In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and its immediate surrounds including the MacDonnell Ranges.

In its broadest use it can include almost any region in inland Australia that has remained relatively undeveloped, and in this sense is synonymous with the term Outback.

[3] Local Government Areas (LGAs) make up the region:[citation needed] In more general usage, or when referring to the flora and fauna of Australia, the term "central Australia" may refer to a large area in the interior of the continent, including the Lake Eyre Basin, which stretches across three states and the NT.

[5] The region has a desert environment, meaning it is very dry, receiving on average just 150 millimetres (6 in) of rainfall annually.

Moderate dry winters persist between May and October with hot, long summers from November to April.