Oceania![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Continent that represents about 6% of the world’s land and features a great many islands scattered between the Pacific and Indian oceans; Australia is its true continent.
Pacific Ocean ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
From the polar circle to the continent, this ocean is called the Antarctic.
Cook Strait ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Some 9.3 mi wide, Cook Strait separates New Zealand’s two islands.
Great Victoria Desert ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Southernmost desert of Australia.
Great Sandy Desert ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
The northernmost desert of Australia is also the world’s second largest desert (730,000 mi2) after the Sahara.
Torres Strait ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Some 105 mi wide, the Torres Strait connects the Pacific and Indian oceans; it is named after a 17th-century Spanish mariner.
Gulf of Carpentaria ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Gulf bounded by Cape York to the east and Arnhem Land to the west.
Indian Ocean ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Relatively small ocean (29 million mi2) located between Africa, Asia and Australia; it has high water temperatures and is dotted with numerous islands.
Papua New Guinea ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
The eastern part of New Guinea belongs to Oceania, while the western part of the island is in Asia.
Melanesia ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Part of Oceania (370,000 mi2) that includes Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Fiji.
New Caledonia ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Mountainous island, humid and volcanic; it is surrounded by a barrier reef enclosing the world’s largest lagoon.
Great Barrier Reef ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Coral reef extending over 1,500 mi; a Unesco World Heritage Site, it provides a habitat for numerous forms of marine life.
Coral Sea ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Westernmost part of the Pacific Ocean; its warm waters (from 77°F to 82°F) are subject to currents that reverse, depending on the season.
Fiji Islands ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Archipelago composed of 326 islands, some 100 of which are inhabited; its principal islands are Viti Levu and Vanua Levu.
Lake Eyre North ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Variable in size, Australia’s largest lake is a salt lake.
Great Dividing Range ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Mountain range extending 2,200 mi; it includes Mount Kosciusko (7,310 feet), Australia’s highest peak.
New Zealand ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Archipelago composed of a northern volcanic island, the most populated island, and a southern island crossed by a mountain range that is deeply cut with glacial valleys.
Tasmania ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Island and federal state of Australia, from which it is separated by the Bass Strait.
Great Australian Bight ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Located in the Indian Ocean south of Australia, it is known for its strong winds and rough waters.
Bass Strait ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Some 125 mi wide and relatively shallow, it separates continental Australia from Tasmania.
Tasman Sea ![click to hear](/images/speaker.jpg)
Part of the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. Named after a 17th-century Dutch mariner.