II.

Land and Resources

Western Australia is a generally low-lying state, largely comprised of a plateau ranging from 300 to 600 m (1,000 to 2,000 ft) above sea level. Upland regions include the King Leopold Ranges in the far north, the Stirling Range in the far south, and the Hamersley and Carnarvon ranges in the state’s west central region. Western Australia’s highest point, Mount Meharry (1,245 m/4,085 ft), lies in the Hamersley Range. The state has 12,500 km (7,800 mi) of coastline, much of which is lined by broad coastal plains that extend inland to the central plateau. The southwestern coastal area is home to a fertile region called Swanland, but most of Western Australia is sandy and dry with little vegetation. Three large deserts, the northern Great Sandy, the central Gibson, and the southern Great Victoria, dominate vast tracts of the state’s inland regions. Each is characterized by extreme temperatures and scanty rainfall. Outside the deserts, the climate varies from tropical (hot and humid) in the north to temperate in the southwest. The state is a leading producer of iron ore, gold, industrial diamonds, wool, wheat, and alumina.