There are only six continents on earth, and the smallest of them is Australia. Australia is very different in its climate, economy, inhabitants of other continents. It is also the quietest territory on Earth (the First and Second World Wars practically did not touch it).
Characteristics of Australia
- The area of the continent is 7,692,024 square kilometers.
- The population is 24,067,700 people.
- The inhabitants are Australians, the official languages are Australian and English.
- The currency is the Australian dollar.
- The amount of GDP is just over a trillion dollars.
History of Australia
In 1606, Europeans first came to Australia. Until this year, little was known about this continent, other than the fact that the aborigines ruled here and people were valued as goods. Until about the end of the 18th century, the Dutch explored Australia on numerous occasions. every traveler and navigator contributed to the creation of the map of Australia. In 1788, a colony was founded here, ruled by the British. Gradually the continent was inhabited by the British, and in 1828 Great Britain declared Australia its territory and began to rule it.
On January 1, 1901, the continent became independent and has called itself the Commonwealth of Australia to this day. Throughout the twentieth century, the capital of Australia changed periodically, and today it has become Canberra.
Australia climate and resources
More than half of the mainland is desert. This is due to the low pressure and ocean waters that prevent precipitation.
Australia ranks first among the countries in the world for the extraction 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 the extraction of minerals and in factories for their processing.
But the water supply in Australia is not particularly pleasing to their inhabitants. Fresh water is in short supply, so the authorities were forced to issue several laws regarding water consumption.
The mainland Australia is so small that it is even smaller in area than some countries in the world. Its territory is only 7.63 million square kilometers. The smallest continent is located in and is crossed by the southern tropic. Its shores are washed by the waters of the Pacific. Due to its small size, Australia is sometimes also called the mainland-island.
The continent is not connected by land with any of the other continents, it is located completely apart. The rest of the continents of the world are located at a considerable distance from Australia. This contributed to the formation of a kind of flora and fauna, in many respects different from others.
The uniqueness of Australia
The flora is also unique: 90% of the continent's plants are endemic, found only here. The eucalyptus is considered the symbol of Australian flora - 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 climatic zone, as a result of which vast deserts occupy almost the entire central part of the continent. 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 present name
"Unknown land" - that's what they called Australia on old maps. Even today it remains for most people a mysterious land and a country full of surprises. The name of the continents is most often associated with their geographical position, the same applies to Australia: translated from the Latin "australis" means "southern". And this name appeared relatively recently, only at the beginning of the 19th century. And before that, some of its parts were called by the names that were given to them by the discoverers. The modern name was finally fixed after the voyage around the continent of the Englishman Flinders.
The smallest continent of our planet is also famous for the fact that its territory is completely occupied by one country - the Australian Union. The largest city in the country is Sydney, known throughout the world for its opera house, a real eighth wonder of the world. Another unusual masterpiece is the Harbor Bridge - a bridge over the beautiful Port Jackson Bay with a half-kilometer long arch.
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 entire land area of the planet. At the same time, the size of the continent, if you look from north to south, will be 3.7 thousand kilometers, and from west to east about 4000 kilometers. In this case, the length of all the continent's coasts will be approximately 35,877 kilometers.
The continent is located in the southern hemisphere of the planet. From the north, south and west, the 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 mainland Australia:
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 South Point, which is washed by the Tasman Sea.
4) And, finally, the easternmost point of the mainland is Cape Byron.
Relief of Australia
Plains prevail on the territory of mainland Australia. More than 90% of the entire land area of the continent does not exceed 600 meters above sea level. There are also mountain ranges in Australia, which usually do not exceed an altitude of 1,500 kilometers. The highest mountains in Australia are the Australian Alps, the highest mountain of which is Kosciuszko, reaching an altitude of 2,230 meters above sea level. Also in Australia there are the Musgrave Mountains, the Western Australian Highlands, the Kimberley Plateau, Darling Ridge and Mount Lofty.
The entire territory of the continent of Australia is located on the Australian platform, which includes the mainland of Australia and part of the adjacent ocean.
Inland waters of Australia
In terms of inland waters, this continent is characterized as the poorest continent in terms of rivers. The longest river on the mainland, Murray, originates from the region of Australia's highest mountain, Kostsyushko, and reaches a length of 2375 km.
The rivers are fed mainly by rain or melt water. The rivers are most full-flowing at the beginning of summer, and then they begin to shallow, and in some places turn into stagnant bodies of water.
Just like rivers, lakes on the mainland also feed on 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 the salt at the bottom of the dried-up 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.
Australia mainland climate
The mainland Australia is located in three climatic zones at once - this is the subtropical belt, the tropical belt and the subequatorial belt.
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 also warm and humid winters. There are small fluctuations in the seasons (in summer the temperature rises to 27 degrees Celsius, and in winter the air temperature drops to 12 degrees Celsius) and quite a lot of precipitation falls. This climate is typical for the southwestern part of Australia.
The subtropical humid climate is characterized by large temperature differences in 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 in the part of New South Wales, which is located in the southwest.
The subtropical continental climate is characterized by little rainfall and large temperature differences and is inherent in the south of Australia.
The tropical belt is formed from tropical dry and tropical humid climates.
The tropical humid climate is found in the east of the mainland and is characterized by little rainfall. Such a climate is formed due to the action of the southeast winds, which are saturated with moisture from the Pacific Ocean.
The tropical dry climate is typical for the central and western part of the mainland. The hottest climate is in the northwest 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 the temperature can rise to 45 degrees during the day and drop to -6 degrees Celsius below zero at night. At the same time, precipitation may not fall in some places for years, and then in a matter of hours the annual precipitation rate may fall. In this case, moisture is very quickly absorbed by the ground or evaporates.
The subequatorial climate on mainland Australia 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 mainland 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 absent anywhere else. And due to the peculiarities of the dry climate on the continent, dry-loving plants predominate among the plants. For example, eucalyptus, acacia and others. In the north of the mainland, you can find tropical forests.
The area of the mainland covered with forests is only 5%. Over time, many trees and plants were brought from other continents, which took root well in Australia, for example, cereals, vines, some types of fruits and vegetables.
But the diversity 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, as they feed on plants that also exist only on mainland Australia. This is such a peculiar world that is worth seeing with your own eyes.
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If you ask a person "Where do you live?", He can name a house, apartment, street, or city. Perhaps a country. But hardly anyone would think to name the continent on which he lives. Meanwhile, there are many countries on the continents, in which millions, and in some cases, billions of people live.
As with humans, there are dwarfs among the continents, and there are also giants, judging by their size. And if you want an answer to a question, which continent is the smallest in the world, we are happy to help you. Let's take a quick 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 about 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 nearly 50 countries and is considered the third most populous part of the world in the world after Asia and Africa. It is home to about 10% of the world's population.
5. Africa - about 30.3 million km² including islands
The second largest continent in the world and also in terms of population. Africa has 54 countries with a combined 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. It is home to about 7.5% of the world's population (about 565 million people).
3. South America - 17.84 million km²
On the territory of this continent there 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 of the Earth. Its measurement 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 smallest continent in the world is also called the island continent.
That's what Australia has a lot of, it's beaches. There are more than 10 thousand of them. If you visit one Australian beach a day, it will take about 27 years to explore all 10,000 beaches. No wonder surfing and other water activities are so popular on this continent.
Features of the relief 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 - Kosciuszko (or Kosciuszko) - is only 2228 meters. For comparison: bearing the name of Shota Rustaveli, it reaches 4860 meters. Kosciuszko is located in the Australian Alps, which are larger than the Swiss ones.
Climatic features of Australia
Australia is the driest continent of the six. Almost 20 percent of its land mass is classified as desert.
- And the hot tropical sun, which is especially hot in the central regions of the country, is to blame. 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 climatic zones range from rainforests, deserts and cool forests to snow-capped mountains.
Under these conditions, unique plant and animal species have evolved that have adapted to the dry climate, combined with high variability of precipitation.
Fauna of Australia
This continent boasts many of the most dangerous and exotic creatures outside 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 wildlife of Australia, the first thing that comes to mind is a 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 announced the death of the Great Barrier Reef back in 2016, the world's largest coral reef is still alive. However, it needs to be protected from pollution and other problems facing the world's oceans. Imagine 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 unquestionably 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 on the territory of Russia.
- When it comes to population size, 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 population of Australians is over 25 million.
Australia is an island as it is surrounded by water, but it is also large enough to be considered a continent. At the same time, Australia is not officially, 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, where Australia is located, people will use the term "Australia and Oceania" rather than separate them. However, both are true.
- Oceania is a Pacific region made up of many small islands and atolls. The conditional western border of Oceania runs along New Guinea, and the eastern border runs along Easter Island.
- Usually Australia and Oceania are united into a single part of the world if it is necessary to divide the entire land into parts of the world.
- However, sometimes Oceania is considered an independent part of the world. In regional studies, there is even an independent discipline called "ocean studies", which is engaged in the study of Oceania.
- If we talk specifically about the continents, then Oceania has no chance, it is always referred to as Australia.
In this article, we will look at the largest and smallest continents on our planet, as well as compare their height above sea level.
Our land is divided into two main areas. This is the world's ocean or body of water and land. Water occupies more than 70% of the area or 361.06 million km 2. The mainlands got only 29.3% of the total area or 142.02 million km 2. The land is divided into parts that are bounded by seas and oceans from each other.
That is, these are our continents and continents. Each of them has its own size, shape and height above sea level. Therefore, in today's topic, we will expand our knowledge and talk about the smallest and largest continents, as well as the lowest and highest continents.
What is the largest and smallest continent of the planet, the lowest and highest continent of the Earth: a brief description
To begin with, let's remember what the mainland is. Simply put, this is a huge piece of land that is washed by seas and oceans on all sides. Despite the fact that the water on our planet is much more, large and small continents stand out. There are 6 continents in total on earth. And do not confuse them with the parts of the world, which are eight. Although Oceania is often connected to Australia, this is not about that now. We will list you all continents from largest to smallest continent in order to find out important and interesting aspects about them.
Eurasia is a continent of enormous size
- It is he who takes the lead in the title of "largest continent". The area of the giant is 54.757 million km 2, which is as much as 36% of the entire land area of the planet. The mainland is home to 5.132 billion people, and this, by the way, is 70% of all inhabitants of our planet.
- The mainland is conditionally divided into two parts of the world: Asia and Europe. The eastern slopes of the high Ural Mountains are considered to be the figurative border of these segments. Also, the mainland is the only one that is washed by all four oceans at once.
- Eurasia boasts a variety of landscapes. The highest mountains of the Himalayas and the largest plains can be found in its territory.
- She also owns the primacy among the highest mountains in the world - this is the famous Mount Chomolungma, which has no more equal.
- Other natural celebrities complete the list of outstanding features. For example, Lake Baikal is the deepest in the world, the Caspian Sea is the largest and largest sea, as well as the unique and largest mountain system - Tibet.
- The mainland has the influence of all climatic and natural zones, from which the flora and fauna is insanely diverse and rich. The geopolitical map contains 102 independent states on this continent.
- But since in parallel we are considering the continents also in terms of height above sea level, Eurasia did not make it to the championship. But it is firmly in second place. The height of the continent, which has an average reading, is 840 m.
Africa takes the second place of honor
- Its total area, together with the adjacent islands, is 30.3 million km 2. And this is as much as 20.4% of the entire dry surface of the earth. Africa is a hot continent washed by the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, as well as some of the cleanest seas: the Red and Mediterranean.
- This mainland is home to 1 billion people. The geopolitical map contains 55 independent states. This continent crosses the equator, and has several different climatic zones.
- This mainland also has outstanding sites. Of course, we will talk about the hot, dry and largest desert in the world - the Sahara. Volcano Kilimanjaro is considered a stratovolcano, which indicates its power. True, at the moment he is in a dormant state.
- We have already mentioned above that this continent is also the hottest continent on the planet. Therefore, the hottest place in the world is located on it - the Dallol settlement in the Danakil Desert. By the way, together they are included in the list of the most dangerous places. After all, the temperature there sometimes reaches 70 ° C.
- This place is uninhabited by neither people nor animals. But on another area of the continent, you can find many animals that we see in the zoo or on TV. Yes, these are lions, giraffes, tigers, cheetahs, zebras and other heat-loving creatures.
- Above sea level, the continent is in fourth place, because the scale shows no more than 650 m.
Africa has the hottest non-residential settlement - Dallol Mainland North America is ranked third in terms of
- The area of the mainland, including all the islands, is 24.365 million km 2 and this is 16% of the total land area. By the way, sometimes this size is compared with the territory of the former Soviet Union.
- Half a billion people or 7% of the world's population live on the mainland in 23 independent states. Interestingly, they all have their own access to the sea.
- Three different oceans wash this continent with their waters: the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The mainland borders on South America, the Isthmus of Panama is the water border.
- 2 and 23 of the three countries, that is, Canada and the United States, are the richest and most prosperous countries in the world, which are included in the top 10 of the rating.
- In altitude, the continent rises to the third position after Eurasia. The readings go up to 720 m.
The mainland South America occupies almost the last positions
- The territory that it occupies the continent contains 17.84 million km 2. This is equal to 12% of all land. The Pacific and Atlantic oceans wash this territory. The natural boundary that divides the land of the two Americas is the Caribbean Sea.
- The geopolitical map contains 12 states, on the territory of which about 400 million people live. Conventionally, South America is divided into a mountainous western part and a flat eastern side. Most of the territory is characterized by hot, dry and tropical weather; on the flat part, the temperature never drops below 20 ° C.
- The continent is very rich in fresh water. Indeed, the Amazon flows through its territory, which is the largest river in the world. It is also home to the world's tallest Angel Falls and the most powerful of the Iguazu Falls.
- Lake Titicana is famous, which has the largest reserves of fresh water in the whole world. The largest countries on the mainland are Brazil and Argentina, which are even among the ten largest countries in the world.
A thin line separates Sulfur and South America from each other Antarctica wins the title of "highest continent"
- This is the land of eternal cold and snow. The mainland has an area of 9% or 14.107 million km 2, which makes it the fifth in terms of size. It is also uninhabited, there is only a temporary population of about 5 thousand people. And then, these are polar scientists and research station personnel.
- Antarctica bears the title of the highest continent on earth - more than 2 thousand meters above sea level. Everything on the mainland is covered with ice, including the Antarctic Andes Mountains and the Transarctic Peaks.
- The Bentley Depression is the deepest point in the world, well below sea level. She dropped to a mark of 2540 m below sea level.
- Antarctica is also the home of glaciers; it contains 90% of the planet's ice. And this is 80% of the fresh water supply. There are local inhabitants on the mainland - these are seals and penguins.
Earth's smallest and lowest continent - Australia
- The area of the smallest inhabited continent of the planet Australia is 7,659,861 km2. The land is surrounded on all sides by the waters of the seas and oceans. Everything is simple here: one mainland Australia is one state with the same name. And also everyone's favorite kangaroos can be found here. But we will talk about this continent in more detail.
- Also, this continent has taken an honorable place among the lowest continents. After all, Australia rose only 215 m above sea level.
The smallest continent of the planet: its area and role in the world
- Australia bears the title of the smallest continent. The area of this land area is 7 659 861 km². If you look closely at the globe, you will see a lonely continent in its eastern-southern hemisphere, which is washed on all sides by the waters of the salty oceans.
- The northern side is bordered by the Pacific Ocean and two seas: Tasman and Coral. The southern and western sides are washed by the Indian Ocean, as well as the Arafu and Timor seas.
- Two large islands adjoin the mainland of Australia. New Guinea is an island with an area of 786 thousand km2. This tropical island is home to 660 different bird species, as well as a mango grove and coconut palms. The island of Tasmania is an Australian state with an area of 68.401 thousand km2, where rare species of animals still live. For example, the Tasmanian devil.
- Another attraction is the large Coral Reef about 2 thousand km long, which consists of colonial formations of limestone polyps. The natural landmark is home to 1,550 species of fish and the huge whale shark for its size.
- This is a place of pilgrimage for divers who dream of seeing the wonderful world of colorful corals and watching the life of many large and small fish.
- Australia, although surrounded by seas and oceans, is, in fact, a dry continent. Deserts cover more than 44% of the continent itself, or 3.8 yew. km 2. The largest by area are the Great Victoria Desert and the Great Sandy Desert. They are characterized by unusual red-sandy dry soils.
Australia is the smallest continent - But the most unusual desert is the Te Pinnacles. Literally sounds like a desert of sharp rocks. On its territory, there are sharp, detached rocks, the height of which is over 5 meters.
- In total, 7 deserts of different area are designated on the territory of the mainland Australia. There are also low mountains on this continent. One of the highest mountains on the continent is Zil, which has 1511 meters.
- The mainland is also not rich in rivers. The largest river is the Murray, with a length of 2375 km. There are also lakes, but in summer they look more like swamps. Since they often dry up, because their main waters are rains, which rarely fall in summer.
- On mainland Australia, there is only one state with the same name. The country has a developed economy. It ranks 13th among the world's economies. Judging by the remoteness and lack of land borders with other countries, this is a fairly high figure.
- Such important spheres of life as education, health care, freedom in the economic sphere and morals are also at a high level. The most developed and largest cities are Melbourne, with a population of about 5 million people, and Sydney, with a population of over 5 million people.
- On the international stage, Australia is an Australian Union with a constitutional monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II is considered the head of the state. Nothing surprising, except for Great Britain, the queen is the head of monarchies in 15 independent countries, including Australia.
Interesting facts about the smallest mainland planet - the Australian continent
Although Australia bears the title of the smallest continent, it is a beautiful continent with an interesting history and colorful locals. Therefore, we propose to take a look at the fascinating aspects about this mainland.
- 40 thousand years ago, the continent was home to local aborigines, there were more than 330 thousand of them. Now it is only 1.5% of the total population.
- The capital of Australia is not Sydney, as one might think, but the small city of Canberra, with a population of only 300 thousand.
- About 25% of Australia's citizens were born abroad.
- Australia served as a prison for criminals, they were brought here for 200 years to serve the line. The number has grown to 160 thousand individuals, but at the same time, the law is rarely violated on the territory of a modern state.
- Australians love poker and spend 20% of their worldwide spending on this game.
- The original name was New South Wales.
- Australians go to the polls with pleasure, otherwise they face a rather big fine.
- Buy and sell here for their Australian dollars.
- The Australians have built the longest fence on the planet, which is 5,530 km long, to keep the sheep safe.
- Women live on average 82 years, men - 77 years, but the indigenous aborigines do not live long. On average, 20% less than all other residents.
- By the way, 60% percent are city dwellers.
- Nicole Kidman is Australian, as well as Hugh Jackman and Cate Blanchett.
- Australians smoke a lot, and this bad habit affects 21% of the total population.
- If you want to obtain citizenship of this country, then you need to live there for at least 2 years.
Australia is a highly developed country - Once there was a law that did not allow swimming on city beaches, and this ban lasted for 44 years.
- Sheep, popular on the Australian continent, ranked first in the world, because their number is over 700 thousand.
- Australia is very dangerous, because the territory is home to a huge number of poisonous creatures, snakes and spiders.
- If you turn on the radio, you might stumble upon a Joy radio wave. It has been working for gay people since 1993.
- Fast kangaroos and cute koalas are native to Australia.
- Australians are a sports nation, football, golf and tennis are popular here.
- Australians are also a cultured nation. They spend money on museums and exhibitions, not inferior in this to European countries.
Australia is a distant continent, but tourism is well developed here. The only frightening thing is the long flight, which is indispensable, and it will take a very long time to get through the water. But it is worth seeing Australia, because a lot of new and interesting things can be discovered.
Video: What is the smallest continent of the planet?
