Everything about The Gulf Of Carpentaria totally explained
The
Gulf of Carpentaria is a large, shallow sea enclosed on three sides by northern
Australia and bounded on the north by the
Arafura Sea (the body of water that lies between
Australia and
New Guinea). In geological terms, the Gulf is young; it was dry land as recently as the last
ice age.
The land bordering the Gulf is generally flat and low-lying. To the west is
Arnhem Land and the
Top End of the
Northern Territory. To the east is the
Cape York Peninsula. The area to the south (like the Cape York Peninsula, part of
Queensland) is known as the "Gulf Country" or simply "the Gulf."
The climate is hot and humid with two seasons per year. The dry season lasts from about April until November and is characterized by very dry southeast to east winds, generated by migratory winter high pressure systems to the south. The wet season lasts from December to March. Most of a year's rainfall is compressed into these months, and during this period, many low-lying areas are flooded. The Gulf is also a breeding ground for
cyclones during the period between November and April.
In many other parts of Australia, there are dramatic climatic transitions over fairly short distances. The
Great Dividing Range, which parallels the entire east and south-east coast, is responsible for the typical pattern of a well-watered coastal strip, a fairly narrow band of mountains, and then a vast, inward-draining plain that receives little rainfall. In the Gulf Country, however, there are no mountains to restrict rainfall to the coastal band and the transition from the profuse tropical growth of the seaside areas to the arid scrubs of central Australia is gradual.
The first known
European explorer to visit the region was the Dutch
Willem Janszoon (whose name is also written as Jansz) in
his 1606 voyage. His fellow countryman
Jan Carstenszoon (or
Carstensz.) visited in
1623 and named the gulf in honor of
Pieter de Carpentier, at that time
Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies.
Abel Tasman also explored the coast in 1644. The region was later explored and charted by
Matthew Flinders in
1802 and
1803.
The first overland explorer in the area was the Prussian
Ludwig Leichhardt who traversed the area in
1844 and
1845. He was followed by
Augustus Gregory of the North Australian Expedition in
1856, and then
Burke and Wills in
1861.
John McKinlay,
Frederick Walker and
William Landsborough lead separate search parties into the Gulf looking for Burke and Wills in
1861 and
1862.
In September and October the
Morning Glory Cloud appears in the Southern Gulf. The best vantage point to see this phenomenon is in the Burketown area shortly after dawn.
Major rivers of the Gulf
Physiography
The Gulf is one of the distinct physiographic sections of the larger (and surrounding)
Carpentaria Basin province, which in turn is part of the larger
East Australian Basins physiographic division.
Pop Culture
The area around the Gulf of Carpentaria is a major
ZAFT military base in the
mecha anime series
Gundam SEED.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Gulf Of Carpentaria'.
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