Western part of Australia.

GMT + 8.

2,529,880 sq km (976,787 sq miles).

2 million (official estimate 2004).

0.8 per sq km.

Perth. Population: 1.5 million (official estimate 2003).

Western Australia covers one-third of Australia; it is larger than Western Europe, but has a population only one-sixth that of London. It is bordered in the east by South Australia and the Northern Territory and in the west by the Indian Ocean, with the Timor Sea to the north. The west coast is nearer to Bali and Indonesia than to Sydney, making Perth a viable stopover destination en route to the rest of Australia. To the south, the nearest land mass is Antarctica, 2600km (1600 miles) away. It has mineral wealth in iron, bauxite, nickel, natural gas, oil, diamonds and gold. There are vast wheatlands, forests and deserts, and several national parks. A popular resort is Rottnest Island; there are also many excellent mainland beaches, particularly around Perth. Kimberley, in the far north, is one of the oldest geological areas on earth, a region where time and weather have formed deep gorges and impressive mountains, arid red plains and coastal sandstone rich in fossils. In the northwest there are two notable features: Wolf Creek Crater, an immense hole left in the desert by a giant meteorite 50,000 years ago, and the Bungle Bungles, an ancient sandstone massif covering 3000 sq km (1160 sq miles). Southeast of Perth, near Hyden, is the 2700-million-year-old Wave Rock.