Australia: Geography#
| Location | Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean |
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| Geographic Coordinates | 27 00 S, 133 00 E -27.0,133.0 |
| 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 We are unable to verify those figures from Factbook, since the 6 main sources we used for checking give different figures as follows: Factbook: 7741220 DBpedia: 7692024 Geoname: 7686850 Infoplease: 7686850 Britannica: 7692202 Wolfram: 7741000 Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org |
| Land boundaries | 0 km |
| Coastline | 25,760 km |
| Elevation Extremes | lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m |
| Highest Mountains | Due to difference in mountain rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Mawson Peak 2745 m; Mount Kosciuszko 2228 m; Mount Townsend 2209 m; Mount Twynam 2195 m; Rams Head 2190 m According to Geonames: Mount Kosciusko 2228 m; Mount Townsend 2209 m; Mount Twynam 2196 m; Unnamed peak on Etheridge Ridge 2180 m; Rams Head North 2177 m Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org Important Mountains |
| Terrain | mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast |
| Natural Hazards | cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires volcanism: volcanic activity on Heard and McDonald Islands |
| Natural Resource | bauxite, 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 | arable land: 6.16% (includes about 27 million hectares of cultivated grassland) permanent crops: 0.05% other: 93.79% (2011) |
| Climate | generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north |
| Irrigated Land | 25,460 sq km (2006) |
| Renewable Water Resources | 492 cu km (2011) |
| Environment_CurrentIssues | 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 freshwater resources |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Large Cities | Sydney; Melbourne; Brisbane; Perth; Adelaide [Verified] |
Important Cities
| Geography-note | 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; the only continent without glaciers; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; 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 Important Rivers |
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