| Location | Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean |
| Geographic coordinates | 27 00 S, 133 00 E |
| Map references | Oceania |
| Area | total: 7,741,220 sq km land: 7,682,300 sq km water: 58,920 sq km note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island |
| Area - comparative | slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states |
| Land boundaries | total: 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 | highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,228 m lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m mean elevation: 330 m |
| Natural resources | alumina, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, rare earth elements, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum; note - Australia is the world's largest net exporter of coal accounting for 29% of global coal exports |
| Land use | agricultural land: 52.9% (2018 est.) arable land: 11.6% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.09% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 88.4% (2018 est.) forest: 16.2% (2018 est.) other: 30.9% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 25,460 sq km (2014) |
| Total renewable water resources | 492 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires volcanism: volcanic activity on Heard and McDonald Islands |
| Geography - note | note 1: world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; the largest country in Oceania, the largest country entirely in the Southern Hemisphere, and the largest country without land borders note 2: the Great Dividing Range that runs along eastern Australia is that continent’s longest mountain range and the third-longest land-based range in the world; the term "Great Dividing Range" refers to the fact that the mountains form a watershed crest from which all of the rivers of eastern Australia flow – east, west, north, and south note 3: Australia is the only continent without glaciers; it is the driest inhabited continent on earth, making it particularly vulnerable to the challenges of climate change; the invigorating sea breeze known as the "Fremantle Doctor" affects the city of Perth on the west coast and is one of the most consistent winds in the world; Australia is home to 10% of the world's biodiversity, and a great number of its flora and fauna exist nowhere else in the world |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
