The huge central interior of the Australian continent is made up of desert land known as the outback.
It is hot, dry, and sparsely populated.
Almost in the middle of the outback is the world’s largest monolith, the famous red rock called Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock.
It is 2.2 miles (3.6 km) long and 1,141 feet (348 m) high. Uluru is sacred to the Aboriginal people who have long lived in the area.
Uluru was once part of a large mountain range that began forming more than 500 million years ago.
The mountain range eroded over the years, leaving Uluru and several smaller mountain ranges behind.
Australia is home to the world’s only egg-laying mammals, the platypus and the echidna.
