The Pilbara is one of the nine regions of Western Australia. It is situated in the north west of Western Australia, south of the Kimberley. The Pilbara is made up of the local government areas of Ashburton, East Pilbara (the largest shire in the world), Port Hedland and Roebourne.

The Pilbara region covers an area of 507,896 km² (including offshore islands). It has a population of just under 40,000 people, most of whom live in the western third of the region. Most Pilbara residents live in the region's towns, which include Port Hedland, Karratha, Newman and Marble Bar. A substantial number of people also work in the region on a fly-in/fly-out basis.

Location of PilbaraThe Pilbara consists of three distinct geographic areas. The western third is coastal sandplain, and supports most of the region's population and much of its industry and commerce. The eastern third is almost entirely desert, and is sparsely populated by a small number of Aboriginal peoples. In between is a vast area of inland ranges, which contain a number of mining towns, and natural attractions in the form of gorges. The region contains some of the world's oldest surface rocks, including the ancient fossilised remains known as stromatolites and granites that are more than three billion years old.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilbara