Scientific topics Landforms
Last updated:27 June 2014
![book cover](https://www.ga.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0011/31214/varieties/768w.jpg)
Exploring the geology, resources and landscapes of Australia, the book reveals how these have helped to shape this nation's society, environment and wealth.
![Aerial view of Snowy Hydro pipelines](https://www.ga.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0012/12621/varieties/768w.jpg)
Australia's highly variable rainfall and an absence of plentiful natural lakes has necessitated the construction of large capacity reservoirs.
![As per caption](https://www.ga.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0012/12630/varieties/768w.jpg)
Australia has some of the most recognisable rock formations in the world including Uluru in Central Australia which was laid down in an inland sea about 500 million years ago.
![Sunrise on Main Range peaks - Kosciuszko National Park. Credit: Artefotograf, Wikimedia Commons.](https://www.ga.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0013/12613/varieties/768w.jpg)
Australia's ten highest mountains are all located within six kilometres of one another.
![The Three Sisters, Echo Point, Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia](https://www.ga.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0014/12614/varieties/768w.jpg)
Australia has some impressive 'high country' but it is in fact the lowest continent in the world with an average elevation of just 330 metres.
![An overhead view of a mangrove ecosystem in the Great Sandy Region near Tin Can Bay, Australia](https://www.ga.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0015/12615/varieties/768w.jpg)
The mighty Murray River is Australia's longest but the Darling River and its upper tributaries is fractionally longer.
![The islands at the end of the Dampier Peninsula into the Buccaneer Archipelago](https://www.ga.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0016/12616/varieties/768w.jpg)
Australia is surrounded literally by thousands of islands, amongst them the world's largest sand island.
![Wallaman Falls](https://www.ga.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0017/12653/varieties/768w.jpg)
Spectacular waterfalls plunge from Australia's mountain ranges and escarpments.
![South Australian outback Landscape at sunset](https://www.ga.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0018/12618/varieties/768w.jpg)
Ten deserts make up nearly 20 per cent of Australia and contribute to it being the second driest continent in the world.
![Colorful Polished Banded Iron Formation (BIF) Rock](https://www.ga.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0019/12619/varieties/768w.jpg)
Australia's landscape is very distinctive and unique. But it took many millions of years and some amazing climatic and geological processes to produce what we see today.
![Landsat-8 image provided by Geoscience Australia courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey.](https://www.ga.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0018/130851/varieties/768w.jpg)
Satellite imagery can reveal distinctive patterns of land cover and land use over a wide area.