Geography of Australia
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Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/124.182.133.107|124.182.133.107]] to last version by SJP (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]])
:''This article deals with the geography of the [[Australia|Commonwealth of Australia]]. For a treatment of the continent, see [[Australia (continent)]].''
{| class="toccolours" style="float: right; margin-left: 2em; width: 20em; font-size: 90%;" cellspacing="3"
|-
| colspan="2" style="text-align: center; font-size: larger;" | '''Geography of Australia'''
|-
| colspan="2" style="padding: 1em 0; text-align: center;" | [[Image:Australia satellite plane.jpg|250px|Australia]]
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|'''Continent'''
|style="padding-right: 1em;" | Australia
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|'''Region'''
|style="padding-right: 1em;" | [[Oceania]]
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|'''Coordinates'''
|style="padding-right: 1em;" | {{coord|27|S|144|E|type:country_region:AU|display=inline,title}}
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|'''Area'''
|style="padding-right: 1em;" | [[List of countries by area|Ranked 6th]]<br>7,686,850 km²<br>2,967,910 mi²<br>99% land<br>1% water
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|'''Coastline'''
|style="padding-right: 1em;" | 25,760 km (16,000 mi)
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|'''Borders'''
|style="padding-right: 1em;" | 0 km
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|'''Highest point'''
|style="padding-right: 1em;" | [[Mount Kosciuszko]]<br> 2,228 m (7,310 ft)
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|'''Lowest point'''
|style="padding-right: 1em;" | [[Lake Eyre]]<br> {{nowrap|-15 m}} ({{nowrap|49 ft}})
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|'''Longest river'''
|style="padding-right: 1em;" | [[Darling River]]
|- style="vertical-align: top;"
|'''Largest lake'''
|style="padding-right: 1em;" | [[Lake Eyre]]
|}
The '''geography of Australia''' encompasses a wide variety of [[biogeography|biogeographic]] regions being the world's smallest [[Australia (continent)|continent]] but the sixth-largest country in the world. The population of [[Australia]] is concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts. The geography of the country is extremely diverse, ranging from the [[snow]] capped [[mountains]] of [[Tasmania]] to large [[deserts]], tropical and temperate forests.
Neighbouring countries include [[Indonesia]], [[East Timor]] and [[Papua New Guinea]] to the north, the [[Solomon Islands]], [[Vanuatu]] and the French dependency of [[New Caledonia]] to the northeast, and [[New Zealand]] to the southeast.
==Physical geography==
Australia is a country, by some considered an island by some a continent, in [[Oceania]] located between the [[Indian Ocean]] and the South [[Pacific Ocean]] at {{coord|27|S|144|E|type:country_region:AU}}. It is the [[List of countries and outlying territories by total area|sixth largest country]] in the world with a total area of 7,686,850 [[square kilometre]]s (2,967,909 [[square mile|sq. mi]]) (including [[Lord Howe Island]] and [[Macquarie Island]]), making it slightly smaller than the contiguous 48 states of the [[United States]] and 31.5 times bigger than the [[United Kingdom]].
Australia has a total 25,760 [[kilometre]]s (16,007 [[mile|mi]]) of coastline and claims an extensive [[Exclusive Economic Zone]] of 8,148,250 square kilometres (3,146,057 [[square mile|sq. mi]]). This exclusive economic zone does not include the [[Australian Antarctic Territory]]. It has no land borders.
The western half of Australia consists of the [[Western Plateau]], which rises to mountain heights near the west coast and falls to lower elevations near the continental center. The Western Plateau region is generally flat, though broken by various mountain ranges such as the Hamersley Range, the MacDonnell Range, and the Musgrave Range. Surface water is generally lacking in the Western Plateau, although there are several larger rivers in the west and north such as the [[Murchison River (Western Australia)|Murchison]], [[Ashburton River (Western Australia)|Ashburton]], and [[Victoria River, Northern Territory|Victoria]] rivers.
The Eastern Highlands, or Great Dividing Range, lie near the [[East Coast of Australia|eastern coast of Australia]], separating the relatively narrow eastern coastal plain from the rest of the continent. The Eastern Highlands have the greatest relief, the most rainfall, the most abundant and varied flora and fauna, and the densest human settlement.
Between the Eastern Highlands and the Western Plateau lie the Central Lowlands, which are made up of the Great Artesian Basin and Australia's largest river systems, [[Murray-Darling Basin]] and [[Lake Eyre Basin]].
Off the eastern coast of Australia is the world's largest coral reef complex, the [[Great Barrier Reef]]. The large and mountainous island of [[Tasmania]] lies off the southeastern coast of Australia.
===Geology===
{{main|Geology of Australia}}
Australia has had a relatively stable geological history. Geological forces such as [[uplift|Tectonic uplift]] of mountain ranges or clashes between tectonic plates occurred mainly in Australia's early history, when it was still a part of [[Gondwana]]. Erosion and weathering have heavily weathered Australia's surface and it is one of the flattest countries in the world.
Australia is situated in the middle of the tectonic plate, and therefore has no active volcanism, although it may sometimes receive minor earthquakes. The terrain is mostly heavily weathered, low [[plateau]] with deserts, rangelands and a fertile plain in the southeast. Tasmania and the [[Australian Alps]] do not contain any permanent [[icefield]]s or [[glacier]]s, although they may have existed in the past. The [[Great Barrier Reef]], by far the world's largest [[coral]] [[reef]], lies a short distance off the north-east coast. [[Mount Augustus National Park|Mount Augustus]], in [[Western Australia]], is the largest [[monolith]] in the world.
===Regions===
Australia is the lowest, flattest, and oldest continental landmass on Earth. Its highest peak is Mount Kosciuszko ({{nowrap|2228 m}}), very small in comparison to other continents. The Australian Continental Landmass consists of 4 distinct landform divisions.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
They are:
*The Eastern Highlands (the Great Dividing Range) -
*The South Australian Highlands -
*The Central Lowlands -
*The Western Plateau -
===Hydrology===
[[Image:Topography of australia.jpg|thumb|260px|Topography of Australia]]
The [[Great Artesian Basin]] - an important source of [[water]], it is the world's largest and deepest fresh water [[Drainage basin|basin]]. A number of towns and cities across the country are facing major water storage and usage crisis in which restrictions and other measures are taken to reduce water [[consumption (economics)|consumption]]. Water restrictions are based on a gradient of activities that become progressively banned as the situation worsens.
==Political geography==
{{main|States and territories of Australia}}
{{Australia states imagemap}}
Australia consists of six states, two major mainland territories, and other minor territories. The states are [[New South Wales]], [[Queensland]], [[South Australia]], [[Tasmania]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] and [[Western Australia]]. The two major mainland territories are the [[Northern Territory]] and the [[Australian Capital Territory]].
Australia also has several minor territories; the federal government administers a separate area within New South Wales, the [[Jervis Bay Territory]], as a naval base and sea port for the national capital. In addition Australia has the following, inhabited, external territories: [[Norfolk Island]], [[Christmas Island]], [[Cocos (Keeling) Islands]], and several largely uninhabited external territories: [[Ashmore and Cartier Islands]], [[Coral Sea Islands]], [[Heard Island and McDonald Islands]] and the [[Australian Antarctic Territory]].
==Climate==
{{main|Climate of Australia}}
[[Image:Australia-climate-map MJC01.png|thumb|260px|Climate map of Australia]]
By far the largest part of Australia is [[desert]] or [[semi-arid]] – 40% of the landmass is covered by [[sand dune]]s. Only the south-east and south-west corners have a temperate climate and moderately fertile soil. The northern part of the country has a tropical climate: part is tropical [[rainforest]]s, part grasslands, and part desert.
Rainfall is highly variable, with frequent [[Drought in Australia|drought]]s lasting several seasons thought to be caused in part by the [[El Niño-Southern Oscillation]]. Occasionally a duststorm will blanket a region or even several states and there are reports of the occasional large [[tornado]]. Rising levels of [[salinity]] and desertification in some areas is ravaging the landscape.
Australia's tropical/subtropical location and cold waters off the western coast make most of western Australia a hot desert with aridity, a marked feature of the greater part of the continent. These cold waters produce precious little moisture needed on the mainland. A [[2005]] study by Australian and [[United States|American]] researchers [http://www.gsajournals.org/gsaonline/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1130%2FG21033.1] investigated the desertification of the interior, and suggested that one explanation was related to human [[settler]]s who arrived about 50,000 years ago. Regular burning by these settlers could have prevented [[monsoon]]s from reaching interior Australia.
==Land use==
{{update}}
Natural resources include: [[bauxite]], [[coal]], [[iron]] ore, [[copper]], [[tin]], [[gold]], [[silver]], [[uranium]], [[nickel]], [[tungsten]], [[mineral]] sands, [[lead]], [[zinc]], [[diamond]]s, [[natural gas]], [[petroleum]].
'''Land use:'''
*''arable land:'' 6%
*''permanent crops:'' 0%
*''permanent pastures:'' 54%
*''forests and woodland:'' 19%
*''other:'' 21% (1993 est.)
'''Oil and Gas:''' Australia saw its oil production drop more than 14 percent in [[2003]], almost twice the average decline rate since it peaked in 2000. An [[oil shale]] deposit called the Stuart Deposit is located near [[Gladstone, Queensland|Gladstone]]. It has a total resource of 2.6 billion barrels and the capacity to produce more than 200,000 barrels each day.
'''Irrigated land:''' 21,070 km² (1993 est.)
==Natural hazards==
[[Cyclone]]s along the northern coasts; severe [[thunderstorm]]s, [[drought]]s and occasional [[flood]]s; frequent [[bushfire]]s.
==Environment==
'''Current issues:''' soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil [[salinity in Australia|salinity]] rising due to the use of poor quality water; desertification (partly as a result of the introduction by European settlers of [[Rabbits]]); introduced pest species; 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; threats from [[Invasive species, Australia|invasive species]]
'''International agreements:'''
*''party to:'' [[Antarctic Treaty System|Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty]], [[Convention on Biological Diversity|Biodiversity]], [[United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change|Climate Change]], [[Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna|Endangered Species]], [[Convention on the Prohibition of Military or Any Other Hostile Use of Environmental Modification Techniques|Environmental Modification]], [[Basel Convention|Hazardous Wastes]], [[United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea|Law of the Sea]], [[Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter|Marine Dumping]], [[Convention on Fishing and Conservation of Living Resources of the High Seas|Marine Life Conservation]], [[Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, in Outer Space, and Under Water|Nuclear Test Ban 1963]], [[Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty|Nuclear Non-Proliferation]], [[Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer|Ozone Layer Protection]], [[International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships|Ship Pollution]], [[International Tropical Timber Agreement, 1994|Tropical Timber 1994]], [[Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially As Waterfowl Habitat|Wetlands]], [[International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling|Whaling]]
*''signed, but not ratified:'' Climate Change-[[Kyoto Protocol]], [[United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification|Desertification]]
[[Image:Mt hotham alpine range scenery.jpg|thumb|600px|center|The Victorian Alps]]
==See also==
*[[Australasia ecozone]]
*[[Australia (continent)|Australia-New Guinea]]
*[[Deserts of Australia]]
*[[Ecoregions in Australia]]
*[[Extreme points of Australia]]
*[[List of islands of Australia]]
*[[List of lakes in Australia]]
*[[List of mountains in Australia]]
*[[List of regions in Australia]]
*[[List of rivers of Australia]]
*[[List of valleys of Australia]]
*[[List_of_wettest_tropical_cyclones_by_country#Australia|List of wettest known tropical cyclones in Australia]]
*[[Protected areas of Australia]]
==References==
*Miller, Gifford et al. ''[http://www.gsajournals.org/gsaonline/?request=get-abstract&doi=10.1130%2FG21033.1 Sensitivity of the Australian Monsoon to insolation and vegetation: Implications for human impact on continental moisture balance]''. Geology Vol. 33, No. 1, pp. 65–68.
*{{CIA WFB 2000}}
*{{cite web | title=Highest Mountains | work=National Mapping - Fab Facts, Landforms, Australian Mountains | url=http://www.ga.gov.au/education/facts/landforms/highmtns.htm | accessmonthday=July 7 | accessyear=2005}}
{{Australian geography}}
{{Geography of Oceania}}
[[Category:Geography of Australia| ]]
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