The smallest continent in the world, Australis is one of the largest countries though, placed between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, in the Southern Hemisphere. Australian territory extends 4,000 km from west to east and 3, 200 km from north to south. In other words, it is about 15 times bigger than Spain.
Contrary to what many people probably think, its capital is not Sydney, but Canberra, a city of about 350, 000 habitants in the southeast of the country. Still, Sydney is the most important and biggest city, with more than 4, 500, 000 habitants.
Its territory is divided into 6 states, five of them in Australian mainland. The states are Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Austraila, Melbourne, New South Wales, and Tasmania. The most important cities of Australia are Perth in Western Australia, Darwin in Northern Territory, Brisbane in Queensland, Adelaide in South Australia, Victoria in Melbourne, Hobart in Tasmania, and Sydney and Canberra in New South Wales.
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica 2006.
