Australia Essay, Research Paper

Did you know that Australia is its own country and continent? It is also the world s smallest continent and largest island with an area of 7, 671, 930 sq km. It is said to be the oldest country in the world, but it was discovered last. Australia is one of the most interesting places on the earth, because it has everything. One can find different species of trees, plants, and animals that are found no where else on earth. This is because Australia is an island, and for many years was isolated and untouched by humans.

It has three distinct geographical regions; Great Western Plaeu, Centeral Lowlands and Eastern Highlands (Great Dividing Range). The Western Plateau cover 1/2 of the continent and is most flat barren land, and deserts and outbacks. The centeral Plains are lowlands that fertile soil and alot of underground water. The Eastern Highlands consist of long mountain ranges and alot of tropical rainforests.

Australia is made up of 6 states: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia, and 2 territories: Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory. Australia has a population of 18, 338, 000 (1995). Its official language is English. The largest city in Australia is Sydney, and the capital is Canberra

Australia lacks mountains, and is one of the world s flattest landmasses.

Australia’s climate is very different from ours and varies greatly. It ranges from tropical in the north to temperate in the south. The tropical part takes up 40% of its total area. It has two seasons, a hot, wet season, and a warm, dry season. The temperate part has four seasons with hot summers and cool winters. Unlike Regina, the hottest months are January and February with highs of about 50-57 C. The coldest months are June and July getting lows of only 10-15 C. Although the Australian Alps freezes and gets temperatures below 0 C.

Whether you are a golfer, skier, explorer or even surfer, Australia offers it all. This is why Australia is a great spot for tourists. One can go to the Southeast to ski year round, in the Australian Alps. Or you could go surfing in the Northwest year round.

Not only does Australia’s climate vary from place to place, but so does its land features. One morning one could decide to get up and go mountain climbing, and the next you could decide to take a walk through the hot desert or tropical rain forest. Australia’s land also consists of caves, jungles, rain forests, and heritage parks. Even the wildlife attracts many tourists with animals such as the dingo, kangaroo, koala, lizards, snakes, wild hoses, and birds and fish of every color.