m
m
m
c
c
c
c
c
c
Tropic of Capricorn
Equator
Timor
Sea
Arafura
Sea
Solomon
Sea
Coral
Sea
Bismarck
Sea
Gulf
of
Carpentaria
To
rres
Strait
Great
Australian
Bight
Bas
s^ S
tr
ai
t^
G
r
ea
t
B
ar
r
ie
r
(^) R
e
ef
Tasman
Sea
INDIAN
OCEAN
Babeldaob
Yap
Fraser Island
Saipan
Kosrae
Chuuk
Islands Pohnpei
Guadalcanal
New Ireland
Bougainville
New Island
Britain
Great Sandy
Desert
Nu
lla
rbo
r^ Pla
in^
Mac
do
nn
ell
Simpson
Desert
Great Victoria
Desert
Arnhem
Land Cape
York
Peninsula
Kangaroo
Island
Ran
ges
New Guinea
M i c r o n e M
e l a n G r
ea
t
D
iv
id
in
g R a n g e
Sol
om
on
(^) Is
la
nd
s
Carol
ine
(^) Is
lands
Mount Kosciuszko
2,228 m (7,310 ft)
Uluru
(Ayers Rock)
867 m
Mount Wilhelm
4,509 m (14,793 ft)
Mu
rray^
Da
rli
ng^
Lake Torrens
Lake Eyre North
Northern Mariana
Islands
(U.S.)
Coral Sea
Islands
(Australia)
Guam
(U.S.)
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
WESTERN
New Zealand Australia and
WALES
VICTORIA
NORTHERN
TERRITORY
QUEENSLAND
TASMANIA
Esperance
Carnarvon
Katherine
Tennant Creek
Mount Isa
Port Hedland Alice Springs
Broome
Darwin
Perth
Launceston
Wagga
Wagga
Rockhampton
Toowoomba
Cairns
Port
Augusta
Lae
Melbourne
Geelong
Adelaide
Sydney
Brisbane
Hobart
Wollongong
Newcastle
Townsville
Albany
CANBERRA
PORT MORESBY
HONIARA
PALIKIR
KOROR
HAGATÑA
AUSTRALIA
PALAU
PAPUA NEW
GUINEA
MICRONESIA
272 People and Places
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0 miles 800
800
400
400
The sparsely populated region of
Australasia includes the world’s smallest
continent, Australia, as well as New
Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and several
nearby islands. It is the world’s smallest continent, but
includes a range of landscapes from tropical rainforest
and arid desert, to volcanoes and dry grasslands.
Oceania consists of about 25,000 volcanic or
coral tropical islands, scattered over a vast area
of the Pacific Ocean. The islands are divided
into three groups: Melanesia, Micronesia,
and Polynesia. Some of the islands are
mountainous and densely forested,
and many are uninhabited.
Total land area: 8,508,238 sq km
(3,285,048 sq miles)
Total population: 67 million
Number of countries: 14
Largest country: Australia
7,686,850 sq km
(2,967,893 sq miles)
Smallest country: Nauru
21 sq km (8.1 sq miles)
Largest country population:
Australia 21.4 million
Largest lake: Lake Eyre, Australia
9,583 sq km
(3,700 sq miles)
Longest river: Murray-Darling,
Australia
3,750 km (2,330 miles)
Highest point: Mt Wilhelm,
Papua New Guinea
4,509 m (14,794 ft)
Major desert: Great Victoria
Desert, Australia
Largest coral reef: Great Barrier
Reef, Australia
2,000 km (1,242 miles)
Australasia and Oceania
4 SYDNEY HARBOUR
BRIDGE, AUSTRALIA
This huge landmark bridge carries
road and railway traffic over the
harbour of Australia’s biggest city.
AUSTRALASIA & OCEANIA
Australasia