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With an area of 7,692,300 km2/2,969,228 mi2, Australia is the smallest continent in the world. It is located entirely in the Southern hemisphere, between 113°09 E and 153°39 E and 10°41 S and 43°39 S. Almost 40% of its land mass is north of the Tropic of Capricorn.
The Australian continent consists largely of plains and plateaux, most of which average 600 m/2000 ft above sea-level. The West Australian Plateau occupies nearly half the whole area. Hot and dry, most of this area is desert, with some coase grassland. Near the eastern and southeastern coasts, lies the Great Divide Range, a fertile, wet area where the majority of the large cities are located. Off the northeast coast, stretching for over 1900 km/1200 mi, is the Great Barrier Reef.
More than a third of Australia receives under 260 mm/10 in mean annual rainfall and less than a third receives over 500 mm/20 in. Half the country has a rainfall variability of more than 30%, with many areas experiencing prolonged drought. Darwin's average daily temperature is 26--34°C (Nov) and 19--31°C (Jul). rainfall varies from 386 mm/15.2 in (Jan) to zero (Jul). About 26% of total land area is unused (mainly desert), about 67% is used for agricultural purposes, including arid grazing (44%) and non-arid grazing (17%).
Unlike the other continents, there is only one nation on the Australian continent, Australia.
Timezones GMT +8 (Western Australia), GMT +91/2 (Northern Territory and South Australia), GMT +10 (New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, Australian Capital Territory); capital, Canberra; other chief cities, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Sydney; population 2.5% Aborigine and Asian, 97.5% Caucasian; official language English; religions Anglican (under 30%), Roman Catholic (over 25%); currency the Australian dollar of 100 cents.
Physical description
The Australian continent consists largely of plains and plateaux, most of which average 600 m/2000 ft above sea-level. The West Australian Plateau occupies nearly half the whole area. In the centre are the MacDonnell Ranges: highest points Mt Liebig (1525 m/5000 ft) and Mt Zeil (1510 m/4954 ft). NW is the Kimberley Plateau rising to 936 m/3070 ft at Mt Ord. W are the Hamersley Ranges rising to 1226 m/4022 ft at Mt Bruce. Most of the plateau is dry and barren desert, notably the Gibson Desert (W), the Great Sandy Desert (NW), the Great Victoria Desert (S), and the Simpson Desert (C). In the S is the Nullarbor Plain, crossed by the Trans-Australian Railway. The Eastern Highlands or Great Dividing Range lie parallel to the E seaboard, rising to 2228 m/7310 ft in Mt Kosciuszko, in the Australian Alps. Between the W Plateau and the E Highlands lies a broad lowland belt extending S into the Murray--Darling plains. Off the NE coast, stretching for over 1900 km/1200 mi, is the Great Barrier Reef. The island of Tasmania, a S extension of the E Highlands, rises to 1617 m/5305 ft at Mt Ossa, and is separated from the mainland by the Bass Strait. The country's longest river is the Murray, its chief tributaries being the Darling, Murrumbidgee, and Lachlan, though the longest continuous waterway is the Murray-Darling system.
Climate
More than a third of Australia receives under 260 mm/10 in mean annual rainfall; less than a third receives over 500 mm/20 in. Half the country has a rainfall variability of more than 30%, with many areas experiencing prolonged drought. Darwin's average daily temperature is 26--34°C (Nov) and 19--31°C (Jul); rainfall varies from 386 mm/15.2 in (Jan) to zero (Jul). About 26% of total land area is unused (mainly desert); c.67% is used for agricultural purposes, including arid grazing (44%) and non-arid grazing (17%). Fertile land with a temperate climate and reliable rainfall is limited to the lowlands and valleys near the coast in the E and SE, and to a small part of the SW corner. The population is concentrated in these two regions. Melbourne's average daily temperature is 6--13°C (Jul) and 14--26°C (Jan--Feb), with monthly rainfall averaging 48--66 mm/1.9--2.6 in. In Tasmania, climatic conditions vary greatly between mountain and coast; there is much heavier rainfall in the W (over 2500 mm/100 in per annum in places) than in the E (500--700 mm/20--28 in per annum).
History and government
The Aborigines are thought to have arrived in Australia from SE Asia c.40 000 years ago. The first European visitors were the Dutch, who explored the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1606 and landed in 1642. Abel Tasman charted N and W coasts, named New Holland (1644). Captain James Cook arrived in Botany Bay in 1770, and claimed the E coast for Britain. New South Wales was established as a penal colony in 1788. Increasing numbers of settlers were attracted to Australia, especially after the introduction of Spanish Merino sheep (1797). Gold was discovered in New South Wales and Victoria (1851) and in Western Australia (1892). Transportation of convicts to E Australia ended in 1840, but continued until 1853 in Tasmania and 1868 in Western Australia. During this period, the colonies drafted their own constitutions and set up governments: New South Wales (1855), Tasmania and Victoria (1856), South Australia (1857), Queensland (1860), and Western Australia (1890). In 1901 the Commonwealth of Australia was established with Canberra chosen as the site for its capital. A policy of preventing immigration by non-whites stayed in force from the end of the 19th-c until 1974. Recognition of Aboriginal civil rights has been a major issue since the 1960s. Australia is divided into six states and two territories. The legislature (as of 1980) comprises a bicameral Federal Parliament with a 76-member Senate elected for six years, and a 147-member House of Representatives elected every three years. The prime minister and the Cabinet of Ministers are responsible to the House. The head of state is a governor-general, representing the Queen (as Queen of Australia), who presides over an executive council. A republican movement has been growing in strength since the 1980s. Northern Territory has been self-governing since 1978.
Economy
Australia is the world's largest wool producer, and a top exporter of veal and beef. The country's most important crop is wheat; other major cereals are barley, oats, maize, and sorghum. Discoveries of petroleum reserves, bauxite, nickel, lead, zinc, copper, tin, uranium, iron ore, and other minerals in the early 1960s have turned Australia into a major mineral producer. Commercial oil production began in 1964; the Gippsland basin produces two-thirds of Australia's oil and most of its natural gas, but major discoveries have been made off the NW coast. Manufacturing industry has expanded rapidly since 1945, especially in engineering, shipbuilding, car manufacture, metals, textiles, clothing, chemicals, food processing, and wine.
