Question Booklet

2008 National Geographic Channel

Australian Geography Competition

I N S T R U C T I O N S

1 Fill in your name, school code (your teacher will give you this), school’s
postcode, your gender and age. You must fill in the ovals, not just write the
letters and numbers, as the computer only reads the ovals. For example, a
filled-in postcode (for some other school) would look like the sample on the
right. Also fill in an oval in the school assigned column if instructed to do so by
your teacher. Otherwise leave it blank.

2 If you are 13 years or under on 31 August 2008 complete Questions 1-30, or
continue to Question 40 to be eligible for major prizes.

3 If you are 14 or 15 years old on 31 August 2008 complete Questions 1-40.

4 If you are 16 years or over on 31 August 2008 complete Questions 16-50.

5 Answer all questions by filling in only one oval on the answer sheet
corresponding to the most appropriate answer for each question.

6 You have 35 minutes to answer the questions. The time to fill in the preliminary
information is extra.

7 Do not mark the front or back of the answer sheet in any other way as this can
lead to errors in the computerized marking, or to your not getting a result.
National Geographic Channel Australian Geography Competition 2008

4 Which term, used for a warming of the ocean

COLOMBIA off the coastline in Figure 1, is associated
ECUADOR with flooding in that country, and with drier
than usual conditions in eastern Australia?
A Agulhas
B Benguela
BRAZI L C Doldrums
D El Niño
E La Niña

5  part from the capitals, which is Australia’s

A
Lima most populous city?
A Geelong
B Launceston
C Mandurah
BOLIVIA
D Newcastle
N
E Townsville

4800 Water consumption 2000

CHILE Gross value
4200 1750
Figure 1. Section of South America
3600 1500
Water consumption (GL)

Start at Question 1 if you are under 3000 1250

Gross value ($ million)

16 years old on 31 August 2008.
2400 1000
Start at Question 16 if you are older.
1800 750

1200 500
1 Which ocean is shown in the map in Figure 1?
A Arctic 600 250
B Atlantic
C Indian 0 0
Livestock, grains,
pasture, other

Dairy

Cotton

Sugar

Grapes

Fruit

Rice

Vegetables

D Pacific
E Southern

2 Which mountain range lies close to the

coast shown in Figure 1?
A Andes
Figure 2. Irrigation water consumption and gross
B Himalayas value of production for irrigated agriculture, Australia
C Rocky Mountains 2004-05 Source: ABS
D Sierra Nevada
E Urals 6 Using Figure 2, how much irrigation water
was used to grow cotton in Australia in
3 Which country is shaded yellow in Figure 1? 2004-05?
A Pakistan A 540 GL
B Panama B 761 GL
C Peru C 908 GL
D Philippines D 1822 GL
E Portugal E 2276 GL

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 National Geographic Channel Australian Geography Competition 2008

7 Using Figure 2, from which agricultural use

did Australia make the most money per
gigalitre of irrigation water in 2004-05?
A cotton
B dairy
C livestock, grains, pasture, other
D rice
E vegetables

8 Barossa and Clare are names of:

A coal-mining towns in Queensland
B old-growth forest areas in Tasmania
C skifields in New South Wales
D tourist destinations in Western Australia
E wine-growing valleys in South Australia
Figure 3.
9  sing Table 1, approximately what
U © National Geographic Channels International, Jeff Hutchens
percentage of Australia’s population was
living in New South Wales in June 2007? 11  hich vegetation community is shown in
W
A 1% the aerial photo in Figure 3?
B 21% A desert
C 33% B grassland
D 69% C heath
E 72% D rainforest
E woodland
10  sing Table 1, which state had the highest
U
population growth rate from June 2006 to 12 The map in Figure 4 (next page) shows a
June 2007? portion of which state or territory?
A New South Wales A Australian Capital Territory
B Queensland B Northern Territory
C South Australia C Queensland
D Victoria D South Australia
E Western Australia E Victoria

Table 1. Preliminary key population data, June 2007 Source: ABS

Population at end Change over previous year Change over previous year
Jun qtr 2007 (‘000) (‘000) (%)

New South Wales 6 889.1 71.9 1.1

Victoria 5 205.2 76.9 1.5
Queensland 4 182.1 90.5 2.2
South Australia 1 584.5 16.3 1.0
Western Australia 2 105.8 46.7 2.3
Tasmania 493.3 3.4 0.7
Northern Territory 215.0 4.3 2.0
Australia Capital Territory 339.9 5.6 1.7
1
Australia 21 017.2 315.7 1.5
1
Includes other territories comprising Jervis Bay Territory, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands

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 National Geographic Channel Australian Geography Competition 2008

99
1 00
2 01
3 02
4 03
5 04
6 05
7 06
8 07
9

A A

01 01

B B

00 00

C C

99 99

D D

98 98

E E

97
Z 97

F F

96
Y 96

G G

95 95

H H

94 94

I I

93 93

J J

92 92

K K

91 91

99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Figure 4. Topographic map Reproduced by permission of the Dept. of Defence, with the assistance of Geoscience Australia

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 National Geographic Channel Australian Geography Competition 2008

Legend 13 The main runway at Weipa Aerodrome (D2 in

Figure 4) runs approximately:
A east - west
B north - south
C northeast - southwest
D northwest - southeast
E southwest - southeast

14 What is the length of the main runway at

Weipa Aerodrome (D2 in Figure 4)?
A 0.75 km
B 1 km
C 1.5 km
D 1.75 km
E 2 km

15 What is the predominant vegetation on

Cyclone Island (J2 in Figure 4)?
A dense trees
B mangroves
C marine swamp
D rainforest
E tree swamp

Start at Question 16 if you are 16

years old or over on 31 August 2008.
If you are younger, continue answering
questions.

16 What is located at Grid Reference 999989 in

Figure 4?
A gate
B medium density trees
C mine
D tower
E runway

17 The roads and streams shown in this map

(Figure 4) suggest that the port facilities for
TN True North the export of bauxite are located to the:
GN Grid North A east of the map
MN Magnetic North B north of the map
C south of the map
D southeast of the map
E west of the map

10 metre contour interval

© Commonwealth of Australia

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National Geographic Channel Australian Geography Competition 2008

Y Z Y Z Y Z Y Z
A B C D
Figure 5. 

18 Which sketch diagram in Figure 5

approximates the cross section from Point
Y (F6) to Point Z (E9) in Figure 4?
A diagram A
B diagram B
C diagram C
D diagram D
E none of the above

19 The bauxite mined at Weipa is primarily

used to produce:
A aluminium
Figure 6.
B china
© National Geographic Channels International, Jeff Hutchens
C chrome
D plastic
23 Which type of rock is shown in Figure 6?
E steel
A conglomerate
20 Which country has the world’s largest B igneous
Muslim population? C metamorphic
A India D sedimentary
B Indonesia E none of the above
C Nigeria
D Pakistan 24 The photo in Figure 6 was taken in, and is
typical of areas in:
E Saudi Arabia
A Florida
21 What is the term for the movement of B Hawaii
dissolved nutrients down through the soil C Iowa
profile? D New York
A humus E Texas
B infiltration
C leaching 25 Which state has been most successful with
D salinisation cloud seeding, to increase water availability
for its hydro-power industry?
E soil creep
A New South Wales
22 Victoria Falls, one of the world’s greatest B South Australia
waterfalls, is located on the border C Tasmania
between: D Victoria
A Argentina and Brazil E Western Australia
B Canada and USA
C China and India
D Germany and Switzerland
E Zambia and Zimbabwe

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 National Geographic Channel Australian Geography Competition 2008

26 Which is the most accurate description of 28 Which cities lie on the banks of the Danube
Canberra’s climate? River?
A equatorial oceanic climate with wet and dry A Amsterdam and Brussels
seasons B Athens and Rome
B Mediterranean climate with hot, dry C Budapest and Vienna
summers and mild, wet winters
D Lisbon and Madrid
C relatively dry continental climate with warm
E Oslo and Stockholm
to hot summers and cool to cold winters
D subtropical climate with warm to very warm
29 Volunteers are working to stop which feral
wet summers and cool to mild dry winters
animal spreading into Western Australia in
E tropical climate with hot and humid 2008?
summers and warm winters
A camel
B cane toad
C cat
D fox
E rabbit
N
30 Which sequence of diagrams in Figure 8
best represents the formation of an oxbow
lake?
A A, B, C, D
B B, D, C, A
C C, A, D, B
D C, B, A, D
E D, B, A, C

If you are under 14 years old on

31 August 2008 you may stop at
Question 30 or continue to Question
Figure 7.  40 to be eligible for major prizes.
D B D

27 Which peninsula is shown in Figure 7? 31 An oxbow lake is also called a:

A Antarctic A bay
B Baja California B berm
C Italian C billabong
D Malay D bog
E Scandinavian E butte

A B B C D D A

Figure 8.

C C A A
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 National Geographic Channel Australian Geography Competition 2008

34 The Gippsland Basin is a source of:

Birth and deaths (per thousand per year)

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

High Early Late Low A coal
Stationary Expanding Expanding Stationary
B iron ore
Birth rate C oil and gas
D silver, lead and zinc
E all of the above

35 The disruption of traditional Aboriginal

Death rate
burning practices in Arnhem Land has led
to:
Time
A a greater number of intense fires that burn
tree canopies
Figure 9. Demographic transition model B more fires that spread over large areas
C more greenhouse gases released into the
32 The difference between birth and death atmosphere
rates, shaded green in the model in Figure 9, D reduced biodiversity
is called the:
E all of the above
A differential mortality rate
B infant mortality rate 36 Which option lists the target changes in
C natural increase greenhouse gas emissions to be achieved
D total fertility by Australia, New Zealand and United
E total population Kingdom, respectively, under the Kyoto
Protocol?
A -8%, 0%, -8%
Table 2. Average crude birth and death rates, 2000-05
B -8%, +8%, 0%
Source: UNEP Geo Data
C 0%, +8%, -8%
Birth rate Death rate D +8%, 0%, -8%
Country (births per (deaths per
1000 people) 1000 people) E +8%, 0%, +8%
Brazil 20.6 6.3
37 The chart in Figure 10 is from which date?
China 13.6 6.6
A 30 April 2007
Japan 9.0 8.0
B 1 June 2007
Vietnam 20.2 5.2 C 30 August 2007
Zambia 41.9 21.7 D 1 October 2007
E 30 December 2007
33 Using Figure 9 and Table 2, which of these
best represents a country in Stage 2 of 38 What is the term for a line such as
Demographic Transition? in Figure 10?
A Brazil A aneroid
B China B hydrophyte
C Japan C isobar
D Vietnam D isohyet
E Zambia E monocline

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 National Geographic Channel Australian Geography Competition 2008

Figure 10. Source: Bureau of Meteorology

39 What was the air pressure in Alice Springs at 41 In general, the wind in Brisbane on the day
the time of the chart (Figure 10)? of the chart (Figure 10) was blowing from
A 1000 hPa the:
B 1005 hPa A northeast
C 1006 hPa B northwest
D 1008 hPa C southeast
E 1010 hPa D southwest
E west
40 The weather in Hobart on the date of the
chart was typical of the pattern shown in 42 In Figure 10, what does the line joining the
Figure 10. It was: low pressure systems across northern
A fine Australia represent?
B foggy A cold front
C raining B monsoon trough
D snowing C ridge
E windy D squall line
E warm front

If you are under 16 years old on 31 43 Which type of chart in shown in Figure 10?
August 2008 stop at Question 40. If A bathymetric
you are older, continue to end. B choropleth
C relief
D synoptic
E topographic

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National Geographic Channel Australian Geography Competition 2008

Industrial
l2
tia
en Re
sid
s id ent
Re ial
1
Concentration of chromium
Satisfactory
Of concern
High

Rur
al
Figure 11. Concentration of chromium in bed sediment (sand, mud and plant material) along First Creek and
River Torrens, by comparision with Australian guidelines for sediment quality Source: S.J. Gale et al

Industrial
2
ti al
d en Re
sid
si ent
Re ial
1
Concentration of chromium
Satisfactory
Of concern
High
Rur
al

Figure 12. Concentration of chromium in the mud and plant component of bed sediment along First Creek and
River Torrens, by comparision with Australian guidelines for sediment quality Source: S.J. Gale et al

Table 3. Content (µg g-¹) of cadmium, chromium, copper, lead and zinc in bed sediment (sand, mud and plant
material) of River Torrens and First Creek, and comparison with Australian sediment quality guidelines
Source: S.J. Gale et al

Rural Residential 1 Industrial Residential 2

FC1 FC2 FC3 FC4 FC5 FC6 FC7 FC8 FC9 FC10 RT1 RT2 RT3 RT4 RT5 RT6 RT7 RT8

Metal A 0.3 0.3 0.3 0.5 0.1 2.1 0.6 1.1 0.3 0.3 1.2 1.6 2.5 0.9 2.1 1.7 3.0 1.2

Metal B 97 312 12 63 10 9.1 35 30 27 40 48 110 68 20 100 60 61 40

Metal C 42 35 25 17 9.1 19 34 58 149 122 105 832 152 94 269 157 81 59

Metal D 24 4.2 3.0 3.4 2.4 8.2 14 16 12 15 30 28 35 35 60 40 67 23

Metal E 133 214 37 39 40 160 114 142 184 300 323 593 693 326 897 442 509 231

Compared with guidelines, numbers in green boxes are satisfactory, in orange boxes are of concern, in purple boxes are high

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 National Geographic Channel Australian Geography Competition 2008

I II III IV
Figure 13. Extracts of maps along First Creek and River Torrens © Universal Publishers

45 Using Figures 11 and 12, which statement is

Phosphorus in mud and plant component (µg g -1)

9000
correct?
8000 Rural Residential 1 Industrial Residential 2
A Chromium contamination of sediments is
7000
greater upstream than downstream.
6000
B Chromium is more likely to be associated
5000
with mud and plant material than with sand.
4000
C Factories producing chromium waste are
3000
mainly located at the mouth of the river.
2000
D Most chromium is released from bedrock at
1000
the source of First Creek.
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 E Rural areas have a significant chromium
Distance downstream (km) pollution problem.

Figure 14. Concentration of phosphorus in mud 46 Which metal in Table 3 is chromium?

and plant component of bed sediment with distance A Metal A
downstream along First Creek and River Torrens B Metal B
Source: S.J. Gale et al
C Metal C
D Metal D
Stream beds build up deposits of various natural E Metal E
materials, including sand, mud and plant material.
Metals can be associated with these sediments. 47 For Metal C in Table 3, the minimum value
These metals may be released from bedrock specified as high in the sediment quality
breakdown, or may be contaminants resulting guidelines is:
from human activities. Questions 44 to 50 use A 110 µg g-¹
results of research into levels of contamination
B 220 µg g-¹
in bed sediments of the River Torrens and one
of its tributaries, First Creek. To answer these C 330 µg g-¹
questions, use Figures 11-14, Table 3, and your D 440 µg g-¹
own knowledge. E 550 µg g-¹

48  hich zones recorded the greatest

W
44  hich option lists the maps in Figure 13 in a
W increases of phosphorus concentration in
downstream direction? mud and plant material?
A I, III, II, IV A Industrial and Residential 2
B II, IV, I, III B Residential 1 and Industrial
C III, I, IV, II C Residential 1 and Residential 2
D IV, II, III, I D Rural and Industrial
E IV, III, I, II E Rural and Residential 1

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National Geographic Channel Australian Geography Competition 2008

49 The highest level of phosphorus 50 Pollution problems in the Torrens are likely
concentration recorded is most likely due to to persist because:
which source? A being in a high rainfall area means new
A agricultural fertilizers and animal manure pollutants are continually added
B domestic use of fertilizers and pet B further contaminants are being added from
excrement the Murray River
C effluent from a fertilizer factory previously C removing water for drinking increases
located on the bank concentrations of pollutants
D erosion of super-phosphate enriched soils D the steep terrain encourages persistent
E subsoil derived from naturally occurring pockets of sediments
phosphorus E weirs and sluice gates have reduced the
natural flushing of the river

Thank you for taking part in the

2008 National Geographic Channel
Australian Geography Competition.

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