Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lake Eyre: -15 m
highest point: Mount Kosciuszko: 2,228 m

Natural resources and land use
Natural resources include: bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum.

Australia is home to the Great Artesian Basin - an important source of water for people and cattle in the parched outback. This basin is the world’s largest and deepest fresh water basin.

Land use:
arable land: 6%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 54%
forests and woodland: 19%
other: 21% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 21,070 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: cyclones along the northern coasts; severe thunderstorms, droughts and occasional floods; frequent bushfires

Environment

Current issues: soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and its popularity as a tourist site; limited natural fresh water resources

International agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban 1963, Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 1994, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification

Extreme points

This is a list of the extreme points of Australia, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location on the continent.

Australia (mainland)
Northernmost Point - Cape York, Queensland (10°41′ S)
Southernmost Point - South Point, Wilsons Promontory, Victoria (39°08′ S)
Westernmost Point - Steep Point, Western Australia (113°09′ E)
Easternmost Point - Cape Byron, New South Wales (153°38′ E)
Lowest Point - Lake Eyre: -15 m
Highest Point - Mount Kosciuszko: 2,228 m

Australia (country, including islands)
Northernmost Point - Boigu Island, Torres Strait Islands, Queensland
Southernmost Point - Macquarie Island, Tasmania ¹
Westernmost Point - Flat Island, McDonald Islands ²
Easternmost Point - Norfolk Island
Highest Point - Mawson Peak, Heard Island: 2,745 m

Australian Antarctic Territory
Westernmost Point - (45°00′ E)
Easternmost Point - (160°00′ E)
Southernmost Point - South Pole

¹ The southernmost point of the main island group is South East Cape, Tasmania.

² The westernmost point of the main island group is Dirk Hartog Island, Western Australia.