GeoFroggy

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Background

Prehistoric settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia at least 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession of the east coast in the name of Great Britain (all of Australia was claimed as British territory in 1829 with the creation of the colony of Western Australia). Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the Allied effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has become an internationally competitive, advanced market economy due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s and its location in one of the fastest growing regions of the world economy. Long-term concerns include an aging population, pressure on infrastructure, and environmental issues such as floods, droughts, and bushfires. Australia is the driest inhabited continent on earth, making it particularly vulnerable to the challenges of climate change. Australia is home to 10% of the world's biodiversity, and a great number of its flora and fauna exist nowhere else in the world.

Location

Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean

Area Comparative

Tlightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states

Maritime Claims

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Contiguous zone: 24 nm

Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Climate

Generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north

Population Distribution

Population is primarily located on the periphery, with the highest concentration of people residing in the east and southeast; a secondary population center is located in and around Perth in the west; of the States and Territories, New South Wales has, by far, the largest population; the interior, or "outback", has a very sparse population

Natural Hazards

Array

Environment Current Issues

Soil erosion from overgrazing, deforestation, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; limited natural freshwater resources; soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water; drought, desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; disruption of the fragile ecosystem has resulted in significant floral extinctions; 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; overfishing, pollution, and invasive species are also problems

Environment International Agreements

Party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

Signed, but not ratified: None of the selected agreements

Year	2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000

Map Reference

Oceania

Irrigated Land

25,460 sq km

Area 2020

Total

7,741,220 sq km
Land

7,682,300 sq km
Water

58,920 sq km

Coastline

25,760 km

Geographical Coordinates

27 00 S, 133 00 E

Land use 2020

Agricultural Land
52.9%
Arable Land
11.6%
Forest
16.2%
Other
30.9%

Terrain

Mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast

Elevation

Mean Elevation: 330 m
Lowest Point: Lake Eyre -15 m
Highest Point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,228 m

Land Boundaries

0 km

Natural Resources

Alumina
Coal
Iron ore
Copper
Tin
Gold
Silver
Uranium
Nickel

Tungsten
Rare earth elements
Mineral sands
Lead
Zinc
Diamonds
Natural gas
Petroleum; note - Australia is the world's largest net exporter of coal accounting for 29% of global coal exports

Australia