Australia is the
only country that occupies an entire continent. Since Australia is
in the Southern hemisphere, climate areas are reversed from the way most
people are used to thinking about them—there is a tropical north, and
temperatures get progressively cooler as one heads south. Most
Australians live near the east coast, which has the largest cities.
The capital, Canberra, is approximately 93 miles inland from the coast.
Australia's major river system, the Darling-Murray river, is in the
south east part of the country.
The Timor sea, the Arafura Sea and the Coral Sea separate Australia from East Timor, Indonesia and Papua-New Guinea. The map shows some of the few scattered islands along the Great Barrier Reef, one of the natural wonders of the world. The Great Barrier Reef is off the north-east corner of Australia, in the Coral Sea. It is the largest single structure made by living organisms (coral polyps). The Great Barrier Reef is home to a tremendous variety of plant and animal species. There are boats of all sizes to take visitors to see the reef, to snorkel or scuba.
The Timor sea, the Arafura Sea and the Coral Sea separate Australia from East Timor, Indonesia and Papua-New Guinea. The map shows some of the few scattered islands along the Great Barrier Reef, one of the natural wonders of the world. The Great Barrier Reef is off the north-east corner of Australia, in the Coral Sea. It is the largest single structure made by living organisms (coral polyps). The Great Barrier Reef is home to a tremendous variety of plant and animal species. There are boats of all sizes to take visitors to see the reef, to snorkel or scuba.
