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Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia,[15] is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands.[b] Australia is the largest country by area in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country. Australia is the oldest,[16] flattest,[17] and driest inhabited continent,[18][19] with the least fertile soils.[20][21] It is a megadiverse country, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates, with deserts in the centre, tropical rainforests in the north-east, tropical savannas in the north, and mountain ranges in the south-east.

This article is about the country. For the continent, see Australia (continent). For other uses, see Australia (disambiguation).

Commonwealth of Australia

Sydney (metropolitan)
Melbourne (urban)[N 2]

1 January 1901

15 November 1926

3 March 1986

7,688,287[7] km2 (2,968,464 sq mi) (6th)

1.79 (2015)[8]

Neutral increase 27,152,400[9] (53rd)

Neutral increase 25,890,773[10]

3.5/km2 (9.1/sq mi) (192nd)

2024 estimate

Increase $1.791 trillion[11] (20th)

Increase $66,627[11] (23rd)

2024 estimate

Increase $1.790 trillion[11] (14th)

Increase $66,589[11] (10th)

Positive decrease 32.4[12]
medium

Decrease 0.946[13]
very high (10th)

UTC+8; +9.5; +10 (AWST, ACST, AEST[N 4])

UTC+10.5; +11 (ACDT, AEDT[N 4])

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dd/mm/yyyy[14]

The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians began arriving from south-east Asia 50,000 to 65,000 years ago, during the last glacial period.[22][23][24] They settled the continent and had formed approximately 250 distinct language groups by the time of European settlement, maintaining some of the longest known continuing artistic and religious traditions in the world.[25] Australia's written history commenced with European maritime exploration. The Dutch were the first known Europeans to reach Australia, in 1606. British colonisation began in 1788 with the establishment of the penal colony of New South Wales. By the mid-19th century, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers and five additional self-governing British colonies were established, each gaining responsible government by 1890. The colonies federated in 1901, forming the Commonwealth of Australia.[26] This continued a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom, highlighted by the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942, and culminating in the Australia Acts of 1986.[26]


Australia is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy comprising six states and ten territories: the states of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia and Western Australia; the major mainland Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory; and other minor or external territories. Its population of nearly 27 million[9] is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard.[27] Canberra is the nation's capital, while its most populous cities are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.[28] Australian governments have promoted multiculturalism since the 1970s.[29] Australia is culturally diverse and has one of the highest foreign-born populations in the world.[30][31] Its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade relations are crucial to the country's economy, which generates its income from various sources: predominantly services (including banking, real estate and international education) as well as mining, manufacturing and agriculture.[32][33] It ranks highly for quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, civil liberties and political rights.[34]


Australia has a highly developed market economy and one of the highest per capita incomes globally.[35][36][37] It is a middle power, and has the world's thirteenth-highest military expenditure.[38][39] It is a member of international groups including the United Nations; the G20; the OECD; the World Trade Organization; Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation; the Pacific Islands Forum; the Pacific Community; the Commonwealth of Nations; and the defence and security organisations ANZUS, AUKUS, and the Five Eyes. It is also a major non-NATO ally of the United States.[40]

Legislature: the bicameral , comprising the monarch, the Senate, and the House of Representatives;

Parliament

Executive: the , led by the prime minister (the leader of the party or Coalition with a majority in the House of Representatives) and other ministers they have chosen. Formally appointed by the governor-general.[245]

Cabinet

Judiciary: the and other federal courts

High Court

Outline of Australia

Index of Australia-related articles

International rankings of Australia

Sources

 This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed under CC BY-SA IGO 3.0 (license statement/permission). Text taken from World Food and Agriculture – Statistical Yearbook 2023​, FAO, FAO.

on The World Factbook

Australia profile

from BBC News

Australia profile

from the OECD

Australia profile

at Curlie

Australia

Wikimedia Atlas of Australia

Geographic data related to at OpenStreetMap

Australia