Australia

Australia is the only country that is also a continent. In area, it ranks as the sixth largest country and smallest continent. Australia lies between the Indian and South Pacific oceans. It covers 2,966,150 square miles (7,682,300 square kilometers), or about 5 per cent of the earth's land area. The island of Tasmania , which lies about 130 miles (209 kilometers) south of the Australian mainland, is considered part of the continent.

Most of Australia is low and flat. The highest and most mountainous land lies along the east coast. Nearly all the land west of this region - about 90 per cent of the total land area - consists of level plains and low, flat - topped plateaus.

Australia can be divided into three major land regions. They are, from east to west: (1) the Eastern Highlands, (2) the Central Lowlands, and (3) the Western Plateau. The Eastern High­ lands include the highest elevations in Australia. The region is sometimes called the Great Dividing Range because the slopes divide the flow of the rivers. Many of the plateaus in the Eastern Highlands have fertile soils and are used as cropland.

The Central Lowlands are generally flat. Many rivers flow through the lowlands after heavy rains. Farmers in the south­ ern part of the Central Lowlands grow wheat. Most of the rest of the region is too dry or too hot for most kinds of crops. The region has no large cities. The two biggest cities - Mount Isa and Broken Hill - have fewer than 30,000 persons each. Both cities are mining centers.

Deserts cover the central part of the Western Plateau. Except in the south and northeast, the deserts gradually give way to land covered by grass and shrubs. Much of this land is used to graze livestock. Low mountain ranges rise above the general level of the plateau. Rainfall is heaviest in the extreme north and south-west. These areas have most of the region's cropland. A vast, dry, treeless plateau called the Null arbor Plain extends about 400 miles (640 kilometers) along the southern edge of the region. The Western Plateau has two large cities, Adelaide and Perth. Both cities lie on coastal plains.

Australia's highest mountains rise in the Australian Alps in the extreme southern part of the Eastern Highlands. The Australian Alps consist of several ranges. The Snowy Mountains are the best known. Australia 's highest peak, Mount Koscius ko , rises 7,310 feet (2,228 meters) above sea level in the Snowy Mountains .

Deserts cover about a third of Australia. The country has four major deserts: the Simpson Desert, the Gibson, Great Sandy, and Great Victoria.

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