Lyla Lindsey
Australia is a unique country as it is the world's only country that is also a continent. It is the smallest continent and one of the largest countries on Earth, lying between the Pacific and Indian Oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. As Australia is an island, it has no land borders with other nations. However, it does share maritime borders with some neighbouring countries, including Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, and the islands of New Caledonia.
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What You'll Learn
Australia's unique geography
Australia is a unique country geographically as it is the world's only country that is also a continent. Covering nearly 3 million square miles, it is one of the largest countries on Earth. It is also the world's smallest and flattest continent. Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere and borders the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is geographically isolated between population clusters, leading to its description as a "demographical archipelago".
The Commonwealth of Australia comprises the mainland of the Australian continent, the major island of Tasmania, and various other islands and external territories. The country's landscape is extremely diverse, ranging from snow-capped mountains to large deserts, tropical and temperate forests, grasslands, heathlands, and woodlands. The Great Dividing Range runs along the eastern and southeastern edge of Australia. The country's arid and semi-arid climate is largely due to its location under a subtropical high-pressure belt. Western Australia is particularly affected by this, with 18% of Australia's mainland consisting of named deserts. Northern Australia and the upper eastern Coastal Plains have a grassland, subtropical to equatorial climate, with no winter and very hot summers. The lower southwestern and eastern Coastal Plains and Tasmania are characterised by a predominantly temperate climate, with mild to warm summers and cold winters.
The majority of Australia's population lives within 25 km of the coast, with 73% inhabiting major coastal urban centres. The most densely populated areas are the Coastal Plains of the eastern states, and the Swan Coastal Plain in the southwestern corner of the mainland. Australia's population is diverse, with almost half of Australians having a parent born overseas. The main countries of origin for immigrants are England, India, China, and New Zealand. There is also a significant Indigenous population, comprising hundreds of groups with distinct languages, histories, and cultural traditions.
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Maritime border treaties
As Australia is an island, it has no land borders with other nations. However, it does share maritime borders with some of its neighbouring countries.
Indonesia
Australia and Indonesia share a maritime border described by four signed treaties, one of which is yet to be ratified. The two countries were previously engaged in a heated dispute over control of the area. The first two treaties caused discontent among Indonesians as the method used to decide the border's location had the potential to deny Indonesia oil reserves. The final treaty, signed in 1997, included elements of both countries' arguments to determine the border location.
Timor-Leste
Australia and Timor-Leste share a 5,400-square-mile maritime border, established by the Treaty Between Australia and the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste in the Timor Sea (the Maritime Boundary Treaty). The treaty was signed in 2018 and came into force in 2019, settling a long-running dispute and laying the foundation for a new chapter in their relationship.
Papua New Guinea
In 1978, Australia and Papua New Guinea signed a treaty defining the maritime border between the two countries, which came into force in 1985. This treaty addressed boundary challenges that affected the lives of the native people, as Australia has a couple of islands within Papua New Guinea's side of the border.
Solomon Islands
The maritime boundary between Australia and the 11,000-square-mile Solomon Islands was signed in 1988 and came into effect the following year. The two countries have strong bilateral relations, with Australia contributing significant foreign aid to the Solomon Islands.
New Caledonia
Australia and the French-controlled New Caledonia signed a treaty in 1982 to establish their maritime border, which came into effect in 1983. The relationship between the two countries is exceptionally cordial, with Australia investing heavily in New Caledonia and providing foreign aid.
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Indonesia border disputes
Australia is a continent and a sovereign country. As an island, it has no land borders with other nations. However, it shares maritime borders with some neighbouring countries, including Indonesia.
Indonesia and Australia share a maritime border described by four signed treaties, one of which is yet to be ratified. The two countries previously disputed control of the area, with the first two treaties causing discontent among Indonesians as the method used to decide the border's location had the potential to deny Indonesia oil reserves. The final treaty, signed in 1997, included elements of both countries' arguments to determine the border's location.
Indonesia has also been involved in border disputes with Malaysia. The principal document determining the land border between Indonesia and Malaysia on the island of Borneo is the Border Convention or London Convention of 1891, signed between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, the two relevant colonial powers at the time. Subsequent agreements in 1915 and 1928 further refined the border, particularly concerning the Jagoi-Stass region in western Borneo.
The maritime boundary in the Celebes Sea has been a source of dispute, with Indonesia claiming parts of the continental shelf, calling it Ambalat. The dispute over the sovereignty of the islands of Ligitan and Sipadan was settled in 2002 by the International Court of Justice, which awarded the islands to Malaysia. However, the court did not determine the maritime boundary in the surrounding waters.
In June 2023, Indonesia and Malaysia ended their 18-year maritime border disputes, signing agreements to delimitate their territorial seas in parts of the Straits of Malacca and the Sulawesi Sea. The agreements also aimed to improve border crossings, strengthen border trade, and promote investment.
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Papua New Guinea relations
As an island, Australia does not share land borders with any other nation. However, it does share maritime borders with some neighbouring countries, including Papua New Guinea.
Papua New Guinea is Australia's closest neighbour, with only about 3.75 km separating the two countries at Saibai Island in the Torres Strait. It was formerly a colony of Australia and became a sovereign state in 1975. The two countries share the same continent in the Oceania region and have a broad-ranging relationship of deep historical and contemporary importance.
Papua New Guinea has developed much closer relations with Australia than with Indonesia, the only country with which it shares a land border. The two countries are Commonwealth realms and have put in place bilateral treaties and agreements that govern their relationship. These include the 1987 Joint Declaration of Principles Guiding Relations Between Australia and Papua New Guinea, which outlines the fundamental principles of mutual respect, sovereignty, equality, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.
The two countries have also signed agreements to strengthen their economic partnership, such as the "Agreement on Trade and Commercial Relations between the Government of Australia and the Government of Papua New Guinea (PATCRA)", which established a free trade area. In addition, Australia is one of the largest providers of development aid to Papua New Guinea, and the two countries collaborate in areas such as education, university partnerships, and sports.
In recent years, there have been some tensions between the two countries, such as the "Julian Moti affair" in 2006, which led to a cooling of relations. However, efforts have been made to mend these ties, and in 2020, the two countries signed the Papua New Guinea-Australia Comprehensive Strategic and Economic Partnership to further expand their cooperation. In 2023, the two countries signed a security agreement, further solidifying their relationship.
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Australia's closest neighbours
Australia is a unique country as it is the world's only country that is also a continent. As an island, it has no land borders with other nations. However, it does share maritime borders with some of its closest neighbours.
Papua New Guinea lies to the north of Australia and is one of its closest neighbours. The two countries signed a treaty in 1978 that defined their maritime border. Australia also ruled Papua New Guinea until it became a sovereign state in 1975.
Indonesia is another close neighbour of Australia, located to the north. The two countries share a maritime border described by four signed treaties, one of which is yet to be ratified. The final treaty, signed in 1997, included elements of both countries' arguments to determine the border location.
East Timor (also known as Timor-Leste) is a small nation of 5,400 square miles occupying the eastern section of Timor Island. It gained independence in 2002 and is another close neighbour of Australia, with the two countries sharing a maritime border established by a treaty signed in 2018.
New Zealand, located to the southeast of Australia, is also one of its closest neighbours. A treaty signed in 2004 established the official border between the two countries, which came into effect in 2006.
Other neighbouring countries of Australia include the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia (a French collectivity) to the northeast, and Malaysia and the Philippines to the north.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia is an island and the world's only country that is also a continent, so it does not have any land borders with other nations. However, it does share maritime borders with Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, New Zealand, and Malaysia.
Australia is the smallest continent and the sixth-largest country in the world, covering an area of 7,692,024 square kilometres (nearly 3 million square miles).
Australia is unique due to its geographical isolation, which has resulted in its singularity of plant and animal life, including the platypus and echidna, which are the only egg-laying mammals on Earth. Australia is also home to the Great Barrier Reef, the greatest mass of coral in the world.
