Omari Gates
Australia is the world's smallest continent and the sixth-largest country by area of jurisdiction, covering 7,688,287 square kilometres. It is also the driest continent (excluding Antarctica) and the flattest, with an average elevation of only 330 metres. One-third of Australia is occupied by desert, another third is steppe or semi-desert, and only in the north, east, southeast, and southwest is there enough precipitation to support vegetation that protects the land surface from weathering.
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
Australia's land is arid
Australia is the driest inhabited continent on Earth, with the least fertile soils. It is also the flattest continent and has the lowest average elevation of just 330m (1,080 ft). The country is surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and its unique location under a subtropical high-pressure belt, along with other climate drivers like El Niño–Southern Oscillation and the Indian Ocean Dipole, makes most of Western Australia a hot desert. Aridity is a marked feature of most of the continent, with fully one-third of its area occupied by desert, and another third considered steppe or semi-desert. The Great Artesian Basin, one of the world's largest underground freshwater resources, spans over one-fifth of the continent.
The Australian Outback, also known as the rangelands, covers about 81% of the country and is home to many of Australia's Indigenous people. The rangelands are a diverse group of relatively undisturbed ecosystems, including tropical savannas, woodlands, shrublands, and grasslands. The arid zone habitats are full of life, including insects, feral camels, dingoes, goannas, and numerous species of lizards and birds. Vegetation in arid areas is primarily dependent upon soil type, and some plants have roots that force their way deep into the soil to find water.
The Australian mainland is divided into drainage divisions, which are further divided into water regions and river basins. The Great Dividing Range runs along most of eastern Australia, dividing the central lowlands from the eastern highlands. The Murray-Darling is the major river system, draining most of inland New South Wales and Southern Queensland. Australia's rivers have the lowest discharge into the sea of any continent, and their slow-moving nature results in a build-up of salt on the land.
The Western Plateau, which makes up more than half of the country, is a relatively flat area about 183m (600 ft) above sea level, with low mountainous ranges in the north of Western Australia and isolated uplands in the Northern Territory. The Eastern Highlands, which include the Great Dividing Range, are made up of a series of mountains in the south topped by Mount Kosciuszko, and volcanic plugs, ash domes, and flow remnants further north.
Shipping Electronics: Amazon to Australia
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The Eastern Highlands
The Great Dividing Range is dotted with hundreds of peaks, valleys, canyons, and plains. The range includes the Atherton Tableland, the Canberra wine region, and the Southern Tablelands. The lower reaches of the mountains are used for forestry, and the range is the source of almost all of eastern Australia's water supply. Major cities located on the upland areas of the range include Canberra, Toowoomba, and the outer suburbs of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, and Cairns in north Queensland.
Hemp Protein Powder: Australia's Ban Explained
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The Eastern alluvial Plains and Lowlands
The Carpentaria Plains in the north exhibit extensive flat depositional plains, some of which are related to swamps from the Pleistocene Epoch, and some are associated with the present floodplains of the braided river systems. Standing above the plains, for example around Normanton, are considerable plateau and mesa remnants of the Paleogene and Neogene laterite surface. Similar rolling plains with laterite residuals standing above them occur in the Eyre Basin, particularly around the headwaters of the Diamantina, near Kynuna.
Australia's Population: Why So Sparse Compared to Canada?
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The Great Divide
Australia is a land of extremes, from the arid desert interior to the lush tropical rainforests of the north. The country is a continent of contrasts, and one of the most striking natural features is the Great Divide, a chain of highlands that forms a boundary between the east and west.
Australia is the world's smallest continent and the sixth-largest country by area, with a unique and diverse landscape. The Great Divide is a striking natural feature that showcases the country's geographical diversity and plays a crucial role in shaping the climate and ecology of the regions it spans.
Speedy Shipping: Australia to USA Delivery Times
You may want to see also
Explore related products
The Western Plateau
The landscape of the Western Plateau is diverse and striking, featuring individual plateaus such as the Kimberley, Hamersley, and Yilgarn, as well as rugged mountain ranges like the Hamersley, Musgrave, and MacDonnell. The region is also known for its iconic desert landscapes, including the Gibson, Tanami, Canning, Great Sandy, and Great Victoria Deserts. These deserts are characterised by sweeping sand dunes and the remnants of ancient river courses.
The Barkly Tableland, located within the Western Plateau, is a high plain of remarkable flatness, featuring Cambrian sedimentary rocks that are approximately 485 to 541 million years old. The Nullarbor Plain, a karst area, is coincident with the Eucla Basin and is so flat that the Trans-Australian Railway runs straight for 300 miles across it.
Are UGG Boots 'Made in Australia' the Real Deal?
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
Desert. Australia is the driest continent apart from Antarctica. 18% of Australia's mainland consists of named deserts, and the rest of the land is steppe or semi-desert.
Australia is the lowest continent in the world with an average elevation of 330 m (1,080 ft).
The highest mountain on the mainland is Mount Kosciuszko at 2,228 m (7,310 ft). The highest point on Australian sovereign territory is Mawson Peak on Heard Island, at 2,745 m (9,006 ft).
The Great Artesian Basin is one of the largest underground freshwater resources in the world and Australia's largest groundwater basin. It covers over one-fifth of the Australian continent.
