GEOGRAPHY OF AUSTRALIA
Australia map
Facts about Australia
Where is Australia?
Australia is in Oceania, a large country, it is the 6th largest country in the world. An island continent, it lies between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean.
Population of Australia
The population of Australia is 22,507,617 (Jul 2014 estimate). It is the 52nd largest population in the world. Australia is a very large country with a relatively low population. In fact there are only five countries in the world with a lower population density.
Land area
Australia covers an area of 7,741,220 sq km. It is slightly smaller than the US mainland. It is four times the size of Indonesia and Mexico. It is the largest country entirely in the southern hemisphere and the largest country without any land borders.
Languages of Australia
Australia does not have an official language however English is spoken by 77% of the population and used as a national language. The next most spoken language is Mandarin spoken by 1.6% of the population.
Capital city of Australia
The capital city of Australia is Canberra, which has a population 381,488 people living in the metropolitan area. This makes it the 8th largest city in Australia.
Canberra
Flag of Australia
The flag of Australia has the Union flag in its top left hand corner and the Southern Cross constellation of stars located on its right hand side. The last element that makes up the flag of Australia is the Commonwealth star which sits underneath the Union flag.
National day
Australia celebrates Australia Day every year on the 26th January. It recognises the date of the founding of the first European settlement in Sydney.
Time zone
Australia sits 8-11 hours ahead of Universal Central Time or UTC. Some states observe daylight saving time whilst others do not.
Currency
In Australia, the Australian Dollar is used for currency.
Climate
Australia's large size gives it a wide variety of landscapes from the tropical rainforests in the north to the temperate landscapes in the south and the desert in between. Australia is the only continent in the world not to have glaciers.
Images of Australia.
The fireworks in Sydney Harbour at New Year draw large crowds and are renowned worldwide.
Maps of Australia.
Australia as seen from space gives a very good idea of where the different climatic zones are located.
Facts about Australia
Perth
Perth is the fastest growing major city as measured by the last census.
Top 10 largest cities in Australia*
1 Sydney 3,908,642
2 Melbourne 3,707,530
3 Brisbane 1,874,427
4 Perth 1,627,576
5 Adelaide 1,103,979
6 Gold Coast/Tweed Heads 533,660
7 Canberra/Queanbeyan 391,474
8 Newcastle 303,308
9 Central Coast 297,713
10 Wollongong 245,942
*as measured by the continuous built up area in each city in the 2011 census.
Farming In Australia
60% of food produced on Australian farms is exported feeding 40 million people every day.
1 Cattle and calves $7.7 billion
2 Wheat $7.2 billion
3 Vegetables $3.8 billion
4 Whole milk $3.7 billion
5 Fruit and nuts $3.7 billion
6 Wool $2.5 billion
7 Canola $2.3 billion
8 Sheep and lambs $2.2 billion
9 Poultry $2.2 billion
10 Barley $2.1 billion
Wheat farm in Australia
As populations in Asia contiue to grow, Australia is well placed to develop large export markets for food products.
The average family unit in Australia has 1.77 children.
Life expectancy is high. The 10th highest in the world. Life expectancy
for men is 79.6 years
for women is 84.6 years
Source CIA factbook
Service in Australia
The service industries account for over two thirds of the economy and the largest employment segment in the service sector is the retail trade. This is followed by private healthcare and professional services.
Source: Wikipedia
A modern Sydney home
Urban or Rural?
89% of the population are considered urban living in the towns and cities.
Transport in Australia
Due to the large distances involved, Australia has the world's 9th longest road network and the world's 9th largest air travel market. Car ownership is often essential in rural areas and Australis has the 8th highest car ownership per 100 people in the world.
Source: Economist
Shopping in Perth
A road train carrying fuel
Family life in Australia
Videos for school - Australia
The Austalian National anthem.
Fascinating facts about Australia