<P> Named deserts of Australia cover 1,371,000 square kilometres (529,000 sq mi), or 18% of the Australian mainland . However, approximately 35% of the Australian continent receives so little rain it is effectively desert . The deserts in Australia are primarily distributed throughout the western plateau and interior lowlands of the continent . </P> <P> By international standards, Australian deserts receive relatively high rates of rainfall . No weather station situated in an arid region records less than 100 mm of average annual rainfall . The deserts of Australia, particularly in the interior, lack any significant summer rains . </P>

How much of australia's land mass is classified as desert