The sixth-largest country in the world by land area, Australia is mostly desert, except for its eastern and southern coasts, and has a temperate climate. Until your next trip, LEC takes a look at Australia’s unique geography.
The terrain: a region with low elevations
The country’s average elevation is 210 meters, and its highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko, rises to just 2,228 meters. The Australian Alps stretch from the York Peninsula to Tasmania. Their peaks form plateaus carved by deep valleys. To the south lies the limestone Nullarbor Plateau, and to the southwest the narrow Swanland Plain; this western part of Australia is one of the oldest landmasses on Earth.
Australia's Climate and Wildlife
Australia is divided into several climate zones due to its vast size—it is the world’s largest island by land area. The largest zone is the arid region in the center, where temperatures are high and rainfall is very low. Along the eastern coast, the climate gradually shifts from temperate to subtropical, and in Queensland, to a true tropical climate. The wildlife that thrives there is extremely unique: it includes echidnas and platypuses, kangaroos and wallabies, as well as parrots and emus.
The Flora of Australia
In Australia, true forest exists only in the well-watered regions of the east and southwest: there, dense tangles of trees, epiphytes, and vines grow, or else magnificent eucalyptus trees. Australians use the term“open forest” to describe their sparse forests and “grassland” to refer to their savannas. All of the island’s natural vegetation has been profoundly transformed by European colonization: today, all cultivated plants come from overseas.