Damon Mcknight
Australia is divided into six states and two territories, with each state having its own unique mix of environments, cultures, and rhythms. The six states are Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia. The two territories are the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory. Australia is one of the largest countries in the world and is the only country that covers an entire continent. The Union Jack on the Australian flag represents British settlement, while the Commonwealth star's seven points represent the unity of the states and territories.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of States | 6 |
| Number of Territories | 10 |
| Number of Internal Territories | 3 |
| Number of External Territories | 7 |
| States | Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia |
| Territories | Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Jervis Bay Territory, Northern Territory, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Australian Antarctic Territory, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island |
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What You'll Learn
Queensland, the 'Sunshine State'
Australia is divided into six states and two territories. Queensland (QLD), known as the Sunshine State, is one of the six Australian states. It is a subtropical stretch of land in the northeast of Australia, known for its warm climate and abundant natural environment. Queensland's capital and largest city is Brisbane, which is also Australia's third-largest city. The state has a population of over 5.5 million, with nearly three-quarters of its residents concentrated in the southeast. Ten of Australia's thirty largest cities are located in Queensland, including the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Townsville, Cairns, Ipswich, and Toowoomba.
Queensland has the third-largest economy among Australian states, with key sectors including mining, agriculture, transportation, international education, insurance, and banking. The state's oldest university, the University of Queensland, was established in 1909 and is consistently ranked among the top 50 universities worldwide. Other major universities in the state include Queensland University of Technology, Griffith University, the University of Southern Queensland, and the University of the Sunshine Coast.
Tourism is Queensland's leading tertiary industry, generating $8.8 billion annually and accounting for 4.5% of the state's Gross State Product. The industry directly employs about 5.7% of Queensland's citizens, and popular tourist destinations include Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Port Douglas, the Daintree Rainforest, and the Whitsunday Islands.
Queensland has a rich history, with Aboriginal Australians as its first inhabitants. The Torres Strait Islands were inhabited by Torres Strait Islanders, and early migrants are believed to have arrived via boat or land bridge across the Torres Strait. Over time, their descendants developed into more than 90 different language and cultural groups.
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New South Wales, home to Sydney
Australia is divided into six states and two territories. One of these states is New South Wales, which is home to Sydney, Australia's most populous city. New South Wales is the country's financial hub and is expected to have an economy of $1 trillion by 2030. The state is also a major economic centre, with over 200 of Australia's top 500 companies based there, and 64% of the country's tech start-ups.
New South Wales has a lot to offer in terms of culture and education. It is home to several major museums and art galleries, including the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Sydney, its state capital, is home to Australia's first university, the University of Sydney, founded in 1850. The city is also a major innovation hub, with diverse education providers, and is consistently ranked in the top 10 cities internationally for quality of living.
The state is also known for its natural beauty, including stunning coastlines, rugged outback landscapes, and mountain ranges. The Blue Mountains, in particular, are a popular destination for camping, hiking, and mountain biking. The state has a varied climate, with mild to warm summers and cold winters in the Southern Tablelands and Central Tablelands, while the Snowy Mountains can experience subpolar oceanic and even alpine conditions with heavy snow.
New South Wales also boasts a thriving multicultural community, with 30% of residents born overseas and more than 275 languages spoken. Sydney is a cultural hub, hosting the world's largest short film festival and the spectacular Vivid Sydney festival. It is also home to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Australia's busiest and largest orchestra, and Opera Australia, the country's largest opera company.
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Victoria, a cultural hub
Australia is divided into six states: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia. The country also has two territories: the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.
Melbourne is also home to the National Gallery of Victoria, which houses an extensive international art collection, as well as the Ian Potter Centre, dedicated to Australian art. The Arts Centre, established in 1984, is another important cultural institution in the city, featuring art galleries, courtyards for theatrical productions, sculpture displays, underground theatres, and more.
Victoria also boasts several art galleries in smaller cities, including Ballarat, Bendigo, Castlemaine, Geelong, and Warrnambool. The Bangerang Cultural Centre in Shepparton is the first Aboriginal Cultural 'keeping place/museum' developed and managed by the Aboriginal community in Australia. It was designed to celebrate the connection to the Country of the Traditional Owners of Gariwerd.
In addition to its cultural offerings, Victoria is known for its natural wonders, such as the Grampians, the Australian Alps, and the Great Ocean Road, where visitors can drive and enjoy iconic views. The state also offers a range of outdoor activities, including skiing, hiking in Wilsons Promontory, and exploring national parks like the Alpine National Park, which protects a significant portion of the Great Dividing Range.
Victoria's food and wine scene is also a highlight, with the Yarra Valley and Mornington Peninsula being popular destinations for wine enthusiasts. The state's proximity to other Australian cities makes it easily accessible, and road trips along the Great Ocean Road or the south coast of New South Wales are popular ways to explore the region.
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Tasmania, a microcosm of Australia
Australia is divided into six states and two territories. Tasmania is one of the six states and is located about 150 miles (240 km) south of the Australian mainland. It is Australia's smallest and least populous state, with 573,479 residents as of June 2023. The state capital and largest city is Hobart, with around 40% of the population living in the Greater Hobart area. Tasmania has the second smallest economy of the Australian states and territories, with its economy comprising principally tourism, agriculture, aquaculture, education, and healthcare.
Tasmania has retained much of its urban and rural colonial heritage. The island has one of the largest national park systems of any jurisdiction on Earth, contributing disproportionately to Australia’s conservation estate. Tasmania's main island was first inhabited by Aboriginal peoples, who today generally identify as Palawa or Pakana. It is believed that Aboriginal Tasmanians became isolated from mainland Aboriginal groups around 11,700 years ago due to rising sea levels forming the Bass Strait. Tasmania has the world's largest areas of dolerite, with many distinctive mountains and cliffs formed from this rock type.
Tasmania's remoteness and economic stagnation are also the isle’s greatest potential assets. The orthodox Tasmanian political response to its poor socio-economic indicators has been industrialization, which has had great environmental costs such as the loss of Lake Pedder. Tasmania's forest-led recovery was eventually killed by changed economic realities, particularly the strong Australian dollar. There remains a real risk of a lose-lose outcome, leaving both the Tasmanian forest estate and the forest industry in a dire state.
Tasmania's insularity renders much of its political, economic, and social life distinctive, but its proximity to Melbourne and accessibility by air travel make it less isolated and more cosmopolitan than is often assumed. Tasmania is a significant agricultural exporter and a significant destination for eco-tourism. About 42% of its land area, including national parks and World Heritage Sites (21%), is protected in some form of reserve.
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Western Australia, the largest state
Australia is divided into six states: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia. Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost and the largest state in Australia. It occupies the western 32.9 percent of Australia's land area, excluding external territories, and is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west and the Southern Ocean to the south. Western Australia is also the second-largest subdivision of any country on Earth, only surpassed by Russia's Sakha Republic. The state has a land area of 2,527,013 square kilometres (975,685 sq mi) and, as of 2017, a population of about 2.6 million people, around 11 percent of Australia's total population.
Western Australia has a diverse range of climates, including tropical conditions in the Kimberley region, deserts in the interior, and a Mediterranean climate in the south-west and southern coastal areas. The Kimberley region consists mostly of red and yellow soils, including deep sands and loamy and sandy earths. The region is also home to the sandstone gorges of the Kimberley on the northern coast. Below the Kimberley region are the Victoria Plains tropical savanna, and the semi-desert Pilbara shrublands, Carnarvon xeric shrublands, and Western Australian mulga shrublands to the southwest. The Hamersley Range in the Pilbara region features cracking clays and stony soils. The eastern deserts have red sandy soils, while the central southern region and the Nullarbor Plain are dominated by calcareous loams and stony soils.
The Fitzroy and the Ord are the two main rivers of Western Australia, draining the Kimberley plateau. The Fitzroy is the state's largest river, while the Ord has been dammed to form Australia's largest freshwater lake, Lake Argyle. The De Grey, Fortescue, and Ashburton rivers drain the area surrounding the Hamersley Range, usually dry but transforming into raging torrents during the cyclone season. Western Australia's primary agricultural region is located in the wetter southwestern part of the Yilgarn plateau.
Western Australia's economy is heavily driven by its mining sector, particularly iron ore mining, petroleum, and natural gas. The state is the world's largest producer of iron ore and gold. Other significant industries include agriculture, with wheat production contributing $2.816 billion in 2019, and fishing, including pearling. The state's major export commodities in 2019 included iron ore, petroleum, gold, alumina, nickel, wheat, copper, lithium, chemicals, and mineral sands.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia is divided into six states.
The six states of Australia are Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia.
Australia has two territories: the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory.
Western Australia is the largest state, situated on the west coast of the country.
The capital of Queensland is Brisbane, also known as Brissie.
