Lyla Lindsey
Australia is considered a continent by many due to its size, with some debate arising from its proximity to Oceania and the Pacific islands. It is nearly four times larger than Greenland, the largest island in the world, and is the sixth-largest country in the world at 7.75 million square kilometres. While there are no official conditions for continent status, continents are generally considered to be large landmasses with their own tectonic plates, distinct cultures, and unique flora and fauna. Australia satisfies these criteria, and while it is the smallest continent at 2.9 million square miles, its size is still considered a defining factor in its status as a continent.
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What You'll Learn
- Australia is the smallest of the seven traditional continents
- Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world
- Australia's size gives it a variety of landscapes and climates, including deserts and tropical rainforests
- Australia's isolation allowed unique native forms to develop
- Australia's size and isolation make it the world's flattest and driest inhabited continent
Australia is the smallest of the seven traditional continents
The continent includes the mainland of 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 sometimes referred to as a country-continent, as it comprises mainland Australia and several islands. The country has a diverse range of landscapes and climates, including deserts in the interior and tropical rainforests along the coast.
The concept of a continent is vague and subjective, with no official conditions for a landmass to be considered a continent. However, continents are generally understood to be large land masses with their own tectonic plates, distinct cultures, and unique plant and animal species.
Australia meets these criteria, as it has a unique ecology and culture, and it sits on its own tectonic plate, separate from most of Asia.
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Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world
The country is officially known as the Commonwealth of Australia and is a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy comprising six states and ten territories. Its population of almost 28 million is highly urbanised, with most people living on the eastern seaboard. The nation's capital is Canberra, while its most populous cities are Sydney and Melbourne, each with over five million people.
Australia is considered a continent due to its large landmass, its own tectonic plate, and its unique culture and biodiversity. It is the smallest of the seven traditional continents, with size sometimes being the most tenuous factor in its claim to being a continent. However, its distinctiveness is further supported by the fact that a large percentage of its plant and animal species are found nowhere else in the world.
The name Australia is derived from the Latin "Terra Australis Incognita," meaning "unknown southern land." The term was used for a hypothetical continent in the Southern Hemisphere since ancient times. The name was popularised by explorer Matthew Flinders, who circumnavigated the continent in 1803. The British Admiralty officially adopted the name in 1824, and it was used in legislation by the British Parliament in 1828.
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Australia's size gives it a variety of landscapes and climates, including deserts and tropical rainforests
Australia's size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates. 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 the smallest of the seven traditional continents and the largest country in Oceania, with a total area of 7,688,287 square kilometres (2,968,464 square miles).
The country's landscapes range from snow-capped mountains in the Australian Alps and Tasmania to large deserts, tropical and temperate forests, grasslands, heathlands, and woodlands. The northern part of the country has a tropical climate, varying between grasslands and desert, and is subject to some of the largest interannual rainfall variability in the world. The south-east and south-west corners of the country have a temperate climate and moderately fertile soil.
The climate of Australia is the second driest of any continent, after Antarctica. The country has a very low average annual rainfall of 419 mm (16 inches), and 80% of the land receives less than 600 mm (24 inches) of rainfall annually. The Outback, the vast and remote centre of Australia, covers 73% of the continent and is characterised by a highly variable climate, with long dry periods interspersed with shorter periods of high rainfall. The continent is surrounded by various ocean currents that have a strong influence on its climate, ecosystems, and water quality. The warm East Australian Current dominates the Pacific surface waters, while the Leeuwin Current predominates in the western coasts of Australia.
Australia's size and isolation have also contributed to the development of unique native plant and animal species. The continent experienced a constant temperature for a long time, allowing a vast number of different species to evolve and fit particular ecological niches. The isolation of the continent also meant that very few outside species arrived to colonise, allowing unique native forms to develop unimpeded.
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Australia's isolation allowed unique native forms to develop
Australia's geographic isolation for about 40 million years allowed unique native forms to develop. During this time, the continent experienced numerous changes in climate, but the overall trend was towards greater aridity. While much of the rest of the world underwent significant cooling and a loss of species diversity, Australia-New Guinea was drifting north at such a pace that the overall global cooling effect was balanced by its gradual movement toward the equator. As a result, temperatures in Australia-New Guinea remained reasonably constant for a very long time, and a vast number of different animal, fungal, and plant species were able to evolve to fit particular ecological niches.
The geographic isolation of Australia created a sharp division between Australian fauna and Asian fauna at the Wallace line. Humans arrived in Australia between 80,000 and 45,000 years ago, coexisting with megafauna for 20,000–25,000 years before the megafaunal extinctions. The full reason for the extinctions is still unclear, but they were likely caused by, or at least partly contributed to by, late Pleistocene climate change, human hunting, or habitat changes through fire-stick farming. This left Australia with many of its keystone species extinct, leaving the ecosystems altered and far more vulnerable to invasion. Dingoes, which arrived in Australia between 5,400 and 4,600 years ago, long after the first humans, spread rapidly across the continent and probably contributed to the extinction of even more native species such as the thylacine and Tasmanian devil.
In addition to its unique flora and fauna, Australia has also developed distinct cultural practices due to its isolation. Music and dance have formed an integral part of the social, cultural, and ceremonial observances of Indigenous Australian peoples. The didgeridoo, which is widely thought to be a stereotypical instrument of Aboriginal people, was traditionally played by Aboriginal men of the eastern Kimberley region and Arnhem Land (such as the Yolngu). Bullroarers and clapsticks were used across Australia. Songlines relate to the Dreamtime in Aboriginal culture, overlapping with oral lore. Corroboree is a generic word to explain different genres of performance, embracing songs, dances, rallies, and meetings of various kinds.
Furthermore, Indigenous Australian societies were oral for most of the last 65,000 years, providing the perfect situation for the construction and preservation of some of the world's oldest stories. The first known written work in English by an Aboriginal person was a letter to Governor Arthur Phillip written by Bennelong in 1796. In the 20th century, David Unaipon (1872–1967), known as the first Aboriginal author, provided the first accounts of Aboriginal mythology written by an Aboriginal person in his "Legendary Tales of the Aborigines" (1924–1925). Oodgeroo Noonuccal (1920–1995), a famous Aboriginal poet, writer, and rights activist, published the first book of verse by an Aboriginal author, "We Are Going" (1964).
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Australia's size and isolation make it the world's flattest and driest inhabited continent
Australia is the smallest continent in the world and the sixth-largest country. It is also the flattest and driest inhabited continent. Its landmass covers 2,941,300 square miles or 7.7 million square kilometres. The Great Dividing Range is a long mountain range that begins near the east coast and stretches from Queensland through Victoria and New South Wales. Despite this, the average elevation of Australia is low at 1,082.7 feet above sea level, with the highest elevation being 7,309.7 feet above sea level at Mount Kosciuszko, and the lowest point being 49.2 feet below sea level at Lake Eyre in South Australia. The continent's central region is covered by a large plateau, which is the primary reason for its flatness.
Australia's isolation has contributed to its unique biome, housing approximately 250,000 species of fungi, 755 species of reptiles, and 70% of its species are found nowhere else on Earth. The continent's long-term geographical isolation, extensive age, and varied weather patterns have resulted in this distinct biodiversity.
The continent's climate has been influenced by the El Niño southern oscillation and the Indian Ocean Dipole, leading to seasonal tropical low-pressure systems and periodic droughts, particularly in the northern part of the continent. Australia is the only continent without any current volcanic activity, with the last eruption occurring around 1,400 years ago at Mt. Gambier.
The size of Australia has resulted in a wide variety of landscapes and climates. It has ten named deserts, accounting for nearly 19% of its total surface area, and is classified as arid or semi-arid due to low rainfall. The continent also features tropical rainforests and mountain ranges, showcasing its diverse geography.
The Aboriginal Australians, the indigenous peoples of Australia, have a rich history. Their ancestors arrived from Southeast Asia between 50,000 to 65,000 years ago, and by the time of British colonisation in 1788, they spoke 250 distinct languages and possessed one of the oldest living cultures globally.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia is the smallest continent at 2.9 million square miles, but its size is not the only factor that makes it a continent. Its distinctiveness, in terms of its culture and wildlife, also contributes to its status as a continent.
Australia has a unique flora and fauna, with native animals like kangaroos, wombats, and Tasmanian devils that are unlike any others in the world. It also has a distinct historic aboriginal culture.
Australia's continental landmass measures about 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) from north to south and 2,485 miles (4,000 kilometers) from east to west. It is larger than Greenland, which is considered the world's largest island.
Australia is both a country and a continent, the only place on Earth that qualifies as both.
