The smallest continent on earth. Mainland Australia description, relief, climate, flora and fauna. General geographical information about the continent

The continent of Australia is so small that its area is even smaller than some countries in the world. Its territory is only 7.63 million square km. It is the smallest continent in the southern hemisphere and is crossed by the southern tropic. Its shores are washed by the waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans. Due to its small size, Australia is sometimes also called an island continent.

The continent is not connected by land to any of the other continents; it is located completely separately. The rest of the world's continents are located at a considerable distance from Australia. This contributed to the formation of a unique flora and fauna, largely different from other parts of the world.

Uniqueness of Australia

Besides being the smallest continent, it has several features that make it truly unique. The continent's fauna is extremely unusual. Only marsupial animals live here - from small marsupial mice and moles to large kangaroos. Australian wolves and bears also have pouches in which they carry their young. There are also representatives of the fauna that you will not see on other continents - almost 80% of the animals are endemic. The most famous of them are the echidna and the platypus. The amazing mammal platypus hatches its young from eggs, just like birds do. Only here you can see the dingo, emu, koala and kangaroo - the most popular animals in Australia.

The flora is also unique: 90% of the continent’s plants are endemic, found only here. The symbol of Australian flora is the eucalyptus - the tallest tree on the planet, reaching the height of a fifty-story building.

The smallest continent is also the driest on the planet. Most of it is located in the tropical climate zone, as a result of which almost the entire central part of the continent is occupied by huge deserts. Australia is also called the lowest continent. 215 meters is the average absolute height, and the highest point is only 2230 meters high.

Past and current name

“Unknown land” - this is what Australia was called on ancient maps. Even today it remains a mysterious land and a country full of surprises for most people. The name of the continents is most often associated with their geographical location, the same applies to Australia: translated from Latin “australis” means “southern”. And this name appeared relatively recently, only at the beginning of the 19th century. And before that, its individual parts were called by the names that the discoverers gave them. The modern name was finally established after the Englishman Flinders sailed around the continent.

The smallest continent on our planet is also famous for the fact that its territory is completely occupied by one country - the Commonwealth of Australia. The largest city in the country is Sydney, famous throughout the world for its opera house, a real eighth wonder of the world. Another unusual masterpiece is the Harbor Bridge - a bridge across the beautiful Port Jackson Bay, which has a half-kilometer-long arch.

Continent, continent or part of the world? What is the difference?

In geography, another term is often used to designate a continent - a continent. But the concepts “mainland” and “continent” are not synonymous. Different countries have different views on the number of continents, called continental models.

There are several such models:

• In China, India, as well as in the English-speaking countries of Europe, it is generally accepted that there are 7 continents - they consider Europe and Asia separately;
• In Spanish-speaking European countries, as well as in the countries of South America, they mean division into 6 parts of the world - with a united America;
• in Greece and some countries of Eastern Europe, a model with 5 continents has been adopted - only those where people live, i.e. except Antarctica;
• in Russia and the neighboring Eurasian countries they traditionally designate 4 continents, united in large groups.

(The figure clearly shows different representations of continental patterns on Earth, from 7 to 4)

Continents

There are 6 continents in total on Earth. We list them in descending order by area size:

1. - the largest continent on our planet (54.6 million sq. km)
2. (30.3 million sq. km)
3. (24.4 million sq. km)
4. (17.8 million sq. km)
5. (14.1 million sq. km)
6. (7.7 million sq. km)

All of them are separated by the waters of the seas and oceans. Four continents have a land border: Eurasia and Africa are separated by the Isthmus of Suez, North and South America by the Isthmus of Panama.

Continents

The difference is that the continents do not have a land border. Therefore, in this case we can talk about 4 continents ( one of the continental models of the world), also in descending order by size:

1. AfroEurasia
2. America

Parts of the world

The terms “mainland” and “continent” have a scientific meaning, but the term “part of the world” divides the land according to historical and cultural criteria. There are 6 parts of the world, only unlike the continents, Eurasia differs in Europe And Asia, but North and South America are defined together as one part of the world America:

1. Europe
2. Asia
3. America(both Northern and Southern), or New World
4. Australia and Oceania

When we talk about parts of the world, we also mean the islands adjacent to them.

Difference between a mainland and an island

The definition of a continent and an island is the same - a part of land washed by the waters of the ocean or seas. But there are significant differences.

1. Size. Even the smallest continent, Australia, is significantly larger in area than the world's largest island, Greenland.

(Formation of the Earth's continents, a single continent Pangea)

2. Education. All continents are of tiled origin. According to scientists, there once existed a single continent - Pangea. Then, as a result of the split, 2 continents appeared - Gondwana and Laurasia, which later split into 6 more parts. The theory is confirmed by both geological research and the shape of the continents. Many of them can be put together like a puzzle.

Islands are formed in different ways. There are those that, like continents, are located on the fragments of ancient lithospheric plates. Others are formed from volcanic lava. Still others are a result of the activity of polyps (coral islands).

3. Habitability. All continents are inhabited, even the harsh climatic conditions of Antarctica. Many islands still remain uninhabited.

Characteristics of the continents

- the largest continent, occupying 1/3 of the land. There are 2 parts of the world located here: Europe and Asia. The border between them runs along the line of the Ural Mountains, the Black and Azov Seas, as well as the straits connecting the Black and Mediterranean Seas.

This is the only continent that is washed by all the oceans. The coastline is indented; it forms a large number of bays, peninsulas, and islands. The continent itself is located on six tectonic platforms at once, and therefore the relief of Eurasia is incredibly diverse.

Here are the most extensive plains, the highest mountains (the Himalayas with Mount Everest), the deepest lake (Baikal). This is the only continent where all climatic zones (and, accordingly, all natural zones) are represented at once - from the Arctic with its permafrost to the equatorial with its sultry deserts and jungles.

The mainland is home to ¾ of the planet's population; there are 108 states, of which 94 have independent status.

- the hottest continent on Earth. It is located on an ancient platform, so most of the area is occupied by plains, mountains form along the edges of the continent. Africa is home to the longest river in the world, the Nile, and the largest desert, the Sahara. Climate types present on the mainland: equatorial, subequatorial, tropical and subtropical.

Africa is usually divided into five regions: North, South, West, East and Central. There are 62 countries on the mainland.

It is washed by the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans. The result of the movement of tectonic plates was a highly indented coastline of the mainland, with a huge number of bays, straits, bays and islands. The largest island is in the north (Greenland).

The Cordillera Mountains stretch along the western coast, and the Appalachians along the eastern coast. The central part is occupied by a vast plain.

All climatic zones are represented here, except the equatorial one, which determines the diversity of natural zones. Most rivers and lakes are located in the northern part. The largest river is the Mississippi.

The indigenous population is Indians and Eskimos. Currently, there are 23 states here, of which only three (Canada, USA and Mexico) are on the mainland itself, the rest are on the islands.

It is washed by the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Along the western coast stretches the longest mountain system in the world - the Andes, or South American Cordillera. The rest of the continent is occupied by plateaus, plains and lowlands.

This is the rainiest continent, since most of it is located in the equator. The largest and most abundant river in the world, the Amazon, is also located here.

The indigenous population are Indians. Currently, there are 12 independent states on the mainland.

- the only continent on whose territory there is only 1 state - the Commonwealth of Australia. Most of the continent is occupied by plains, mountains are located only along the coast.

Australia is a unique continent with the largest number of endemic animals and plants. The indigenous population is the Australian Aborigines, or Bushmen.

- the southernmost continent completely covered with ice. The average thickness of the ice cover is 1600 m, the greatest thickness is 4000 meters. If the ice in Antarctica melted, the level of the world's oceans would immediately rise by 60 meters!

Most of the continent is occupied by an icy desert; life glimmers only on the coasts. Antarctica is also the coldest continent. In winter, temperatures can drop below -80 ºC (record -89.2 ºC), in summer - down to -20 ºC.

There are only 6 continents on the blue planet, which are separated by oceans:

• Eurasia is the largest continent on Earth. Its area is 54.8 million square kilometers. It is washed by all oceans at once: in the north by the Arctic Ocean, in the south by the Indian Ocean, Eurasia is washed from the east by the Pacific Ocean, and from the west the waves of the Atlantic beat against its shores. More than 5 billion people live here!
• Africa is the second largest continent on the planet, with an area of ​​30.2 million square kilometers. It is washed in the west by the Atlantic and in the east by the Indian Ocean. Almost 1 billion people live here. The black continent is the hottest on Earth.
• North America is in third place on the list in terms of area - 24.3 million sq. km. From the north, the cold waves of the Arctic Ocean roll onto the shores of the continent, from the east - the Atlantic, and from the west - the Pacific. The population of the mainland is 500 million people.
• South America. Its area is 17.8 million square kilometers, washed by the waters of the Pacific (in the west) and Atlantic (in the east) oceans. The population of the mainland is 387.5 million people.
• Antarctica. The area of ​​the continent is 14.1 million square kilometers, washed by the waters of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, people do not live here. This is an amazing continent! It is located in the very south of the planet, while the average temperature here stays at -50...-60°C all year round, and in July 1983 the lowest temperature on the planet in history was recorded here - -89.2°C! This is bitterly cold!
• Australia is the smallest continent in terms of area, which is “only” 7.7 million square kilometers. Its eastern coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean, and its western, southern and northern coast is washed by the Indian Ocean. About 21.5 million people live here. This is the only continent on Earth, the entire territory of which is occupied by a single state with the same name - Australia.

General geographical information, climate

The smallest continent on Earth stretches 3,700 km from north to south, and almost 4,000 km from east to west. Near Australia there are 2 large islands - Tasmania and New Guinea. This continent became the “best” in three more categories:

• it is the lowest in the world - its average height is 330 m above sea level, 95% of the land surface does not exceed 600 meters above the sea. The highest point in Australia (2228 m) is Mount Kosciuszko in the south of the mainland. For comparison, the highest peak on the planet is Everest (another name is Chomolungma). The 8848 m high mountain literally props up the sky; in its apical zone the air is rarefied to such an extent that a person cannot breathe. The lowest point in Australia (16 m) is Lake Eyre in the desert in the central part of the continent;
• it is the driest on the planet. There is the least precipitation here, and droughts occur very often;
• it is the poorest in rivers. The largest river on the continent and the only one that never dries up is the Murray, its bed length is 2375 km. Its main tributaries are the Murrumbidgee (1485 km) and the Darling (1470 km). All other rivers in Australia are short, shallow, fed by rain and melting snow, so they often dry up during the hot season.

Australia is divided into 3 natural zones: subequatorial in the north, tropical in the central part of the continent and subtropical in the south. The temperate zone only slightly affects the island of Tasmania.

Flora and fauna

The smallest continent is isolated from the “mainland” by thousands of kilometers of water. This is the reason why the flora and fauna here are completely unique. Of the 12 thousand plant species that grow in Australia, 9 thousand are endemic, that is, they are not found anywhere else on the planet. These are eucalyptus trees, sometimes reaching gigantic sizes, umbrella acacias, a bottle tree, impenetrable thickets of malga-scrape, the Araucaria Bidwill tree, the cones of which weigh more than three kg, the predator flower Nepenthes Tenax, which eats rats, the hairy Kennedyia bush, the beautiful Vanda Tricolor orchid and others .

And what an amazing animal world Australia is! Among the species inhabiting the smallest continent in the world, 95% are endemic! Australian animals are truly unique. After the colonization of Australia began, and many specimens of mammals were brought to Europe, the scientific world at first decided that this was some kind of joke. For example, everyone was perplexed by the appearance of the platypus, an animal with a duck's beak and a beaver's tail. Cute koalas, jumping kangaroos, wombats, marsupial devils, graceful marsupial flying squirrels, birds of paradise, emus and other representatives of the fauna of Australia create a unique microcosm that attracts tourists from all over the world.

True, arachnophobes will not like it here: tens of thousands of species of spiders are found on the mainland, and the most poisonous spiders in the world live in Australia. These are the Sydney leucopaweb, redback, web spiders, wandering spiders and recluse spiders. It is interesting that the most poisonous snakes in the world also come from Australia: the Australian spinytail, the tiger snake, the taipan, the brown king or mulga, the fierce snake, and the sea belcher.

And the most poisonous jellyfish in the world, the sea wasp, lives in the coastal waters of Australia. A drop of this creature's poison is enough to kill 60 people at once.

Scientists consider Australia to be a stunning ecosystem, the second of its kind in the world.

Population, cities, economy

Australia today is inhabited by approximately 21.5 million people, while its density is only 0.8 people per 1 sq. km. This figure is the lowest on the planet, not counting Antarctica. Vast areas of the continent are not inhabited at all.

The smallest continent is characterized by very uneven settlement: large areas of empty land stand in stark contrast to densely populated cities. Approximately 60% of the total population lives in the country's 5 largest cities: Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. It is interesting that the city of Canberra, the capital of Australia, is missing from this list.

This unevenness is associated with natural and climatic conditions and the history of the continent’s settlement.

The vast majority of the country's population speaks English. The country's currency is the Australian dollar. Australia is one of the most highly developed, rich and prosperous countries in the world.

This is the only place on Earth where there are no active volcanoes at all.

On the smallest continent you can observe an interesting phenomenon: rivulets that constantly change the direction of their channel and their location. The Aborigines call them "cries".

The Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef in the world, stretches 2,500 km along the northeastern coast of this continent. It covers an area of ​​about 345 thousand square kilometers. and so huge that it can be seen from space! Formed by billions of tiny living organisms - polyps. Recognized as a wonder of the world and included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981.

The smallest continent on the planet is home to the largest farm in the world, with pastures the size of Belgium.

Kangaroos are held in special esteem by Australians. These animals are a national symbol. The image of a kangaroo along with an emu is on the state coat of arms. With all this, kangaroo meat is actively consumed!

There are no subways in Australia.

If you ask a person “Where do you live?”, he can name a house, apartment, street, or city. Perhaps a country. But it’s unlikely that anyone would think of naming the continent on which they live. Meanwhile, on the continents there are many countries in which millions, and in some cases billions of people live.

As is the case with people, among the continents there are dwarfs, and there are also giants, judging by size. And if you need an answer to a question, which continent is the smallest in the world, we are happy to help you. Let's take a brief look at all the continents and take a closer look at the smallest of them.

6. Eurasia - 53.6 million square kilometers

It is the largest and most populated continent on Earth. Consists of two parts of the world - Europe and Asia.

• Asia occupies about 9 percent of the earth's surface. It is also the most populated part of the world on the planet. Asia is home to approximately 4.3 billion people, making it a critical part of the global economy.
• Europe occupies 6.8 percent of the world's total land area. It is home to almost 50 countries and is considered the third most populous part of the world in the world after Asia and Africa. About 10% of the world's population lives there.

5. Africa - about 30.3 million km², including islands

The second largest continent in the world, as well as by population. There are 54 countries in Africa, with a total population of about one billion people.

4. North America - 24.3 million km² including islands

It is the third continent in the world in terms of area and population. About 7.5% of the world's population (about 565 million people) lives here.

3. South America - 17.84 million km²

On the territory of this continent is the driest desert in the world - the Chilean Atacama, as well as the Amazon. In terms of population, South America is in 4th place among the continents.

2. Antarctica - 14.1 million km²

The southernmost and sparsely populated continent. Antarctica is also the coldest land in the world and most of this continent is made up of glaciers.

1. Australia - 7.6 million km²

And here is the smallest continent on Earth. Its dimension includes both the main island and the surrounding islands, some of which belong to Oceania.

Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere and is surrounded by the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Due to its size and isolated location, the world's smallest continent is also called an island continent.

What Australia has a lot of is beaches. There are more than 10 thousand of them. If you visit one Australian beach a day, it would take about 27 years to explore all 10,000 beaches. It's no wonder that surfing and other water activities are so popular on this continent.

Relief features of Australia

Plains are the dominant landform in Australia. It is the flattest continent, with relatively few mountain ranges given its size. But Australia is the only continent in the world without an active volcano.

The highest mountain in Australia is Kosciuszko (or Kosciuszko) - only 2228 meters. For comparison: bearing the name Shota Rustaveli, reaches 4860 meters. Kosciuszko is located in the Australian Alps, which are larger in size than the Swiss Alps.

Climatic features of Australia

Australia is the driest continent of the six. Almost 20 percent of its landmass is classified as desert.

• And this is all due to the hot tropical sun, which particularly heats the central regions of the country. In summer, the temperature there varies during the day from plus 35 to plus 40 degrees Celsius.
• And the coolest part of the country is the island of Tasmania. On summer days the air warms up to plus 20-22 degrees, and in winter it is 10 degrees colder.
• Australia's climate zones range from rainforests, deserts and cool forests to snow-capped mountains.

Under these conditions, unique species of plants and animals have evolved that have adapted to the dry climate, coupled with high variability in precipitation.

Australian fauna

This continent boasts many of the most dangerous and exotic creatures found outside of the Amazon rainforest in South America. For example, in Australia you can find two, about 1500 types of spiders, 4000 types of ants and 350 types of termites.

When it comes to the animal world of Australia, the first thing that comes to mind is the kangaroo. According to some reports, the total number of these marsupials is almost 50 million individuals. This means that there are more kangaroos in Australia than people.

Although some scientists declared the Great Barrier Reef dead back in 2016, the world's largest coral reef is still alive. However, it must be protected from pollution and other problems facing the world's oceans. Imagine that this reef is so large that it can be seen from space.

How small is Australia in terms of area and population?

In terms of land area, the Australian continent is undoubtedly the smallest continent in the world. Even small Europe is 2.4 million km² larger than it.

• Scientists have calculated that the smallest continent on Earth can fit twice the size of Russia.
• When it comes to population, Australia is technically the second smallest continent. And if we exclude Antarctica, then Australia will be considered the most sparsely populated continent.
• As of 2018, the Australian population is over 25 million.

Australia is an island because it is surrounded by water, but it is also large enough to be considered a continent. However, Australia is not officially a country; this title is given to Greenland.

However, Australia is also the largest country without land borders. And the largest Australian city (but not the capital) - Sydney - spreads over an area of ​​12,144.6 km² and is in the top ten.

Australia's relationship with Oceania

Quite often, when referring to the South Pacific region where Australia is located, people will use the term "Australia and Oceania" rather than separate the two. However, both are true.

• Oceania is a Pacific region consisting of many small islands and atolls. The conditional western border of Oceania runs through New Guinea, and the eastern border runs through Easter Island.
• Usually Australia and Oceania are combined into a single part of the world if it is necessary to divide all the land into parts of the world.
• However, Oceania is sometimes considered an independent part of the world. In regional studies, there is even an independent discipline called “ocean studies”, which deals with the study of Oceania.
• If we talk specifically about the continents, then Oceania has no chance; it is always classified as Australia.

The smallest continent on planet Earth is Australia. With an area of ​​7,659,861 km2 (with islands 7,692,024 km2), it occupies only 5% of the planet's total land area. At the same time, the size of the continent, when viewed from north to south, will be 3.7 thousand kilometers, and from west to east approximately 4,000 kilometers. In this case, the length of all the coasts of the continent will be approximately 35,877 kilometers.

The continent is located in the southern hemisphere of the planet. From the north, south and west, mainland Australia is washed by the Indian Ocean, and from the east it is washed by the Tasman and Coral Seas. Australia is also famous for the largest coral reef in the world (more than 2000 km), which is located on the northeastern coast of the continent.

The entire territory of the mainland belongs to one state, which is called Australia. Officially, this state is called the Commonwealth of Australia.

Extreme points of mainland Australia

There are four extreme points that are located on the Australian mainland:

1) The most extreme point in the north is Cape York, which is washed by the Coral and Arafura seas.

2) The westernmost point of the mainland is Cape Steep Point, which is washed by the Indian Ocean.

3) The southernmost point of Australia is Cape South Point, which washes the Tasman Sea.

4) And finally, the easternmost point of the mainland is Cape Byron.

Relief of Australia

Mainland Australia is dominated by plains. More than 90% of the continent's total land mass does not exceed 600 meters above sea level. There are also mountain ranges in Australia, which usually do not exceed a height of 1500 kilometers. The highest mountains in Australia are the Australian Alps, the highest mountain of which Kosciuszko reaches an altitude of 2230 meters above sea level. Also in Australia there are the Musgrave Mountains, the Western Australian Tablelands, the Kimberley Plateau, the Darling Range and Mount Lofty.

The entire territory of the continent of Australia is located on the Australian Plate, which includes the mainland of Australia and part of the adjacent ocean.

Australian inland waters

In terms of internal waters, this continent is characterized as the poorest continent in terms of rivers. The longest river on the mainland, the Murray, originates from the area of ​​Australia's highest mountain, Kosciuszko, and reaches a length of 2375 km.

The rivers are fed mainly by rain or melt water. The rivers are at their fullest at the beginning of summer, and then they begin to shallow, and in some places turn into stagnant reservoirs.

Just like rivers, lakes on the mainland are also fed by rainwater. Such lakes do not have a constant level and flow. In summer, they can dry out completely and turn into depressions, the bottom of which is covered with salt. The thickness of salt at the bottom of dry lakes can reach up to 1.5 meters. Australia's fairly large lakes can be swamps for most of the year. There is a hypothesis that the south of the continent continues to rise from the ocean.

Climate of mainland Australia

Mainland Australia is located in three climatic zones at once - the subtropical zone, the tropical zone and the subequatorial zone.

The subtropical zone of the continent of Australia includes three climates - subtropical continental, subtropical humid and Mediterranean.

The Mediterranean climate is characterized by dry and hot summers, but warm and humid winters. There are slight fluctuations between the seasons (in summer the temperature rises to 27 degrees Celsius, and in winter the air temperature drops to 12 degrees Celsius) and there is quite a lot of precipitation. This climate is typical for the southwestern part of Australia.

The subtropical humid climate is characterized by large temperature differences between different periods of the year (in summer the temperature rises to +24 degrees Celsius, and in winter it drops to -10 degrees Celsius below zero) and significant precipitation. This climate is typical for the entire state of Victoria and part of the state of New South Wales, which is located in the southwest.

The subtropical continental climate is characterized by low precipitation and large temperature differences and is characteristic of southern Australia.

The tropical zone is formed from tropical dry and tropical wet climates.

The tropical humid climate is located in the east of the continent and is characterized by little precipitation. This climate is formed due to the action of southeastern winds, which are saturated with moisture from the Pacific Ocean.

A tropical dry climate is typical for the central and western parts of the continent. The hottest climate is in the north-west of the mainland - in summer the temperature rises to 35 degrees Celsius, and in winter it drops very slightly to 20 degrees Celsius. It is worth noting the city of Alice Springs, which is located in the central part of the continent, where temperatures during the day can rise to 45 degrees and at night drop to -6 degrees Celsius below zero. At the same time, precipitation may not fall in some places for years, and then the annual norm of precipitation may fall in a matter of hours. In this case, moisture is very quickly absorbed by the ground or evaporates.

The subequatorial climate on the Australian mainland is characterized by stable temperatures throughout the year (23 degrees Celsius) and high rainfall.

Flora and fauna of Australia

Due to the fact that the continent is isolated from other continents, the flora of this continent is very diverse. At the same time, there are plants and animals that live only on this continent and are not found anywhere else. And due to the peculiarities of the dry climate on the continent, dry-loving plants predominate among plants. For example, eucalyptus, acacia and others. In the north of the mainland you can find tropical forests.

The area of ​​the mainland covered by forests is only 5%. Over time, many trees and plants were introduced from other continents that took root well in Australia, for example, grains, grapevines, and some types of fruits and vegetables.

But the variety of animals on the mainland is not so diverse. In total, there are just over 230 species of mammals living on the mainland, more than 700 species of birds and more than 120 species of amphibians. But most of these animals exist only on the mainland and will not survive anywhere else, since they feed on plants that also exist only on the Australian mainland. This is such a unique world that is worth seeing with your own eyes.

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There are only six continents on earth and the smallest of them is Australia. Australia is very different in its climate, economy, and inhabitants of other continents. It is also the most peaceful territory on Earth (the First and Second World Wars practically did not touch it).

Characteristics of Australia

• The continent's area is 7,692,024 square kilometers.
• Population 24,067,700 people.
• The inhabitants are Australians, the official languages ​​are Australian and English.
• The currency is the Australian dollar.
• The GDP amount is just over a trillion dollars.

History of Australia

Europeans first came to Australia in 1606. Until this year, little was known about this continent other than that it was ruled by natives and its people were valued as commodities. Until around the end of the 18th century, the Dutch explored Australia several times. Every traveler and navigator contributed to the creation of the map of Australia. A colony was founded here in 1788, ruled by the British. Gradually the continent was inhabited by the British, and in 1828 Great Britain declared Australia its territory and began to govern it.

On January 1, 1901, the continent became independent and called itself the Commonwealth of Australia until the present day. Throughout the twentieth century, the capital of Australia has changed periodically, and today it is Canberra.

Australia's climate and resources

More than half of the continent's territory is desert. This is due to low pressure and ocean waters that prevent precipitation.

Australia ranks among the top three countries in the world in the production of bauxite, zirconium and uranium. Interestingly, a third of the world's uranium reserves are in Australia. Mineral resources are the continent's main source of income. More than half of the population works in mining and processing plants.

But water supplies in Australia are not particularly encouraging for their residents. Fresh water is in short supply, so the authorities have been forced to issue several laws regarding water consumption.