GEOGRAPHY

Australia is a country and an island located in Oceania between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean. It shares its name with the country that claims control over it. Properly called the Commonwealth of Australia, its territory consist of the entire continent and smaller outlying islands. This makes it the sixth-largest country in the world by are of jurisdiction, which comprises 7, 686,850 km2 (including Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island), which is slightly smaller than the 48 states of the contiguous United States and 31.5 times larger than that of the United Kingdom.

The countries that govern nearby regions include Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea to the norht; the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and the French dependency of New Caledonia to the east; and New Zealand to the southeast.

POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY

Australia consist of six states, two major mainland territories, and other minor territories. The states are New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia. The two major mainland territories are the Northern Territory and the Australia Capital Territory. Western Australia is the largest state, covering just under one third of the Australia landmass, followed by Queensland, South Australia, and New South Wales.

HYDROLOGY

Much of Australia's interior is arid; the low average annual rainfall and high temperatures mean interior rivers are often dry and lakes empty. 

The Great Artesian Basin is an importan source of water, the world's largest and deepest fresh water basin. Towns and cities across the country sometimes face major water storage and usage crises in which restrictions and other measures are implemented to reduce water consumption.

CLIMATE

By far the largest part of Australia is arid or semi-arid. A total of 18% of Australia's mainland consist of named deserts, while additional areas are considered to have a desert climate based on low rainfall and high temperature. Only the south.east and south-west corners have a temperate climate and moderately fertile soil. The northern part of the continent has a tropical climate: part is tropical rainforests, part glasslands, and part desert.

GEOLOGY
Australia is the lowest, flattest, and oldest continental landmass on Earth, and it has had a relatively stable geological history. 

Australia is situated in the middle of the tectonic plate, and therefore currently has no active volcanism. Minor earthquakes, which produce no damage, occur frequently, while major earthquakes measuring greater than magnitude 6 occur on average every five years. The terrain is moslty low plateau with deserts, rangelands and a fertile plain in the southeast. 

NATURAL DISASTERS

• Cyclones: The North-western coast in Western Australia is the most cyclone-prone area in all of Australia. 
• Bushfires: This is due to the unique flora that exists, which is highly flammable, and some species require fire to regenerate and spread.
• Heatwaves: Extreme temperatures are defined as days where the peak temperature is greater than 35 degrees. They are the deadliest natural disasters in Australia.
• Droughts: As Australia is the driest inhabited continent, such droughts can limit the streamflow of the few major rivers in the country, creating a myriad of knock-on effects. 
• Earthquakes: While Australia is not a seismically active zone, it does experience small-scale earthquakes. On average, around 100 earthquakes of magnitude 3 are experienced in Australia every year.
• Floods: Australia has had over 160,708 floods in the last 10 years, many of which have taken out homes, wildlife, and many habitats.