Lyla Lindsey
Australia, officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia, is the smallest of the seven continents. It has a land area of 7,688,287 square kilometres (2,968,464 square miles), making it the sixth-largest country in the world. Australia is also the world's flattest and driest inhabited continent. The continent includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, the island of New Guinea, the Aru Islands, the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, and most of the Coral Sea Islands, among other nearby islands. Australia is sometimes referred to as an island continent, and it is the largest island in the world.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Total land area | 8,560,000 sq km or 3,310,000 sq mi |
| World ranking by size | Sixth-largest country in the world |
| Population | 28 million |
| World ranking by population | 55th most populous nation in the world |
| Number of continents | 7 |
| Position in the list of continents by size | Smallest |
| Position in the list of continents by population | 55th |
| Continent status | Lowest, flattest, and second-driest |
| Alternative names | Sahul, Australinea, Meganesia, Oceania, Australasia |
| Number of landmasses | 3 (mainland Australia, Tasmania, and the island of New Guinea) |
| Number of islands | Numerous |
| Immigrant population | 9th largest in the world |
| Human habitation | Began 50,000-65,000 years ago |
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What You'll Learn
Australia is the smallest continent
The continent of Australia is sometimes referred to as Oceania, which includes the continent itself, New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, and other tiny islands of the Central Pacific and South Pacific. However, Australia as a continent includes the nation of Australia, the nation of Papua New Guinea, and the island nation of New Zealand.
Australia 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 also the world's flattest and driest inhabited continent. It is a megadiverse country, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates, including deserts in the interior and tropical rainforests along the coast.
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Australia is the sixth-largest country
The continent of Australia includes the mainland, the island of Tasmania, and the island of New Guinea, which comprises Papua New Guinea and Western New Guinea. Australia is also known as the country of Australia, which makes up most of the continent. The country is highly urbanised, with a population of almost 28 million, and is the world's 14th-largest economy.
The name Australia comes from the Latin 'Terra Australis Incognita', meaning 'unknown southern land'. This was a name used for a hypothetical continent in the Southern Hemisphere. Dutch explorers began visiting and mapping Australia in the 17th century, referring to it as New Holland. The name Australia was popularised by explorer Matthew Flinders, who circumnavigated the continent in 1803.
The continent of Australia is situated in the Southern and Eastern hemispheres, near Maritime Southeast Asia. It is the flattest and driest inhabited continent, with a wide variety of landscapes and climates, including deserts in the interior and tropical rainforests along the coast.
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Australia is the 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 7,688,287 square kilometres (2,968,464 square miles), making it the sixth-largest country in the world and the largest in Oceania. Australia is the smallest, lowest, flattest, and second-driest continent on Earth.
While Australia is sometimes referred to as an "island continent," most geographers consider islands and continents to be distinct. According to Britannica, an island is a landmass that is "entirely surrounded by water" and "smaller than a continent." By this definition, Australia cannot be an island because it is already a continent. However, the term "continent" in geology refers to the largest land mass on a continental plate, and this is a matter of convention rather than a precise definition.
Historically, Australia was considered an island. In 1813, Samuel Butler wrote of Australia as "New Holland, an immense island, which some geographers dignify with the appellation of another continent." In the 1950s, the concept of Oceania as a "great division" of the world was replaced by the concept of Australia as a continent.
Today, Australia is considered a continent because it sits on its own tectonic plate and has unique indigenous flora and fauna. However, the criteria for classifying landmasses are not strict, and the definitions have been revised over time. While Australia is not the largest island in the world, it is nearly four times larger than Greenland, which holds that title.
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Australia is part of Oceania
Australia is a continent in its own right, but it is also considered part of Oceania. The term Oceania was used in the 1810s as a great division of the world, and was replaced in English-language countries by the concept of Australia as one of the world's continents in the 1950s.
The term Oceania is derived from the Pacific Ocean, referring to its connection with the ocean rather than its landmass. It is sometimes referred to as the "liquid continent". The Pacific Ocean itself has been described as a "continent of islands", with approximately 25,000 islands, which is more than all the other major oceans combined.
In non-English-speaking countries, Australia is often considered a continent, while Asia, Europe, and Oceania are regarded as "parts of the world". In Spanish, for example, Oceania is considered a continent, with Australia as its continental landmass. In English-speaking countries, various writers have described Oceania as a continent over the years.
The United Nations (UN) has used its own geopolitical definition of Oceania since its foundation in 1947, which utilises four of the five subregions from the 19th century: Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. This definition consists of distinct political entities and excludes certain islands, such as the Bonin Islands, Hawaii, Clipperton Island, and Easter Island.
Australia, officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With a total area of 7,688,287 square kilometres, it is the sixth-largest country in the world and the largest in Oceania. Australia is the flattest and driest inhabited continent, with a diverse range of landscapes and climates, from deserts in the interior to tropical rainforests along the coast.
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Australia is also known as Meganesia
The continent of Australia is sometimes referred to as Meganesia. This name is used to distinguish the continent from the country of Australia, which comprises most of the continent. The continent of Australia 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 name Meganesia is also used to refer to Melanesia, a subdivision of Oceania, which is a "great division" of the world, as defined in the 1810s. Oceania, in this context, includes the Australian continent, Zealandia, and various islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term Oceania is often used interchangeably with the Australian continent.
The continent of Australia is the smallest of the seven traditional continents, with a total land area of 8.56 million square kilometres (3,310,000 sq mi). It is also the flattest and driest inhabited continent. Australia, the country, is the sixth-largest country in the world, with a total area of 7,688,287 square kilometres (2,968,464 sq mi).
The Australian continent has a rich history, with human habitation estimated to have begun 50,000 to 65,000 years ago. The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians migrated from Southeast Asia, and by the time of British colonisation in 1788, they spoke 250 distinct languages and had one of the oldest living cultures on Earth.
In summary, the continent of Australia, also known as Meganesia, consists of mainland Australia and various islands, including New Guinea and Tasmania. The country of Australia, which makes up most of the continent, is a highly urbanised country with a diverse and significant global presence.
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Frequently asked questions
The continent of Australia has a land area of 8.56 million square kilometres (3,310,000 sq mi) or 7,688,287 km2 (2,968,464 sq mi).
Australia is the smallest of the seven traditional continents. It is the world's largest island, and the sixth-largest country in the world. Greenland is the largest island after Australia but is only the twelfth largest country in the world.
The continent of Australia includes mainland 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.
The continent of Australia is sometimes referred to as Sahul, Australinea, Meganesia, or Oceania.
