Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western third of the land area of Australia, excluding external territories.[5] It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Australia is Australia's largest state, with a total land area of 2,527,013 square kilometres (975,685 sq mi).[5] It is the second-largest country subdivision in the world, surpassed only by Russia's Sakha Republic. As of 2021, the state has 2.76 million inhabitants—11 percent of the national total.[6] The vast majority (92 percent) live in the south-west corner; 79 percent of the population lives in the Perth area,[7] leaving the remainder of the state sparsely populated.
Western Australia
Australia
2 May 1829
21 October 1890
1 January 1901
- Western/West Australian
- West Aussie
- Sandgroper (colloquial)
12 senators (of 76)
15 seats (of 151)
1,249 m (4,098 ft)
1.11/km2 (2.9/sq mi) (7th)
2022 estimate
AU$135,320 (1st)
- UTC+08:00 (AWST)
- UTC+08:45 (Eucla, Cocklebiddy, Madura, Mundrabilla; DST not observed)
Black swan
(Cygnus atratus)
Whale shark
(Rhincodon typus)
Red and green kangaroo paw
(Anigozanthos manglesii)
Numbat
(Myrmecobius fasciatus)
Black and gold
Gogo fish
(Mcnamaraspis kaprios)
The first Europeans to visit Western Australia belonged to the Dutch Dirk Hartog expedition, who visited the Western Australian coast in 1616. The first permanent European colony in what is today Western Australia occurred following the landing by Major Edmund Lockyer on 26 December 1826 of an expedition on behalf of the New South Wales colonial government.[8] Lockyer established a convict-supported military garrison at King George III Sound, at present-day Albany, and on 21 January 1827[8] he formally took possession for the British Crown of the western part of the continent that was not already claimed by the Crown.[9] This was followed by the establishment of the Swan River Colony in 1829, including the site of the present-day capital, Perth.
York was the first inland settlement in Western Australia. Situated 97 kilometres (60 miles) east of Perth, it was settled on 16 September 1831.[10] Western Australia achieved responsible government in 1890 and federated with the other British colonies in Australia in 1901.
Today, Western Australia's economy mainly relies on mining, oil and gas, services and construction. The state produces 46 percent of Australia's exports.[11] Western Australia is the largest iron ore producer in the world.[12] Its nickname is "The Wildflower State".[13]
Western Australia has five sister states:[83]
In 1981, a sister state agreement was drawn up between Western Australia and HyÅgo Prefecture in Japan that was aimed at improving cultural ties between the two states.[84][85] To commemorate the 10th anniversary of this agreement, the HyÅgo Prefectural Government Cultural Centre was established in Perth in 1992.[86] Prior to that, the Western Australian government opened an office in Kobe, the largest city in HyÅgo, to facilitate maintenance of the relationship in 1989.[85][87]
Following the Great Hanshin earthquake that devastated southern HyÅgo in January 1995, Western Australian groups and businesses raised funds and provided materials, whilst individuals travelled to HyÅgo to help with emergency relief and the subsequent reconstruction process.[88][89][90] The two governments signed a memorandum of understanding on the 20th anniversary in 2001 that aimed to improve the economic relationship between the two states.[85]
Further to the sister state relationship, the City of Rockingham in Western Australia and the City of AkÅ in HyÅgo signed a sister city agreement in 1997. It is one of nine sister city relationships between Western Australian and Japanese cities.[91]