Mainland Australia is so small that its area is even smaller than some states of the world. Its territory is only 7.63 million km square. The smallest mainland in the southern hemisphere is located and intersects the southern tropic. Its shores are washed by the waters of the Pacific and Indian oceans. Due to its small size, Australia is sometimes also called the mainland island.
The continent is not connected by land with any of the other continents, it is located completely isolated. The rest of the continents of the world are at a considerable distance from Australia. This contributed to the formation of a peculiar plant and animal world, in many respects different from other parts of the world.
The uniqueness of Australia
In addition to being the smallest mainland, it has several features that make it truly unique. The fauna of the continent is extremely unusual. Only marsupials live here - from small marsupial mice and moles to large kangaroos. Australian wolves and bears also have bags in which they carry their cubs. There are also representatives of the fauna that you will not see on other continents - almost 80% of the animals are endemic. The most famous of them are echidna and platypus. An amazing mammal the platypus of its cubs hatches out of an egg, as birds do. Only here you can see the dog dingo, ostrich emu, koala and kangaroo - the most popular animals in Australia.
The flora is also unique: 90% of the plants of the continent are endemic, found only here. The symbol of the Australian flora is eucalyptus - the tallest tree on the planet, reaching the height of a fifty-story building.
The smallest mainland is also the driest on the planet. Most of it is located in the tropical climate zone, as a result of which vast deserts occupy almost the entire central part of the continent. Australia is also called the lowest mainland. 215 meters is the average absolute height, and the highest point has a height of only 2230 meters.
Past and modern name
“Unknown land” - this is what Australia was called on ancient maps. Today, for most people, it remains a mysterious land and a country full of surprises. The name of the continents is most often associated with their geographical location, the same applies to Australia: translated from Latin "australis" means "southern". And this name appeared relatively recently, only at the beginning of the XIX century. And before that, its individual parts were called by the names given to them by the discoverers. The modern name was finally entrenched after the Englishman Flinders sailed around the continent.
The smallest continent of our planet is also famous for the fact that its territory is completely occupied by one country - the Australian Union. The largest city in the country is Sydney, known worldwide for its opera house, the real eighth wonder of the world. Another unusual masterpiece is Harbor Bridge - a bridge over the beautiful Port Jackson Bay, which has a half-kilometer arch.
