Geography

Australia's is located on the Indo-Australian Plate, surrounded by the Indian, Southern and Pacific oceans and separated from Asia by the Arafura and Timor seas. It is the sixth largest country in the world with a total area of 7,686,850 square kilometres (2,967,909 sq. mi) (including Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island), making it slightly smaller than the contiguous 48 states of the United States and 31.5 times bigger than the United Kingdom.

Australia has a total 25,760 kilometres (16,007 mi) of coastline and claims an extensive Exclusive Economic Zone of 8,148,250 square kilometres (3,146,057 sq. mi). This exclusive economic zone does not include the Australian Antarctic Territory.

Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the French dependency of New Caledonia to the northeast, and New Zealand to the southeast.

The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef, lies a short distance off the north-east coast and extends for over 2,000 kilometres (1,250 mi). The world's largest monolith, Mount Augustus, is located in Western Australia. At 2,228 metres (7,310 ft), Mount Kosciuszko on the Great Dividing Range is the highest mountain on the Australian mainland, although Mawson Peak on the remote Australian territory of Heard Island is taller at 2,745 metres (9,006 ft).

The geography of Australia encompasses a wide variety of biogeographic regions being the world's smallest continent but the sixth-largest country in the world, ranging from the snow capped mountains of Tasmania to large deserts, tropical and temperate forests.

By far the largest part of Australia is desert or semi-arid. Australia is the driest inhabited continent, the flattest, and has the oldest and least fertile soils. Only the south-east and south-west corners of the continent have a temperate climate. The majority of the population lives along the temperate south-eastern coastline. The northern part of the country, with a tropical climate, has a vegetation consisting of rainforest, woodland, grassland, mangrove swamps and desert. Climate is highly influenced by ocean currents, including the El Niño southern oscillation, which is correlated with periodic drought, and the seasonal tropical low pressure system that produces cyclones in northern Australia.

Physical Geography

Western Plateau

The western half of Australia consists of the Western Plateau, which rises to mountain heights near the west coast and falls to lower elevations near the continental centre. The Western Plateau region is generally flat, though broken by various mountain ranges such as the Hamersley Range, the MacDonnell Range and the Musgrave Range. Surface water is generally lacking in the Western Plateau, although there are several larger rivers in the west and north such as the Murchison, Ashburton and Victoria Rivers.

Eastern Highlands

The Eastern Highlands, or Great Dividing Range, lie near the eastern coast of Australia, separating the relatively narrow eastern coastal plain from the rest of the continent. The Eastern Highlands have the greatest relief, the most rainfall, the most abundant and varied flora and fauna, and the densest human settlement.

Central Lowlands

Between the Eastern Highlands and the Western Plateau lie the Central Lowlands, which are made up of the Great Artesian Basin and Australia's largest river systems, Murray-Darling Basin and Lake Eyre Basin.

Great Barrier Reef

Off the eastern coast of Australia is the world's largest coral reef complex, the Great Barrier Reef. The large and mountainous island of Tasmania lies off the southeastern coast of Australia.

Geology

Australia has had a relatively stable geological history. Geological forces such as Tectonic uplift of mountain ranges or clashes between tectonic plates occurred mainly in Australia's early history, when it was still a part of Gondwana. Erosion and weathering have heavily weathered Australia's surface and it is one of the flattest countries in the world.

Australia is situated in the middle of the tectonic plate, and therefore has no active volcanism, although it may sometimes receive minor earthquakes. The terrain is mostly heavily weathered, low plateau with deserts, rangelands and a fertile plain in the southeast. Tasmania and the Australian Alps do not contain any permanent icefields or glaciers, although they may have existed in the past. The Great Barrier Reef, by far the world's largest coral reef, lies a short distance off the north-east coast. Mount Augustus, in Western Australia, is the largest monolith in the world.

Hydrology

The Great Artesian Basin - an important source of water, it is the world's largest and deepest fresh water basin. A number of towns and cities across the country are facing major water storage and usage crisis in which restrictions and other measures are taken to reduce water consumption. Water restrictions are based on a gradient of activities that become progressively banned as the situation worsens.

Facts and Figures

• Area:
  Note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island
  • Total: 7,686,850 sq km
  • Land: 7,617,930 sq km
  • Water: 68,920 sq km
• Land Boundaries: 0 km
• Coastline: 25,760 km
• Maritime Claims:
  • Territorial sea: 12 nm
  • Contiguous zone: 24 nm
  • Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
  • Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
• Climate: Generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
• Terrain: Mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
• Elevation extremes:
  • Lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m
  • Highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m
• Natural Resources:
  • Bauxite
  • Coal
  • Iron ore
  • Copper
  • Tin
  • Gold
  • Silver
  • Uranium
  • Nickel
  • Tungsten
  • Mineral sands
  • Lead
  • Zinc
  • Diamonds
  • Natural gas
  • Petroleum
• Land Use:
  • Arable land: 6.15% (includes about 27 million hectares of cultivated grassland)
  • Permanent crops: 0.04%
  • Other: 93.81%
  • Irrigated land: 25,450 sq km
• Natural Hazards:
  • Cyclones along the coast
  • Severe droughts
  • Forest fires
• Environmental Issues
  • Soil erosion from overgrazing
  • Industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices
  • Soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water
  • Desertification
  • Clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species
  • The Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and its popularity as a tourist site
  • Limited natural fresh water resources