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Geography Stats: compare key data on Australia & Indian Ocean

Definitions

  • Area > Comparative: The area of various small countries expressed in comparison to various areas within the United States of America.
  • Area > Comparative to US places: This entry provides an area comparison based on total area equivalents. Most entities are compared with the entire US or one of the 50 states based on area measurements (1990 revised) provided by the US Bureau of the Census. The smaller entities are compared with Washington, DC (178 sq km, 69 sq mi) or The Mall in Washington, DC (0.59 sq km, 0.23 sq mi, 146 acres).
  • Area > Note: This entry includes three subfields. Total area is the sum of all land and water areas delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines. Land area is the aggregate of all surfaces delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines, excluding inland water bodies (lakes, reservoirs, rivers). Water area is the sum of the surfaces of all inland water bodies, such as lakes, reservoirs, or rivers, as delimited by international boundaries and/or coastlines.
  • Area > Total: Total area in square kilometers
  • Climate: A brief description of typical weather regimes throughout the year.
  • Coastline: The total length of the boundary between the land area (including islands) and the sea.
  • Elevation extremes > Highest point: Highest point above sea level
  • Geographic coordinates: This entry includes rounded latitude and longitude figures for the purpose of finding the approximate geographic center of an entity and is based on the Gazetteer of Conventional Names, Third Edition, August 1988, US Board on Geographic Names and on other sources.
  • Note: This entry includes miscellaneous geographic information of significance not included elsewhere.
  • Location: The country's regional location, neighboring countries, and adjacent bodies of water.
  • Map references: The name of the CIA World Factbook reference map on which a country may be found. The entry on Geographic coordinates may be helpful in finding some smaller countries.
  • Natural hazards: Potential natural disasters.
  • Natural resources: A country's mineral, petroleum, hydropower, and other resources of commercial importance.
  • Terrain: A brief description of the topography
STAT Australia Indian Ocean HISTORY
Area > A note includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island includes Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Great <a href=/encyclopedia/Australia><a href=/country/as>Australian</a></a> Bight, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of <a href=/country/mu><a href=/country/mu>Oman</a></a>, <a href=/country/mz>Mozambique</a> Channel, <a href=/encyclopedia/Persian-language><a href=/encyclopedia/Persian-language>Persian</a></a> Gulf, Red Sea, Strait of Malacca, and other tributary <a href=/kp/water>water</a> bodies
Area > Comparative slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states about 5.5 times the size of the US
Area > Comparative to US places slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states about 5.5 times the size of the US
Area > Note includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island includes Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Flores Sea, Great Australian Bight, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Java Sea, Mozambique Channel, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Savu Sea, Strait of Malacca, Timor Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Area > Total 7.74 million sq km
Ranked 7th.
68.56 million sq km
Ranked 3rd. 9 times more than Australia
Climate generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon (June to October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June and October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and January/February in the southern Indian Ocean
Coastline 25,760 km
Ranked 7th.
66,526 km
Ranked 4th. 3 times more than Australia
Elevation extremes > Highest point Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m sea level 0 m
Geographic coordinates 27 00 S, 133 00 E 20 00 S, 80 00 E
Note world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; the only continent without glaciers; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; the invigorating sea breeze known as the "Fremantle Doctor" affects the city of Perth on the west coast and is one of the most consistent winds in the world major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and the Lombok Strait
Location Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean body of water between Africa, the Southern Ocean, Asia, and Australia
Map references Oceania Other
Natural hazards cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires occasional icebergs pose navigational hazard in southern reaches
Natural resources bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, rare earth elements, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules
Terrain mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the southern Indian Ocean; unique reversal of surface currents in the northern Indian Ocean; low atmospheric pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer air results in the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast winds and currents, while high pressure over northern Asia from cold, falling, winter air results in the northeast monsoon and northeast-to-southwest winds and currents; ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Indian Ocean Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast Indian Ocean Ridge, Southwest Indian Ocean Ridge, and Ninetyeast Ridge

SOURCES: CIA World Factbook, December 2003; CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 28 March 2011; All CIA World Factbooks 18 December 2003 to 18 December 2008

Citation

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