| Australia has a very dramatic landscape.
Australia is famous for its "outback," the remote lands of the interior.
The desert outback covers most of the interior. It is too hot, dry and
barren to support many people.
Eastern Australia has large areas of grasslands, used primarily for sheep
and cattle ranches.
Australia also has some mountainous areas and plateaus scattered
throughout the country. The Blue Mountains, on the south-eastern end of
Australia, get their name from the blue haze caused by oil droplets given
off from the eucalyptus trees.
As an island, Australia also has many beautiful coastal beaches.
Over 70% of Australians now live in cities or towns. Most of this
population lives in the eastern and southern coasts, and around Perth in the
west.
Australia is home to many animals not found anywhere else in the world.
These include the kangaroos, ...
and the koala.
Off the northeast coast of Australia is the Great Barrier Reef. The Great
Barrier Reef is over 1,200 miles of coral. It has developed over the last
million years, and is now the largest living structure in the world.
It is home to many sharks and thousands of different types of tropical
fish.
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