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For an alphabetical index of this subject, see the List of Australia-related articles.
Location of Australia
Australia portal

Australia refers to both the continent of Australia and the country of Australia which is located there. Australia, the world's smallest continent, is in the southern hemisphere and lies within both the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

The country, the official name of which is the Commonwealth of Australia, comprises the mainland of the Australian continent, plus the major island of Tasmania, and a number of other islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.N4 The neighbouring countries are Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia to the north-east, and New Zealand to the south-east.

The Australian mainland has been inhabited for more than 42,000 years by Indigenous Australians.1 After sporadic visits by fishermen from the north and then European discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606,2 the eastern half of Australia was later claimed by the British in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation as part of the colony of New South Wales, commencing on 26 January 1788. As the population grew and new areas were explored, another five largely self-governing Crown Colonies were established during the 19th century.

The following topic outline is provided as an overview of and introduction to Australia:

Flag of Australia Flag of Australia
Flag of Australia
Coat of arms of Australia
Map of Australia

Contents


General reference

Geography of Australia

Climatic zones in Australia, based on Köppen classification.
Main articles: Australia (continent), Australia, and Geography of Australia

Environment of Australia

Main article: Environment of Australia

Iconic wildlife of Australia

A koala.

A kangaroo.

The Saltwater Crocodile is the largest species of crocodile in the world.

An emu.

Geographic features of Australia

Main article: Landforms of Australia

Regions of Australia

Main article: Regions of Australia

Multi-state regions

Administrative divisions of Australia

Australian external territories
Main article: States and territories of Australia

States of Australia

Territories of Australia

Mainland territories of Australia

External territories of Australia

Local government areas (municipalities) of Australia
Main article: Local Government Areas of Australia

Demography of Australia

Main article: Demographics of Australia
State/territory Land area (km²) Rank Population (2006) Rank Population density (/km²) Rank  % of population in capital Rank
 Australian Capital Territory 2,358 8th 336,400 7th 137.53 1st 99.6% 1st
 New South Wales 800,642 5th 6,817,100 1st 8.44 3rd 63% 5th
 Victoria 227,416 6th 5,188,100 2nd 22 2nd 71% 4th
 Queensland 1,730,648 2nd 4,264,590 3rd 2.26 5th 46% 7th
 South Australia 983,482 4th 1,581,400 5th 1.56 6th 73.5% 2nd
 Western Australia 2,529,875 1st 2,105,800 4th 0.79 7th 73.4% 3rd
 Tasmania 68,401 7th 492,700 6th 7.08 4th 41% 8th
 Northern Territory 1,349,129 3rd 215,000 8th 0.15 8th 54% 6th

Government and politics of Australia

Main articles: Australian governments, Government of Australia, and Politics of Australia

Federal government of Australia

Main article: Government of Australia

Branches of the government of Australia

Main article: Separation of powers in Australia

Executive branch of the government of Australia

Legislative branch of the government of Australia

Judicial branch of the government of Australia
Main article: Judiciary of Australia

Military of Australia

Main article: Australian Defence Force

Foreign relations of Australia

Main articles: Foreign relations of Australia and Diplomatic history of Australia

International organization membership

Australia is a member of the:

Law and order in Australia

Main article: Law of Australia

State and territory governments of Australia

Local government in Australia

Main article: Local government in Australia
See also: Local government

History of Australia

Map showing the creation of the colonies/states and mainland territories.
Main articles: History of Australia, Timeline of Australian history

History of the states of Australia

Culture of Australia

Main article: Culture of Australia

The Arts in Australia

Sport in Australia

Main article: Sport in Australia

Economy of Australia

Main article: Economy of Australia

Economy of the states of Australia

Education in Australia

Main articles: Education in Australia and Lists of schools in Australia

Education in the states of Australia

Infrastructure of Australia

See also

References

  1. ^ Both Australian Aborigines and Europeans Rooted in Africa - 50,000 years ago
  2. ^ MacKnight, CC (1976).The Voyage to Marege: Macassan Trepangers in Northern Australia. Melbourne University Press
  3. ^ "Population clock". Australian Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved on 2008-07-22.

External links

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