Geography of Australia

27°S 144°E / 27°S 144°E / -27; 144

Geography of Australia

Continent	Oceania (continent)
Region	Oceania
Coordinates	27°00′00″S 144°00′00″E / 27.000°S 144.000°E / -27.000; 144.000
Area	Ranked 6th
• Total	7,688,287[1] km2 (2,968,464 sq mi)
• Land	98.21%
• Water	1.79%
Coastline	59,681 km (37,084 mi)
Borders	None
Highest point	Mount Kosciuszko 2,228 m (7,310 ft)
Lowest point	Lake Eyre, −15 m (−49 ft)
Longest river	Murray River, 2,375 km (1,476 mi)
Largest lake	Lake Eyre 9,500 km2 (3,668 sq mi)
Climate	Mostly desert or semi-arid, south-east and south-west corners: temperate, north: tropical climate, varied between tropical rainforests, grasslands, part desert, mountainous areas: subantarctic tundra
Terrain	Mostly low plateau with deserts, rangelands and a fertile plain in the southeast; mountain ranges in the east and south-east.
Natural resources	Minerals, coal, and timber
Natural hazards	Cyclones along the northern coasts, severe thunderstorms, droughts, occasional floods, heat waves, and frequent bushfires
Exclusive economic zone	8,148,250 km2 (3,146,060 sq mi)

The geography of Australia encompasses a wide variety of biogeographic regions being the world's smallest continent, while comprising the territory of the sixth-largest country in the world. The population of Australia is concentrated along the eastern and south-eastern coasts. The geography of the continent is extremely diverse, ranging from the snow-capped mountains of the Australian Alps and Tasmania to large deserts, tropical and temperate forests, grasslands, heathlands and woodlands.

The countries that govern nearby regions include Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea to the north; the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and the French dependency of New Caledonia to the east; and New Zealand to the southeast.