01. Geography and Climate, 2003  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 24/01/2003   
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Contents >> Geography and Climate >> Geography of Australia - Position and area

Australia comprises a land area of about 7,692,024 square kilometres (see table 1.1). The land lies between latitudes 10 degrees 41 minutes south (Cape York, Queensland) and 43 degrees 38 minutes south (South East Cape, Tasmania) and between longitudes 113 degrees 09 minutes east (Steep Point, Western Australia) and 153 degrees 38 minutes east (Cape Byron, New South Wales). The most southerly point on the mainland is South Point (Wilson's Promontory, Victoria) 39 degrees 08 minutes south. The latitudinal distance between Cape York and South Point is about 3,180 km, while the latitudinal distance between Cape York and South East Cape is 3,680 km. The longitudinal distance between Steep Point and Cape Byron is about 4,000 km.


1.1 AREA, COASTLINE, TROPICAL AND TEMPERATE ZONES
Estimated area
Proportion of total area
Total
Total area
Length of coastline(a)
Tropical zone
Temperate zone
km2
%
km
%
%
New South Wales
800,642
10.4
2,137
. .
100
Victoria
227,416
3.0
2,512
. .
100
Queensland
1,730,648
22.5
13,347
54
46
South Australia
983,482
12.7
5,067
. .
100
Western Australia
2,529,875
33.0
20,781
37
63
Tasmania
68,401
0.9
4,882
. .
100
Northern Territory
1,349,129
17.5
10,953
81
19
Australian Capital Territory
2,358
<1
. .
. .
100
Jervis Bay Territory
73
<1
57
. .
100
Australia
7,692,024
100.0
59,736
39
61
(a) Includes islands.

Source: Bureau of Meteorology; Geoscience Australia 2002, Geoscience Australia, Canberra, viewed 22 August 2002, http://www.auslig.gov.au.


The area of Australia is almost as great as that of the United States of America (excluding Alaska), about 50% greater than Europe (excluding the former USSR) and 32 times greater than the United Kingdom. Tables 1.2 and 1.3 show the area of Australia in relation to areas of other continents and selected countries.


1.2 AREAS OF CONTINENTS
'000 km2
Continents
Asia
44,900
Africa
30,300
North America
24,700
South America
17,800
Antarctica
14,000
Europe
9,900
Australia and Oceania
8,500
Total landmass
150,100
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica.



1.3 AREAS OF SELECTED COUNTRIES
'000 km2
COUNTRIES (SEVEN LARGEST)
Russia
17,075
Canada
9,971
United States of America
9,809
China
9,556
Brazil
8,512
Australia
7,692
India
3,204
SELECTED OTHER COUNTRIES
Belarus
208
France
547
Germany
357
Indonesia
1,919
Japan
377
Kazakhstan
2,717
Papua New Guinea
462
New Zealand
268
Ukraine
604
United Kingdom
242
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica.



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