Egypt and Australia

The Commonwealth of Australia is the only state in the world occupying a whole continent; Tasmania and other islands also belong to it. Its area is about 7.7 million km² (6th in the world), population about 27 million and capital Canberra. It is surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans, lies in the Southern Hemisphere far from other regions, yet modern sea and air transport link it with the world. It is a constitutional monarchy (a Commonwealth member whose head of state is the British monarch), in practice governed by the prime minister; a federation of 6 states and several territories. The relief is mainly plains and plateaus; in the east is the Great Dividing Range, with the highest point Mount Kosciuszko (2,228 m). The climate is dry: most of the land is desert, semi-desert and savanna. Water is scarce, the main rivers being the Murray and Darling, whose flow varies sharply with the season; groundwater is widely used. Minerals are very rich: iron ore, coal, bauxite, gold, uranium, nickel, lithium and liquefied gas; Australia is a major exporter of many of them. Population density is among the lowest in the world (about 3 people/km² on average); people live on the east and south-east coast and in big cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth). Urbanisation is about 86–90 %. Most people are migrants and their descendants, and it is now multicultural: Europeans, Asians and others; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, the indigenous people, are about 3–4 %. Natural increase is low and population grows mainly through migration. The economy is highly developed: GDP per person is high, and mining, farming, education and tourism lead. Coal, iron ore and gas are exported to Asian states, especially China. Sheep and cattle farming are large (wool and beef exports), and crops are wheat and grapes. The most important economic region is the south-east.