How Big is Australia?

One of the countries found in the Southern Hemisphere, Australia is the smallest continent in the world. The country’s capital is Canberra and the largest city is Sydney. Some of the neighboring countries to the place are East Timor, Indonesia, New Zealand and Indonesia. The country has a developed economy with a total PPP GDP in 2008 of $799.04 billion and per capita income of $36,918. One of the effects of the improving economy of the place is an increase in total population. To determine the size of Australia, it is best to look at its geography as well as its population.

The Size of Australia

How big is Australia? The country ranks 6th in the largest countries in the world with a total area of 7,617,930 square kilometer. The place is surrounded by the Pacific as well as the Indian Oceans. The coastline of the country measures 34,218 kilometers and it has an Exclusive Economic Zone with a total area of 8,148,250 square kilometers.

One of the most interesting places to visit in this continent is the Great Barrier Reef, which can be found at the north east coast. Aside from the reef, Australia also plays home to the largest monolith in the world, Mount Augustus. The highest mountain in the country is the Mount Kosciuszko, which has a height of 7,310 feet.

Semi-arid lands as well as deserts cover the largest portion of the continent. At the northern part of Australia, people can find grassland, woodland, rainforest, mangrove swamps as well as deserts. In this part of the country, people experience seasonal tropical low pressure and periodic drought.

Another way of measuring the size of the continent is by looking at the total population in the area. In 2009, the estimated population of the country is 22,010,766 while the population density is 2.833 per square kilometer. The population is composed of various ethnic groups and races like Greek, German, Scottish, Italian, Chinese, Irish and English. The indigenous groups present in the country are the Torres Strait Islanders and the Aborigines. An estimated population of indigenous people in Australia in 2001 is 410,003.

Additional Information and Other Important Details

The national language in Australia is English. The spelling and grammar used by Australians are mostly based on British English. The other languages spoken in the country are Italia, Chinese and Greek. To help deaf people communicate with other individuals, Australians use a specific sign language called as Auslan.