Land and climate

Australia is the 6^th largest country in the world after Russia, Canada, China, the USA and Brazil. Its territory is 7,686,850 sq km. It is only slightly smaller than the U.S. Australia is located to the south of Asia, between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is the only country that occupies a complete continent. Australia is the flattest continent after Antarctica. The original name was Terra Ausiralis -The Southern Continent. Australia is a "down under" country.

Australia can be divided into 3 regions: the Eastern Highlands /or the Great Dividing Range/, the Central Lowlands, and the Western Plateau. A long chain of mountains, the Great Dividing Range, runs along the Pacific Ocean. Mt. Kosciusko is the highest peak of Australia. It rises to 7,328 ft (2230m). The land is 3% forest, 2% arable, and 1% pasture. It is also the driest continent in the world. About one third of the land is desert. Australia has 4 main deserts. Some dunes measure 320 km long. The Great Barrier Reef is a garden under the sea. It runs from 10 to 100 miles off the east coast for 1200 miles. It has 400 species of corals.

Rivers fill with water only during the rainy season. The Darling River is the longest (2,739 km). It is dry in winter. The Murray is 25891 cm long. The largest lakes are Lake Eyre and Lake Torrents. Urulu National Park is a tourist attraction. Fertile farmland lies between the coast and the GDR. The plains are wheat-producing areas. Cattle stations reach the desert.

Australia is known for its marsupials (150), including koalas, kangaroos, spiny anteaters and the platypus. Native birds (700) include the world's only black swans. Large flightless birds are the emu and the cassowary. Kookaburra is the best-known bird. The platypus and the echidna are among the strangest Australian animals. They are the only mammals that hatch their young from eggs. Platypus lives only in Australia.

Native plants are acacia (700) and eucalyptuses (500). They grow to 85 m. There are palm shrubs and palms like trees. Flowers include lilies, tulips, Iris and Chrysanthemum. Australia has many national parks, where wild life is protected. Kakadu National Park is Australia's largest national park. In the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park 1500 species of fish live.

The climate ranges from tropical monsoon in the north to temperate in the south. Wet season is January - April. In the centre the climate is very dry. Summer is December through February and winter is June through August. Winter temperature is 2°C. Frost and snow occur in the Australian Alps and Tasmania. Annual rainfall is 40-60 ins in the far north. The wet seasons bring storms. In 1974 a cyclone levelled Darwin. Floods plagued many parts of Australia.