Looking for a Map of Australia
and Some Quick Facts?
(Including Oceania)

A large percentage of geography experts now consider the long-established continent of Australia to be more accurately defined as Australia/Oceania. It is the smallest continent, and is one of the most fascinating and diverse areas on the planet. Collectively it combines all of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, as well as the thousands of coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific Ocean, including the Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia groups. The continent includes a total of 14 countries.

The continent is 3,136,652 square miles and compises just over 5 percent of Earth's land. The highest point is Mount Wilhelm in Papua New Guinea at 14,794 feet. Lake Eyre, Australia, is 52 feet below sea level and is the lowest point. The longest river system in Oceania is the Murray-Darling at 2300 miles and is the 17th longest in the world. Australia can be divided into three parts - the Western Plateau, the Central Lowlands and the Eastern Highlands. About 20% of Australia is desert.

Australia/Oceania's population is 31,090,000. The majority of the people speak English. French is the second most spoken language. Roman Catholics and Protestants each make up about 29% of the population. Over 20% of the people are Anglicans. For the continent, Australia has the highest per capita income at US $19562 and the Solomon Islands at US $496 is the lowest. Unemployment is highest in the Marshall Islands at almost 31%. Nauru, south of the Marshall Islands, is reported to have 0% unemployment (source: CIA World Factbook, December 2003).