Deserts of Australia

The deserts of Australia cover 1,371,000 square kilometres (529,000 sq mi), or 18% of the Australian mainland.

However, about 35% of Australia gets so little rain it is actually a desert. The deserts in Australia are mainly in the Australian Shield and interior lowlands of the country.^[1]

By international standards, Australian deserts receive relatively high rates of rainfall.^[2] They are not necessarily devoid of vegetation: they have large areas where vegetation is very limited in height or extent.

Rainfall is mainly in the North and East of the country (especially the Daintree Rainforest), with some in the southern area. Almost all rain falls on the edges of the huge island, not in the centre.

References

↑ Geosciences Australia –Deserts
↑ Aleshire, Peter; Geoffrey H. Nash (2007). Deserts: The Extreme Earth. Infobase Publishing. p. 137. ISBN 978-1438106663. Retrieved 27 September 2015.

[1] Geosciences Australia –Deserts

[dtee-2] Aleshire, Peter; Geoffrey H. Nash (2007). Deserts: The Extreme Earth. Infobase Publishing. p. 137. ISBN 978-1438106663. Retrieved 27 September 2015.

[1]

[2]