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Australia is a natural wonderland of beautiful beaches, crystal blue waters, amazing ancient rock formations and pristine rainforests. Australia is the sixth largest country in the world but is sparsely populated and has the world’s lowest population density per square kilometre.
Australians have a reputation for friendliness and a culture blended with enthusiasm for art, food, sport and the outdoors. Australia has 17 world heritage listed sites together with historic townships and bustling cities. Vivid landscapes, exotic flora and fauna and a relaxed style of life, all add to its unique appeal.
Australia is a Commonwealth, comprising six states and two territories. Located in the Southern Hemisphere, it is the world’s largest island and smallest continent. Neighbouring countries are Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the north-east and New Zealand to the south-east.
The capital city of Canberra is located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The Australian population is just over 21.3 million, with approximately 60% of the population concentrated in and around the mainland state capitals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.
Natural Heritage & Landscapes
The Great Barrier Reef, (the world's largest coral reef), lies a short distance off the north-east coast and extends for over 2,000 kilometres (1,250 miles). At 2,228 metres (7,310 feet), Mount Kosciuszko on the Great Dividing Range is the highest mountain on the Australian mainland. Uluru (Ayers Rock) is a spectacular monolith west of Alice Springs in the centre of Australia’s Northern Territory.
By far the largest portion of Australia is desert or semi-arid land commonly known as “the outback”. Australia is the flattest and the driest inhabited continent, however the landscape includes a diverse range of habitats, from alpine heaths to tropical rainforests and is recognised as a megadiverse country. The landscapes of the northern part of the country, with a tropical climate, consist of rainforest, woodland, grassland, mangrove swamps, and desert.
Because of the continent's great age (and consequent low levels of fertility), its extremely variable weather patterns and its long-term geographic isolation, much of Australia's plant and animal life is diverse and unique. Much of the flora and fauna cannot be found anywhere else in the world. About 85% of flowering plants, 84% of mammals, more than 45% of birds, and 89% of in-shore, temperate-zone fish are endemic.
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