Leslie Massey
Australia is the only place on Earth that qualifies as both a country and a continent. The country of Australia comprises the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. The continent of Australia, on the other hand, includes not only the Australian mainland but also New Guinea, Papua New Guinea, and Western New Guinea (Papua and West Papua, provinces of Indonesia), the Aru Islands, the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, most of the Coral Sea Islands, and some other nearby islands. Australia is considered a continent due to its distinctiveness, which allowed it to support Indigenous groups of people with distinct cultures as well as wildlife that can’t be found elsewhere on the planet.
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What You'll Learn
Australia is the only place that is both a country and a continent
In geographical terms, a continent is usually defined as a large, continuous, discrete mass of land, ideally separated by expanses of water. According to these definitions, Australia as a landmass is often referred to as both a continent and an island. Australia is the smallest continent at 2.9 million square miles, and it is entirely surrounded by water.
The continent of Australia is sometimes known as Sahul, Australinea, or Meganesia to distinguish it from the country of Australia. 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 mostly on a single landmass and comprises most of the continent, so it is sometimes informally referred to as an island continent, surrounded by oceans. Australia is highly urbanized and has the world's 14th-largest economy and the second-highest human development index globally. It is also home to a diverse array of landscapes and some of the most unusual animals on Earth, including koalas, emus, platypuses, and kangaroos.
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Australia is the smallest continent
Australia is sometimes referred to as Oceania, which includes Australia, New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia, Polynesia, and other tiny islands of the Central Pacific and South Pacific. The term Oceania, originally a "great division" of the world in the 1810s, was replaced in English-language countries by the concept of Australia as one of the world's continents in the 1950s.
In geographical terms, a continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally, it is identified by convention rather than any strict criteria. Different countries use different models of continental divide. For example, if you were born in an English-speaking country, you would likely consider Australia a continent, whereas if you were born in Europe or Latin America, you would consider Oceania a continent, with Australia being a country within it.
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Australia is also known as the 'island continent'
Australia is a country and a continent, the only place on Earth that qualifies as both. The continent of Australia is sometimes known as Sahul, Australinea, or Meganesia to differentiate it from the country of Australia. The country of Australia is mostly on a single landmass, and comprises most of the continent, so it is sometimes referred to as an island continent, surrounded by oceans.
The continent of Australia includes the mainland, 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 the smallest of the seven traditional continents, the lowest, flattest, and second-driest continent (after Antarctica) on Earth. It is also the world's largest island.
The term Oceania, originally a "great division" of the world in the 1810s, was replaced in English-speaking countries by the concept of Australia as one of the world's continents in the 1950s. Prior to the 1950s, before the popularization of the theory of plate tectonics, Antarctica, Australia and Greenland were sometimes described as island continents, but none were usually taught as one of the world's continents in English-speaking countries.
The Scottish cartographer John Bartholomew wrote in 1873 that "the New World consists of North America, and the peninsula of South America attached to it... These divisions [are] generally themselves spoken of as continents, and to them has been added another, embracing the large island of Australia and numerous others in the [Pacific] Ocean, under the name of Oceania."
In geography, regions are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and the environment (environmental geography). Geographic regions and sub-regions are mostly described by their imprecisely defined, and sometimes transitory boundaries, except in human geography, where jurisdiction areas such as national borders are defined in law.
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Australia is part of the region of Oceania
The continent of Australia is sometimes referred to as Sahul, Australinea, or Meganesia to distinguish it from the country of Australia. The country of Australia is the largest landmass in the continent of Australia and is highly urbanized, with the world's 14th-largest economy and the second-highest human development index globally. It is also the largest and most populous country in Oceania.
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 continent is situated in the geographical region of Oceania, specifically in the subregion of Australasia.
Oceania is traditionally divided into four parts: Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Outside of English-speaking countries, Oceania is generally considered a continent, while mainland Australia is regarded as its continental landmass. In English-speaking countries, the theory of plate tectonics popularized the idea of Australia as one of the world's continents in the 1950s, replacing the concept of Oceania.
The United Nations (UN) has its own geopolitical definition of Oceania, which utilizes four of the five subregions from the 19th century: Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. This definition consists of distinct political entities and is used in statistical reports and by the International Olympic Committee.
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Australia is made up of mainland Australia, Tasmania, and other islands
Australia is a continent that includes the mainland of the country of Australia, Tasmania, and other islands. The country of Australia is mostly on a single landmass, which makes up around 98.7% of its total area. This landmass is referred to as mainland Australia.
Mainland Australia covers 7,591,608 square kilometres, or 2,931,136 square miles. It has a variety of climatic regions, ranging from tropical rainforests and deserts to cool-temperature rainforests and snow-covered mountains. It is in these mainland regions that much of Australia's native flora and fauna can be found.
Tasmania is an island state of Australia, located 240 kilometres (150 miles) south of the Australian mainland. It is separated from the mainland by the Bass Strait. Tasmania is Australia's smallest and least populous state, with a population of around 570,000 to 573,479. The state capital and largest city is Hobart, with around 40% of the population living in the Greater Hobart area. Tasmania is also known for its unorthodox place names, which often come about from lost definitions or quaint, endearing descriptions.
Apart from Tasmania, some of the other islands that are part of Australia include Bribie Island, Phillip Island, St Hubert's Island, Lord Howe Island, Groote Eylandt, and the Brook Islands. Australia has 8,222 islands within its maritime borders.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Australia is a continent. It is the smallest of the seven traditional continents and is also known as the "'island continent'".
Yes, Australia is also a country. Officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia, it is a nation with its own government occupying a particular territory.
The definition of a continent is not as clear-cut as one might expect. Australia is considered both a country and a continent because of its distinctiveness. Its isolated location allowed it to support indigenous groups of people with distinct cultures as well as wildlife that can't be found elsewhere.
Australia, the country, consists of the mainland Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, numerous smaller offshore islands, and some remote offshore territories. The continent of Australia 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.
