Australian National Botanic Gardens
The Australian Region
Australia
(see map)
is the smallest continent and is also the only country in
the world
to occupy an entire continent. It is situated south of the equator
between the
Indian Ocean
and the
Pacific Ocean
(see map).
In addition the continental land-mass of Australia, the Australian
government administers a number of off-shore island territories, including
a large part of
Antarctica,
the subantarctic
Heard and
MacDonald Islands, the subtropical
Norfolk
Island and
Coral
Sea Islands, and the tropical
Christmas
Island, the
Cocos
Islands and the
Ashmore
and Cartier Islands.
As it is an island, Australia does not share a land border with any
other country. Its nearest neighbours include
New Zealand
(see map)
to the southeast,
New
Caledonia,
Vanuatu and the
Solomon
Islands to the northeast, and
Papua
New Guinea
(see map)
and Indonesia
to the north; there are no immediate neighbouring countries to the
south, west and northwest. Also included in this set of documents are
some island countries of the South Pacific, the
Cook Islands,
Niue and
Tokelau associated with
New Zealand
(see map)
and the independent republics of
Fiji and
Western Samoa.
The basic information used in this directory has been extracted from the
CIA World Fact Book, 1992 edition, copies and searchable indices
of which are available at a number of sites on the Internet.
Australia and its territories
The following references describe the geography and social
infrastructure of continental Australia and its associated island
territories.
Australia's neighbours
The following references describe the geography and social
infrastructure of the surrounding region and neighbouring countries to
Australia.
______________________________________________________________________
Jim Croft
