The sparsely populated continent of Australasia is made up of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and several nearby islands. It is the world’s smallest continent, but includes a range of landscapes from tropical rainforest and arid desert, to volcanoes and dry grasslands. Oceania consists of about 25,000 volcanic or coral tropical islands, scattered over a vast area of the Pacific Ocean. The islands are divided into three groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Some of the islands are mountainous and densely forested, and many are uninhabited.
FACTFILE: AUSTRALASIA & OCEANIA
Total land area: 3,285,048 sq
miles (8,508,238 sq km)
Total population: 30.4 million
Number of countries: 14
Largest country: Australia
2,967,892 sq miles
(7,686,850 sq km)
Smallest country: Nauru
8 sq miles (21 sq km)
Largest country population:
Australia 19.5 million
Largest lake: Lake Eyre, Australia
3,700 sq miles (9,583 sq km)
Longest river: Murray-Darling,
Australia
2,330 miles (3,750 km)
Highest point: Mt. Wilhelm,
Papua New Guinea
14,794 ft (4,509 m)
Major desert: Great Victoria
Desert, Australia
Largest coral reef: Great Barrier
Reef, Australia
1,242 miles (2,000 km)
Capital city: Palikir
(Pohnpei Island)
Capital city:
No official capital
Capital city: Bairiki
(Tarawa Atoll)
Capital city: Port Moresby
Capital city: Fongafale
(Funafuti Atoll)
