Is Australia in Europe? Where is Australia?
The answer to “Is Australia in Europe?” is no.
Australia is a country that is known across the planet. But where actually is it?
Many people are unsure of the whereabouts of Australia. But one thing is for sure, it’s not in Europe.
I’ve put together this guide with everything you need to know about Australia’s location.
So, is Australia in Europe?
The short answer is no, Australia is not in Europe.
Europe is a large continent made up of 44 countries. Some examples include France, England and Spain. Australia is not one of the countries.
In fact, Australia is over 14,000 kilometres away from Europe.
It takes nearly 19 hours to travel from Europe to Australia! So it’s fair to say, that Australia, is definitely not part of Europe.
Where is Australia?
As we now know that Australia is not in Europe, it’s important to know where Australia actually is.
Australia is part of the continent known as Oceania. There are only 14 countries in Oceania and Australia is by far the largest of the lot which is something Australia is famous for.
Located entirely in the southern hemisphere, the bottom half of the Earth, Australia experiences seasons differently from most countries.
For example, Christmas is in summer and there is snow in Australia in June and July!
Where is Oceania?
Having learnt that it’s incorrect to say Australia is in Europe as Australia is in Oceania, we need to know where Oceania is.
Oceania is the smallest of the seven continents in terms of land mass. The biggest countries are Australia and New Zealand. Some others include Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tonga.
Oceania is made up almost exclusively of islands.
They are usually at the bottom of maps and globes, only 7,000 kilometres north of Antarctica. So Australia is actually closer to Antarctica than it is to Europe.
Where is Europe?
Having learnt that Australia is not a part of Europe, you may be interested in learning where Europe is.
Europe is continent situated north of Africa and West of Asia. It is separated by the Atlantic Sea from North and South America.
The whole continent of Europe is only 20% larger than the United States, with an area of 10.2 million square kilometres.
It’s the second smallest continent, only above Oceania, funnily enough.
That being said, it is the third biggest in terms of population. With Russia included particularly. Yes, that’s right. Russia is so large it’s often included in both Europe and Asia.
Australian Geography Facts
Now that you have a clear grasp of where Australia is, where Oceania is and lastly where Europe is, you may be interested to learn more about Australia’s geography. As such, I compiled 5 facts to learn about Australia and its geography.
1. The capital is Canberra
This one is important and useful to know. Many people wrongly believe the capital of Australia is Sydney or Melbourne, when in fact it is Canberra. It’s useful to know for sure, it might come in handy for a quiz or questionnaire or it’s good just to learn something new! Canberra is located in its own state which is called the Australian Capital Territory. This leads me nicely to the next point…
2. Australia has states
Yep! Just like the US, Canada and many other countries, Australia has states. There are 6 states and 2 territories. The 6 states are New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania. Like the Tasmanian devils! The 2 territories are the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.
3. Over 25 million people live in Australia
As of March 2022, the population of Australia is 25.89 million people. This makes Australia the 53rd largest population in the world. Sandwiched between North Korea and the Ivory Coast. Or, less than 1% of the world’s total population!
4. Almost everyone lives on the east coast
Over 70% of Australia is the outback and therefore is uninhabitable. This makes up most of Western Australia. Therefore, most people tend to live along the east coast. Cities like Sydney and Melbourne are found along here, along with drives like the Great Ocean Drive and reefs like the Great Barrier Reef.
5. 80% of Australia’s animals are indigenous and unique
Everyone knows about kangaroos and koalas but there are so many animals unique to Australia like the emu, platypus, echidna and wombat. There are so many animals unique to Australia. These animals are so fascinating to learn about, and to see them in real life is an unbelievable experience.
FAQs
Here are some commonly asked questions similar to “Is Australia in Europe?” along with their answer.
No, only countries in Europe can join the European Union. As Australia is not in Europe, it is unable to join and is not part of the European Union.
Technically speaking, no. Australia used to be under British control (hence the British flag in the corner of the Australian flag) but after the Australia Act 1986, ties were cut between the UK and Australia. That being said, Australia still recognises the British Royal Family as the head of state.
There is great debate around this topic. Many people consider Australia to be the seventh continent, whereas it has grown to include 13 other countries forming Oceania.
Despite being ruled by the British, Australia was never part of Europe. This is because the continent a country is in depends on its location. Australia has always been in Oceania.
Conclusion
Is Australia in Europe? No.
It is in Oceania which is in the southern hemisphere. It is the largest country in Oceania and the 53rd largest country in the world.
Australia was once ruled by the British but always remained part of Oceania.
Australia is not part of Europe, never has been and never will be. Australia is in Oceania.
This means the answer to “Is Australia in Asia?” is also no.
