Australia and Geography

Day 114
Dunkeld to Hamilton
Time: 2:19:33
Distance: 37.8
Avg Speed: 16.2
Terrain: Flat
Location: 37 44' 43.3" S, 142 02' 00.3" E


We had a short uneventful day to Hamilton. We were pretty tired after yesterday and needed an afternoon to catch up on a few things. Instead of boring you with the details of our day, I thought I’d share some geography about Australia. And no, that’s not just as boring.

Let's start with a map:

Here are a few quick highlights about Australia:
-Located between latitudes 10˚ 41’ S (Cape York, Queensland) and 43˚ 38’ S (Southeast Cape, Tasmania) and between longitudes 113˚ 09’ E (Steep Point, Western Australia) and 153˚ 38’ E (Cape Byron, New South Wales)
-sixth largest country in the world (about the size of the United States)
-the only country to occupy an entire continent
-flattest and 2nd driest of the continents (Antarctica is the driest)
-the highest peak is Mt Kosciuszko at 2228 m
-the population (20+ million) lives mostly along the southeastern corner and eastern coast of the country
-Aboriginal people have lived on the continent for probably over 50,000 years
-700 bird species are native to Australia
-claimed by the British Crown in the late 1700s by (none other than) Captain James Cook

For heaps more information about Australia, see http://www.about-australia.com/facts/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia, http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa050397.htm

Have Fun,
LK