Oceania : Australia

Surrounded by the Southern, Indian and Pacific Oceans, Australia is the only country that has a whole continent to itself. Its closest neighbors are New Zealand, Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea. Visitors flock to the country’s young and vibrant cities, which have adopted the European love affair with food and wine and a laid-back atmosphere all their own. But the biggest draw is Australia’s wide-open spaces. Between Sydney’s sparkling harbor and the wild-west atmosphere of Perth lies a vast interior of cinnamon-colored earth and cerulean blue skies. Although much of the sparsely populated, seven-million-kilometer landmass is arid and flat, its habitats range from alpine heath to tropical rainforests and house abundant wildlife. Australia’s unique species include platypus, echidna, koala, kangaroo, wombat, emu, cockatoo, and kookaburra. Australia claims the world's largest coral reef, The Great Barrier Reef, which lies a short distance off the northeast coast; the world's two largest monoliths, Mount Augustus and the legendary Uluru; and the oldest continuous culture. Indigenous people called Aborigines have inhabited Australia for more than 40,000 years. Many Aboriginal tribes, particularly in the outback, still live according to their ancient traditional laws and customs.

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