Australia - Geography
Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Australia. note 1: world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; the largest country in Oceania, the largest country entirely in the Southern Hemisphere, and the largest country without land borders
note 2: the Great Dividing Range that runs along eastern Australia is that continent’s longest mountain range and the third-longest land-based range in the world; the term "Great Dividing Range" refers to the fact that the mountains form a watershed crest from which all of the rivers of eastern Australia flow – east, west, north, and south
note 3: Australia is the only continent without glaciers; it is the driest inhabited continent on earth; the invigorating sea breeze known as the "Fremantle Doctor" affects the city of Perth on the west coast and is one of the most consistent winds in the world; Australia is home to 10% of the world's biodiversity, and a great number of its flora and fauna exist nowhere else in the world. Mother's mean age at first birth is 28.7 years (2019 est.) (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 3 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Geographical data of Australia
| Location | Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean |
|---|---|
| Geographic coordinates | 27 00 S, 133 00 E |
| Map references | Oceania |
| Tarrain | mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast |
| Natural Resources | alumina, coal, iron ore, copper, lithium, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, rare earth elements, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, opals, natural gas, petroleum |
| Natural Hazards | cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires volcanism: volcanic activity on Heard and McDonald Islands |
| Irrigated Land | 15,210 sq km (2020) |
| Major rivers (by length in km) | River Murray - 2,508 km; Darling River - 1,545 km; Murrumbidgee River - 1,485 km; Lachlan River - 1,339 km; Cooper Creek - 1,113 km; Flinders River - 1,004 km |
| Major aquifers | Great Artesian Basin, Canning Basin |
| Land Boundaries | 0 km |
| Border Countries | |
| Coastline | 25,760 km |
| Climate | generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north |
| Area | |
| Total Area | |
| Land Area | 7,682,300 sq km |
| Water Area | 58,920 sq km |
| comparative Area | slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states |
| Maritime Claims | |
| Territorial sea | 12 nm |
| Contiguous zone | 24 nm |
| Exclusive economic zone | 200 nm |
| Continental shelf | 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
| Elevations | |
| Highest point | Mount Kosciuszko 2,228 m |
| Lowest point | Lake Eyre -15 m |
| Mean elevation | 330 m |
| Land Use | |
| Agricultural land | 46.65% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: arable land | arable land: 4.03% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent crops | permanent crops: 0.04% (2018 est.) |
| Agricultural land: permanent pasture | permanent pasture: 42.58% (2018 est.) |
| Forest | 17.42% (2018 est.) |
| Other | 33.42% (2018 est.) |
Population Distribution
Population is primarily located on the periphery, with the highest concentration of people residing in the east and southeast; a secondary population center is located in and around Perth in the west; of the States and Territories, New South Wales has, by far, the largest population; the interior, or "outback", has a very sparse population
People and Society
In Australia, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: English 33%, Australian 29.9%, Irish 9.5%, Scottish 8.6%, Chinese 5.5%, Italian 4.4%, German 4%, Indian 3.1%, Australian Aboriginal 2.9%, Greek 1.7%, unspecified 4.7% (2021 est.)
| Population | |
|---|---|
| Pop growth rate | 1.13% (2024 est.) |
| Birth rate | 12.2 births/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Death rate | 6.8 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Health expenditure | 10.7% of GDP (2020) |
| Physicians Density | |
| Hospital bed Density | 3.8 beds/1,000 population (2016) |
| Total fertility rate | 1.73 children born/woman (2024 est.) |
| Gross reproduction rate | 0.84 (2024 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 66.9% (2015/16) |
| Est married women (ages 15-49) | 55.9% (2023 est.) |
| Literacy | |
| Education expenditures | 6.1% of GDP (2020 est.) |
| Net Migration rate | 5.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.) |
| Nationality | Australian | Australian(s) |
| Languages | English 72%, Mandarin 2.7%, Arabic 1.4%, Vietnamese 1.3%, Cantonese 1.2%, other 15.7%, unspecified 5.7% (2021 est.) |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 20%, Protestant 18.1% (Anglican 9.8%, Uniting Church 2.6%, Presbyterian and Reformed 1.6%, Baptist 1.4%, Pentecostal 1%, other Protestant 1.7%), other Christian 3.5%, Muslim 3.2%, Hindu 2.7%, Buddhist 2.4%, Orthodox 2.3% (Eastern Orthodox 2.1%, Oriental Orthodox 0.2%), other 2.1%, none 38.4%, unspecified 7.3% (2021 est.) |
| Age Structure | |
| 0-14 years | 18.3% (male 2,526,772/female 2,369,425) |
| 15-64 years | 64.7% (male 8,688,023/female 8,640,671) |
| 65 years and over | 17% (2024 est.) (male 2,090,315/female 2,453,392) |
| Dependency Ratios | |
| Total dependency ratio | 53.7 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 28.2 |
| Elderly dependency ratio | 25.5 |
| Potential support ratio | 3.9 (2020 est.) |
| Median Age | |
| Total | 38.1 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 36.9 years |
| Female | 39.2 years |
| Urbanization | |
| Urban population | 86.6% of total population (2023) |
| Rate of urbanization | 1.27% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
| Major urban areas (Pop) | 5.235 million Melbourne, 5.121 million Sydney, 2.505 million Brisbane, 2.118 million Perth, 1.367 million Adelaide, 472,000 CANBERRA (capital) (2023). |
| Sex Ratio | |
| At birth | 1.06 male(s)/female |
| 0-14 years | 1.07 male(s)/female |
| 15-64 years | 1.01 male(s)/female |
| 65 years and over | 0.85 male(s)/female |
| Total population | 0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.) |
| Infant Motality | |
| Total | 2.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) |
| Male | 3.2 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Female | 2.7 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life Expectancy at birth | |
| Total population | 83.5 years (2024 est.) |
| Male | 81.3 years |
| Female | 85.7 years |
| Drinking Water Sources | |
| Improved: urban | urban: 100% of population |
| Improved: rural | rural: 100% of population |
| Improved: total | total: 100% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: 0% of population |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: 0% of population |
| Unimproved: total | total: 0% of population (2020 est.) |
| Sanitation facility acess | |
| Improved: urban | urban: NA |
| Improved: rural | rural: NA |
| Improved: total | total: 100% of population |
| Unimproved: urban | urban: NA |
| Unimproved: rural | rural: NA |
| Unimproved: total | total: 0% of population (2020 est.) |
| Alcohol consumption per capita | |
| Total | 9.51 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Beer | 3.71 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Wine | 3.67 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Spirits | 1.32 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Other alcohols | 0.81 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) |
| Tobacco use | |
| Total | 13.6% (2020 est.) |
| Male | 15.6% (2020 est.) |
| Female | 11.5% (2020 est.) |
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Australia
Want to know more about Australia? Check all different factbooks for Australia below.
