NEW SOUTH WALES 



4183 



NEW SOUTH WALES 



and Glebe, each having a population of over 

 10,000. 



Among the religious bodies, the Episcopa- 

 lians, or Anglicans, are most numerous. Other 

 prominent denominations are the Roman 

 Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, Congre- 

 gationalists and Baptists. Many of the Asiatic 

 inhabitants and aboriginals have been con- 

 verted to Christianity, but the non-Christians, 

 many of whom are Jews, number about 12,000. 



Free education is provided for all from the 

 kindergarten to the university, and school at- 

 tendance is compulsory for all between the ages 

 of six and fourteen years. The percentage of 

 illiteracy is low. At the head of the educa- 

 tional system is the University of Sydney, with 

 which a college for women is affiliated. There 

 are also a technical college, Roman Catholic, 

 Anglican and Presbyterian colleges and many 

 private schools of various grades. 



The Land. The rugged and broken coast 

 rises precipitously from the sea and its rocky 

 headlands shelter many good harbors, including 

 Port Jackson, on which Sydney is located ; Port 

 Stephens and Port Hunter (on which Newcastle 

 is located) ; Sussex Haven and Twofold, Jervis, 

 Botany and Broken bays. A narrow strip of 

 fertile land lies between the sea cliffs and the 

 rough slopes of the Great Dividing Range, 

 which extends across the state from north to 

 south, nearly parallel to the coast. This ir- 

 regular mountain system is broken into three 

 minor ranges, that in the north being known 

 as the New England Mountains, the central 

 range being called the Blue Mountains and the 

 Australian Alps forming the southern part of 

 the system. These highlands, especially in the 

 central region, are scarred by deep canyons and 

 ravines, and their rugged peaks are separated 

 by gorgelike valleys. The loftiest elevation in 

 the state, Mount Kosciusko, lifts its snow- 

 capped peak 7^50 feet above the sea. The 

 western slopes of these ranges broaden into a 

 rolling plateau which merges into the great arid 

 grass-covered plains occupying the western part 

 ic state. 



n are the Murray, which forms 



tin- greater part of the southern boundary; its 



tributaries, the Lachlan and the Darling; and 



Murrumbidgee, an affluent of the latter. 



:- are m.r streams in the western 



plains, but most of them evaporate during the 



dry season. The eastern mountain slopes are the 



source of numerous small rivers and streams, 



many of wlm-h - mpty into large lagoons shut 



off from the sea by sand ban. 



The climate of New South Wales is gener- 

 ally healthful, but the state, extending through 

 many degrees of latitude and possessing a 

 varied elevation, has climates ranging from that 

 of the Northern United States to that of Cen- 

 tral America, and from the dry heat of the 

 western plains to the coolness of the damp 

 coast regions. The temperature at Sydney is 

 moderate and an- 

 nually averages 

 63 F., but in the 

 interior extremes 

 of both cold and 

 heat are known. 

 The rainfall 

 ranges from fifty 

 inches on the 

 coast to ten inches 



in the western LOCATION MAP 



plains. Position of New South 



T A Wales in Australia, and its 



Industries. 8lze compared with the entire 

 Grazing, the first Commonwealth, 

 industry of the colony, is still the chief source 

 of wealth of New South Wales. The scarcity 

 of water renders the western and larger part of 

 the state unsuitable for agriculture, but the ex- 

 tensive grass-covered plains of this section af- 

 ford excellent pasturage for sheep, cattle and 

 horses. More sheep are raised in this state 

 than in any other in the Commonwealth, which 

 is the greatest wool-producing country in the 

 world, and about one-half of Australia's total 

 output of wool is produced by New South 

 Wales. 



The cultivated area is chiefly confined to tl it- 

 coast rqgion and table-lands, but with the in- 

 creasing Use of irrigation it is being extended 

 in the west, where the soil is productive wlu-n 

 artificially watered. Over one-half of the tilled 

 lands are devoted to wheat; hay, corn, green 

 forage, oats, potatoes, tobacco and fniit, chit-fly 

 oranges, lemons and grapes, are other impor- 

 tant crops. 



The state is rich in mineral resources an.l the 

 miniiiK industry follows grazing in importance. 

 The coal fields cover over 10,000 acres and 

 annually produce more than 8,000,000 tons, 

 sometimes over 10,000,000. The first gold pro- 

 duced in Australia was mined in New South 

 Wales, where it was long the chief mineral 

 product. Its production has declined in recent 

 years and has been surpassed by the output of 

 silver. Zinc is mined extensively in the silver 

 district and copper of the richest quality, tin 

 and iron are found in abundance. Lead, plati- 

 num and opals are other mineral products.* 



