Australia covers an area of 7.69 million square kilometres, making it the largest island and the smallest continent on Earth. The distance from north to south is about 3,700 kilometres, and from east to west is about 4,000 kilometres. Australia’s land area ranks sixth in the world, following Russia, Canada, China, the United States, and Brazil. Australia’s marine area ranks third globally, spanning three oceans with a total marine area of 12 million square kilometres. The average elevation of Australia is only 330 meters, the lowest among all continents. The highest point in Australia is Mount Kosciuszko, at an elevation of 2,228 meters.

Australia’s terrain is uniquely diverse. The western and central regions consist of vast, rocky, and sandy deserts; in the east, highlands and plains stretch continuously along the narrow coastal slopes; the coastal areas are dotted with wide beaches and lush vegetation. The varied terrain adds contrast to these features: to the west of Sydney are the Blue Mountains with their cliffs, to the north of Brisbane are the Glass House Mountains with their eroded volcanic rock, and to the west of Adelaide is a flat plain along the southern coast.

The Murray River and the Darling River are the two longest rivers in Australia, forming the Murray-Darling Basin, which covers an area of over 1 million square kilometres, about 14% of the continent. Lake Eyre is a large salt lake in the centre of the continent, covering over 9,000 square kilometres, but it is usually dry.

About one-third of Australia’s land area lies north of the Tropic of Capricorn, with the remaining part extending to 39 degrees south latitude. Most of Australia—about 70%—is classified as arid or semi-arid, with much of the central region being unsuitable for human habitation. Australia has 11 major deserts, which account for about 20% of the continent’s area. Due to low rainfall, more than one-third of Australia’s land area is effectively covered by desert.

Australia’s average annual rainfall is 465 millimetres, with significant variability in annual rainfall and uneven distribution. The driest area is the Lake Eyre Basin, with an average annual rainfall of less than 125 millimetres. The wettest regions are the tropical areas in the northeast and the southwestern part of Tasmania.

Despite the unpredictable rainfall, the coastal areas of Australia are indeed prosperous, with most of the population residing along the coast. In the coastal areas, Australians experience a variety of climates: the far northern regions have a humid and hot tropical climate, the central eastern and western coastal areas have a warm temperate climate, and the southern coast and Tasmania are cooler.

Overall, Australia experiences warm summers and relatively mild winters, with snowfall being rare in the capital cities of each state. The highest recorded temperature in Australia occurred in Cloncurry, Queensland, reaching 53°C in 1889. The lowest recorded temperature, -23°C, occurred at Charlotte Pass, New South Wales, in 1994.