Australia history of discovery and exploration briefly. History of the discovery of Australia. Geographical location of Australia

Municipal state educational institution

"Kurkinsky secondary school No. 2"

NOTES OF A DISTRICT LESSON IN GEOGRAPHY

ON THE TOPIC OF:

Geographical position and the history of Australian exploration."

DATE: 12/16/2013

Class: 7

Goals and objectives of the lesson:

begin to develop students’ ideas and knowledge about the nature of Australia;

remember existing terms and concepts and understand new ones;

consider the features of the geographical location of Australia, continuing to develop the ability to determine the geographical location of an object;

begin to develop the ability to compare the geographical location of two objects;

introduce students to the history of the discovery and exploration of Australia, the most significant expeditions and travels.

consolidate the acquired material in practice.

Educational and visual complex: Physical map of Australia, the world, atlases, contour maps, textbooks, computer, multimedia projector, workbook for the textbook by E.M. Domogatskikh, EOR on the continents “Africa”, “Australia”, textbook by E.M. Domogatskikh, methodological guide to the textbook.

Lesson type: learning new material.

During the classes

Organizing time.

Hello guys. Today is an unusual day for us - many guests have gathered, whom we are all very happy about. The lesson will also be unusual in its form and content. And the continent that we will get to know is also very unusual. I suggest we start.

II Updating previously studied material.

First, let's remember: which continent have we already met?

Yes, we have begun to study the continents of planet Earth. The first continent we met was Africa.

And now we will check how well you have studied this continent.

Generalization of knowledge on Africa

2.1 Individual work.

Working with a physical map of Africa. (card No. 1)

Card#1

Assignment: to characterize the physical and geographical position of the African continent according to the plan:

Plan

B) The extreme points of the continent.

TO) Large countries Africa.

Card No. 2

result and see your rating.

question #1

platform

folded areas

enter the number of the correct answer

question number 2

northern and western

southern and eastern

enter the number of the correct answer

question number 3

in the southern part

enter the number of the correct answer

question number 4

along the equator

along the southern tropic

along the ocean coasts

enter the number of the correct answer

question #5

Sahara

Kalahari

enter the number of the correct answer

question number 6

subtropical

tropical

equatorial

enter the number of the correct answer

question number 7

forests is:

fertile soils

favorable climate

enter the number of the correct answer

question number 8

savannah

deserts

equatorial forests

enter the number of the correct answer

question number 9

evatorial forests

savannah

deserts

enter the number of the correct answer

question #10

Mongoloid

Negroid

Caucasian

enter the number of the correct answer

(The student does the work on the laptop and receives the result of his work)

Card No. 3

"Crossword on the topic:"Animal and vegetable world Africa"

1. When he's in a cage

it's pleasant

On the skin

many black spots.

He is a beast of prey

although a little

Like a lion and a tiger

looks like a cat.

2.Natural area occupying 40% of Africa.

4. Tree of equatorial forests, forming the upper tier.

5. A tree-like plant with fleshy stems and branches, devoid of leaves and covered with thorns.

6. This beast

faster than the wind

And I can

assure you,

He's a hundred and twenty

kilometers

Develops

speed per hour.

7. A tree-like plant with fleshy stems and branches, devoid of leaves and covered with thorns

8. A relative of the giraffe, found only in Africa.

9. African wild horse.

10. Sweet potato.

11.Sandy desert

12. Climbing plant

13. Tree of equatorial forests, forming the upper tier

Card No. 4

Assignment: Name the country based on its description

This state is located in both Africa and Asia.

The capital of this state is the city of Tripoli.

This state, facing the Indian Ocean, is located on the largest peninsula in Africa.

This state is completely surrounded by the territory of South Africa.

Most of the Congo River basin is located within this state.

This state opens to the Mediterranean Sea where the Strait of Gibraltar is located.

The White Nile and Blue Nile rivers merge within this state.

This state in the north is washed by the waters Mediterranean Sea, and in the west and southeast it borders with Algeria and Libya.

(Students complete in parallel with the individual survey)

Option

Choose the correct answer

Africa's area is

a) 30.3 thousand km 2

b) 30.3 million km 2

c) 303 million km 2

The northernmost point of the continent is the cape

a) Ras Hafun

b) Ras Angela

c) Almadi

Most of Africa's territory lies between

a) the equator and the northern tropic

b) the equator and the southern tropic

c) northern and southern tropics

Crossed South Africa from west to east, explored the Zambezi River

a) Vasco da Gama

b) David Livingston

c) N.I. Vavilov

The Atlas Mountains are located

a) on an ancient platform

b) in the area of new folding

c) in the area of ancient folding

The relief of Africa is dominated by

a) lowlands

b) hills and plateaus

into the mountains

Highest peak in Africa

a) Kenya

b) the city of Toubkal

c) Kilimanjaro

The tallest t º on Earth (+58º C) registered in

a) Tripoli

b) Cairo

in Algeria

Pygmies, Nilotes, Tutsis belong to the race

a) Caucasian

b) equatorial

c) intermediate

The most long river Africa

a) Congo

b) Neil

c) Niger

Option 2

Africa is smaller in size than

a) Eurasia

b) North America

In South America

Extreme eastern point mainland is cape

a) Ras Angela

b) Ras Hafun

c) Needle

Unlike other continents, Africa is intersected

a) the southern polar circle

b) prime meridian

c) almost in the middle with the equator

Circled South Africa, opened a sea route to India

a) Vasco da Gama

b) David Livingston

c) V.V. Juncker

5.Elevated to a height of more than 1000 m

a) Northern and South Africa

b) South and East Africa

c) Northern and West Africa

6.Most high mountains are

a) Cape

b) Draconian

c) Atlas

a) Zambezi

b) Congo

c) Neil

8.Largest lake by area

a) Victoria

b) Chad

c) Tanganyika

Natural area occupying 40% of the continent's area

a) equatorial forests

b) savannas

c) deserts

Largest country by population

a) Egypt

b) Nigeria

c) South Africa

Key to the test: (Slide No. 1)

Option 1:

Option 2:

PHYSMINUTE

Learning new things.

- To determine which continent we have to study next, I want to read a poem ( Slide 2).

It is located below us.
They're obviously walking upside down there,
There's a year turned inside out,
The gardens there bloom in October,
It's summer there in October, not July,
Rivers flow there without water
(they disappear somewhere in the desert)
There are traces of wingless birds in the thickets,
There cats get snakes for food,
Animals are born from eggs,
And there the dogs don't know how to bark,
Trees climb out of their bark on their own.
There rabbits are worse than a flood...

- What continent are we talking about? (children's answers - Australia)

That's right, this is mainland Australia.

Reference

Australia (from Latin means southern) is the most small continent on the ground. Behind small sizes it is sometimes called the mainland - an island. There are also peculiarities in the development of the mainland, since Australia remained a blank spot longer than all other large lands on the planet. For a long time, the continent was, as it were, cut off from the historical processes taking place in other parts of the world. Over many thousands of years, powerful centers of civilization were born in Africa, Asia, Europe, America, and the Stone Age still reigned in Australia. The Commonwealth of Australia is a state in the Southern Hemisphere with an area of 7,692,024 km². Australia is the sixth largest country in the world by area after Russia, Canada, China, the USA and Brazil, occupying about 5% of the Earth's land surface.

Where should we start studying?(Answers: FGP). Today in the lesson we will get acquainted with the geographical location of the continent of Australia and its relief. Open your notebooks, write down the date and topic of the lesson:"FGP and the relief of Australia" (Slide 3)

- For the next 40 minutes, each of you will become an explorer. What does a novice researcher need?(Initial knowledge, draw up a study and research plan)

- Now let's decide what we should learn in class?

(Goal setting for children):

Sizes of the continent;

Where is the mainland of Australia?

Position in relation to the equator, prime meridian, tropics, neighboring continents;

Extreme points and their coordinates;

Rugged coastline;

The history of the discovery of the continent;

Working with the map.

Learning new material.

Practical work on the map.

Open physical card peace. What can you say about the size of the continent of Australia?(The smallest) To find out the exact area of the continent, open the atlas on p. 40 (Table: " General information about continents").(Area - 7 million 614 thousand sq. km).

Now independently determine the geographical location of Australia.

(Slide 4, 5: “Plan for the characteristics of the mainland FGP”) (2 minutes. After - discussion)

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CONTINENT.

(students complete the task independently, followed by verification)

Position relative to the equator(slide 5):

Let's remember what the equator is (The equator is an imaginary line drawn on the surface of the Earth, at an equal distance from the poles)

Answer: Relative to the equator, Australia is located in one hemisphere, the southern

Position relative to the tropics

Let's remember what the tropics are (Tropics - parallels 23.5 O With. w. and 23.5 O Yu. sh.)

Answer: Australia is crossed almost in the middle by the southern tropic.

Position relative to the prime meridian

Let's remember what a meridian is? Which meridian do we call the prime meridian?

Answer: A meridian is an imaginary line drawn along the surface of the Earth from North Pole to the South Pole. The prime meridian is called the 0 meridian, or Greenwich, or London

Position relative to other continents

Answer: remote from all continents.

Position regarding oceans and seas

Answer: The Indian Ocean washes the southern and western coasts of the continent

Pacific Ocean washes the eastern coast of the mainland

The northern coast is washed by the Arafura Sea, the Timor Sea; the southeast coast is washed by the Coral Sea; the northeast coast is washed by the Tasman Sea

Coastline: peninsulas and islands, bays(Slide 6)

7. Extreme points of the mainland: (Slide 7)

(Students determine independently for assessment)

North - M. York 10 S. 142 E.

South - M. South East Point 39 S 146 E

Western - M. Steep Point 26 S. 113 E.

Eastern - M. Byron 28 S. 153 E.

Define geographical coordinates extreme points of Australia:(Slide 8)

Conclusions about FGP:

Australia is located in 2 hemispheres, southern and eastern

Australia is crossed almost in the middle by the South Tropic, i.e. climate – hot and dry

Australia is remote from other continents

Australia's coastline is slightly indented

The mainland's GP is decisive.

-Now let’s find out how, when and by whom the continent of Australia was discovered and studied. (Slide - 9-17) .

(students fill out the table during the lesson)

History of the discovery and exploration of Australia.

Geographers of the ancient world believed that in the southern hemisphere there should be a huge continent - Terra Australis Incognita, which balances the vast expanses of land in the northern hemisphere. This continent was discovered by the Dutch.

The honor of discovering Australia belongs to the Dutch navigator

Willem Janszoon.On the ship "Dufken" in 1605 he crossed the Gulf of Carpentaria

and explored 320 km of coastline in the north of the mainland.

In 1606, the Spanish navigator Torres passed through the strait between New Guinea and Australia.The strait is named after him - Torres Strait.

In the first half of the 17th century. The northern, western, and southwestern coasts of the mainland were known. Of great importance were sea travel Abel Tasman.Dutch navigatorpassed in 1642-1643South of Australia and discovered the islands, later named Tasmania and New Zealand. In 1644 he explored northwest coast mainland. (Listen to a student report about the tripAbel Tasman)

In 1770, an English navigator James Cook discovered the east coast

Australia, Great Barrier Reef, completing the discovery of Australia.

(Listen to the student’s report on the tripJamesACookA).

Irish traveler Robert O'Hara Burke in 1861 he was the first to cross Australia from south to north. He died on the way back.

Scottish explorer John Stewart crossed the continent twice from south to north in 1862. He made a great contribution to the study of the central regions of Australia.

Russian scientistMiklouho-Maclay Nikolai Nikolaevichin the 1870s he studied the life, customs, and religious rites of the aborigines (Papuans) New Guinea

Assignment: Fill out the table “Study of the Australian mainland”

Researcher

Study area

PHYSMINUTE

Consolidation of what has been learned. ( Slide 19)

Task: Mark on the contour map: the extreme points of the continent, seas, oceans washing the territory, the largest islands and peninsulas.

Lesson summary. (Slide 20)

Quiz: Geographical location of Australia

End of form

Beginning of the form

Question No. 1

Australia is the most:

Small
Southern
Rugged
Remote

Question No. 2

Australia is washed by the seas of the oceans:

Pacific and Atlantic
Pacific and Arctic
Atlantic and Indian
Pacific and Indian

Question No. 3

Mainland Australia is entirely located:

In the southern hemisphere
In the northern hemisphere
In the Western Hemisphere
In the Eastern Hemisphere

Question No. 4

Who discovered Australia:

Dutch
English
Spaniards
Russians

Question No. 5

Which parallel crosses Australia in the middle:

Equator
Northern Tropic
South Tropic
Southern Arctic Circle.End of form

-Which continent did you meet?

-What features of the mainland do you remember?

-Who explored the mainland?

VI . Homework: (Slide 21)

- paragraph 28

- apply to contour map FGP objects and landforms of Australia;

- *report about one of the travelers - the discoverers of Australia;

VII .Reflection. (Slide 22)

So, friends, it's time to say goodbye.
And I want to wish you:
Always willing to learn,
Always willing to work.
And never lose heart.

ANNEX 1

Card#1

Assignment: make a description of the continent of Africa according to plan:

Plan

A) Position relative to the equator. (In which hemisphere is the continent located, does it intersect with the equator)

B) Position relative to the prime meridian (hemisphere, whether it crosses the continent).

B) The extreme points of the continent.

D) What oceans and seas wash them.

E) What continents is it connected to (canal, sea, lake, etc.)

E) Climatic zones of the continent

G) Relief features: maximum and minimum height. (large landforms).

H) Water resources Africa: rivers, lakes. (which basin the rivers belong to).

AND) Natural areas continent.

K) Large countries in Africa.

APPENDIX 2

Testing on a computer “Generalization on Africa”.

Rules for working with the resource: Carefully read the question and answer options, only one of them is correct.

Enter the number of the correct answer in the yellow cell after the question and be sure to press the "Enter" key.

After answering all questions, go to the sheet with the titleresult and see your rating.

(to get the mark "5" you must give at least 9 correct answers, to get the mark "4" 7-8 correct answers,

for mark "3" there are 5-6 correct answers, and for mark "2" - less than 5 correct answers)

question #1

At the base of most of the continent is:

platform

folded areas

enter the number of the correct answer

question number 2

The more elevated part of Africa is:

northern and western

southern and eastern

enter the number of the correct answer

question number 3

Minerals of sedimentary origin (coal, oil, gas) are located:

mainly in the northern part of the mainland

in the southern part

enter the number of the correct answer

question number 4

The maximum amount of precipitation in Africa falls:

along the equator

along the southern tropic

along the ocean coasts

enter the number of the correct answer

question #5

If an African desert is colder in July than in January, then it is a desert:

Sahara

Kalahari

enter the number of the correct answer

question number 6

Africa has the densest river network in climatic zone:

subtropical

tropical

equatorial

enter the number of the correct answer

question number 7

The main reason for the richness and diversity of humid tropical vegetation

forests is:

fertile soils

favorable climate

enter the number of the correct answer

question #8

Antelopes, lions, cheetahs, hippos are found in the area:

savannah

deserts

equatorial forests

enter the number of the correct answer

question number 9

Okapi, tapir, chimpanzee, leopard are found in the area:

evatorial forests

savannah

deserts

enter the number of the correct answer

question #10

Indigenous people North Africa refers to race:

Mongoloid

Negroid

Caucasian

enter the number of the correct answer

APPENDIX 3

"Crossword

You already know that Australia is a continent located in the Eastern and Southern hemispheres of our planet Earth. The continent itself is part of the world of Oceania and Australia.

Geographical location of Australia

The continent called Australia covers an area of 7,659,861 km² in the Southern Hemisphere. The coastline has a length of 35 thousand km, the width of the continent is 4000 km, and the length reaches 3700 km.

Near Australia there are islands such as Tasmania and New Guinea. Western and South coast Australia is washed by waters Indian Ocean, and the eastern and northern coasts - by the seas of the Pacific Ocean.

These are the Timor, Coral, Arafura and Tasman seas. Also off the northeast coast of Australia is the largest coral reef in the world, the Great Barrier Reef stretches for more than 2000 km. Its width can reach 150 km.

The westernmost point of the mainland is Cape Steep Point, the eastern point is Cape Byron, the northern extreme point is Cape York, and the southern point of Australia is Cape South Point.

To a large extent, Australia is located in a hot thermal zone, and the shores of the mainland are slightly indented. In the south of Australia is the Great Australian Bight, and the Gulf of Carpentaria is to the north, as are the two peninsulas of Cape York and Arnhem Land. Australia is connected to Southeast Asia by inland seas.

History of continental exploration

The smallest of all, this continent took quite a long time to find. In 1606, the strait that separates New Guinea from the mainland was discovered. This strait was named after the discoverer - Torres. And in the same year, the navigator Janszon found himself on the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria.

A few decades later, in 1643, it was proven that Australia was a single landmass. The navigator Tasman proved this and he also discovered the island, which was later named after him.

In 1770, James Cook, being a famous English navigator, found himself on east coast Australia itself. Since then, the process of colonization by the British began, the study of Australia as a separate continent, and the economic development of its territory.

The lands of Australia began to be called New South Wales. At that time, Australia became a place of exile for criminals convicted of minor offenses. Later, the settlement, considered a British colony, was named Sydney. It was founded on January 26 in 1788 - the founder is Captain Arthur Philip.

And the territory of Tasmania joined the rest of Australia in 1829. The mid-19th century was the beginning of the “gold rush” in Australia; it was this period that was characterized by waves of mass immigration to Australia.

Australia is one of the most exotic English-speaking countries in the world. Thanks to its high standard of living and attractive immigration policies, many are considering it as a place to live or work. If you are learning English to move to Australia, either for work, study or pleasure, it will be useful to gain a basic understanding of the country's history.

Prehistoric Australia

About 50 thousand years ago, the first people arrived on the southern continent of Australia - the earliest sea travelers in the world. Geologists believe that at that time the island of New Guinea in the north and Tasmania in the south were part of the continent.

After several thousand years, the continent began to be actively populated. The earliest archaeological discovery of human remains in Australia is the so-called Mungo man, who lived approximately 40 thousand years ago. From it, scientists determined that the first inhabitants of Australia were massive and tall people.

In prehistory, Australia was settled by people over several waves. About 5 thousand years ago, with another stream of settlers, the dingo dog appeared on the mainland - the only non-marsupial Australian predator. Only by the 2nd millennium BC did the Australian Aborigines acquire modern look, evolving and mixing with newly arrived settlers.

The Aborigines formed diverse tribes with their own languages, cultures, religions and traditions. At the time of the discovery of Australia by Europeans, about 500 tribes lived on the mainland, speaking about 250 different languages. None of them had a written language, so their history is poorly known. They used symbolic drawings, retelling ancient legends in them. These myths and archaeological finds- the only data that historians studying Australia can use.

Since people began to inhabit Australia quite a long time ago (for comparison, people arrived in America only 13 thousand years ago, a full 27 thousand years later) and did not experience the influence of the rest of the world before the arrival of Europeans, the Australian Aboriginal civilization is considered one of the oldest continuous cultures in the world.

European continental exploration

It is officially believed that Australia was discovered by the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon in 1606. He sailed to the Gulf of Carpentaria in the north of the mainland and landed on the Cape York Peninsula - the most northern point Australia, which is located just 160 kilometers from New Guinea. A year before him, the Spaniard Luis Vaez Torres swam in these waters, who passed very close to the Australian coast and even supposedly saw land on the horizon, but mistook it for another archipelago.

There are several other alternative theories for the discovery of Australia. According to one of them, before Willem Janszoon, the mainland was discovered by Portuguese sailors. The flotilla under the leadership of de Siqueira explored the route to the Moluccas and sent several expeditions around the archipelago. One such expedition, led by Mendonça in 1522, supposedly visited the northwestern shores of Australia.

The theory of the early discovery of Australia seems plausible, since it was on the west coast that 16th century cannons were found in the 20th century. Unusual finds have been repeatedly discovered on the mainland, which can only be explained by the early voyages of Europeans to the Australian shores. However, these theories are considered controversial. In addition, the discovery of Australia remained unknown to Europe until the voyages of the Dutch.

Janszoon declared the found territories the possession of the Netherlands, although the Dutch never began to develop them. Over the next few decades, the Dutch continued to explore Australia. In 1616, Derk Hartog visited the west coast; three years later, Frederic de Houtman explored several hundred kilometers of coastline. In 1644, Abel Tasman began his famous sea voyages, during which he discovered New Zealand, Tasmania, Fiji and Tonga, and also proved that Australia is a separate continent.

The Dutch studied only the west coast of Australia, the rest coastline and the interior remained unexplored until the voyages of James Cook a full century later, in 1769. It was believed that New Holland (the first name of Australia) discovered by the Dutch did not belong to the hypothetical southern continent Terra Australis Incognita, the existence of which had been suspected since ancient times. New Holland was an inhospitable place with a difficult climate and hostile natives, so for a long time they showed no interest in it.

In the mid-18th century, the British came up with the idea of exiling convicts to the islands of the Southern Ocean or to a supposedly existing continent called the Unknown. South Land. In 1769, English Lieutenant James Cook set sail on the ship Endeavor to Tahiti on a secret mission to find the Southern Continent and explore the shores of New Holland.

Cook sailed to the east coast of Australia and landed at Botany Bay. Having examined the coastal lands, he concluded that they were quite favorable for founding a colony. Cook then traveled along the coast in a northwesterly direction and found a strait between Australia and New Guinea (thus proving that this island is not part of the mainland). The navigator did not complete the task of finding the Southern Continent.

During the second round the world expedition Cook explored the southern latitudes and came to the conclusion that there were no large lands in them except Australia. The dreams of Terra Australis were destroyed, but a free name remained. In 1814, the English navigator Matthew Flinders proposed calling New Holland Australia. By that time, colonies from several states already existed on the mainland, which did not immediately accept the proposal, but over time began to use this name. In 1824 it became official.

British colonization of Australia

Cook recommended Botany Bay for settlement. The first fleet with settlers set off here in 1787. These were convicts - but for the most part not malicious criminals, robbers and murderers, but former traders and farmers sentenced to short terms for minor crimes. Many of them were soon given pardons and allocated plots for farms. The rest of the settlers were infantrymen with their families, officers and other employees.

The ships were found near Botany Bay comfortable spot for colonization - Port Jackson Bay, where a settlement was founded in Sydney Cove. The founding date of the colony, 26 January 1788, later became a national holiday, Australia Day. A month later, the governor of the settlement officially announced the creation of a colony, which was called New South Wales. Locality became named after the British Home Secretary, Viscount Sydney. This is how the city of Sydney appeared - now the largest and most developed in Australia.

The governor of the colony tried to improve relations with the aborigines, helped convicts reform, established trade and Agriculture. The first years were difficult for the settlers: there was not enough food, the convicts had few professional skills, and new convicts arriving in the colony turned out to be sick and disabled after a long and difficult voyage. But the governor managed to develop the colony, and from 1791 its affairs began to go uphill.

Living conditions for convicts were harsh. They had to do a lot of work to create a colony: build houses and roads, help farmers. They starved and suffered severe punishments. But the pardoned prisoners remained in Australia, received their allotments and could employ convicts themselves. One of these former prisoners grew the first successful wheat crop in 1789. Soon the colony began to provide itself with food.

In 1793, the first free settlers arrived in Sydney (not counting the military guarding the convicts). They were given land free of charge, provided with agricultural equipment for the first time, and given the right to free movement and use of prison labor.

Mainland exploration

After the founding of the colony, exploration of Australia continued. Europeans used the services of local guides, so most trips were successful. In 1813, the Blaxland, Lawson and Wentworth expedition traversed the Blue Mountains ranges west of Sydney and found extensive grazing lands. In 1824, the expedition of Hume and Howell made many important discoveries, discovered the Murray River and its tributaries, and discovered many new pastures.

In 1828, Charles Sturt discovered the Darling River and reached the point where the Murray River flows into the Great Australian Bight. Then a whole series of expeditions followed, filling in the gaps of previous research. European and Australian explorers retained many of the original place names rather than giving their own. In 1839, the Polish traveler Strzelecki climbed the most high peak Australia - Mount Kosciuszko in the Australian Alps.

In 1829, Great Britain claimed the entire western part of Australia. The colony of New South Wales was divided into several, the colonies of Victoria appeared, South Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory, Swan River. Settlers gradually spread throughout the continent. At this time they were founded big cities Melbourne and Brisbane.

The Aborigines, under the pressure of European colonists, retreated from the coasts inland. Their numbers were greatly reduced due to diseases brought by the settlers. In the mid-19th century everything indigenous people were moved to reservations, many were forced there.

By 1840, the tradition of sending convicts to Australia began to be forgotten, and after 1868 it was no longer practiced.

Golden fever

In the 1850s, the gold rush began in Australia. The British authorities established licenses for gold mining, which was extremely displeasing to gold miners. In 1854, prospectors from Ballarat launched what is now known as the Eureka Rebellion. The rebels created the Ballarat Reform League and presented a number of demands to the government: introduce universal suffrage, cancel gold mining licenses, and abolish property restrictions for parliamentary candidates.

The resistance of the gold miners was crushed, they were arrested and put on trial. But the court did not find the rebels guilty. Many of the miners' demands were satisfied: their licenses were canceled and they were given the right to appeal to parliament. The Eureka Rebellion stimulated the development of liberalism in Australia. This event became one of the key events in the history of the country.

In 1855, New South Wales gained the right to self-government, remaining part of the British Empire. Other Australian colonies soon followed. Their governments were engaged internal affairs, A foreign policy, defense and trade continued to be in charge of Great Britain.

The Gold Rush sparked an economic boom in Australia. The next few decades were prosperous for Australians. In the 1890s, the economic situation began to deteriorate, at the same time the labor movement began to grow, new political parties began to emerge, and the Australian colonies began to think about unification.

Commonwealth of Australia

For ten years, the colonies discussed the issue of unification and prepared to create single country. In 1901 they created the Commonwealth of Australia - federal state, which was a dominion of the British Empire. In the early years, the capital of the Union was the city of Melbourne, but already in 1911, the future capital of Australia, the city of Canberra, began to be built on the specially designated Federal Capital Territory. In 1927, the city was completed and the Union government settled in it.

A little later, the Federation included several territories that had previously been subordinate to Great Britain: the islands of Norfolk, Cartier and Ashmore. It was assumed that New Zealand would join Australia, but it chose to seek independence from Great Britain on its own.

Australia's economy was heavily dependent on exports. The country had to import large quantities of grain and wool. The Great Depression, which began in the United States in 1929, and the subsequent global economic crisis severely affected Australia. The unemployment rate rose to a record 29%.

In 1931, the British Parliament adopted the Statute of Westminster, which established the position of the dominions. According to it, the British dominions received full official independence, but retained the right of the British monarch to hold the post of head of state. Australia only ratified this statute in 1942, becoming effectively independent from Great Britain.

History of Australia after independence

Second World War boosted Australia's economy. The Australians received a promise of protection from the United States in the event of a Japanese attack, so they took part in hostilities without risk to themselves. After the war, many residents of dilapidated Europe decided to move to Australia. The Australian government encouraged immigration, wanting to increase the country's population and attract talented professionals.

By 1975, two million immigrants had arrived in Australia. Most of them are former residents of Great Britain and Ireland. Thus, the majority of the Australian population are carriers in English, which transformed into the Australian dialect. Official language the state does not.

In the 70s, the Australian government introduced a number of important reforms, the significance of which remains to this day: free higher education, abolition of compulsory military service, recognition of Aboriginal rights to land and others. From a former convict colony, Australia has become a highly developed country with one of the most high levels immigration.

The material presented in the article is aimed at forming an idea of who is the discoverer of the continent. The article contains reliable historical information. The information will help you obtain true information from the history of the discovery of Australia by sailors and travelers.

Who discovered Australia?

Every educated person today knows that the discovery of Australia by James Cook occurred when he visited the east coast of the mainland in 1770. However, these lands were known in Europe long before the famous English navigator appeared there.

Rice. 1. James Cook.

The ancestors of the indigenous population of the mainland appeared on the continent approximately 40-60 thousand years ago. This historical segment dates back to ancient archaeological finds that were discovered by scientists in the upper reaches of the Swan River at the western tip of the mainland.

Rice. 2. Swan River.

It is known that people ended up on the continent thanks to sea routes. This fact also indicates that it was these pioneers who became the earliest sea travelers. It is generally accepted that at that time at least three heterogeneous groups settled in Australia.

Explorers of Australia

There is an assumption that the discoverers of Australia were the ancient Egyptians.

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From history we know that Australia was discovered several times by different people:

Egyptians;
Dutch admiral Willem Janszoon;
James Cook.

The latter is recognized as the official discoverer of the continent for humanity. All these versions are still controversial and contradictory. There is no clear point of view on this issue.

In studies carried out on the territory Australian mainland, images of insects similar in appearance to scarabs were found. And during archaeological research in Egypt, researchers discovered mummies that were embalmed using eucalyptus oil.

Despite such clear evidence, many historians express reasonable doubts about this version, since the continent became famous in Europe much later.

Attempts to discover Australia were made by the world's navigators back in the 16th century. Many Australian researchers assume that the first Europeans to set foot on the continent were the Portuguese.

It is known that in 1509, sailors from Portugal visited the Moluccas, after which in 1522 they moved to the northwest of the mainland.

At the beginning of the 20th century, naval guns that were created back in the 16th century were found in this area.

The unofficial version of the discovery of Australia is the one that states that the discoverer of the continent is the Dutch admiral Willem Janszoon. He was never able to understand that he had become the discoverer of new lands, because he believed that he was getting closer to the lands of New Guinea.

Rice. 3. Willem Janszoon.

However, the main history of Australian exploration is attributed to James Cook. It was after his travels to unknown lands The active conquest of the mainland by Europeans began.

It is known for certain that Cook went to circumnavigation and ended up in “distant lands.” In 1770, his expedition reached the coast of the mainland. Officially, this date of the discovery of Australia is recognized as historically accurate.

What have we learned?

From historical information we found out who first visited the lands of the distant continent. The time period when exactly these lands were developed by man has been established. The names of the first seafarers are mentioned, who for the first time found themselves near Australia without even suspecting that they had made a major geographical discovery.

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In 1565, the Spanish monk Andre de Urdaneta was the first European to cross. His travel journal led many to believe that somewhere west of the southern tip South America may be large southern continent(Australia). In 1606, Pedro Fernandez de Quiros, a Portuguese captain serving Spain, reached the shores of what he mistook for the continent. Quiros named it "Australia" in honor of the Spanish king, who was also the Grand Duke of Austria. However, in fact, the land discovered by Quiros turned out to be one of the islands of the New Hebrides archipelago.

Discovery of a new continent

At the end of the 16th century. Holland became a powerful maritime power. In 1606, the Dutch captain from Amsterdam, Billem Jantszoon, was the first European to reach Australia. He sailed into the Gulf of Carpentaria off its northern coast. In 1642, another Dutchman, Abel Tasman, saw the island (now the island of Tasmania) and named it Van Diemen's Land - in honor of the manager of the Dutch East India Company, where Tasman served. He then headed towards New Zealand and reached the islands of Tonga and Fiji. After this, the Dutch lost interest in geographical exploration. Further exploration of Australia was resumed only more than a century later.

Captain Cook

James Cook (1728-1779) was born in Yorkshire (England). He was the son of a farmer and received only an elementary education at a local school, and at the age of 12 he already went to work: first in a shop, and then in a ship company. In 1756 Cook entered the navy. He was an extraordinary man, with a strong character and great intelligence. He became a skilled navigator and astronomer, and in 1768 received the rank of lieutenant and took command of the ship Endever. The ship Endever was built in Whitby (Yorkshire, England) and was intended to transport coal to the ports of the British coast.

Disease Control

In the 18th century on long voyages, out of every 100 sailors, an average of 60 people died, and 50 of them died from various diseases. To reduce the incidence of disease, Cook introduced strict rules. Crew members had to bathe every day, their clothes and beds were aired twice a week, and the entire ship was regularly fumigated with smoke. Cook always carried a large supply of fresh fruit with him to prevent scurvy, a disease caused by a lack of vitamin C in the body. Scurvy was perhaps the main cause of high mortality among sailors. He also took care of purchasing fresh meat and vegetables. These measures had a beneficial effect on the health of sailors.

Man and his purpose

Imbued with the scientific ideas of his time, Cook did not miss the opportunity to send his ship to the shores of Tahiti to observe the planet Venus: in 1769 it passed between the Earth and the Sun. Along with Cook, a naturalist, a botanist and two artists took part in the expedition. Cook carried with him a special package, which was to be opened only after the observations were completed and described. The package contained a secret order to try to find the fifth continent, with the help of scientists to study its flora and fauna, as well as the life of the native population, and declare these lands the possessions of Great Britain. In April 1769, the expedition reached the island of Tahiti. On June 3, scientists made observations of Venus, and 10 days later the ships continued sailing. Two islanders went with the expedition as guides to help explore the small islands. The ships were heading towards New Zealand. There the Maori natives met them with hostility. A real battle broke out: the Endever was attacked by more than a hundred warriors in canoes.

Landing on the continent

In April 1770, the ships entered the bay on the east coast of Australia, Cook landed on shore. He named the bay Bothnic - in memory of the large botanical collection that was collected here. Sailing north along the coast of the continent, the ship encountered the reefs of the Great Barrier Reef and was wrecked. After lengthy repairs, the expedition set course for its homeland and in July 1771 returned to England.

Cook's last voyages

Cook carried out two more expeditions and made important discoveries. He set out on the first of them in July 1772 from Plymouth on two ships. In January 1774, Cook's ships crossed latitude 70, the southernmost latitude hitherto reached by Europeans. The sailors visited Easter Island. In 1778, Cook sailed to the Commonwealth Islands (now - Hawaiian Islands). At first, the Hawaiians took him for a god, but very soon they became disappointed in their guests. Cook hastily sailed from Hawaii, but six days later was forced to return, as his ship, the Resolve, was caught in a storm and was thoroughly battered. A fight broke out, during which Cook was killed.

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