II.

Land and Resources

The Northern Territory is a region of tablelands (plateaus) that rise gradually from the coast to reach an average height of about 700 m (2300 ft). Within the tablelands are three distinct environments. A lowland coastal zone lies along the northern part of the territory and includes the Arnhem Land peninsula, the gulf country and offshore islands, and the northern part of the Barkly Tableland. A second, semiarid zone lies to the south, in the center of the territory, and includes the bulk of the Barkly Tableland, the central ranges, and the Tanami Desert. Much of this area is good pasture. The southern zone, which is generally sandy, is home to the monolith Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the domed rocks of Kata Tjuta (Olga Rocks), both in Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park; the Macdonnell Ranges; and part of the Simpson Desert. Although the southern zone receives little rainfall, there is underground water, which can be reached through boreholes, or wells. Mount Zeil (1,510 m/4,955 ft), in the Macdonnell Ranges, is the Northern Territory’s highest peak. In general, the territory’s landscape can be divided into two main areas: “Red Center,” which describes the searing emptiness of the area around Alice Springs, and the “Top End,” which refers to the untamed tropics near the coast. Marsupials, crocodiles, snakes, water buffalo, and tropical birds are common. The main forms of vegetation are grasses, mangroves, and eucalyptus trees.

The climate, with its extreme variations, has a strong influence on living conditions in the territory. The coast has a tropical monsoonal climate, with annual rainfall of more than 1600 mm (63 in) in places. Darwin, lying in the path of tropical cyclones, has been destroyed five times by the storms. Its temperature ranges between 25° C (77° F) and 32° C (90° F) in January and between 16° C (61° F) and 33°C (91° F) in July. The climate becomes increasingly arid with distance from the coast; average rainfall in the interior is about 254 mm (10 in) a year. The wet season lasts from November to April. Temperatures at Alice Springs range from 21° C (70° F) to 36° C (97° F) during January and 6° C (43° F) to 23° C (73° F) during July.