History
– Human habitation of the Australian continent began 50,000 to 65,000 years ago.
– Indigenous Australians comprise Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders.
– 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.
– European exploration and colonization of Australia began in the 17th and 18th centuries.
– European maritime exploration of Australia began in the 17th century.
– The Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon was the first known European to reach Australia in 1606.
– British explorer James Cook mapped and 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.
– European settlement and exploration of Australia continued in the 19th century.
Indigenous Peoples
– Indigenous Australians include Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders.
– The Madjedbebe rock shelter in Arnhem Land is the oldest site showing the presence of humans in Australia.
– Aboriginal Australian culture is based on reverence for the land and belief in the Dreamtime.
– Torres Strait Islander people settled their islands around 4000 years ago.
– They were seafarers and relied on seasonal horticulture and marine resources.
Geography and Demographics
– Australia is the largest country by area in Oceania and the sixth-largest country in the world.
– It is the oldest, flattest, and driest inhabited continent.
– Australia has a wide variety of landscapes and climates, including deserts, rainforests, savannas, and mountain ranges.
– Canberra is the capital city, while Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide are the most populous cities.
– Australia has a highly urbanized population of nearly 27 million, with a diverse and multicultural society.
European Exploration and Colonization
– Bay on 29 April 1770 claimed Australia’s east coast for Great Britain
– Makassan fishermen from Indonesia visited the northern coasts and waters of Australia for trade
– Dutch explorers made the first recorded European sighting of the Australian mainland
– Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon charted the Australian coast and met with Aboriginal people
– Spanish explorer Luís Vaz de Torres sailed through and navigated the Torres Strait Islands
– Captain James Cook mapped the east coast and claimed it for Great Britain in 1770
– The British Government sent the First Fleet to establish a new penal colony in New South Wales
– Sydney Cove was established as the first British settlement in Australia on 26 January 1788
– Convicts were transported for petty crimes and assigned as laborers or servants
– Governor Lachlan Macquarie initiated social and economic reforms, transitioning New South Wales from a penal colony to a civil society
– British settlements were established in Van Diemens Land (Tasmania) and Western Australia
– Major Edmund Lockyer established a settlement on King George Sound (Albany), extending British claim to the whole Australian continent
– Separate colonies were carved from New South Wales: Tasmania, South Australia, New Zealand, Victoria, and Queensland
– South Australia was founded as a free province, not a penal colony
– Western Australia accepted transported convicts until 1868
Contemporary Events and Characteristics
– Australia experienced significant increases in living standards, leisure time, and suburban development after World War II.
– The nation encouraged a large wave of immigration from Europe, known as New Australians.
– Australia participated in the Korean War, the Malayan Emergency, and the Vietnam War.
– Tensions over communist influence led to unsuccessful attempts to ban the Communist Party of Australia.
– A 1967 referendum granted the Federal Government the mandate to implement policies benefiting Aboriginal people.
– Bass Strait formed, separating Tasmania from the mainland
– Lowlands in the north flooded, separating New Guinea, Aru Islands, and mainland Australia
– Australian continent moving towards Eurasia at 6-7 cm/year
– Average thickness of Australian mainland’s continental crust is 38 km
– Geology divided into Archaean cratonic shields, Proterozoic fold belts, and Phanerozoic sedimentary basins
– Climate influenced by ocean currents and weather patterns
– Rainfall varies from year to year
– Northern part of the country has a tropical, summer-rainfall climate
– South-west corner has a Mediterranean climate
– South-east ranges from oceanic to humid subtropical, with alpine and subpolar climates in the highlands
– Australia has diverse habitats from alpine heaths to tropical rainforests
– Unique biota due to age, weather patterns, and geographic isolation
– Endemic species include flowering plants, mammals, birds, and fish
– Australia has the highest number of reptile species in the world
– Feral cats contribute to the decline of native species
– Australia is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
– Stable liberal democratic political system since Federation in 1901
– Power divided between federal and state governments
– Government combines elements from the UK and US political systems
– Indigenous features in the political system
– Australia is one of 17 megadiverse countries
– Australia joined the United States in the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War.
– China has become Australia’s largest trading partner.
– Australia implemented lockdowns and restricted movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.
– The Australia Act 1986 severed remaining constitutional ties with the United Kingdom.
– A 1999 referendum rejected a proposal to abolish the Monarchy of Australia and become a republic. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia
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) |
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| 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 |  26,962,400 (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 |
.svg)
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.
