Australasia and Oceania
The region known as Australasia includes
the countries of Australia, New Zealand,
and Papua New Guinea. Australia is so
big that it is a continent in its own right. To the east lie
thousands of tiny Pacific Islands, known as Oceania.
FACTS ABOUT THE REGION
■ Covers approximately 6 percent of the
Earth’s land area
■ Number of countries 14 independent
countries and 16 dependencies
■ Biggest country Australia, which is
also a continent
■ Languages there are 25 official languages
in the region
■ Population of the region estimated at
around 30 million
■ Largest city 4.3 million people live in
Sydney, Australia
■ Highest point Mt. Wilhelm in Papua New
Guinea is 14,793 ft (4,509 m) high
■ Longest river the Murray-Darling in
Australia is 2,330 miles (3,750 km) long
■ Biggest lake Lake Eyre in AustraliaHow many people?
About 30 million people live
in Australasia and Oceania.
This is just 0.5 percent of the
total world population. The
vast majority of people live
in Australia, which has a
population of 21 million.THE OUTBACK
Away from the coasts, Australia is
mostly a hot, dry, desertlike plain,
known as the outback. Very few people
live there, but it is home to many
animals, including kangaroos, dingoes,
wombats, and emus, and to huge sheep
and cattle farms.below 50
50-90
100-149
150-199
200-299
above 300Population density
People per km² (0.39 miles²)d ULURU, or Ayers Rock,
is a large outcrop of sandstone
rock in the center of Australia.
Local Aboriginal people
consider it a sacred site.0 km
0 miles 10001000CONTINENTS OF
THE WORLDArnhem
LandGreat Victoria
DesertGreat Sandy
DesertNullarbor^ Plain^Timor
SeaGreat
Australian
BightPhilippine
Sea
Araf
ura(^) Se
a
Arafura S
ea
INDIAN
OCEAN
SOUTH
AUSTRALIA
WESTERN
AUSTRALIA
NORTHERN
TERRITORY
Babeldaob
Broome
Geraldton
Albany
Kalgoorlie
Alice Springs
Darwin
Perth
MELEKEOK
PALAU
AUSTR
ASIA
2
(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.(c) 2012 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.