Australia
Australia Australia is the only country in the world
to occupy a single continent. It is a land of contrasts
containing many different climates with unique flora
and fauna found nowhere else on earth. Australia also
enjoys an international reputation for being safe and
friendly, English is the spoken language and the good
exchange rate to the Australian dollar means you will
get value for money when you come here. Map of Australia
Australia is situated below Asia, and is bordered by
the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Southern Ocean,
the Tasman Sea, the Coral Sea and the Arafura Sea. The
nearest country is not New Zealand but Papua New Guinea.
However New Zealand and Australia combined make up the
area called Australasia or Oceania. Australia's unique
geographical location means that it is isolated from
the rest of the Western World. But Australia is ideally
suited to trading with Asia more so than Europe or North
America. About half of Australian exports currently
go to Asia. Australia is about the same size in area
as the United States excluding Alaska. But the population
is much smaller. With around 20 million inhabitants
it is the most sparsely populated continent after the
Antarctica. photoThe climate in Australia is varied
and ranges from tropical to sub alpine. Australia is
also the oldest land mass on earth and the most eroded
of all continents, with some notable exceptions. This
vast land mass is also the most stable of all continents,
with few major fault lines. This means that Australia
lacks high mountains ranges such as what you find in
neighboring New Zealand. However all the eons of erosion
have formed some of the strangest geographical features
on earth, such as Ayers Rock in the Northern Territory,
or the Bungle Bungles Mountains, and The Pinnacles of
Western Australia. All this erosion has also given Australia
many spectacular sandy beaches, in fact Australia has
more beaches than any other nation on earth. photoAustralia
is also the driest inhabited continent on earth, but
the eastern seaboard where the majority of the population
is concentrated, is a lush and fertile area, with a
climate ranging from temperate to tropical. The main
mountain range is known as the Great Dividing Range
or Eastern Highlands. This long mountain chain separates
the green eastern seaboard from the barren Outback.
The southern end of the Great Dividing Range has an
area known as the Snowy Mountains, or otherwise known
as the the Australian Alps. This area actually receives
more snow than Switzerland, and is the only area suitable
for skiing in Australia. Australia also contains many
pockets of tropical and temperate rain forest on the
eastern coast, but the predominate forest in Australia
is Eucalyptus.
|