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Australia is officially the Commonwealth of Australia, a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the smallest continent and one of the largest countries on Earth, with a total area of 7,688,287 sq km, making it the sixth-largest country in the world and the largest in Oceania. Australia is a relatively prosperous independent country and its inhabitants are fortunate that they do not share their continent with any other country. The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians began arriving from Southeast Asia 50,000 to 65,000 years ago, and by the time of British settlement, they spoke 250 distinct languages and had one of the oldest living cultures in the world.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Continent | Australia is the smallest continent |
| Country | Australia is the largest country in Oceania |
| Population | Australia has only 0.3% of the world's population |
| History | Australia was historically part of the British Empire and is now a member of the Commonwealth |
| Colonisation | Australia was colonised by the British and Dutch |
| Indigenous population | Aboriginal Australians spoke 250 distinct languages and had one of the oldest living cultures in the world |
| Capital | Canberra |
| Economic centres | Sydney and Melbourne |
| Multicultural | Australia is one of the most multicultural countries in the world |
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What You'll Learn
Australia is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent
Australia is a country that comprises the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the smallest continent and the sixth-largest country in the world, with a total area of 7,688,287 sq km, and is the largest country in Oceania. The Australian continent is also known as Sahul, Australinea, or Meganesia to differentiate it from the country of Australia. The continent includes a continental shelf overlain by shallow seas that divide it into several landmasses, including the Arafura Sea and Torres Strait between mainland Australia and New Guinea, and Bass Strait between mainland Australia and Tasmania.
The Australian continent has a diverse range of landscapes and climates due to its size. The climate ranges from wet tropical in the northeast and northwest to arid in the centre, with deserts in the interior and tropical rainforests along the coast. The coastal south is temperate and humid, with winter freezing and snow in the southeastern highlands and Tasmania. The Australian mainland is relatively flat, with an average height of 325 metres, and it is the world's driest inhabited continent, with an average annual rainfall of 470 millimetres. About 70% of the country is arid or semi-arid, and about 18% is desert.
The Australian continent has a unique fauna, flora, and mycobiota due to its long geographic isolation, tectonic stability, and the effects of an unusual pattern of climate change. The koala, emu, platypus, and kangaroo are national animals of Australia, and the Tasmanian devil is also one of the well-known animals in the country. The goanna is a predatory lizard native to the Australian mainland. Australia and its territories are home to around 800 species of birds, and about 45% of these are endemic to the country.
The history of Australia as a country began with the arrival of the ancestors of Aboriginal Australians from Southeast Asia 50,000 to 65,000 years ago during the last glacial period. By the time of British settlement, Aboriginal Australians spoke 250 distinct languages and had one of the oldest living cultures in the world. Australia's written history commenced with Dutch exploration of most of the coastline in the 17th century, followed by the establishment of five additional self-governing British colonies in the 19th century. The colonies federated in 1901, forming the Commonwealth of Australia, and the country gained increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom over time. Australia is a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, with a highly urbanized population of almost 28 million.
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Australia is officially the Commonwealth of Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the smallest continent and one of the largest countries on Earth, lying between the Pacific and Indian Oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. Its capital city is Canberra, and its most important economic and cultural centers are Sydney and Melbourne.
The name "Commonwealth of Australia" for the federation of the six former colonies was formalised in the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (UK). On 1 January 1901, the federation of the colonies was achieved, resulting in the establishment of the Commonwealth of Australia as a nation under the new Australian Constitution. From 1901, Australia was a self-governing dominion within the British Empire. It was one of the founding members of the League of Nations in 1920 and the United Nations in 1945.
Australia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, a group of countries that were largely part of the British Empire. It is entirely voluntary for countries to be part of the Commonwealth of Nations, and it serves as a forum for these countries to develop ties and trade relations with each other.
Australia is a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy comprising six states and ten territories. Its population of almost 28 million is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard. Sydney is the most multicultural city in Oceania, with about 40% of residents speaking a language other than English at home.
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Australia is the smallest continent and one of the largest countries
Australia is the smallest continent on Earth. It is located within the Southern and Eastern hemispheres, near Maritime Southeast Asia, and is surrounded by the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The continent includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, the island of New Guinea, the Aru Islands, the Ashmore and Cartier Islands, most of the Coral Sea Islands, and some other nearby islands.
The Australian continent has a land area of 8.56 million square kilometres (3,310,000 sq mi) or 7,686,884 to 7,688,287 square kilometres (2,967,909 to 2,968,464 sq mi) depending on the source, which makes it the smallest continent in terms of land area. It is slightly smaller than Brazil and the contiguous United States, and is almost a fifth of the size of Asia, the largest continent.
Australia is also one of the largest countries in the world. It is the sixth-largest country, with a total area of 7,688,287 square kilometres (2,968,464 sq mi). It is also the largest country without land borders and the largest single country in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Australian continent is highly urbanised, with the country of Australia being the most dominant economy in the region. The Australian climate ranges from tropical in the northeast and northwest to arid in the centre, with a temperate climate in the coastal south. It is the driest inhabited continent, with 70% of the country being arid or semi-arid, and about 18% desert.
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Australia's written history commenced with Dutch exploration
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It is the smallest continent and one of the largest countries on Earth, lying between the Pacific and Indian oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. Its written history commenced with Dutch exploration in the 17th century.
In February 1606, Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon landed on the Cape York Peninsula, making the first recorded European sighting of the Australian mainland. Twenty-nine other Dutch navigators explored the western and southern coasts in the 17th century, and dubbed the continent New Holland. They charted almost two-thirds of the Australian coastline, naming geographical features such as Tasmania, Zuytdorp Cliffs, and Cape Leeuwin.
In 1611, Dutch explorer Hendrik Brouwer devised a shorter route from Europe to Southeast Asia that also avoided Portuguese-controlled Malacca and Ternate. This route halved the average voyage time of twelve months by taking advantage of the Roaring Forties winds across the southern Indian Ocean. It is unclear whether the Dutch ship captain Hartog was instructed to take this route or decided to do so himself, raising the question of whether his discovery of the west coast of Australia was accidental or purposeful exploration.
In 1627, the south coast of Australia was accidentally encountered by François Thijssen and named 't Land van Pieter Nuyts, in honour of the highest-ranking passenger, Pieter Nuyts, an extraordinary Councillor of India. In 1628, a squadron of Dutch ships was sent by the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies to explore the northern coast. While the Dutch charted the Australian coastline and named the island continent, they made no attempt at settlement.
Australia's historical ties with the Netherlands date back to the early 17th century, and reminders of their shared maritime history can be found across the Australian continent. Since the Dutch explorations, the two nations have continued to foster their shared cultural heritage through the Dutch International Cultural Policy.
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Australia has a federal system of government
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is the smallest continent and one of the largest countries on Earth, lying between the Pacific and Indian Oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. Its capital city is Canberra, and its most important economic and cultural centres are Sydney and Melbourne.
Australia is a relatively prosperous independent country. Australians do not share their continent with any other country. Extremely remote from their traditional allies and trading partners, Australians have become more interested in the proximity of huge potential markets in Asia and in the highly competitive industrialised economies of China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.
Historically part of the British Empire and now a member of the Commonwealth, Australia has a federal system of government. This means that power is shared between the federal government and state governments. Under the Constitution, the states kept their own parliaments and most of their existing powers, but the federal Parliament was given responsibility for areas that affected the whole nation. State parliaments, in turn, gave local councils the task of looking after the particular needs of their local communities. The Constitution established a federal Parliament. The 226 members of the Australian Parliament – 76 in the Senate and 150 in the House of Representatives – are responsible for making federal laws. Sections 51 and 52 of the Constitution describe the law-making powers of the federal Parliament. Section 51 lists 39 areas over which the federal Parliament has legislative (law-making) power.
The three levels of government in Australia are the federal Parliament, state/territory parliaments, and local councils. The Federal Parliament is located in Canberra, the nation's capital. State/territory parliaments are located in the capital cities of each of the 6 states and 2 territories. Local councils are located around Australia in each local council division. Australia has three levels of government that work together to provide services to its citizens. The federal Parliament makes laws for the whole of Australia, the six state and two territory parliaments make laws for their state or territory, and over 500 local councils make local laws (by-laws) for their region or district.
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Frequently asked questions
Australia is a country, but it is also a continent. It is the smallest continent and one of the largest countries on Earth. It is officially the Commonwealth of Australia and does not share its continent with any other country.
Australia has a total area of 7,688,287 sq km (2,968,464 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest country in the world and the largest in Oceania.
Australia has a federal system of government, based on the British (Westminster) tradition. Powers are distributed between a national government (the Commonwealth) and the six states: New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia.
Australia is one of the most multicultural countries in the world. Since the 1970s, there has been a significant increase in immigration from Asian and other non-European countries. Sydney, one of the cultural centers, is the most multicultural city in Oceania, with over 250 languages spoken.
