Australia is the largest sovereign state in Oceania by total area.
Australia covers about 7.69 million square kilometres, making it the region’s dominant country by landmass. It occupies the Australian continent and includes the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands.
Australia is often called both a country and a continent, which can create confusion in geography questions. In political terms it is a sovereign country; in physical-geography terms, “Australia” can refer to the continent itself.
Its interior contains extensive deserts and semi-arid areas, while most people live in coastal cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Australia is also the world’s sixth-largest country by total area.