Leslie Massey
Australia is the smallest continent on Earth, covering 7.6 million to 8.5 million square kilometres. It is also the flattest and driest inhabited continent. The continent includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, the island of New Guinea, the Aru Islands, the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, most of the Coral Sea Islands, and some other nearby islands.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Australia |
| Area | 7,688,287 km2 (2,968,464 sq mi) or 3 million square miles (7.7 million square km) |
| Population | 28 million |
| Capital | Canberra |
| Largest cities | Sydney and Melbourne |
| Continent rank | Smallest |
| Number of states | 6 |
| Number of territories | 10 |
| Geological features | The Great Barrier Reef, the Coral Sea, the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea, the Torres Strait, the Arafura Sea, the Bass Strait, the Sahul Shelf, the New Guinea Highlands, the Raja Ampat Islands, Halmahera, the Outer Banda Arc, the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Australian Plate, the Indo-Australian Plate |
| Highest point | Mount Kosciusko, New South Wales, at 2228 metres above sea level |
| Lowest point | The dry bed of Lake Eyre, South Australia, 15 metres below sea level |
| Climate | Driest (excluding Antarctica), arid to semi-arid, tropical rainforests along the coast, desert in the interior |
| Flora and Fauna | Eucalyptus trees, platypus, echidna, acacias (Acacia pycnantha), dingoes, kangaroos, koalas, kookaburras, Tasmanian devil |
| Human habitation | Estimated to have begun 50,000 to 65,000 years ago |
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What You'll Learn
Australia's unique flora and fauna
Australia, officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia, is the smallest of the seven continents. It is situated in the Southern and Eastern hemispheres, near Maritime Southeast Asia. Australia is the world's flattest and driest inhabited continent. It is also a megadiverse country, with a wide variety of landscapes and climates, including deserts in the interior and tropical rainforests along the coast.
The fauna of Australia consists of a large variety of animals, with 46% of birds, 69% of mammals, 94% of amphibians, and 93% of reptiles that inhabit the continent being endemic to it. Australia is home to two of the five known extant species of monotremes, including the platypus, which is the only mammal that lays eggs instead of giving birth. The platypus is the animal emblem of the state of New South Wales. Other monotremes include the echidna, which resembles a hedgehog with a beak.
Marsupials are also unique to Australia, with the country hosting half of the world's marsupial species. These include macropods, possums, and dasyuromorphs, which occupy many of the ecological niches that placental animals occupy elsewhere. Dingoes, another iconic Australian animal, are one of the few native placental mammals in Australia.
Australia is also home to a diverse range of lizards, with over 360 species, as well as 29 species of aquatic turtles. The country has about 25% of the world's species of fish, and is a popular destination for divers and snorkelers, with the Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, hosting 1700 species of corals.
The Australian government has taken steps to protect its unique flora and fauna, creating more than 500 national parks and passing legislation such as the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, which protects all native fauna and provides for the identification and protection of threatened species.
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Geological history
The Australian continent, also known as Sahul, Australinea, or Meganesia, has a rich geological history that has shaped its unique characteristics. Here is a brief overview of the key moments in its formation and human habitation:
The Ancient Past
The Australian continent's geological history dates back billions of years. Most of the rocks that form the foundation of its landforms were created during the Precambrian and Paleozoic eras, approximately 4.6 billion to 252 million years ago. This ancient landscape has remained relatively untouched by the events of the last Ice Age, giving Australia a distinct geological character.
The Pleistocene Ice Age
During the Pleistocene Ice Age, around 18,000 BC, lower sea levels connected the landmasses of mainland Australia, New Guinea, and Tasmania into a single continent known as Sahul. This name is derived from the Sahul Shelf, a part of the Australian continent's continental shelf. However, over the past 18,000 to 10,000 years, rising sea levels gradually separated the continent into its current form, creating the low-lying arid to semi-arid mainland and the mountainous islands of New Guinea and Tasmania.
Human Habitation
The human habitation of the Australian continent began an estimated 50,000 to 65,000 years ago, with the migration of Aboriginal Australians from Southeast Asia. By the time of first European contact, these indigenous peoples had a rich and diverse culture, speaking 250 distinct languages. The Aboriginal Australians significantly influenced their environment, using fire to transform the landscape and establishing robust, semi-permanent settlements.
European Exploration and Colonisation
The Dutch were the first Europeans to explore and map Australia in the 17th century, naming it New Holland. However, it was the British explorer Matthew Flinders who popularised the name Australia in 1814. British colonisation began in 1788 with the establishment of the penal colony of New South Wales, and by the mid-19th century, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers. The colonies federated in 1901, forming the Commonwealth of Australia and continuing a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom.
Today, Australia is a highly urbanised country with a diverse population, including the world's ninth-largest immigrant population. Its unique geological and climatic conditions have contributed to the development of distinctive flora and fauna, making it a fascinating continent with a rich history.
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Human habitation
The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians, also known as Indigenous Australians, began arriving from Southeast Asia during the last glacial period. They are believed to be among the earliest human migrations out of Africa, migrating around 70,000 years ago and arriving in Australia at least 50,000 years ago. By the time of British settlement, Aboriginal Australians spoke 250 distinct languages and had one of the oldest living cultures in the world.
The continent of Australia, also known as Sahul, Australinea, or Meganesia, includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, and the island of New Guinea, which comprises Papua New Guinea and Western New Guinea. Papua New Guinea has several volcanoes as it is situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire. Papua New Guinea is one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse countries in the world, with an estimated 44 uncontacted tribal groups in West Papua.
The first documented European landing in Australia was in 1606 by the Dutch East India Company ship, Duyfken, captained by Willem Janszoon. Abel Tasman's voyage of 1642 was the first known European expedition to reach Van Diemen's Land, now known as Tasmania. Following Tasman's voyages, the Dutch were able to make almost complete maps of Australia's northern and western coasts and much of its southern and southeastern Tasmanian coasts. They named the continent New Holland. In 1770, Captain James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast, claiming it for Great Britain and naming it "New South Wales".
British colonisation began in 1788 with the establishment of the penal colony of New South Wales. By the mid-19th century, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers, and five additional self-governing British colonies were established. The colonies federated in 1901, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. Australia is a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy comprising six states and ten territories, with a population of almost 28 million.
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Aboriginal Australian culture
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the smallest of the seven traditional continents, with a total area of 7,688,287 sq km (2,968,464 sq mi).
The Aboriginal Australian culture is one of the oldest continuous cultures on Earth, with human habitation of the Australian continent estimated to have begun 50,000 to 65,000 years ago. At the time of the first European contact, Aboriginal Australians belonged to a wide range of societies, with diverse economies and cultures spread across at least 250 different language groups.
The Aboriginal worldview is defined by its connection to family, community, and country. The land (or country) is what defines Aboriginal people, with those from the coast describing themselves as "saltwater people", those from river areas as "freshwater people", and those from central arid regions as "desert people". Aboriginal people believe their ancestral spirits emerged from the earth and the sky, and their oral traditions, also known as lore, dictate the rules on how to interact with the land, kinship, and community.
A 'Welcome to Country' is a ritual performed at many events held in Australia, intended to highlight the cultural significance of the surrounding area to a particular Aboriginal group. It is becoming a regular part of mainstream Australian life and is a sign of respect for the enduring connection of Aboriginal people to their land.
Aboriginal people have a unique connection to the land and have survived for tens of thousands of years by closely observing nature and understanding when certain flowers bloom, fruits ripen, and fish and animals fatten. This wisdom, handed down over generations, has resulted in a rich culinary tradition, with foods such as kangaroo, emu, witchetty grubs, crocodile, saltbush, and Kakadu plum.
Aboriginal art has existed for thousands of years and ranges from ancient rock art to modern watercolour landscapes. Traditional Aboriginal music developed a number of unique instruments, and contemporary Aboriginal music spans many genres.
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European exploration
The continent of Australia, also known as Sahul, Australinea, or Meganesia, was first explored by Europeans in the 17th century. The Dutch East India Company ship Duyfken, captained by Willem Janszoon, made the first documented European landing in Australia in 1606. Later that year, Luís Vaz de Torres sailed north through the Torres Strait along the southern coast of New Guinea. Abel Tasman's voyage of 1642 was the first known European expedition to reach Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania). On his second voyage, in 1644, he mapped the north coast of Australia south of New Guinea. Following Tasman's voyages, the Dutch were able to create almost complete maps of Australia's northern, western, and southern coasts, as well as much of Tasmania's south-eastern coast. They named the continent New Holland.
In 1770, Captain James Cook sailed and mapped the east coast, naming it "New South Wales" and claiming it for Great Britain. In 1786, the British government announced its intention to establish a penal colony in New South Wales, and in 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip of the British Royal Navy landed with the First Fleet at Botany Bay, beginning the British colonisation of Australia. By the mid-19th century, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers, and five additional self-governing British colonies had been established, each gaining responsible government by 1890.
The name "Australia" was popularised by the explorer Matthew Flinders, who circumnavigated the continent in 1803. However, when his account of his voyage was published in 1814, the name Terra Australis was used. Terra Australis Incognita, or "unknown southern land", was a name used for a hypothetical continent in the Southern Hemisphere since ancient times. New South Wales Governor Lachlan Macquarie officially recommended the name Australia to replace New Holland in December 1817. The British Admiralty adopted the name in 1824, and the British Parliament used it in legislation in 1828.
Australia is the smallest of the world's seven continents, covering around 3 million square miles (7.7 million square kilometres). It is also the lowest, the flattest, and (apart from Antarctica) the driest. The continent includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, the island of New Guinea (Papua New Guinea and Western New Guinea), the Aru Islands, the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, most of the Coral Sea Islands, and some other nearby islands.
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Frequently asked questions
The continent of Australia has an area of about 7.7 million square kilometres (3 million square miles) or 2.96 million square miles (7.69 million square kilometres). It is the smallest continent on Earth.
The continent of Australia consists of mainland Australia, Tasmania, and the island of New Guinea, which includes Papua New Guinea and Western New Guinea.
Australia has a population of over 22 million people, making it the 55th most populous nation in the world.
Australia is the world's flattest and driest inhabited continent. It has a wide variety of landscapes and climates, including deserts in the interior and tropical rainforests along the coast.
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