Australia is both the name of the world's smallest
continent, and the short form of the
Commonwealth of Australia. The
Commonwealth
of Australia is the sixth largest country in the
world (geographically), the only one to occupy an entire
continent, and the largest in
Australasia.
New Zealand is to to the southeast;
Papua New Guinea,
West Papua and
East Timor to its north, and
Indonesia northwest. The name 'Australia' comes from the
Latin phrase
terra australis incognita
("unknown southern land", see
Terra Australis).
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Main article:
History of Australia
Other topics:
Australian Constitutional History,
Australian Prime Ministers
Australia has been inhabited for at least 50,000 years, since
the remote ancestors of the current
Australian Aborigines arrived from present-day
Southeast Asia. The land was not discovered by
Europeans until the
17th century, when it was sighted and visited by several
expeditions. It was claimed for the
United Kingdom in
1770, and first colonised in
1788 as an English
penal colony.
In
1901, Australia became a
commonwealth or
dominion within the
British Empire, thereby becoming independent (though full
formal independence took a considerable time after that).
Australia is a
Constitutional monarchy, with the 'Queen of Australia'
reigning as head of state. Under Australian law, the monarch of
the
United Kingdom reigns also as Australian monarch. A
referendum to
introduce a republic, with a president replacing the queen,
in 1999 was defeated.
Main article:
Politics of Australia
Other topics:
Foreign relations of Australia,
Military of Australia,
Republic Advisory Committee.
The Commonwealth of Australia is a
constitutional monarchy: the Queen of Australia is the
official
head of state and is represented by the
Governor General. In practice the role of the Crown (and
thus that of the Governor General) is largely ceremonial. The
executive power theoretically vested in the Crown is exercised
by an elected
cabinet headed by a prime minister. The prime minister is
almost always the leader of the majority party in the House of
Representatives.
The House of Representatives (150 seats) is one of the two
chambers of the federal
parliament, the other being the Senate (76 seats). Elections
for both chambers are held every three years.
Main article:
Australian States and Territories
Australia is divided into six states and several territories.
The states are
Western Australia,
Queensland,
South Australia,
New South Wales,
Victoria and
Tasmania: the territories, the
Australian Capital Territory and the
Northern Territory.
Australia also has an additional minor internal territory,
Jervis Bay Territory (a naval base in New South Wales),
several inhabitated external territories (Norfolk
Island,
Christmas Island,
Cocos (Keeling) Islands and several largely uninhabited
external territories:
Coral Sea Islands Territory[?],
Heard Island and McDonald Islands and the
Australian Antarctic Territory.
The
Australian Capital Territory was created at the chosen site
of the capital city
Canberra. Canberra was founded as a compromise between the
two largest cities,
Melbourne and
Sydney.
Main article:
Geography of Australia
Other topics:
Protected areas of Australia
By far the largest part of Australia is
desert or
semi-desert[?]—40% of the landmass is covered by
sand dunes[?]—. Only the south-east and south-west corners
have a temperate climate and moderately fertile soil. The
northern part of the country has a tropical climate: part is
tropical
rainforests, part grasslands, and part desert. The
Great Barrier Reef, by far the world's largest
coral
reef, lies a short distance off the north-east coast.
Main articles:
Australian fauna--
Australian flora --
Australian birds
Although most of the continent is
desert or
semi-desert[?], Australia nevertheless includes a diverse
range of habitats, from alpine heaths to tropical rainforests.
Because of the great age of the continent, its very variable
weather patterns, and its long-term geographic isolation, much
of Australia's biota is unique.
Main article:
Economy of Australia
Other topics:
Australian dollar
Australia has a prosperous Western-style mixed economy, with
a per capita
GDP on par with the four dominant Western European
economies. In recent years, the Australian economy has been
resilient in the face of global economic downturn, with steady
growth.
Main article:
Demographics of Australia
Other topics:
Communications in Australia,
Transportation in Australia
Most of the Australian population descends from 19th and 20th
century immigrants, most from the
United Kingdom to begin with, but from other sources in
later years. Many inhabitants are of
Greek,
Italian or
Asian descent. Descendants of the original population, the
Australian Aborigines, make up less than 1% of the
population. In common with many other developed countries,
Australia is currently experiencing a demographic shift towards
an older population, with more retired people and fewer of
working age.
English is the spoken language in Australia, although some
of the surviving Aboriginal communities maintain their native
languages, and a considerable number of first and sometimes
second-generation migrants are bi-lingual. Although the nation
is broadly secular and few are church-goers, three-quarters of
Australians are nominally Christian, mostly
Catholic or
Anglican. A diverse range of other religions is practised.
Main article:
Culture of Australia
Other topics:
Australian cinema,
Music of Australia
See also:
Australian public holidays,
list of Australians
Countries of the world |
Oceania
