AUSTRALIA

Australia is a fresh, vibrant and above all friendly country of more than 20 million people. It is a country with a colourful history, a brilliant future and a delightful present ! It is also a land of enormous cultural and geographical diversity, of wide-open spaces and bustling, sophisticated cities that are considered to be among the most livable in the world.

Australians enjoy an enviable lifestyle. The mild, subtropical climate throughout much of the country is ideal for the broadest possible choice of outdoor recreation throughout the year.

For at least 50,000 years, Australia's Aboriginal people have maintained the world's oldest living culture - a very special heritage that adds a unique depth and richness to Australian life. Australia is the world's most cosmopolitan country with people from every continent and over two hundred nations.

All this is behind Australia's increasing popularity with international visitors year by year. It is a land of contrasts, yet it is safe and friendly, and very welcoming to overseas visitors.

Australian education standards are recognised to be of the very highest quality. For schools, colleges and universities, the latest telecommunications and computer Technologies are regarded as basic learning tools.

Geography of Australia
Location: Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean

Geographic coordinates: 27 00 S, 133 00 E

Map references: Oceana


Area:
total: 7,686,850 sq km
land: 7,617,930 sq km
water: 68,920 sq km
note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states

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% (2005)


Irrigated land: 25,450 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources: 398 cu km (1995)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): total: 24.06 cu km/yr (15%/10%/75%)
per capita: 1,193 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards: cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires

Environment - current 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

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


Geography - note: world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; 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.