Uluru National Park is one of Australia's attractions
Australia is not only a country, but also a continent and a landmass, located south of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, northwest of New Zealand. Australia is the sixth largest country in the world, stretching 4,000 km from west to east and 3,200 km from north to south. It is washed on all sides by seas, straits and an ocean. Starting from the west to the south, Australia is washed by the Indian Ocean, Bass Strait, to the east by the Tasman Sea and the Coral Sea, and to the north by the Torres Strait, the Arafura Sea and the Timor Sea.
The area of the continent is 7,614,500 sq. km. Australia and Tasmania form the Australian Commonwealth. In addition to the mainland, it includes a number of islands: the Cocos Islands, Heard Island, McDonald Island, Norfolk Island, Cartier Island, Ashmore Island, Christmas Island - totaling 67,792 sq. km.
The average height above sea level is 300 meters, since there are no high mountains on the mainland. The most famous mountain range in Australia is the Great Dividing Range, which stretches from north to southeast from Cape York Peninsula to Victoria. Its average height is 1,200 meters. Parts of the range also have individual names. These are the New England Plateau, the Australian Alps, and the Blue Mountains. And the highest point of the country belongs to the Australian Alps and is called Mount Kosciuszko (height 2,228 meters).
In the south of Australia lies the Nullarbor Plain. It is almost uninhabited and filled with caves and tunnels. And in the southeast of the mainland, you can find extinct volcanic craters. The west of Australia is a huge plateau called the Great Western Plateau, on which are the Great Sandy Desert, the Gibson Desert, and the Victoria Desert. The height of the plateau ranges from 300 to 450 meters above sea level. The center of the country is between the Great Dividing Range and the Great Western Plateau and consists of vast plains.
Australia consists of 7 states: New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia. The largest state is Western Australia, and the smallest is Tasmania.
The population of Australia is 17.5 million people. The capital of the country is Canberra. The largest city in the country is Sydney, which many mistakenly consider the capital of Australia. The population of the city is about 4 million residents. It is famous for its world-class educational institutions as well as various attractions. In Sydney you can find almost all nationalities of the world.
The second largest city in Australia is Melbourne, the capital of the state of Victoria. About 15% of the country's population lives there. Also, some of the richest people in the country live in this city.
Also noteworthy is the capital of the most prosperous state of Queensland - the city of Brisbane. It is one of the main cities of Australia, which has a wonderful climate and is a center for world exhibitions and seminars.
Among the attractions of Australia is Uluru National Park. It contains the largest monolith in the world – its height is 348 meters, and its circumference is 9 km.
Australia has the largest coral formation in the world - the Great Barrier Reef. Its length is 2,010 km.
This country has a huge number of parks (more than 500) with different types of climates. Australia is also a unique continent and thus attracts a large number of tourists. A beautiful green continent is the dream of many people in the world.