Australia

Officially the Commonwealth of Australia the country is located in the Southern hemisphere and is the world's smallest continent. It includes the mainland, the major island of Tasmania and a number of other islands located in the Pacific and Indian oceans. Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea lie to the North, while the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia sit to the Northeast with New Zealand to the Southeast.

The population sits at just over 21 million - 60% of which is concentrated in and around the major state cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

Geography:

Most of Australia's terrain is made up of semi-arid desert but it also boasts a range of other habitats, including alpine heaths and tropical rainforests, which are filled with a wide variety of eucalyptus trees. Under the Biodiversity Action Plan some areas in Australia have been set aside as protected ecosystems in order to preserve them. The South-East and South-West corners of the country enjoy a temperate climate while the Northern part has a tropical climate - part tropical rainforests, part grassland and desert.

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© Written by E.J.Clarke