Geography

Australia is the sixth largest country in the world, situated entirely on the smallest continent. The total size, with the island state of Tasmania, is approximately equal in area to the United States (excluding Alaska and Hawaii). Mountain ranges run from north to south along the east coast, reaching their highest point in Mount Kosciusko (7,308 feet). The western half of the continent is occupied by a desert plateau that rises into barren, rolling hills near the west coast. It includes the Great Victoria Desert to the south and the Great Sandy Desert to the north. The Great Barrier Reef, extending about 1,245 miles, lies along the northeast coast. The island of Tasmania sits off the southeast coast.

 

DID YOU KNOW?
The continent of Australia covers an area of 300,000,000 square miles, two thirds of this land mass is known as the outback because of its desert-like terrain and separation from “civilization.”