Australia And Oceania The Smallest Continent Unique Animal Life Geography For Kids Childrens Explore The World Books PDF Download

Australia is unique among the earth's continents because it is an island. It is the smallest continent. But it is the sixth-largest country in the world. Most of Australia is a broad, flat, dry plain called the outback. The western half of the country is mostly desert. Around the edges of the island are coastal plains. Only about 18,000,000 people live in Australia. That's about the same number of people that live in New York State! Most Australians live in the cities found along the coast. Few people live in the outback because the land is too dry to support much life. One of the most amazing natural structures in the world is found off the northeast coast of Australia. It is called the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is made up of the skeletons of tiny animals called corals. A variety of sea creatures live there. Because Australia is an island, it is home to many animals found nowhere else in the world. The most common animals -- and the most unusual -- are mammals called marsupials. Only one marsupial, the North American opossum, is found outside Australia. Book jacket.