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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 has a total area of about 2.97 million square miles, making it the smallest of the seven continents. Australia is considered a continent by geographers, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates, including deserts in the interior and tropical rainforests along the coast.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Land Area | 2,969,907 square miles |
| World's Largest Island | Sixth |
| Land Area Rank | World's smallest continent and sixth-largest country |
| Coastline Length | 25,760 miles |
| Time Zones | Three standard time zones: Australian Western Standard Time (AWST), Australian Central Standard Time (ACST), and Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) |
| Population | 25,739,363 people as of 2022 |
| Population Density | 3.2 people per square mile, one of the lowest in the world |
| Highest Point | Mount Kosciuszko at 7,310 feet |
| Lowest Point | Lake Eyre at 49 feet below sea level |
| Geographic Center | 25 miles west of Papunya, Northern Territory |
| Capital City | Canberra |
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What You'll Learn
Australia is the smallest continent
Australia is a continent that spans approximately 3 million square miles or 7.7 million square kilometres. It is located in the Southern and Eastern Hemispheres, near Maritime Southeast Asia. The continent includes the mainland of Australia, Tasmania, the island of New Guinea (Papua New Guinea and Western New Guinea), the Aru Islands, the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, and most of the Coral Sea Islands, among other nearby islands.
Australia is the smallest of the seven traditional continents. It is nearly four times as large as Greenland, which is considered the world's largest island. If the two landmasses were much closer in area, there might be a case for considering Greenland a continent and Australia an island. However, there isn't a strict scientific definition of a continent, and the distinction between a continent and an island is not always clear-cut.
Historically, the term Oceania was used to refer to a "great division" of the world in the 1810s, encompassing the insular Pacific area between Asia and the Americas. In the 1950s, the concept of Australia as one of the world's continents gained popularity in English-speaking countries, replacing the term Oceania. Today, the term Oceania often refers to the region encompassing the Australian continent, Zealandia, and various islands in the Pacific Ocean that are not included in the seven-continent model.
Australia is also the world's flattest and driest inhabited continent. It has a diverse range of landscapes and climates, from deserts in the interior to tropical rainforests along the coast. The continent has a rich cultural and biological history, with Aboriginal Australians belonging to a wide range of societies and possessing one of the oldest living cultures in the world.
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Australia has 8,222 islands
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country that comprises the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It has a total area of 2,968,464 square miles (7,688,287 sq km), making it the sixth-largest country in the world.
The continent of Australia is sometimes referred to as Sahul, Australinea, or Meganesia to differentiate it from the country of Australia. It includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, the island of New Guinea, the Aru Islands, the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, most of the Coral Sea Islands, and several other nearby islands.
Tasmania, located off the southeast coast of mainland Australia, is a large island state with a population of approximately 570,000. It is home to unique animals and plants, such as the yellow wattlebird, the world's largest honeyeater. The main island of Tasmania comprises 94% of the state's land area and includes 334 islands or islets.
Other notable islands of Australia include Christmas Island, located 1,800 km northwest of the mainland, which is known for its diverse bird life, including frigatebirds, boobies, and noddies. Lord Howe Island, situated 600 km east of the Australian mainland in the Tasman Sea, boasts over 100 unique plant species, including tree ferns and palms. Norfolk Island, located 1,700 km northeast of Sydney, features 45 unique plants and distinct bird species such as the Norfolk Island parrot.
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Tasmania is Australia's largest island
Australia is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It has a total area of 2,968,464 square miles (7,688,287 sq km), making it the sixth-largest country in the world and the largest in Oceania.
Tasmania was once adjoined to the mainland of Australia until around 11,700 to 12,000 years ago, when rising sea levels formed the Bass Strait. The island is mostly composed of Jurassic dolerite intrusions, with the world's largest areas of dolerite found in the central plateau and the southeast portions of the island. Tasmania's tallest mountain, Mount Ossa, stands at 5,305 feet (1,617 meters). The island is known for its rugged topography and abundant waterways, with several of its largest rivers having been dammed to provide hydroelectricity.
Tasmania has a rich biodiversity, with unique plant and animal life found nowhere else on Earth. The island's separation from the Australian mainland allowed a distinct ecosystem to flourish, including species such as the Tasmanian devil, the Tasmanian tiger, and the platypus. Tasmania's landscapes feature dense rainforests, alpine plateaus, and glacially carved lakes, in contrast to the desert expanses of mainland Australia. The island is also known for its vibrant art scene, particularly in Hobart, home to the renowned Museum of Old and New Art (MONA).
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Australia is the world's flattest continent
Australia is a large country, covering a total area of approximately 2,969,903 square miles (7,692,024 square kilometers). To put that into perspective, it is the sixth-largest country in the world by total area, and it is comparable in size to the United States, which covers about 3.5 million square miles (9 million square kilometers). However, what sets Australia apart from other continents and large landmasses is its unique geography and topography.
One of the most distinctive features of Australia's geography is its low elevation and flat terrain. In fact, Australia is considered the flattest continent on Earth. The vast majority of the country is composed of low-lying plateaus, plains, and basins, with very few areas of significant elevation. This contrasts sharply with other continents, which often boast towering mountain ranges, vast forests, and diverse landscapes.
The flatness of Australia is due to its geological history and the processes that shaped the continent over millions of years. The Australian continent is one of the oldest on the planet, with a stable geological foundation. Much of the land was once part of an ancient supercontinent called Gondwana, which began to break up around 180 million years ago. This breakup led to the formation of the basins and plateaus that characterize much of the country today.
The distinctive topography of Australia has had a significant impact on the country's climate, ecology, and even human settlement patterns. The flat terrain contributes to the country's arid and semi-arid climate, with vast interior deserts and a generally low annual rainfall. The lack of mountainous regions also influences the distribution of rainfall, with most of it occurring in coastal areas or the more elevated regions along the Great Dividing Range, which runs parallel to the coastline.
Despite the overall flatness of the continent, there are some variations in terrain and a few notable exceptions to the generally low-lying landscape. The Great Dividing Range, mentioned earlier, is the most significant mountain range in Australia and runs along the eastern coast, with its highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, reaching 2,228 meters (7,310 feet) above sea level. Additionally, the Australian continent also encompasses smaller mountain ranges, such as the MacDonnell Ranges in the Northern Territory and the Flinders Ranges in South Australia, which offer some variation to the otherwise flat landscape.
In conclusion, Australia's unique geography and topography make it distinct from other continents. Its vast, flat landscapes are a defining characteristic that has shaped the country's climate, ecology, and human settlement patterns. While there are some variations and exceptions to the generally low-lying terrain, Australia rightfully earns its reputation as the flattest continent on Earth. This distinctive geography contributes to the country's allure and sets it apart on the world stage.
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Australia's size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates
Australia is the planet's sixth-largest country by area of jurisdiction, covering 7,688,287 square kilometres (2,968,464 square miles). It is also the smallest continental land mass and the largest island in the world.
The size of Australia gives it a diverse geography, from the snow-capped mountains of the Australian Alps and Tasmania to large deserts, tropical and temperate forests, grasslands, heathlands, and woodlands. Australia is the driest inhabited continent, and the largest part of the country is arid or semi-arid desert. The northern part of the country has a tropical climate, varying between grasslands and desert, and is subject to some of the largest interannual rainfall variability in the world. The lower southwestern and eastern coastal plains and Tasmania are characterised by their predominantly temperate climate, with mild to warm summers and cold winters. These areas also experience the highest humidity on the mainland.
The Australian Capital Territory, which includes Canberra, has dry, warm summers and cool winters. Frost is common, and many of the higher mountains in the territory's west are snow-covered for much of the winter and early spring. The highest temperature recorded in the ACT was 44.0 °C (111.2 °F) at Canberra Airport in January 2020.
Tasmania, an island state south of the mainland, has a cool, temperate climate with distinct seasons. Summer temperatures range from 21 °C to 24 °C, while the Central Plateau is much cooler, with February temperatures between 4 °C and 17 °C. Tasmania's highest recorded temperature was 42.2 °C at Scamander during the 2009 south-eastern Australia heatwave, and its lowest recorded temperature was −14.2 °C on 7 August 2020.
The size of Australia also contributes to its varied landscapes, with the country supporting nearly 600,000 native species of flora and fauna. The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) classifies the country's landscapes into 89 large geographically distinct bioregions and 419 subregions based on common climate, geology, landform, native vegetation, and species information.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia covers about 2.97 million square miles.
Australia is not an island. It is a continent.
According to Britannica, an island is a mass of land that is "entirely surrounded by water" and "smaller than a continent".
A continent is a landmass that sits on its own tectonic plate.
Australia is the smallest continent on Earth. It is closer in size to Greenland than to any other continent.
