Heathland is common worldwide. They form extensive and diverse communities across Australia in humid and sub-humid areas. Fire regimes with burning maintain the heathlands. Even more diverse though less widespread heath occurs in Southern Africa. Extensive heath communities can also be found in the California chaparral, New Caledonia, central Chile and along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. In addition to these extensive heath areas, the vegetation type is also found in scattered locations across all continents except Antarctica.