Western Australia is Australia's largest state in area, covering the western third of the mainland, and is bordered by South Australia and the Northern Territory. It is, after the Sakha Republic in Russia, the second largest subnational entity (Statoid) in the world. The capital city, Perth, is one of the most isolated cities of its size on the planet, being closer to Jakarta (3007 km) than to Sydney (3284 km).

Geography

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Much of Western Australia consists of the extremely old Yilgarn and Pilbara cratons which merged with the Deccan of India, Madagascar and the Karoo and Zimbabwe cratons of South Africa, in the Archean Eon to form Ur, the oldest Supercontinent on Earth (3,200-3,000 million years ago). Because the only mountain-building since then has been of the Stirling Range with the rifting from Antarctica, the land is extremely eroded and ancient, with no part of the State today above 1245 metres (at Mount Meharry in the Hamersley Range of the Pilbara region). Most parts of the State form a low plateau with an average elevation of about 400 metres (1200 feet), very low relief, and no surface runoff. This descends relatively sharply to the coastal plains, in some cases forming a sharp escarpment (as with the Darling Range/Darling Scarp near Perth). The extreme age of the landscape has meant that the soils are remarkably infertile and frequently laterised. Even soils derived from granitic bedrock contain an order of magnitude less available phosphorus and only half as much nitrogen as soils in comparable climates in other continents. Soils derived from extensive sandplains or ironstone are even less fertile, being even more devoid of soluble phosphate and also deficient in zinc, copper, molybdenum and sometimes potassium and calcium.

The state capital is the city of Perth, which lies on the south-western coastline. Perth's metropolitan area had an estimated population of 1.47 million in 2005 which was almost three quarters of the state's population. The Perth metropolitan area has grown to include the port of Fremantle and the town of Rockingham. Other important or well-known centres include Mandurah (pop. 54,000), Bunbury, Kalgoorlie, Albany, Geraldton, Port Hedland and Broome, but these are all relatively small cities or towns.

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NEWS.com.au | Western Australia

First cyclone brewing off north coast
Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:18:18 -0000
A TROPICAL low off the Kimberley coast is expected to develop into the first cyclone of the season.
Firepower boss earning to relight firm
Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:49:44 -0000
FIREPOWER boss Tim Johnston says he is being paid $17,754 a month for consultancy work.
Missing paddler found
Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:15:13 -0000
A SURF skier believed missing off a popular Perth beach has been found at Rottnest Island, about 18km off the coastline.
Intercepted asylum boat 53rd for year
Wed, 09 Dec 2009 23:11:17 -0000
A BOAT believed to be carrying 53 suspected asylum-seekers has been intercepted near Christmas Island.
Giant 19km iceberg heads for Australia
Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:18:03 -0000
A GIANT iceberg bigger than Sydney Harbour is drifting north from Antarctica towards Western Australia, scientists have revealed.
Giant 19km iceberg heads for Australia
Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:11:59 -0000
A GIANT iceberg bigger than Sydney Harbour is drifting north from Antarctica towards Western Australia, scientists have revealed.
Asylum seeker boat intercepted off WA
Sun, 06 Dec 2009 20:12:07 -0000
A BOAT carrying a group of suspected asylum seekers has been intercepted off the coast of Western Australia.
$1.6m drug haul was for schoolies - police
Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:54:23 -0000
WEST Australian police have seized an ecstasy haul worth $1.6 million intended for the schoolies' market.
Oceanic Viking picks up new asylum seekers
Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:07:07 -0000
kTHE Oceanic Viking has intercepted a boat carrying 53 suspected asylum seekers and four crew about 22 nautical miles north of West Islet in the Ashmore Islands.
Shark attack victim still not found
Sat, 27 Dec 2008 07:35:00 -0000
A MAN believed killed by a shark has not been found hours after the attack but his family don't want the shark hunted down.

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