Leslie Massey
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a large country with a total area of 7,688,287 square kilometres (2,968,464 square miles), making it the sixth-largest country in the world. It is the smallest continent and is sometimes considered the world's largest island. Australia is about the same size as continental USA, with a land area of 2.989 million square miles compared to the US's 3.797 million square miles. Australia has a diverse landscape and climate, ranging from tropical rainforests along the coast to deserts in the interior.
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What You'll Learn
Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world
Australia is sometimes considered the world's largest island and is often referred to as an "island continent". It has 35,877 kilometres of coastline (excluding all offshore islands) and claims an exclusive economic zone of 8,148,250 square kilometres. The Australian mainland is relatively flat, with an average height of 325 metres compared to 870 metres for all continents. It is the world's driest inhabited continent, with an average annual rainfall of 470 millimetres. About 70% of the country is arid or semi-arid, and about 18% is desert.
The continent of Australia is located within the Southern and Eastern hemispheres, near Maritime Southeast Asia. It is situated in the geographical region of Oceania, specifically the subregion of Australasia. The UN's definition of Oceania includes American Samoa, Australia and their external territories, the Cook Islands, Easter Island, the Federated States of Micronesia, French Polynesia, Fiji, Galapagos Islands, Guam, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, Western New Guinea, and several islands belonging to the United States.
Australia is a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, with a population of almost 28 million. It is highly urbanised, with the majority of its population concentrated on the eastern seaboard in cities like Sydney and Melbourne, which each have over five million people. Australia has the world's 9th largest immigrant population and the 14th-largest economy, with the second-highest human development index globally. It also ranks highly for quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, civil liberties, and political rights.
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Australia is the smallest continent
The continent of Australia, sometimes known as Sahul, Australinea, or Meganesia, 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.
Australia is sometimes referred to as Oceania, which includes Australia, New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, and other islands in the Central and South Pacific. However, this term has been used differently over time, and in the 19th century, many geographers divided Oceania into mostly racially-based subdivisions, including Australasia, Malaysia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.
Australia is the world's largest island, and it is the sixth-largest country in the world by total area. It has a diverse landscape, ranging from tropical rainforests along the coast to deserts in the interior, and it is the world's flattest and driest inhabited continent.
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Australia is the world's flattest continent
Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world by surface area, with a total area of 7,688,287 square kilometres (2,968,464 square miles). It is the smallest continental land mass, but it is the world's largest island. Australia is also the largest country in Oceania, a "great division" of the world that includes American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Easter Island, Fiji, Guam, New Zealand, and many other Pacific islands.
Australia is the flattest continent in the world. The average height of the mainland is 325 metres (1,066 feet), compared with 870 metres (2,850 feet) for all continents. Australia's flatness is due to the large plateau covering most of the central part, which forms the largest area of the continent. The Great Dividing Range refers to the long mountain range that begins near the east coast and stretches from the northern part of the territory of Queensland through Victoria and New South Wales. The highest elevation in Australia is 7,309.7 feet above sea level at Mount Kosciuszko, while the lowest point is 49.2 feet below sea level at Lake Eyre in South Australia.
The Australian continent is highly diverse, with habitats ranging from tropical rainforests to alpine heaths. It is believed that Australia is home to about 250,000 species of fungi, out of which only 5% have been described. Australia is also home to the largest number of reptile species in the world, totalling 755 species. The country's size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates, including deserts in the interior and tropical rainforests along the coast. 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.
Australia is a highly developed country with a highly urbanized population of almost 28 million. It has the world's 14th-largest economy, the second-highest human development index globally, and one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. It ranks highly for quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, civil liberties, and political rights.
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Australia is the driest inhabited continent
Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world by total area, with a land area of 7,688,287 square kilometres (2,968,464 square miles). It is also the smallest continental land mass, with the country of Australia comprising most of the continent. 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.
Australia is vulnerable to droughts, and as a result of climate change, the supply of freshwater is increasingly at risk. Various regions have imposed restrictions on water usage, and there is a focus on water conservation. Australians are the greatest per capita consumers of water, using an average of 100,000 litres of freshwater per person each year. Agriculture uses 50-70% of the water consumed in the country, with irrigation taking up a large portion of this.
Australia has a highly urbanised population of almost 28 million, with the majority of people living on the eastern seaboard. It is a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, with Canberra as its capital. Sydney and Melbourne are the country's most populous cities, both with over five million people.
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Australia is about the same size as the continental US
Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world by area, with a landmass of 7,688,287 square kilometres (2,968,464 square miles). It is the smallest of the seven traditional continents and is sometimes referred to as an island continent.
The United States is the fourth-largest country in the world by area, with a total land area of 3,797,000 square miles. The US is slightly smaller than the continent of Australia when Alaska and Hawaii are included, but the continental US (the lower 48 states) is a little smaller than Australia.
The land area of Australia is approximately 2.989 million square miles, compared to the land area of the continental US, which is 3.12 million square miles. The distance between the easternmost and westernmost points of Australia is 5030 km, while the distance between the easternmost and westernmost points of the continental US is 4668 km.
When planning a trip to Australia, it is important to be mindful of the vast distances involved. Travelling from Sydney to Perth (East Coast to West Coast) is comparable to travelling from New York to Los Angeles.
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Frequently asked questions
The land area of Australia is 2.989 million square miles, which is closest to the USA's land area of 3.797 million square miles.
Australia has a total area of 7,688,287 km2 (2,968,464 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest country in the world.
Australia is sometimes considered the world's largest island and is often dubbed the "island continent".
Australia is the smallest continent and the sixth-largest country by total area.
Australia's population of almost 28 million is highly urbanized and concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Its population is significantly less than that of the USA, with the whole of Australia having roughly the same population as the state of Texas.
