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Australia
Geography
With a 7.6 million square kilometres landmass, Australia is the biggest island and the smallest continent on Earth, the sixth biggest country, and is located in the southern hemisphere in Oceania. It is surrounded by the Indian Ocean on the west and the Pacific Ocean on the east. Off the north-east coast lies the Great Barrier Reef, a 2000 km long coral reef. With its gigantic territory, Australia has a whole variety of geographic environments. By far the largest part of the country is desert or semi-arid land usually known as the outback. Australia is the flattest continent, with the oldest and least fertile soils. The center part, named the Red Center, is a vast desert with sparse human communities due to the low water presence and the harsh climate. Ayers Rock (or -Uluru-), one of the most famous Australian natural landmarks, is located in the very center of that giant desert. Many national parks and wildlife reserves ensure the preservation of these unique environments and are major touristic attractions, such as trekkings, self drive circuits, and hikings. The landscapes of the northern part of the country consist of flat rainforest, mangrove swamps and grassland. The Eastern Highlands, also known as Great Dividing Range, lie near the eastern coast of Australia, separating the fairly narrow coastal plain from the rest of the continent. These eastern Australian temperate forests have the largest amount of rainfall, the most abundant and varied wildlife, and the most important human settlements ; Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Newcastle, Melbourne offer an amazing quality of life and lots of cultural interests (60% of the 22 million total population). Cairns, in the north east, is often considered the gateway to the Great Bareer Reef, one of the most beautiful natural wonders.
The western part of Australia consists of the Western Plateau, which rises to mountain elevations near the west coast and falls to lower altitudes near the continental heart. The Western Plateau region is generally flat, though broken by various mountain ranges of inferior importance. On the southern-right tip, rise the Australian Alps and their winter sports amenities for snowboarders and skiing. Finally Tasmania is a mountainous island in the south-eastern corner of Australia.
