Damon Mcknight
Australia is the only country in the continent of Australia. It is one of the largest countries in the world, covering an entire continent. The continent of Australia is also known as Oceania and is the smallest of the seven continents. It includes the entire Australian mainland, big islands such as New Zealand, Tasmania, and New Guinea, and thousands of tiny, tropical islands scattered throughout the South Pacific. The country of Australia is the largest mainland in the continent, with a diverse landscape that includes deserts, tropical rainforests, tropical savannas, and mountain ranges.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of countries | 1 |
| Continent name | Australia, Oceania, Australinea, Meganesia, or Australia-New Guinea |
| Continent land area | 8.56 million sq km or 8.6 million sq km |
| Continent rank | Smallest, lowest, flattest, and second-driest |
| Country land area | 7,688,287 sq km or 7.6 million sq km |
| Country rank | Sixth-largest in the world, largest in Oceania |
| Population | 25 million |
| Official language | English |
| Literacy rate | 99% (as of 2003) |
| Number of universities | 37 government-funded, 3 private |
| Number of ecosystems | 89 regions, 419 subregions |
| Number of named species | 168,386 (as of January 2025) |
| Number of foreign relations pillars | 3 |
| Number of major cities | 6 |
| Number of islands | Numerous |
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What You'll Learn
Australia is the only country in the continent of Australia
The continent of Australia is sometimes referred to as 'Oceania' or 'Sahul', and is located within the Southern and Eastern hemispheres, near Maritime Southeast Asia. It is surrounded by the Indian, Southern, and Pacific Oceans. The name 'Australia' is derived from the Latin word 'Terra Australis', meaning 'southern land', and was first used by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in the 17th century.
Australia is a highly diverse country, with a wide variety of landscapes and climates, including deserts, tropical rainforests, tropical savannas, and mountain ranges. It is also one of 17 megadiverse countries, with a large proportion of unique flora and fauna. The country has a high adult literacy rate, estimated at 99% in 2003, and a strong education system, with 37 government-funded universities and three private universities.
As a middle power, Australia maintains strong international relations, particularly with the US through the ANZUS pact. It is also a member of several international organisations, including the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the OECD, and the G20. Sydney and Melbourne are the country's most populous cities and top tourist destinations, with the Great Barrier Reef also attracting many visitors.
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The continent includes the island of Tasmania
The continent of Australia, also known as Oceania, is the smallest of the seven continents. It is located within the Southern and Eastern hemispheres, near Maritime Southeast Asia. The continent includes the mainland of Australia, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands.
Tasmania is a mountainous island, separated from the Australian mainland by rising sea levels over the past 18,000 to 10,000 years. The island is part of the state of Tasmania, with the remote Macquarie Island also within its territory. Tasmania is known for its diverse landscapes and unique wildlife.
The state of Tasmania has a population of around 540,000 people, with its capital and largest city being Hobart. Other major population centres include Launceston, Devonport, and Burnie. The state covers an area of approximately 68,000 square kilometres, making it the 26th largest sub-national division in the world by area.
Tasmania has a temperate climate, with cool, rainy winters and warm, dry summers. The unique climate and geography of the island have given rise to a diverse range of flora and fauna, including many endemic species. The island is known for its lush rainforests, rugged mountains, and picturesque coastlines.
The human history of Tasmania is also notable, with evidence of Aboriginal presence on the island dating back thousands of years. The Aboriginal Tasmanians, or Palawa, had a rich cultural heritage and a deep connection to the land and sea. Unfortunately, the arrival of British colonists in the 19th century led to tragic consequences for the indigenous population, with widespread displacement and violence occurring during the Black War of the 1820s and 1830s.
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New Guinea is part of the continent of Australia
The continent of Australia, also known as Sahul, Australinea, Meganesia, or Oceania, includes the island of New Guinea. New Guinea is comprised of Papua New Guinea and Western New Guinea (Papua and West Papua, provinces of Indonesia). The island is located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean and is separated from Australia by the 150-kilometre-wide Torres Strait. However, both landmasses lie on the same continental shelf and were united during the Pleistocene glaciations as the combined landmass of Sahul.
The island of New Guinea is divided politically into two roughly equal halves across a north-south line. The western portion of the island, west of 141°E longitude, was formerly a Dutch colony and part of the Dutch East Indies. After the West New Guinea dispute, it became part of Indonesia and is now organised as the provinces of Papua, Central Papua, Highland Papua, South Papua, Southwest Papua, and West Papua. The eastern half of the island is the major land mass of the nation of Papua New Guinea. Three of Papua New Guinea's four regions are parts of New Guinea island: Southern, Highlands, and Momase.
Anthropologically, New Guinea is considered part of Melanesia. New Guinea is differentiated from its drier, flatter, and less fertile southern counterpart, Australia, by its much higher rainfall and its active volcanic geology. However, the two land masses share a similar animal fauna, with marsupials such as wallabies and possums, and the egg-laying monotreme, the echidna.
The current population of the island of New Guinea is about fifteen million. Archaeological evidence indicates that humans may have inhabited the island continuously since 50,000 BCE, with the first settlement possibly dating back to 60,000 years ago. Current evidence indicates that the Papuans, who constitute the majority of the island's peoples, are descended from the earliest human inhabitants of New Guinea. These original inhabitants first arrived in New Guinea during the Last Glacial Period when the island was connected to the Australian continent via a land bridge, forming the landmass of Sahul.
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Australia is the smallest of the seven continents
Australia is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the world's flattest and driest inhabited continent. The country of Australia is sometimes referred to as an island continent, surrounded by oceans.
The continent of Australia is also known as Sahul, Australinea, Meganesia, or Oceania, and is located within the Southern and Eastern hemispheres, near Maritime Southeast Asia. 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.
The country of Australia is the largest landmass in the continent and is highly urbanized, with the 14th-largest economy and the second-highest human development index globally. It is also one of 17 megadiverse countries, with about 94% of its amphibians, 93% of its reptiles and flowering plants, 69% of its mammals, and 46% of its birds being endemic.
Australia has a multicultural population, with Sydney being the most multicultural city in Oceania, with more than 250 different languages spoken. The continent is predominantly Christian, although large proportions of Australians belong to no religion.
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Australia is the world's driest inhabited continent
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 only First World country on the Australian continent, with one of the world's largest and most dominant economies in the region. Australia is the world's driest inhabited continent, with an average annual rainfall of 470 millimetres (19 inches). About 70% of the country is arid or semi-arid, and about 18% is desert. The continent also has an incredibly high evaporation rate, with over 75% of the land mass experiencing a potential evaporation rate higher than 98.4 inches per year. Some areas in central Australia are known to experience potential evaporation of about 177.2 inches per year, which is roughly 20 times greater than the annual rainfall.
The Australian climate ranges from wet tropical in the northeast and northwest to arid in the centre. The coastal south is temperate and humid, with winter freezing and snow in the southeastern highlands and Tasmania. The climate is influenced by Australia's position in the "horse latitudes", which tends to bring arid conditions. The wide variation in climatic conditions is partly due to the continent's geographical size, with a significant portion of the continent being either semi-arid or desert. Only small portions of the southwest and southeast corners of the continent experience a temperate climate and have moderately fertile soils.
Towards the northern part of the continent, there is a tropical climate, with some tropical rainforests, deserts, and grasslands lying in between. The climate of the continent is also influenced by ocean currents that affect the dryness of the continent and contribute to the cyclones to the north of Australia. The forests in Australia consist of evergreen species like eucalyptus, especially in the arid regions, while wattles are common in the deserts and drier regions. Australia's rivers have the lowest discharge into the sea of any continent, and the mainland's flat, arid profile makes its rivers slow-moving, resulting in a build-up of salt on the land.
Australia is a highly urbanized country, with about 95% of its population living within 100 km of the coast, contributing to its unique climate and environmental characteristics. Its population of almost 28 million is heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard, with the majority living in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne, both with a population of more than five million. Sydney is the most multicultural city in Oceania, with more than 250 different languages spoken, and about 40% of residents speaking a language other than English at home.
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Frequently asked questions
There is only one country in the continent of Australia, which is Australia.
The continent of Australia comprises the mainland of the country of Australia, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands.
Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world by area, with a total area of 7,688,287 sq km (2,968,464 sq mi).
The capital of Australia is Canberra, and the largest city is Sydney.
The continent of Australia is also known as Oceania, or in technical contexts, Sahul, Australia-New Guinea, Australinea, or Meganesia.
