Updated: 02 June 2003

Deserts

Apart from Antarctica, Australia is the driest continent in the world. About 35 per cent of the continent receives so little rain, it is effectively desert. In total, 70 per cent of the mainland receives less than 500mm of rain annually, making it arid or semi-arid. Australia's deserts, listed below, are distributed throughout the western plateau and interior lowlands. The total area of deserts is eighteen per cent of the total mainland area of Australia.

Areas of Australian deserts

STATE/TERRITORY	NAME	SIZE (km²)	AUSTRALIA ( % )
WA, SA	Great Victoria	348 750	4.5
WA	Great Sandy	267 250	3.5
WA, NT	Tanami	184 500	2.4
NT, QLD, SA	Simpson	176 500	2.3
WA	Gibson	156 000	2.0
WA	Little Sandy	111 500	1.5
SA, QLD, NSW	Strzelecki	80 250	1.0
SA, QLD, NSW	Sturt Stony	29 750	0.3
SA	Tirari	15 250	0.2
SA	Pedirka	1 250	less than 0.1
-	Total	1 371 000	18

Source: AUSLIG Deserts database, 1994.

[back to top]