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Etymology and History
- The name 'Australia' is derived from the Latin 'Terra Australis', a name used for a hypothetical continent in the Southern Hemisphere.
- Several sixteenth-century cartographers used the word Australia on maps, but not to identify modern Australia.
- Until the early 19th century, Australia was best known as New Holland, a name first applied by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1644.
- The name Australia was popularised by the explorer Matthew Flinders, who said it was more agreeable to the ear.
- The first official published use of the new name came with the publication in 1830 of The Australia Directory by the Hydrographic Office.
- Indigenous Australians have inhabited the continent for an estimated 50,000 to 65,000 years.
- The first known European to reach Australia was the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon in 1606.
- British explorer James Cook claimed the east coast of Australia for Great Britain in 1770.
- The First Fleet of British ships arrived in Sydney in 1788 to establish the penal colony of New South Wales.
- The Commonwealth of Australia was established on January 1, 1901, through the federation of six colonies.
Indigenous Peoples
- Indigenous Australians comprise the Aboriginal peoples of the Australian mainland and the Torres Strait Islanders.
- Human habitation of the Australian continent is estimated to have begun 50,000 to 65,000 years ago.
- Aboriginal Australian culture is one of the oldest continuous cultures on Earth.
- At the time of European contact, Aboriginal Australians had diverse economies and societies with about 250 different language groups.
- The Torres Strait Islander people settled their islands around 4000 years ago and had a distinct culture from mainland Aboriginal peoples.
Geography
- Australia is the largest country by area in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country.
- It is the oldest, flattest, and driest inhabited continent, with the least fertile soils.
- Australia has a wide variety of landscapes and climates, including deserts, tropical rainforests, tropical savannas, and mountain ranges.
- The country has a territorial claim in Antarctica.
- Canberra is the capital of Australia, while Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide are its most populous cities.
Economy
- Australia's economy is supported by abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade relations.
- The country's income sources include services, mining exports, banking, manufacturing, agriculture, and international education.
- Australia ranks highly for quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, civil liberties, and political rights.
- It has a highly developed market economy and one of the highest per capita incomes globally.
- Australia is a regional power and has the world's thirteenth-highest military expenditure.
Post-war and Contemporary Eras
- Significant increases in living standards, leisure time, and suburban development in Australia after World War II.
- Large wave of immigration from Europe, referred to as New Australians, encouraged by the slogan 'populate or perish.'
- Australia's participation in the Korean War, Malayan Emergency, and Vietnam War during the Cold War era.
- Tensions over communist influence in society led to unsuccessful attempts to ban the Communist Party of Australia and a splitting of the Labor Party.
- Recognition of Aboriginal people's rights and traditional ownership of land following a 1967 referendum and the Mabo v Queensland (No 2) case.
- Australia joined the United States in the Afghanistan War from 2001 to 2021 and the Iraq War from 2003 to 2009.
- China became Australia's largest trading partner in the 21st century.
- Australia experienced lockdowns and restricted movement during the COVID-19 pandemic in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus.
- The Australia Act 1986 severed the remaining constitutional ties between Australia and the United Kingdom.
- A 1999 referendum resulted in 55% of voters rejecting a proposal to abolish the Monarchy of Australia and become a republic.
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. Australia is the largest country by area in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country. Australia is the oldest, flattest, and driest inhabited continent, with the least fertile soils. 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.
Commonwealth of Australia | |
|---|---|
| Anthem: "Advance Australia Fair" | |
.svg) Commonwealth of Australia | |
| Capital | Canberra 35°18′29″S 149°07′28″E / 35.30806°S 149.12444°E |
| Largest city | Sydney (metropolitan) Melbourne (urban) |
| Official languages | None at the federal level |
| National language | English |
| Religion (2021) |
|
| Demonym(s) |
|
| Government | Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
• Monarch | Charles III |
| David Hurley | |
| Anthony Albanese | |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Senate | |
| House of Representatives | |
| Independence from the United Kingdom | |
• Federation and Constitution | 1 January 1901 |
| 9 October 1942 (with effect from 3 September 1939) | |
| 3 March 1986 | |
| Area | |
• Total | 7,692,024 km2 (2,969,907 sq mi) (6th) |
• Water (%) | 1.79 (2015) |
| Population | |
• 2024 estimate |  26,953,100 (53rd) |
• 2021 census | 25,890,773 |
• Density | 3.5/km2 (9.1/sq mi) (192nd) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total |  $1.719 trillion (20th) |
• Per capita | $64,674 (23rd) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total | $1.688 trillion (14th) |
• Per capita | $63,487 (10th) |
| Gini (2018) |  32.5medium |
| HDI (2021) | 0.951 very high · 5th |
| Currency | Australian dollar ($) (AUD) |
| Time zone | UTC+8; +9.5; +10 (various) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+8; +9.5; +10; +10.5; +11 (various) |
| Date format | dd/mm/yyyy |
| Driving side | left |
| Calling code | +61 |
| ISO 3166 code | AU |
| Internet TLD | .au |
The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians began arriving from south-east Asia 50,000 to 65,000 years ago, during the last glacial period. Arriving by sea, 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. Australia's written history commenced with the European maritime exploration of Australia. The Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon was the first known European to reach Australia, in 1606. In 1770, the British explorer James Cook mapped and claimed the east coast of Australia for Great Britain, and the First Fleet of British ships arrived at Sydney in 1788 to establish the penal colony of New South Wales. The European population grew in subsequent decades, and by the end of the 1850s gold rush, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers and an additional five self-governing British colonies were established. Democratic parliaments were gradually established through the 19th century, culminating with a vote for the federation of the six colonies and foundation of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901. This began a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom, highlighted by the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942, and culminating in the Australia Act 1986.
Australia is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy, comprising six states and ten territories. Australia's population of nearly 27 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Canberra is the nation's capital, while its most populous cities are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. It is ethnically diverse and multicultural, the product of large-scale immigration, with almost half of the population having at least one parent born overseas. Australia's abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade relations are crucial to the country's economy, which generates its income from various sources including services, mining exports, banking, manufacturing, agriculture and international education. Australia ranks highly for quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, civil liberties and political rights.
Australia has a highly developed market economy and one of the highest per capita incomes globally. Australia is a regional power, and has the world's thirteenth-highest military expenditure. It is a member of international groupings 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/security organisations ANZUS, AUKUS, and the Five Eyes. It is a major non-NATO ally of the United States.
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