Maps of Australia

Covering an area of 7,617,930 sq.km (2,969,907 sq mi), Australia is the smallest continent, the world’s 6^th largest country and the largest country in Oceania. It is located between the Indian and Pacific Oceans in the Southern hemisphere.

Australia is extremely dry, with about 35% of the country receiving very little rain (if any). Almost 20% of available land is dominated by deserts and semi-arid land, located along the Tropic of Capricorn.

Ayers Rock (Uluru): Considered the largest solitary rock on the planet, its red sandstone surface smoothed by high winds over time is revered as a holy place and called Uluru by the aboriginal people. It’s 1,143ft (348m) high and is located in the semi-arid region of Central Australia.

At the northernmost point of Queensland is Cape York Peninsula, described as the world’s “last wilderness”, and as one of the “wildest unexplored wilderness area on the planet”. Cape York is home to jagged-tooth mountains, tropical rainforests, extensive mangrove forests, grasslands, swamps and fast-moving rivers.

The Great Dividing Mountain Range extends from Melbourne (in the south) to Cape York (in the north). Located in New South Wales, in the south eastern part of the country is, Mount Kosciuszko, the highest point in the Australian mainland, at an elevation of 7,312ft (2,229m) (as marked on the map by an upright yellow triangle). The lowest point is located in South Australia in the dry bed of Lake Eyre at -49ft (-15m) below sea level.

Darling/Murray River System: The Darling River, 1,160 miles (1,879km) in length, flows southwest from the edges of the Great Dividing Range into the Murray River. The Murray rises in the Australian Alps and flows 1,200 miles (1,930km) to the Spencer Gulf, directly west of Adelaide. It’s the longest river in Australia and is a vital source of irrigation for the country’s major agricultural industries.

Darling Range: This low mountain range runs through far southwestern Australia. Its highest point is Mt. Cooke at 1,910ft (580m).

The Great Barrier Reef: It extends for about 1600 miles off the north eastern coast of Australia.

Fraser Island: Located along Australia’s coral sea coastline, to the north of Brisbane (and not shown on this map), Fraser Island is Australia’s 4^th largest island (after Tasmania, Melville Island and Kangaroo Island), and the largest sand island in the world. Created by the action of wind over thousands of years, the island is 120km long and about 115km wide.

States of Australia Map

Australia (officially, the Commonwealth of Australia) is divided into 6 states and 2 major mainland territories. In alphabetical order, the states are: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. The two major mainland territories are: Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory. In addition to these, there are seven external territories – Ashmore and Cartier Islands, the Australian Antarctic Territory, Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, the Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands and Norfolk Islands.

Located in the northern edge of the Australian Capital Territory, in the southeastern part of the country is, Canberra – the capital of the Federation of Australia. It is also the country’s largest inland city and serves as the central administrative center of the federation. Situated on the country’s southeastern coast is, Sydney – the largest and the most populous city of Australia and Oceania. Its strategic location and magnificent harbor, makes it one of the chief ports in South Pacific. Melbourne is Australia’s 2^nd largest city.

Where is Australia?

Australia is the smallest continent and the largest country in Oceania located between the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean in the Southern hemisphere. Australia is geographically positioned both in the Southern and Eastern hemispheres of the Earth. It is completely surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans and a series of bays, gulfs, seas and straits and is situated to the south of Maritime Southeast Asia and to the north of the Antactic. Australia is separated from Papua New Guinea by the Coral Sea and Torres Strait to the northeast; from Indonesia by the Timor and Arafura seas to the northwest; from Coral Sea Islands Territory by the Great Barrier Reef; from New Zealand by Tasman Sea to the southeast; and from Antarctica by Indian Ocean to the south.

Regional Maps: Map of Oceania