Australia’s climate is determined by its location in the southern hemisphere between the temperate latitudes and the tropics. Its northern half is tropically hot and since the air masses are not held up by large mountains, they can expand to the south. January is the warmest month of summer in the southern hemisphere, in northern Australia maximum temperatures of up to 32 ° C are reached, in southern winter temperatures still rise to 23 ° C.

In the interior of the country, maximum daytime temperatures in summer of more than 35 ° C (January and February) are measured, while at night the values ​​sometimes drop sharply. In winter (June, July) temperatures rise to around 12 ° C.

The south of Australia with the big cities Melbouren, Adelaide and Perth is moderately warm (subtropical). Temperatures of around 22 ° C are reached here in southern summer and 12 to 13 ° C in southern winter.

With the humid northeast monsoon, there is sufficient rainfall in the northern part of the country in summer, which becomes more and more sparse towards the center of the country. The northeast coast receives up to 3,500 mm of rain, in the desert area it is only 125 mm. Only about 20 percent of Australia receives more than 250 mm of precipitation annually, the vast majority of which is arid or semi-arid. The south coast has its maximum rain in winter. Here the amounts of precipitation fluctuate considerably from year to year. During periods of drought, hot, dust-laden cyclones develop, which can wreak havoc on agriculture.

Best travel time for Australia

Since there are different climatic regions in Australia, different times are recommended as optimal for the individual areas:

The best time to travel in the north and center of Australia is between June and August. During this time of year it is drier here (at least in the north, central Australia is dry for most of the year) and less hot.

For the south of Australia, autumn (March, April) and spring (September, October) are recommended. During this time the temperatures are pleasant and there is little rain.

For the island of Tasmania, the southern summer between October and March is recommended.

Here you can find more information about the climate and the best time to travel to Australia.

Australia – key data

Area: 7,741,220 km² (of which land: 7,682,300 km², water: 58,920 km²)

Population: 21.8 million residents (estimate July 2011, CIA). White 92%, Asians 7%, Aborigines and others 1% (2006 census)

Population density: 2.8 residents per km²

Population growth: 1.148% per year (2011, CIA)

Capital: Canberra (345,257 residents, June 30, 2008)

Largest city: Sydney (4.12 million residents, August 8, 2006)

Highest point: Mount Kosciuszko, 2,229 m

Lowest point: Lake Eyre, -15 m

Form of government: According to itypejob, Australia has been a parliamentary monarchy since 1901 and is represented in the Commonwealth. The Australian Constitution dates from the same year. The Australian federal parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Representatives (150 members, elected for three years) and the Senate (76 senators, elected for six years).

Administrative division: 6 federal states (New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia) and 2 territories (Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory).

Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II (since February 6, 1952), represented by Governor General Quentin Bryce (since September 5, 2008)

Head of Government: Prime Minister Julia Gillard, since June 24, 2010

Language: The defacto official language in Australia is English. Australian English is spoken by 79% of the population. Minority languages ​​are: Chinese (2.5%), Italian (1.6%), Greek (1.3%), Arabic (1.2%), Vietnamese (1%), other (8.2%), none Data (5.7%) (2006 census)

Religion: Catholic 25.8%, Anglican 18.7%, Uniting Church 5.7%, Presbyterians and Reformed 3%, Eastern Orthodox 2.7%, other Christians 7, 9%, Buddhists 2.1%, Muslims 1.7%, others 2.4%, no information 11.3%, no religion 18.7% (2006 census)

Local time: There are three time zones running through Australia:

Western Australia: CET + 7 h. Between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October there is summer time in Western Australia (CET + 8 h).
The time difference to Central Europe is + 6 h in northern summer and + 8 h in northern winter.

Central Australia: CET + 8:30 a.m. Between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October there is summer time in Central Australia (CET + 9:30 h)
The time difference to Central Europe is + 7:30 h in northern summer and + 9:30 h in northern winter.

Eastern Australia: CET + 9 h. Between the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October there is summer time in Eastern Australia (CET + 10 h).
The time difference to Central Europe is + 8 h in northern summer and + 10 h in northern winter.

International phone code: +61

Internet code:.au

Mains voltage: 220/240 V, 50 Hz