Main articles:
Geography of Australia
,
Climate of Australia
, and
Drought in Australia
Climatic zones in Australia, based on
Ko"ppen classification
.
Australia's 7,617,930 square kilometres (2,941,299 sq. mi) landmass is on the
Indo-Australian Plate
. Surrounded by the
Indian
and
Pacific
oceans, Australia is separated from Asia by the
Arafura
and
Timor
seas. Australia has a total 34,218 kilometres (21,262 mi) of coastline (excluding all offshore islands)
and claims an extensive
Exclusive Economic Zone
of 8,148,250 square kilometres (3,146,057 sq. mi). This exclusive economic zone does not include the
Australian Antarctic Territory
.
The
Great Barrier Reef
, the world's largest coral reef,
lies a short distance off the north-east coast and extends for over 2,000 kilometres (1,250 mi).
Mount Augustus
claimed to be the world's largest
monolith
,
is located in Western Australia. At 2,228 metres (7,310 ft),
Mount Kosciuszko
on the
Great Dividing Range
is the highest mountain on the Australian mainland, although
Mawson Peak
on the remote Australian territory of
Heard Island
is taller at 2,745 metres (9,006 ft).
By far the largest part of Australia is
desert
or semi-arid. Australia is the flattest continent, has the oldest and least fertile soils, and is the driest inhabited continent. Only the south-east and south-west corners of the continent have a temperate climate. Most of the population lives along the temperate south-eastern coastline. The landscapes of the northern part of the country, with a tropical climate, consist of rainforest, woodland, grassland, mangrove swamps and desert. The climate is significantly influenced by ocean currents, including the
El Nin~o
southern oscillation, which is correlated with periodic
drought
, and the seasonal tropical low pressure system that produces cyclones in northern Australia.
