User:Nurg/Australia (continent)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The mainland or continent of Australia is the smallest of the seven commonly-recognized, contiguous continents of the world. It forms the vast majority of the country of Australia, with the island of Tasmania and other, small islands making up the rest of the country. The mainland itself is also called Australia. Administratively, the mainland is divided into five states and two territories, with Tasmania forming the small, sixth state of the country.
Its continental shelf extends under Bass Strait which separates it from Tasmania, and under the Arafura Sea and Torres Strait which separate it from the island of New Guinea. If the edge of the continental shelf is taken to be the boundary of the continent,[1] the Australian mainland forms part of a larger continent known by various names such as Australia-New Guinea, Sahul and Meganesia.