Australia is South- East of Asia in the Oceania Region, between the Indian and South Pacific Oceans. It is situated in the Southern Hemisphere which it shares with Africa, South America and Antarctica. It also situates in the Eastern Hemisphere which it shares with East Asia, South Asia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and part of Antarctica (divided by prime meridian). Australia is between the latititudes of 10 degrees 41'S and 43 degrees 38'S (3138km) and longitudes of 113 degrees 09'E and 153 degrees 38'E (3983km).
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The seven continents of the world are Europe, Asia, North America, South America, Africa, Australia and Antarctica. Australia is the worlds smallest continental landmass and is approximately 7682 million kilometres squared although it is the world's largest island.
The relative size of Australia when compared to:
Japan
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| GA6263.gif The duration of flight from Japans capital Tokyo to Sydney takes 9 hours 40 minutes, which is approximately 7835.20km travel distance. |
United States of America
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| GA6264.gif Australia is slightly smaller than the USA mainland (excluding Alaska and Hawaii). |
- Jakarta, Indonesia and Shanghai, China are two mega-cities which are located to Australia's North.
Australia's 4 Major Regions
The Australian continent can be divided into four main landform regions.
The coastal plains around Australia's edge are limited in width and are intermittent. The plains often take form of river valleys.
The Eastern Highlands region is mostly a series of tablelands and plateaus. Majority of the area is very rugged because rivers have cut deep valleys.
The Central Lowlands is a vast area of very flat, low-lying land which contains three large drainage basins.
The Western Plateau is a very large area of tablelands, where most are around 500 metres above sea level. This includes areas of stony and andy deserts.
