Murray–Darling basin

The Murray - Darling Basin is Australia's largest river system in a sedimentary basin and also the largest fertile region in the southeast of the continent. The area is about 1.04 million km ².

However, it is also an area of ​​high cultural historical and ecological value. The basin is after the two major rivers that drain it, the Murray River and the Darling River named.

Location

The Murray - Darling Basin is in terms of the height distribution, however, relatively uniform and varies between 0 and 100 m. An outstanding from the plains basement spur altitudes above 1000 m is reached between the Great Artesian and the Murray - Darling Basin. This mountain is one spur to the old basement complex, from which also the major part of the West Australian tableland is built. To the east and southeast of the Murray - Darling Basin is bounded by the Great Dividing Range, Australia's most important mountain range.

Use

42% of agricultural land in Australia are in the Murray - Darling Basin. In these areas, 40 % of food in the country are produced. However, the amount of water flowing through the basin is declining due to climate change, which could lead to crop failures and droughts. This is the IPCC of the UN in a report of 2007 on the Murray - Darling Basin, which speaks of a water loss between ten to 25 percent.