ABSTRACT
Australia is an “island continent” spanning some 4000 km from east to west, 3700 km from north to south, with a total area of 7.69 million km2 bounded by the Indian, Paciˆc, and Southern Oceans. Approximately one-third of the land mass lies to the north of the Tropic of Capricorn, and the continent spans a diverse range of climatic zones. Australia’s average elevation is only 330 m, reaching little more than 2200 m at its highest point. Approximately 70% of the landscape is arid or semiarid, with a large portion of the continent center unsuitable for settlement and too dry to sow pasture or crops. However, much of this area has sufˆcient native plant cover to support extensive grazing, provided ground water is available. The most fertile areas are close to the coast, particularly in the high rainfall strips along the east coast, and the southwest corner. The highly productive coastal region comprises about 6% of Australia and contains all its major cities.
