Queensland

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Queensland

Flag Coat of arms
Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State
Motto(s): "Audax at Fidelis" (Bold but Faithful)

Other Australian states and territories
Capital Brisbane
Demonym Queenslander
Government Constitutional monarchy
Governor Penelope Wensley
Premier Anna Bligh (ALP)
Area  
 - Total  1,852,642 km² (2^nd largest)
715,309 sq mi
 - Land 1,730,648 km²
668,207 sq mi
 - Water 121,994 km² (6.58%)
47,102 sq mi
Population (June 2009)
 - Population  4,406,800[1] (3^rd)
 - Density  2.55/km² (5^th)
6.6 /sq mi
Elevation  
 - Highest Mount Bartle Frere
+1,622 m (5,321 ft)
Gross State Product (2008-09)
 - Product ($m)  $224,187[2] (3^rd)
 - Product per capita  $50,873 (6^th)
Time zone UTC+10 AEST no DST
Federal representation
 - House seats 29
 - Senate seats 12
Abbreviations  
 - Postal QLD
 - ISO 3166-2 AU-QLD
Emblems  
 - Faunal Koala
(Phascolarctos cinereus)
 - Floral Cooktown orchid
(Dendrobium phalaenopsis)
 - Bird Brolga (Grus rubicunda)
 - Aquatic Barrier Reef Anemonefish
(Amphiprion akindynos)
 - Gem Sapphire
 - Colours Maroon
Web site www.qld.gov.au

Coordinates: 143°0′E / 23°S 143°E / -23; 143 Queensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. The state is Australia's second largest by area, following Western Australia, and the country's third most populous after New South Wales and Victoria.

The area was first occupied by Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, who arrived between 40,000 and 65,000 years ago, according to various dating methods.[3] Later, Queensland was made a British Crown Colony that was separated from New South Wales on 6 June 1859, a date now celebrated annually as Queensland Day.

The area that currently forms Brisbane was originally the Moreton Bay penal colony, intended as a place for recidivist convicts who had offended while serving out their sentences in New South Wales. The state later encouraged free settlement, and today Queensland's economy is dominated by the agricultural, tourist and natural resource sectors.

The state's population is concentrated in South East Queensland, which includes the capital Brisbane, Logan City, Redland City, Ipswich, Toowoomba, and the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. Other major regional centres include Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Ingham and Mount Isa.

Queensland is often nicknamed the Sunshine State, since it enjoys warm weather and a sizeable portion of the state is in the tropics.

Etymology

The state was named in honour of Queen Victoria,[4] who on 6 June 1859 signed a proclamation separating the state from New South Wales. At the time, Victoria was a generally popular monarch, and she preferred an eponymous name for the new colony over Cooksland, which had been suggested by the influential local Presbyterian minister John Dunmore Lang in honour of English navigator James Cook.[5][6] The southern Australian state of Victoria is also named after her.

History

The history of Queensland spans thousands of years, encompassing both a lengthy indigenous presence, as well as the eventful times of post-European settlement. Estimated to have been settled by Indigenous Australians approximately 40,000 years ago, the north-eastern Australian region was explored by Dutch, Portuguese and French navigators before being encountered by Captain James Cook in 1770. June 2009 marked the 150 anniversary of its creation as a separate colony from New South Wales.[7] The state has witnessed frontier warfare between European settlers and Indigenous inhabitants, as well as the employment of cheap Kanaka labour sourced from the South Pacific.

Geography

Queensland is bordered to the north by the Torres Strait with Boigu Island off the coast of New Guinea representing the absolute northern extreme of the territory. The triangular Cape York Peninsula, which points toward New Guinea is the northernmost part of the state's mainland. The western side of the peninsula is washed by the Gulf of Carpentaria, while its eastern side borders the Coral Sea, an arm of the Pacific Ocean. The eastern border is the Pacific Ocean. To the west, Queensland is bordered by the Northern Territory, at the 138°E longitude, and to the south-west by the north-eastern corner of South Australia.

In the south, there are three sections that comprise its border: the watershed from Point Danger to the Dumaresq River; the river section involving the Dumaresq, the MacIntyre and the Barwon; and 29°S latitude (including some minor historical encroachments below the 29th parallel) over to the South Australian border.

The state capital is Brisbane, located on the coast 100 kilometres (60 mi) by road north of the New South Wales border. The fifth-largest city by area in the world, Mount Isa, is located in Queensland. The city area is in excess of 40,000 square kilometres (15,400 sq mi). The state is divided into several officially recognised regions. Other smaller geographical regions of note include the Atherton Tablelands, the Granite Belt, and the Channel Country in the far south-west.

Queensland has many places of natural beauty, including: the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast having some of the state's most popular beaches; the Bunya Mountains and the Great Dividing Range with numerous lookouts, waterfalls and picnic areas; Carnarvon Gorge; Whitsunday Islands and Hinchinbrook Island.

The state contains five World Heritage listed preservation areas: Australian Fossil Mammal Sites at Riversleigh in the Gulf Country, Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, Fraser Island, Great Barrier Reef, and the Wet Tropics of Queensland.

Climate

Because of its size, there is significant variation in climate across the state. Low rainfall and hot summers are typical for the inland west, a monsoonal 'wet' season in the far north, and warm temperate conditions along the coastal strip. Inland and in southern ranges low minimum temperatures are experienced. The climate of the coastal strip is influenced by warm ocean waters, keeping the region free from extremes of temperature and providing moisture for rainfall.[8]

There are five predominate climatic zones in Queensland[9], based on temperature and humidity:

• hot humid summer (far north and coastal)
• warm humid summer (coastal elevated hinterlands and coastal south-east)
• hot dry summer, mild winter (central west)
• hot dry summer, cold winter (southern west)
• temperate - warm summer, cold winter (inland south-east, e.g. Granite Belt)

However, most of the Queensland populace experience two weather seasons: a "winter" period of rather warm temperatures and minimal rainfall and a sultry summer period of hot, sticky temperatures and higher levels of rainfall.

The annual mean statistics[10] for some Queensland centres is shown below:

City Min. Temp Max. Temp No. Clear days Rainfall
Brisbane 14°C (57°F) 26°C (79°F) 123 1061mm (42in)
Mackay 18°C (64°F) 27°C (81°F) 113 1667mm (66in)
Cairns 20°C (68°F) 29°C (84°F) 86 2223mm (88in)
Townsville 18°C (64°F) 29°C (84°F) n/a 1144mm (45in)

The highest maximum temperature observed in the state is 49.5 °C (121 °F) at Birdsville on 24 December 1972 (The temperature of 53.1 °C (128 °F) at Cloncurry on 16 January 1889 is not considered official; the figure quoted from Birdsville is the next highest, so that record is considered as being official).