By Julie M. Rodriguez, Source: Inhabitat

Australian officials recently announced that the state of Queensland is in the midst of the most widespread drought on written record, with over 80% of the territory desperate for water. While drought is common in the region, it’s never before been so widespread, and it’s unusual for large portions of the coast to be affected. As the nation’s second-largest state, this is definite cause for alarm. Queensland covers an enormous amount of ground, taking up 1.7 million square kilometers (or 656,000 square miles), and most of that area has received little to no precipitation during the normal rainy season.

Read the full story at: Inhabitat