Australia:
Geography

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Other pages in this profile of Australia:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.


Background	Definition Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name of Great Britain. Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during the 1990s, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s. Long-term concerns include climate-change issues such as the depletion of the ozone layer and more frequent droughts, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef.

Location	Definition Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
Geographic coordinates	Definition 27 00 S, 133 00 E
Map references	Definition Oceania
Area	Definition - World rank and map 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	Definition slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states
Land boundaries	Definition 0 km
Coastline	Definition 25,760 km
Maritime claims	Definition 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	Definition generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
Terrain	Definition mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
Elevation extremes	Definition lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m
Natural resources	Definition bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum
Land use	Definition - World rank and map arable land: 6.15% (includes about 27 million hectares of cultivated grassland) permanent crops: 0.04% other: 93.81% (2005)
Irrigated land	Definition 25,450 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	Definition 398 cu km (1995)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	Definition total: 24.06 cu km/yr (15%/10%/75%) per capita: 1,193 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	Definition cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires
Environment - current issues	Definition 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	Definition 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	Definition 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

Australia: Geography

Australia:
Geography