About this region
Australia is the driest inhabited continent on Earth, with a diverse range of climate zones.
The temperate zones are in the south-east and south-west corners of Australia, the rest of the country is primarily deserts or semi-arid landscape.
Most major cities have developed in these temperate regions, so these are where most Australians live. Plant communities in these areas are under pressure from land clearing for agriculture and building.
Main image: The Stirling Range or Koikyennuruff, Western Australia by Jonathan Gilbert via flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0
