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Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world (geographically), the only one to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australia. Australia includes a number of islands the largest of which, other than the mainland, is Tasmania, which is an Australian State. Its neighbouring countries New Zealand to the southeast; and Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and East Timor to its north.
Although most of the continent is desert or semi-arid, Australia nevertheless a diverse range of habitats, from alpine heaths to tropical rainforests. Because of the great age of the continent, its very variable weather patterns, and its long-term geographic isolation, much of Australia's biota is unique. Such species that are famously Australian: koalas, kangaroos, emus, platypuses, wombats and echidnas.
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