AREA: 76,99,000 sq. Km (Australia/Oceania)
POPULATION: Estimated 2008 population 3,35,60,095 (Australia/Oceania)
GREATEST DISTANCES: East-West: About 3,983 km,
North-West: About 3,138 km
COSTLINE: About 27,948 km (including Tasmania and other Offshore islands)
HIGHEST POINT: Mount Kosciusko, 2,228 m above sea level
LOWEST POINT: Lake Eyre, 16 m below sea level
CHIEF MOUNTAIN RANGES: MacDonnell and Musgrave ranges, Hamersley Range, Darling Range, Flinders Ranges and the mountains of Tasmania.
CHIEF RIVERS: Murray and Darling.
CHIEF DESERTS: Great Victoria, Great Sandy, Gibson, Tanami, Simpson, and Sturt’s stony desert.
NUMBER OF INDENPENDENT COUNTRIES: 14 (Australia/Oceania)
The world's smallest continent, Australia is also regarded by many as the youngest, since civilization started much later here but the history and culture of its original inhabitants, the Aborigines, goes back to more than 50,000 years. With the Pacific and Indian Oceans on either side, Australia's location in the Southern Hemisphere and relative isolation has rendered it with a unique variety of plant and animal life found nowhere else on Earth.
Although, a major portion of the continent's land area is covered by arid desert topography, Australia's natural sights are a big draw for the outside world. From the tropical rainforests and the Great Barrier Reef in the north to the vibrant coastal cities of Sydney and Melbourne in the south east; from the endless straight roads of the arid outback to the spectacular coastal scenery of the Great Ocean Road; from the lonely Ayers rock in the middle of nowhere to the crowded beaches of Bondi and Manly; Australia is a dream come true for many travelers and adventure-loving people.
