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Australia is the planet's sixth-largest country, with a land mass of 7.7 million square kilometres. It has a population of about 27 million people, which is almost the same as the population of the US state of Texas. When placed next to the United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii), Australia appears to be the exact same size. Interestingly, Australia is the world's biggest island, yet its population is significantly less than that of America.
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What You'll Learn
The continental USA is almost the same size as Australia
Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world, with a land area of 7,668,287 square kilometres or 2.989 million square miles. It accounts for just five percent of the world's land area. Although it is the smallest continental land mass, it is the largest island in the world.
To put the size of Australia into perspective, travelling from Sydney to Perth is about the same distance as travelling from New York to Los Angeles. Australia's population is also significantly less than that of the USA, with the whole of Australia having a similar number of people as the state of Texas.
Despite being almost the same size as the continental USA, Australia appears to drastically 'grow' when shifted up to sit over Russia due to its distance from the equator. This is due to the Mercator Projection, where maps are usually drawn on a simple grid with each degree of latitude and longitude the same size. However, the lines of latitude need to move further away from each other the further you move from the equator.
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Australia is the largest country in Oceania
To put it into perspective, travelling from Sydney to Perth in Australia is about the same distance as travelling from New York to Los Angeles in the US. Australia is also about twice the size of Kazakhstan, and it completely dwarfs Europe. The United Kingdom, for example, is completely dwarfed by Australia and appears to shrink when placed below the equator.
Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world, after Russia, Canada, China, the US, and Brazil. It is larger than all the countries in Oceania, such as New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and the numerous Pacific Island nations. Australia also has territorial claims in Antarctica, which is not considered a country but has territorial claims by several nations.
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Australia is the world's smallest continental land mass
Australia is the smallest continental land mass in the world. At 7,688,287 square kilometres, it accounts for just 5% of the world's land area and is home to the world's 9th largest immigrant population.
Despite being the smallest continent, Australia is the world's largest island. 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 continent of Australia is sometimes referred to as Sahul, Australinea, or Meganesia to distinguish it from the country of Australia. Australia is also the planet's sixth-largest country after Russia, Canada, China, the USA, and Brazil.
The country of Australia makes up the majority of the continent and is highly urbanised, with 82% of its people living outside of urban centres. Australia has the world's 14th-largest economy and the second-highest human development index globally.
The continent of Australia is located within the Southern and Eastern hemispheres, near Maritime Southeast Asia. It is the smallest, lowest, flattest, and second-driest continent (after Antarctica) on Earth. Australia's land area is about 2.989 million square miles, compared to the US at 3.797 million square miles.
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Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world
The country's size and location mean that careful trip planning is required for visitors who wish to see it all. For example, travelling from Sydney to Perth is roughly the same distance as travelling from New York to Los Angeles. Despite its vast size, Australia has a relatively small population, similar to that of the state of Texas.
Australia is officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia and includes the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is divided into states and territories and has Canberra as its capital.
In addition to its size, Australia stands out for its economic indicators. As of 2021, it had the second-highest amount of wealth per adult globally and one of the highest per capita incomes. It also has high levels of economic competitiveness and freedom, ranking twelfth in the Index of Economic Freedom in 2022. However, it also had the second-highest level of household debt in the world in 2020.
Australia is a megadiverse country with a rich history and culture. The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians arrived from Southeast Asia between 50,000 and 65,000 years ago, and by the time of British settlement, they spoke 250 distinct languages. Today, Australia attracts millions of international tourists and is known for its unique natural wonders, such as the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef, which extends for more than 2,300 kilometres off the northeast coast.
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Australia is about twice the size of Kazakhstan
Australia is the planet's sixth-largest country, with a land area of 2.989 million square miles or 7,741,220 square kilometres. It accounts for just 5% of the world's land area and is the smallest continental land mass.
Kazakhstan, meanwhile, is approximately 2,724,900 square kilometres. This makes Australia about twice the size of Kazakhstan, or more precisely, 184% larger.
To put this into perspective, Australia is about the same size as the continental USA. Travelling from Sydney to Perth (Australia's east to west coast) is about the same distance as travelling from New York to Los Angeles.
However, despite Australia's much larger land mass, it has a similar population to Kazakhstan. There are around 6.7 million more people living in Australia, with a population of about 26.1 million people, compared to Kazakhstan's 19.4 million.
It is worth noting that direct comparisons between the sizes of these two countries can be distorted by the use of the Mercator projection, which distorts the size of regions near the poles.
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Frequently asked questions
The United States, excluding Alaska and Hawaii, appears to be the same size as Australia.
Australia is approximately 7.7 million square kilometres or 7,688,287 square kilometres.
Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world after Russia, Canada, China, the US, and Brazil.
Australia's population is significantly less than that of the US. Australia has around 27 million people, whereas the US has over 331 million.
Russia is the largest country in the world, spanning two continents and most of northern Eurasia.
