiian Islands are very rich in various types of ferns. They are the first to inhabit volcanic rocks. Palm trees and orchids also grow here.

The animal world is very impoverished and at the same time endemic. Mammals are almost completely absent. But there are many birds: landfill chickens, cassowaries (ostriches), birds of paradise, parrots, bats - fruit bats, etc.

The climate of this territory is oceanic, exposed to low latitudes and, of course, the sea. The waters of the Pacific Ocean during the year should have positive temperatures - 28 ° C at the equator to 20 ~ 25 ° C in the thirtieth latitudes. Only at 50 ° S. sh. the temperature drops to +6 +9 ° С in August and about +12 ° С in February. The annual amplitudes of oceanic waters are insignificant. The regional difference in climate is formerly related to rainfall. In this case, the factors of altitude, longitude and latitude play a very important role, since these areas may belong to various air circulation systems that dominate the Pacific Ocean. Temperatures are most common in Western Micronesia from July to November, while south of the equator they form 4-6 months later. These carminatives combine with heavy rainfall and high ocean waves, causing damage to crops, buildings mainly of coral origin.

Population. It is believed that people first entered the territory of Oceania more than 30 thousand years ago. They settled in New Guinea and probably came from Southeast Asia.

The second wave of migrants, who appeared on the island much later, did not differ much from the Paleo-Papuans in terms of racial composition and way of life. Named settlers in New Guinea and other islands were mainly engaged in gathering and hunting.

Approximately 10 thousand years ago, new settlers entered New Guinea from the Lesser Sunda Islands. According to experts, all these peoples, who are called neo-Papuans, already had perfect tools, in particular an ax and other devices that were used for forestry and primitive agriculture. The Papuans penetrated, in addition to New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, the Solomon Islands, the Santa Cruz Islands and others.

A noticeable migration wave (5-6 thousand years ago) was formed by a new group of people who belonged to the Austranesian family and anthropologically, rather, belonged to the southern Mongoloids. They settled in New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago, the northwestern Solomon Islands, new hybrids, New Caledonia, the Loyalty Islands. The Austranesians differed from the Papuans in a higher level of economic development. They preferred agriculture. They grew potatoes and bred pigs.

Some changes in the ethnic mosaic of Oceania were made by immigrants from Europe, and from the end of the 18th century. and Americans. On some islands layers of mestizos formed.

The territory of Oceania is very different in racial and linguistic features. So, the Polynesians are the most homogeneous in language, customs and appearance. They are more engaged in fishing and gathering. This also affected the specifics of their spiritual life. Micronesia, in turn, is formed from 8-10 cultural and linguistic areas, which led to their significantly greater diversity than in Polynesia. Melanesia is considered a region of great contrasts. For example, the inhabitants of the islands living on the coast may differ sharply in the traditions and culture of those who live in its central part. This is due to greater activity in the field of trade, cultural exchanges with other peoples of neighboring territories. Melanesians are farmers, they are also engaged in pig breeding.

Economy. In terms of economic development, Oceania is one of the most backward territories in the world. Most of the islanders are engaged in subsistence and semi-subsistence farming, which employs up to half of the working population.

The peoples of Oceania consume mainly traditional foods for them, namely: taro, yams (one of the first cultivated plants), sago, sweet potatoes (sweet potatoes), bananas, etc.

Agriculture remains the basis of the economy, providing income to the state treasury, and the production of food products for export, the main among them is copra (a product of the coconut palm). The islanders also export pineapples, bananas, and citrus fruits. Some agricultural products are processed locally. So, in the Hawaiian Islands and Fiji, sugar is made from sugar cane. On some islands, coffee, cocoa beans (southwestern regions of Oceania), spices (Tonga) and other profitable agricultural products are grown for export.

The monocultural specialization of the countries of Oceania is somewhat mitigated by the processing of tropical timber (Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea) and the manufacture of semi-finished products from it. An important reserve for increasing the efficiency of the economy of the countries of Oceania is fisheries. Deep-sea fishing has the greatest prospects. Pacific fish are caught by Korean, Japanese and American ships. Since 1987, there has been an association of more than a dozen countries of Oceania, the so-called "Forum", which has entered into a multilateral agreement with the United States, according to which the latter are obliged to pay 60 million dollars for a license to fish in the waters controlled by the countries of Oceania.

Among the branches of the manufacturing industry, the food industry is developing better. Small enterprises dry the pulp of coconuts (copra), process tea leaves, tobacco, and produce palm oil. The production of mineral fertilizers, phosphates, packaging, and jewelry is somewhat revived. Extractive industries are developing in some countries.

The countries of Oceania import mainly fuel and consumer goods.

Transport plays an important role in the countries of Oceania. Thus, thanks to air transport, domestic and international communications have been established in recent decades.

Shipping is also important, especially in establishing trade links and other contacts between island states. Most of the islanders with the help of a small boat can get to Sydney, San Francisco, Vancouver, Tokyo, Hong Kong within a week or two.

An important problem for the island states remains inland transport links, requiring significant investment for the construction of roads from the coasts in the central part of the islands.

The largest transport hubs in Oceania are the cities of Port Moresby, Goniara, Suva, Pago Pago, Honolulu.

The development of transport, especially air and sea, contributed to extensive contacts with the outside world. This has also affected the development of international tourism, which is the leading branch of the service sector. Tourism is better developed in the Hawaiian Islands. Since the 1980s, tourism has been intensively developing in Guam, the Marianas, Fiji, French Polynesia and New Caledonia, that is, on the islands, they borrowed the experience of Hawaii, which became leaders in tourism development much earlier, attracting tourists with exotic excursions, unique climatic resources , a demonstration of the original life of the islanders of Oceania.

International connections. The countries of Oceania, as producers of agricultural and marine products, face the problems of a lack of markets, skilled labor, management personnel and vehicles. In addition, high prices for imported fuel, heavy dependence on foreign aid distract foreign investors and make the economy of the island countries extremely vulnerable.

Products that are exported are sent mainly to the USA, Australia, New Zealand, France, Japan, Singapore. Almost all of the island groups in Oceania import significantly more than they export. External financial assistance to the islanders is provided from Australia, New Zealand, USA, France. Assistance is also provided by the Asian Development Fund, UN programs, and the European Union.

Among the countries of Oceania, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Fiji, and French Polynesia are the most active in foreign relations.

In general, the economy of the countries of Oceania remains backward. Significant capital investments are required for further development. One of the sources of their receipt should be considered the development of the tourism industry, which has unlimited opportunities for increasing international tourist flows.

ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY OF AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA.

Australia, New Zealand and numerous islands in the central and southwestern Pacific Ocean form a special region - Australia and Oceania.

Australia and Oceania do not represent a single whole either in natural, cultural or socio-economic terms. Oceania is formed by several thousand islands located on a vast expanse (with an area of 60 million square kilometers) in the central and southwestern parts of the Pacific Ocean, between 29 * north latitude. and 53* S and 130 * east and 109* W.L. The total land area of Oceania is relatively small and is only about 1.3 million square kilometers (six times smaller than the area of Australia). At the same time, its two largest islands - New Guinea (area 829 thousand sq. km) and New Zealand (265 thousand sq. km) occupy almost 90% of its land area and only 10% (i.e. approximately 200 thousand sq. km. .km) - the remaining several thousand islands.

The islands of Oceania, located in the tropical and subtropical zone of the Southern Hemisphere, have a warm, mild climate (one of the most comfortable on earth) with a temperature regime and precipitation sufficient for growing crops cultivated in these latitudes - coconut palms, bananas , cocoa, coffee, tea, tobacco, sugar cane, cotton, tubers (taro, sweet potato, yam, cassava), etc. Natural conditions allow several harvests of agricultural crops per year.

Oceania is also rich in various minerals: deposits of coal (New Zealand), combustible gas, iron ore, copper and manganese ores, platinum, silver (New Guinea), nickel (New Caledonia), gold (Fiji), phosphate raw materials (Nauru) ) and etc.

Oceania- the area of settlement of the Papuans, Melanesians, Micronesians and Polynesians, was discovered by Europeans at the beginning of the 16th century. (The Mariana Islands in 1521, during the circumnavigation of Ferdinand Magellan in 1519 - 1522). The most numerous groups of the modern population are formed by aborigines (Papuan peoples and peoples speaking the languages of the Austronesian family) and immigrants and their descendants (Anglon-Zeelanders, Americans, British, Indians, French, Anglo-Australians, Chinese, Kroeans, Vietnamese, etc.). Most countries in Oceania are characterized by high birth rates, natural increase and low mortality. In most countries, men outnumber women, there is a high proportion of young people, the bulk of the population is employed in agriculture, mining, and the service sector (serving tourists). Significant migration flows of people between countries. In terms of average population density (8.1 people per 1 sq. km), Oceania is almost four times larger than Australia. The population is distributed unevenly - along with densely populated islands (Tuvaku, Nauru, Mbau, etc.), there are also uninhabited islands.

In socio-economic terms, all the countries of Oceania are developing, mainly agricultural, with a specialization of the economy - tropical agriculture (growing various vegetables and fruits, cotton, coffee, cocoa, etc.) and animal husbandry (cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry ). The industry is characterized by the dominant position of mining industries (on Nauru - mining of phosphorites, on New Caledonia - nickel, etc.) and industries processing agricultural products (production of coconut oil, tea, tobacco products, sugar, juices, fruit canning, fish processing industry, etc.). The products of these branches of industry and agriculture also determine the nature of the participation of the majority of oceanic states in foreign trade. In terms of per capita GDP, the countries of Oceania are differentiated into states where this indicator reaches $15,000 (Nauru), $1,500 (Fiji), $900 (Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu), from $400 to $600 .(Western Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvaku).

Australia was "discovered" by Europeans twice - for the first time at the beginning of the 17th century. by the Dutch navigator V. Janszon (its northern coast), somewhat later, in the second half of the same century, by the English navigator James Cook (east coast). At first, this continent was a place of a hard labor settlement (criminals from England) and only in the second half of the 19th century, after the discovery of rich gold deposits, did it become an area of mass free immigration.

AUSTRALIA (Australian Union)

Australia is a federal state that is part of the Commonwealth, led by Great Britain.

The Commonwealth of Australia consists of six states: New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania, as well as two territories - the Northern Territory and the Capital Territory.

The country is located in the Southern Hemisphere and occupies the territory of the entire Australian continent and the islands adjacent to it (Tasmania, King, Kangaroo, Flinders, Barrow, etc.).

Square australia 7 ,7 million sq.. km, population - 18 ,2 million Human. The capital is Canberra. The official language is English. The majority of the population professes Christianity.

Australia is one of the economically developed countries of the world, but its economy is mainly characterized by a raw material orientation. Australia plays a leading role in the international division of labor in the production and export of wheat, meat, sugar, wool, various types of minerals (bauxites, polymetals, iron ore, coal, etc.).

Geographic position. A distinctive feature of Australia's geographical position is its considerable distance from other continents. The country is surrounded on all sides by the waters of the World Ocean, its northern and eastern shores are washed by the Pacific Ocean, the western and southern by the Indian.

Population. The main population of Australia is made up of Anglo-Australians (descendants of immigrants from Great Britain and Ireland) and immigrants from around the world. Australian Aborigines form less than 1% of the country's population.

Australia is characterized by significant immigration, which gives up to 20% of population growth. The average population density of Australia is 2 people per 1 sq. km. Most of the population (over 2/3 of the country's inhabitants) is concentrated on the eastern and southeastern coasts, which are favorable in natural terms (here the density in some places reaches 10-50 people per 1 sq. km). The rest of the territory is sparsely populated.

Australia is one of the most urbanized countries in the world: more than 85% of its population are city dwellers. The largest cities are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Newcastle. Almost all of them are ports.

Natural conditions, them economic grade.

The relief of Australia is predominantly flat. Mountains occupy less than 5% of the territory of this continent. The Dividing Range stretching along its eastern outskirts (the highest point is Mount Kosciuszko - 2230 m) does not present an insurmountable obstacle for economic development. The climate in much of Australia is unfavorable for agriculture. A sufficient amount of precipitation (500 mm per year) falls only on the elevated eastern and southeastern margins of the mainland. Areas of vast deserts (they occupy 2/5 of the country's area) of Central and Western Australia have insufficient moisture and can only be used as pastures for sheep.

The river network is poorly developed. The only high-flowing Murray River with a tributary of the Darling.

economy. Among industries, the most important for the Australian economy is the mining, metallurgical and food industries. The products of these industries are not only widely used within the country, but are also exported in large quantities.

Australia occupies a prominent place in the world in terms of reserves and production of bauxite, iron, lead, zinc, copper, manganese, tungsten and uranium ores, coal. Non-ferrous and ferrous metallurgy is closely connected with the mining industry, the main branches of which are the aluminum industry, the smelting of copper, tin, lead and zinc, special steels and alloys.

The leading branches of the food industry - meat, dairy, flour-grinding, sugar, fruit and vegetable canning - process local agricultural raw materials. The enterprises of these industries are mainly located in port cities in the southeast of the country (Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle, Adelaide).

Mechanical engineering (production of trucks and cars, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment, various instruments, etc.), oil refining, chemical (production of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers, plastics and chemical fibers, etc.) and light industry (production of footwear, fabrics and knitwear) in mostly of local importance.

Agriculture Australia has a livestock bias. Leading Industries animal husbandry- sheep and dairy cattle breeding. The country ranks first in the world in terms of the number of sheep, the production and export of wool, lamb, beef and veal. Horse breeding, camel breeding and poultry breeding are developed. In connection with the livestock orientation of agriculture in general, the cultivation of fodder crops is of great importance in crop production (up to 49% of the arable land is occupied). Australia's main export crops are wheat, sugarcane, and cotton. The main area of their cultivation is the east and southeast of the country. Australia is one of the world's leading producers and exporters of wheat. Important branches of crop production are horticulture, viticulture, and vegetable growing.

Transport. In the transportation of goods, the role (up to half of the cargo turnover) of maritime transport, passengers - automobile and aviation, is great. The length of the railways is not great. There is almost no inland water transport.

The main export items are mineral raw materials (iron ore, coal, bauxites, etc.) and agricultural products (wool, wheat, meat, sugar). Australia imports mainly manufactured goods.

Oceania agriculture. Summary: Economic-geographical characteristics of Australia and Oceania. Natural resources and conditions

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