AAUSTRALIA
FACTBOOK
Australia FactbookDraft

November 2026 Edition

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Australia Factbook · National chapter / AUS

Geography

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2021 Factbook flag mirror; image identity has not been individually audited. Source.

Last updated: October 29, 2026

Australia: CIA World Factbook map from 2021; original boundary notes preserved.
ⓘCIA World Factbook map, February 2021 media edition. Identity reviewed; current boundaries have not been audited. visual contact sheet or original identity check; does not verify current boundaries Boundaries, place names and designations may be dated or disputed; original annotations retained. SHA-256: 673b3825b1dd592ad9899a16d1d5aa5ddbef16a23acb60363d08a2b2608cb688. Provenance and inspection record.
Sections in Geography
  1. Location
  2. Geographic coordinates
  3. Map references
  4. Area
  5. Area - comparative
  6. Land boundaries
  7. Coastline
  8. Maritime claims
  9. Climate
  10. Terrain
  11. Elevation
  12. Natural resources
  13. Land use
  14. Irrigated land
  15. Major lakes (area sq km)
  16. Major rivers (by length in km)
  17. Major watersheds (area sq km)
  18. Major aquifers
  19. Population distribution
  20. Natural hazards
  21. Geography - note

Geography

Location:2

Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
Source context

Reference period: As stated in each note.

Original reference ↗

Source note [2]

Geographic coordinates:3

27 00 S, 133 00 E
Source context

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Source note [3]

Map references:4

Oceania
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Source note [4]

Area:5

Surface area: 7,741,220 square kilometers (2024)

total:7,741,220 sq km
land:7,682,300 sq km
water:58,920 sq km
note:includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island
Source context

Reference period: As stated in each note.

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Source note [5]

Area - comparative:7

slightly smaller than the 48 contiguous US states
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Source note [7]

Land boundaries:8

total:0 km
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Source note [8]

Coastline:9

25,760 km
Source context

Reference period: As stated in each note.

Original reference ↗

Source note [9]

Maritime claims:10

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
Source context

Reference period: As stated in each note.

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Source note [10]

Climate:11

generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
Source context

Reference period: As stated in each note.

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Source note [11]

Terrain:12

mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
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Source note [12]

Elevation:13

highest point:Mount Kosciuszko 2,228 m
lowest point:Lake Eyre -15 m
mean elevation:330 m
Source context

Reference period: As stated in each note.

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Source note [13]

Natural resources:14

alumina, coal, iron ore, copper, lithium, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, rare earth elements, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, opals, natural gas, petroleum
note 1:Australia is the world's largest net exporter of coal accounting for 26.5% of global coal exports in 2021; coal is the country’s most abundant energy resource, and coal ranks as the second-largest export commodity from Australia in terms of revenue; in 2020, Australia held the third-largest recoverable coal reserves in the world behind the United States and Russia
note 2:Australia is by far the world's largest supplier of opals
note 3:Australia holds the largest uranium reserves in the world and was the second-largest global uranium producer behind Kazakhstan in 2020
note 4:Australia was the largest exporter of LNG in the world in 2020
Source context

Reference period: As stated in each note.

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Source note [14]

Land use:15

agricultural land:47.2% (2023 est.)
arable land:4% (2023 est.)
permanent crops:0.1% (2023 est.)
permanent pasture:43.1% (2023 est.)
forest:17.3% (2023 est.)
other:35.4% (2023 est.)
Source context

Reference period: As stated in each note.

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Source note [15]

Irrigated land:16

19,450 sq km (2022)
Source context

Reference period: 2022.

Original reference ↗

Source note [16]

Major lakes (area sq km):17

fresh water lake(s):Lake Alexandrina - 570 sq km
salt water lake(s):Lake Eyre - 9,690 sq km; Lake Torrens (ephemeral) - 5,780 sq km; Lake Gairdner - 4,470 sq km; Lake Mackay (ephemeral) - 3,494 sq km; Lake Frome - 2,410 sq km; Lake Amadeus (ephemeral) - 1,032 sq km
Source context

Reference period: As stated in each note.

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Source note [17]

Major rivers (by length in km):18

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
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Reference period: As stated in each note.

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Source note [18]

Major watersheds (area sq km):19

Indian Ocean drainage:(Great Australian Bight) Murray-Darling (1,050,116 sq km)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage:Lake Eyre (1,212,198 sq km)
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Reference period: As stated in each note.

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Source note [19]

Major aquifers:20

Great Artesian Basin, Canning Basin
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Reference period: As stated in each note.

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Source note [20]

Population distribution:21

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
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Reference period: As stated in each note.

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Source note [21]

Natural hazards:22

cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires
volcanism:volcanic activity on Heard and McDonald Islands
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Reference period: As stated in each note.

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Source note [22]

Geography - note:23

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; Perth on the west coast is home to the invigorating sea breeze known as the "Fremantle Doctor," one of the most consistent winds in the world; Australia hosts 10% of the world's biodiversity, and a great number of its flora and fauna exist nowhere else in the world
Source context

Reference period: As stated in each note.

Original reference ↗

Source note [23]

Historical observations

Notes & sources

  1. Location. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  2. Geographic coordinates. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  3. Map references. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  4. Area. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. The archived total area has no reference year and territorial coverage may differ from World Bank surface area. World Bank: 7,741,220 square kilometers (2024). Reference: 7,741,220 square kilometers. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  5. Surface area. Surface area: observation 2024; checked 2026-10-29; single source. World Bank World Development Indicators. The archived total area has no reference year and territorial coverage may differ from World Bank surface area. World Bank: 7,741,220 square kilometers (2024). Reference: 7,741,220 square kilometers. ↩
  6. Area - comparative. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  7. Land boundaries. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  8. Coastline. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  9. Maritime claims. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  10. Climate. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  11. Terrain. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  12. Elevation. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  13. Natural resources. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  14. Land use. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  15. Irrigated land. Reference edition; observation: 2022. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  16. Major lakes (area sq km). Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  17. Major rivers (by length in km). Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  18. Major watersheds (area sq km). Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  19. Major aquifers. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  20. Population distribution. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  21. Natural hazards. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
  22. Geography - note. Reference edition; observation: dates as stated in text. Field last updated: not supplied; profile fallback: 2025-12-04 09:22:13 -0500 (not a field revision date); needs review. Reference source. Edition retrieval date: not supplied (retrieval only). ↩
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