Queensland
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Where is Queensland located?
Queensland is a state in northeastern Australia. It is the wettest and most tropical part of the continent. Queensland is bounded by the Coral Sea to the north and east, by New South Wales to the south, by South Australia to the southwest, and by the Northern Territory to the west. The capital of Queensland is Brisbane, which is on the stateās southeastern coast. Queensland occupies almost one-fourth of the continent. More than half of Queensland is located north of the Tropic of Capricorn. Queensland experiences tropical and subtropical climatic conditions because it lies between the low latitudes of 10Ā° and 29Ā° S.
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What is Queensland known for in Australia?
Queensland, a state in Australia, is known for its diverse landscapes and industries. Its economy relies on agriculture, minerals, and energy resources. Queensland's agriculture focuses on extensive cropping and grazing systems, with beef, sugar, wheat, and wool as main exports.
Queensland is also known for its varied plant and animal life, including tropical rainforests, open eucalyptus forests, and arid spinifex grasslands. The state is home to diverse marsupials, birds, snakes, lizards, and crocodiles. The Great Barrier Reef off the northeastern coast, is the worldās largest structure created by living organisms.
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What is the climate like in Queensland?
Queensland, located between latitudes 10Ā° and 29Ā° S, experiences both tropical and subtropical climates. Summer temperatures are high, with average maximums ranging from 82 Ā°F (28 Ā°C) on the coast to 99 Ā°F (37 Ā°C) inland. Winters are mild and sunny, with July maximums from 68 Ā°F (20 Ā°C) in the south to 79 Ā°F (26 Ā°C) in the north.
Rainfall and humidity decrease from the coast to the interior. A narrow coastal zone receives 30 to 60 inches (750 to 1,525 mm) of rainfall annually, but the southwest receives only 5 to 6 inches (125 to 150 mm). Rainfall is concentrated in the summer and early autumn, especially in the northern tropics. The northern coast receives year-round rainfall from southeast winds, with annual totals reaching up to 180 inches (4,575 mm). Rainfall is highly variable, with droughts, floods, and tropical cyclones all posing risks, especially on the northern coasts.
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What are some major cities in Queensland?
Queensland has a decentralized population distribution, setting it apart from other Australian states, and has a defined set of major provincial cities. Brisbane, the capital, is located on the southeastern coast. Other major cities include:
- Bundaberg
- Cairns
- Gold Coast
- Mackay
- Rockhampton
- Toowoomba
- Townsville
Queensland's population is concentrated along the coastal strip, with a significant portion residing in the southeast region. These cities serve as regional hubs and gateways to the interior. The coastal corridor is pivotal to Queenslandās economy.
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How does Queensland's geography affect its wildlife?
Queensland's diverse geography significantly shapes its wildlife. Tropical rainforests in coastal areas boast varied plant and animal species, while open eucalyptus forests and sparse woodlands dominate other coastal regions. Inland, low acacia woodlands and grasslands prevail, contrasting with the arid interior's spinifex grass.
This variety fosters great animal diversity, including numerous marsupials, bats, reptiles, birds, and fish. The Great Barrier Reef, a World Heritage site, showcases diverse marine life, while other sites like Fraser Island and Boodjamulla National Park also contribute to Queensland's rich biodiversity.
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What role does tourism play in Queensland's economy?
Tourism plays a significant role in Queensland's economy, having grown rapidly due to the state's promotion of its surfing beaches, reefs, and other natural attractions. By the early 21st century, tourism had become a significant contributor to the state economy and an important source of employment, surpassing agriculture in both capacities. Along with the expansion of coal mining, tourism maintained Queensland's image as a resource-based frontier state during the booms of the 1970s and 1980s.
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News •
Queensland, state of northeastern Australia, occupying the wettest and most tropical part of the continent. It is bounded to the north and east by the Coral Sea (an embayment of the southwestern Pacific Ocean), to the south by New South Wales, to the southwest by South Australia, and to the west by the Northern Territory. The capital is Brisbane, on the stateās southeastern coast.
Queensland, the second largest of Australiaās states, occupies nearly one-fourth of the continent. The state is more than twice the size of the U.S. state of Texas and seven times larger than the United Kingdom. In terms of land occupancy, however, Queensland is indeed Australiaās largest state, with an occupied area greater than that of the whole of Western Australia. It also is the most decentralized mainland state, with most of its people scattered along the eastern coastline over a distance of 1,400 miles (2,250 km). The rest of the population is dispersed thinly over almost all of the vast interior, posing severe access and communication challenges. With its large area and small population, Queenslandās economy is essentially resource-based, its exports predominantly pastoral, agricultural, and mineral products.
- Capital:
- Brisbane
- Population:
- (2021) 5,156,138
- Date Of Admission:
- 1901
- State Flower:
- Cooktown orchid
- Seats In Federal House Of Representatives:
- 30 (of 151)
- Time Zone:
- Australian Eastern Standard Time (GMT + 10)
- Premier:
- David Crisafulli (Liberal National Party)
- Total Area1 (Sq Km):
- 1,730,648
- Total Area1 (Sq Mi):
- 668,207
More than half of Queensland lies north of the Tropic of Capricorn, and the early Europeans there, unfamiliar with life in the tropics, experienced much adversity in their initial attempts to colonize the region. However, the climate, formerly a handicap, eventually became an advantage. In contemporary times Queenslandāunder the self-proclaimed title of the āSunshine Stateāāhas reaped the benefits of rapid growth in tourism, some attractions being sandy surfing beaches, verdant estuaries, picturesque islands, and the Great Barrier Reef, extending for 1,250 miles (2,000 km) off Queenslandās Coral Sea coastline. The state also experienced rapid population growth through āsunbeltā migration to the more attractive coastal regions, although the population in the already sparsely populated interior continued to decline. Area 668,207 square miles (1,730,648 square km). Population (2021) 5,156,138.
Land
Relief and drainage
Queensland lies astride two major Australian landform zones: the Eastern Uplands and the Central Sedimentary Lowlands.
The eastern third of the state is a complex zone of old, eroded highlands, with extensive exposures of granite and mineralized metamorphic rocks, occasionally capped by younger basalt flows, and with broad basins of even more-recent sedimentary rocks. The boldest topography lies close to the seaboard, with summits from 2,000 to 5,000 feet (600 to 1,500 metres). The uplands attract high rainfall, supplying short, steep perennial streams, and are flanked by narrow coastal valleys. Elsewhere east of the mountains are vast sedimentary basins, forming lowlands drained by such major intermittent streams as the Burdekin, Fitzroy, Barron, and Burnett rivers. The coastline presents a variety of landscapes, including bold headlands, sandy beaches, lagoons, estuaries, wetlands, alluvial plains, occasional extensive vegetated dunelands, and a scattering of nearshore islands of great recreational value.
In contrast to the variety of the coastal area is the seeming monotony of the vast inland plains, broken occasionally by low tablelands and ranges and drained by unreliable streams that are prone to extensive flooding. Gentle gradients contribute to wide, braided stream channels, most fully developed in the Channel Country of the far southwest. These plains are underlain by the recent, deep sediments of the Great Artesian Basin, which constitutes a reliable source of water for livestock. To the northwest of the basin are the stumps of ancient mineralized uplands, forming the Mount Isa block.
Soils
Most soils are old and infertile, deficient in phosphorus and nitrogen. A lack of organic matter, particularly in arid and semiarid areas, accentuates the problem, and many soils have low capacity to absorb and retain moisture. In coastal areas the most fertile soils are of relatively recent alluvial or volcanic origin, while the gray-brown and black cracking clays of the central inland lowlands support extensive grasslands.
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Climate
Lying between the low latitudes of 10Ā° and 29Ā° S, Queensland experiences tropical and subtropical climatic conditions. Summer temperatures are high, with average January maxima from 82 Ā°F (28 Ā°C) on the coast to 99 Ā°F (37 Ā°C) in the interior. Winters are mild and sunny, with July maxima from 68 Ā°F (20 Ā°C) in the south to 79 Ā°F (26 Ā°C) in the north. The interior experiences the most prolonged summer heat, while the southern interior and highlands have cooler winters, with a frost period of up to 100 days.
Precipitation and humidity show a persistent decline from the coast to the interior. A narrow coastal zone receives 30 to 60 inches (750 to 1,525 mm) annually, declining to only 5 to 6 inches (125 to 150 mm) in the southwest. Particularly in the northern tropics, the rainfall is concentrated in a wet season extending through summer and early autumn. Southern Queensland receives sufficient winter rain to support winter cropping of wheat. A limited coastal zone in northern Queensland receives copious year-round rainfall from the prevailing southeast winds, with annual totals of up to 180 inches (4,575 mm). Rainfall is highly variable, with extremes of drought and flood and a high risk of damage from tropical cyclones on the more northerly coasts. In late 2010 and early 2011, unusually heavy rains caused several of the stateās major river systems to overrun their banks. The record flooding inundated cities including Rockhampton, Bundaberg, and Emerald, and crops across large areas of Queensland were destroyed.