Australia Geography

Country Name: Commonwealth of Australia

Capital City: Canberra

Population: 20,264,082 (2006)

Population Growth: 0.85% (2006)

Currency: Australian dollar (AUD)

Languages: English

Area: 7,686,850 sq km

Inflation Rate: 3.8% (2006 est.)

Unemployment Rate: 4.9% (2006)

Domain extension: .au

GEOGRAPHIC DETAILS OF AUSTRALIA

Location:

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

Geographic Co-ordinates:

27 00 S, 133 00 E

Area - total:

7,686,850 sq km

Area - total:

7,686,850 sq km

Area - land:

7,617,930 sq km

Area - water:

68,920 sq km

Land Boundaries:

0 km

Border Countries:

Terrain:

mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast

Elevation - highest point:

Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m

Elevation - lowest point:

Lake Eyre -15 m

Natural Resources:

bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum

Arable Land:

6.15% (includes about 27 million hectares of cultivated grassland)

Permanent Crops:

0.04%

Other Land Use:

93.81% (2005)

Natural Hazards:

cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires