Comparing Australia and the U.S.A.

Heading: Comparing Australia and the U.S.A.

Learning Intention: We will be learning about how urbanised Australia and the U.S.A. are

Success Criteria: I will be successful when I am able to:

outline the similarities and differences of how urbanised Australia and the U.S.A. are
research Geographical data to explain the urbanisation of the U.S.A and Australia
examine the causes and consequences of urbanisation in Australia and the U.S.A.

Urbanisation of U.S.A and Australia

Copy out the following points below

Both the U.S.A and Australia are very large countries that are highly urbanised. In fact, both are amongst the most urbanised nations.

The U.S.A and Australia have some similarities and differences in terms of how urbanised they are.

TASK 1: Research

As noted above, both the U.S.A and Australia have similarities and differences in terms of how urbanised they are. Find out the following information:

Find out the current population of both countries.
Find out the population distribution in both countries (e.g. percentage of those living in urban areas and percentage of those living in rural areas).
Find out how many cities in both countries have a population of more than 1 million people living there.

You may do this in a table if you'd like

TASK 2: Graphs

Using the two websites below, construct a graph (either a column, bar or line graph) of the population (in millions) of the top 10 urban settlements in the U.S.A and Australia. You will be given graph paper for this. Ensure you include:

a title
a key

The 50 largest cities in Australia | 2021 update | .id blogIn this update of our ever popular blog series, Glenn looks largest urban centres in Australia based on the latest population estimates to June 2020. Everyone loves a ranking and here you can see the how Australia's main urban areas stack up. The big news: Melbourne has overtaken Sydney! Every year we get an update on local populations, which goes onto our Community Profile (profile.id) sites. Total population is the simplest demographic characteristic but also the most eagerly awaited. As part of this update, the ABS defines "Significant Urban Areas", which allow us to re-rank Australia's cities. While Australia's population growth slowed down in 2019-20, it didn't stop. It probably will stop in 2021 – we have preliminary estimates at a national level which show negative growth for the September quarter 2020 – but much of 2019-20 was pre-COVID and the borders were still open. Top 50 largest cities in Australia 5 year change 1 year change Rank Significant Urban Area 2020

TASK 3: Mapping Activity

Now, using the data of your graphs, plot the top 10 populated cities in both the U.S.A and Australia using the blank map of the world provided. Ensure you include:

a title
a key
a source (where you got your information from)
a rank (include the number of people in each city)

Once you have finished plotting your map, write an explanation of what you notice about the populated cities of both countries (e.g. location).

Blank Map of the World.docx

TASK 4 PEEL Paragraphs

Using the information you gathered for Tasks 1 - 3, write two paragraphs explaining the similarities and differences of the U.S.A and Australia in terms of how urbanised they are.

Causes and Consequences of Urbanisation in the U.S.A and Australia

Copy out the following points below

Causes of Urbanisation

Fewer people are needed to work in rural areas as technology increases
More job opportunities were available in factories, which are located in urban areas
The development of railways allowed goods to be produced in one city to be transported to rural and urban areas
Cities could grow and the access to water and electricity is easier to access

Consequences of Urbanisation

Homelessness
Pollution
Health issues (e.g. poor health, reduced access to sanitation and hygiene facilities and health care)
Traffic congestion due to more cars being on the road
Environmental degradation
Population density

TASK 5: Pair Presentation

You are to research the problems associated with large concentrations of people in urban areas. These include:

urban sprawl
lack of infrastructure
poor public transport
air pollution
burden on natural resources
large ecological footprint
urban poverty

Research ONE of these problems associated in Sydney and one of the top 10 cities in the U.S.A. Think about the following questions:

How does this impact on the city and its liveability?
How can this problem be overcome in a sustainable way?

You can choose to present this as a Google Slide, infographic, poster or any other form you choose. Present this to the class next lesson

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