Australia

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This article is about the country. For the continent, see Australia (continent). For
other uses, see Australia (disambiguation).
Coordinates:  25°S 133°E

Commonwealth of Australia

Flag

Coat of arms

Anthem: Advance Australia Fair[N 1]

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Commonwealth of Australia, including the Australian territorial

 claim in the Antarctic

Capital Canberra
35°18′29″S 149°07′28″E

Largest city Sydney

National language English[N 2]

Religion 
Various[show]
(2016)[3]

Demonym(s) Australian
Aussie (colloquial)[4][5]

Government Federal parliamentary constitutional
monarchy

• Monarch Elizabeth II
• Governor-General David Hurley
• Prime Minister Scott Morrison
• Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack
• Treasurer Josh Frydenberg
• Chief Justice Susan Kiefel

Legislature Parliament

• Upper house Senate

• Lower house House of Representatives

Independence 
from the United Kingdom
• Federation, Constitution
• Statute of Westminster
Adoption Act
1 January 1901
9 October 1942 (with effect
from 3 September 1939)

• Australia Act 3 March 1986

Area
• Total 7,692,024 km2 (2,969,907 sq mi) (6th)
• Water (%) 0.76

Population
• 2020 estimate 25,679,700[6] (51st)
• 2016 census 23,401,892[7]
• Density 3.3/km2 (8.5/sq mi) (236th)

GDP (PPP) 2020 estimate
 • Total  $1.423 trillion[8] (19th)

• Per capita  $54,799 [8] (17th)

GDP (nominal) 2020 estimate
• Total  $1.375 trillion[8] (13th)

• Per capita  $52,952[8] (10th)

Gini (2018) 34.0[9]
medium · 22nd

HDI (2018)  0.938[10]
very high · 6th

Currency Australian dollar (AUD)

Time zone UTC+8; +9.5; +10 (Various[N 4])

• Summer (DST) UTC+8; +9.5; +10;
+10.5; +11 (Various[N 4])

Date format dd/mm/yyyy

yyyy-mm-dd[11]

Driving side left

Calling code +61

ISO 3166 code AU

Internet TLD .au

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia,[12] is a sovereign country

comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and
numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-
largest country by total area. The population of 26 million[6] is highly urbanised and
heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard.[13] Australia's capital is Canberra,
and its largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan
areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.
Indigenous Australians inhabited the continent for about 65,000 years[14] prior to
the first arrival of Dutch explorers in the early 17th century, who named it New
Holland. In 1770, Australia's eastern half was claimed by Great Britain and
initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales from
26 January 1788, a date which became Australia's national day. The population
grew steadily in subsequent decades, and by the time of an 1850s gold rush, most
of the continent had been explored and an additional five self-governing crown
colonies established. On 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated, forming the
Commonwealth of Australia. Australia has since maintained a stable liberal
 democratic political system that functions as a federal parliamentary constitutional
monarchy, comprising six states and ten territories.
Australia is the oldest,[15] flattest,[16] and driest inhabited continent,[17][18] with the least
fertile soils.[19][20] It has a landmass of 7,617,930 square kilometres
(2,941,300 sq mi).[21] A megadiverse country, its size gives it a wide variety of
landscapes, with deserts in the centre, tropical rainforests in the north-east,
and mountain ranges in the south-east. Its population density, 2.8 inhabitants per
square kilometre, remains among the lowest in the world. [22][better  source  needed] Australia
generates its income from various sources including mining-related
exports, telecommunications, banking, manufacturing, and international education.
[23][24][25]

Australia is a highly developed country, with the world's 14th-largest economy. It

has a high-income economy, with the world's tenth-highest per capita income.[26] It
is a regional power and has the world's 13th-highest military expenditure.
[27]
 Australia has the world's eighth-largest immigrant population, with immigrants
accounting for 29% of the population.[28][29] Having the third-highest human
development index and the eighth-highest ranked democracy globally, the
country ranks highly in quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, civil
liberties, and political rights,[30] with all its major cities faring well in global
comparative livability surveys.[31] Australia is a member of the United
Nations, G20, Commonwealth of Nations, ANZUS, Organisation for Economic Co-
operation and Development (OECD), World Trade Organization, Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation, Pacific Islands Forum, and the ASEAN Plus Six
mechanism.

Contents

 1Name
 2History
o 2.1Indigenous peoples
o 2.2European arrival
o 2.3Colonial expansion
o 2.4Nationhood
 3Geography
o 3.1General characteristics
o 3.2Geology
o 3.3Climate
o 3.4Biodiversity
 4Government and politics
o 4.1States and territories
o 4.2Foreign relations
o 4.3Military
 5Economy
 6Demographics
o 6.1Ancestry and immigration
 o 6.2Language
o 6.3Religion
o 6.4Health
o 6.5Education
 7Culture
o 7.1Arts
o 7.2Media
o 7.3Cuisine
o 7.4Sport and recreation
 8See also
 9Notes
 10References
 11Bibliography
 12Further reading
 13External links

Name