Australia | History, Cities, Population, Capital, Map, & Facts

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class="col-auto"> <div class="topic-left-rail md-article-drawer position-relative d-flex border-right-sm border-left-sm open"> <div class="drawer d-flex flex-column open"> <div class="left-rail-section-content"> <div class="topic-left-rail-header text-truncate bg-gray-50 position-relative text-right d-flex align-items-center"> <div class="tlr-title px-20 py-15 text-left"> <em class="material-icons text-gray-400 d-lg-none" data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Australia">Australia</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/place/Australia">Introduction & Quick Facts</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref44980"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Geologic-history">Geologic history</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref44981"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Geologic-history#ref44981">General considerations</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref44982"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Geologic-history#ref44982">Tectonic framework</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref44983"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Geologic-history#ref44983">Chronological summary</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref44984"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Stratigraphy-and-structure">Stratigraphy and structure</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref44985"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Stratigraphy-and-structure#ref44985">The Precambrian</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref44986" class="has-children"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Stratigraphy-and-structure#ref44986">The Paleozoic Era</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref44987"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Stratigraphy-and-structure#ref44987">Principal regimes</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref44988"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Stratigraphy-and-structure#ref44988">Terranes of the Tasman Fold Belt</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref44989" class="has-children"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/The-Mesozoic-and-Cenozoic-eras">The Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref44990"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/The-Mesozoic-and-Cenozoic-eras#ref44990">The Quaternary Period</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref44991"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/The-Mesozoic-and-Cenozoic-eras#ref44991">Economic resources</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref44992"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/The-Mesozoic-and-Cenozoic-eras#ref44992">The modern geologic framework</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref44993"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/The-Mesozoic-and-Cenozoic-eras#ref44993">Pangaean supercycle</a></li></ul></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref44994"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Land">Land</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref44995"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Land#ref44995">Relief and drainage</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref44996"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Land#ref44996">Overall characteristics</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref44997"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/The-Western-Plateau">The Western Plateau</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref44999"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/The-Interior-Lowlands">The Interior Lowlands</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref45000"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/The-Interior-Lowlands#ref45000">The Eastern Uplands</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref45001"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/The-Interior-Lowlands#ref45001">The human impact</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref45002"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Soils">Soils</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref45003"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Soils#ref45003">Climate</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref45004"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Plant-and-animal-life">Plant and animal life</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref338248"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Plant-and-animal-life#ref338248">Overall characteristics</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref45005"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Plant-and-animal-life#ref45005">Conservation</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref45006"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Plant-life">Plant life</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref45007"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Plant-life#ref45007">Vegetation</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref45008"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Animal-life">Animal life</a></li></ul></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref45010"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/People">People</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref228689"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/People#ref228689">Ethnic groups</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref338084"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/People#ref338084">The Chinese</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref338085"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/People#ref338085">The Italians</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref338086"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/People#ref338086">Aboriginal peoples</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref228690"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Languages">Languages</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref228691"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Languages#ref228691">Religion</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref228692"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Languages#ref228692">Demographic trends</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref338087"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Languages#ref338087">White Australia policy</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref338088"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Languages#ref338088">“Populate or perish”</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref338089"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Languages#ref338089">First and second waves of postwar immigration</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref338090"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/The-advent-of-multicultural-society">The advent of multicultural society</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref228693"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Settlement-patterns">Settlement patterns</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref228694"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Settlement-patterns#ref228694">Rural settlement</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref228695"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Settlement-patterns#ref228695">Urban settlement</a></li></ul></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref45011"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Economy">Economy</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref228696"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Economy#ref228696">Agriculture, forestry, and fishing</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref228697"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Agriculture">Agriculture</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref45022"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Agriculture#ref45022">Forestry and fishing</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref45012"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Power-and-resources">Power and resources</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref45018"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Power-and-resources#ref45018">Energy</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref45013" class="has-children"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Power-and-resources#ref45013">Minerals and mining</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref45014"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Power-and-resources#ref45014">Iron ore</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref45015"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Power-and-resources#ref45015">Ferroalloys and nonferrous base metals</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref45016"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Power-and-resources#ref45016">Precious metals</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref45017"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Power-and-resources#ref45017">Nonmetallic deposits</a></li></ul></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref45023"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Manufacturing">Manufacturing</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref45024"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Manufacturing#ref45024">Finance</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref228698"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Manufacturing#ref228698">Services</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref228699"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Labour-and-taxation">Labour and taxation</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref45025"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Labour-and-taxation#ref45025">Trade</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref45026"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Labour-and-taxation#ref45026">Transportation and telecommunications</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref45027"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Government-and-society">Government and society</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref45028"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Government-and-society#ref45028">Constitutional framework</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref45029"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Government-and-society#ref45029">Local government</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref45030"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Government-and-society#ref45030">Justice</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref228700" class="has-children"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Government-and-society#ref228700">Political process</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref228701"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Government-and-society#ref228701">Elections</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref228702"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Government-and-society#ref228702">Political parties</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref228703"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Government-and-society#ref228703">Constitutional issues</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref45031"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Government-and-society#ref45031">Security</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref45034"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Health-and-welfare">Health and welfare</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref228704"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Health-and-welfare#ref228704">Housing</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref45033"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Health-and-welfare#ref45033">Education</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref45035"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Cultural-life">Cultural life</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref228705"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Cultural-life#ref228705">Daily life and social customs</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref228706"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Cultural-life#ref228706">The arts</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref228707"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Cultural-life#ref228707">Literature</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref228708" class="has-children"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Cultural-life#ref228708">Performing arts</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref228709"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Cultural-life#ref228709">Dance</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref228710"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Cultural-life#ref228710">Music</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref228711"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Cultural-life#ref228711">Theatre</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref228712"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Visual-arts">Visual arts</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref228713"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Visual-arts#ref228713">Film</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref338355"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Visual-arts#ref338355">The influence of Bollywood and anime</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref228714"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Cultural-institutions">Cultural institutions</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref228715"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Cultural-institutions#ref228715">Sports and recreation</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref338356"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Cultural-institutions#ref338356">Cricket</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref338357"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Cultural-institutions#ref338357">Surfing</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref338358"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Cultural-institutions#ref338358">Australian rules football and rugby</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref338359"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Cultural-institutions#ref338359">Tennis and golf</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref338360"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Cultural-institutions#ref338360">Olympics</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref228716"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Cultural-institutions#ref228716">Media and publishing</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref228717"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/History">History</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42391"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/History#ref42391">Australia to 1900</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42392" class="has-children"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/History#ref42392">Early exploration and colonization</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42393"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/History#ref42393">Early contacts and approaches</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h5"><li data-target="#ref42394"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/History#ref42394">The Portuguese</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h5"><li data-target="#ref42395"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/History#ref42395">The Spanish</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42396"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/History#ref42396">Oceanic exploration</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h5"><li data-target="#ref42397"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/History#ref42397">The Dutch</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h5"><li data-target="#ref42398"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/History#ref42398">The British</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h5"><li data-target="#ref42399"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/History#ref42399">Later explorations</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42400"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/History#ref42400">European settlement</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42401"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/An-authoritarian-society">An authoritarian society</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42402" class="has-children"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/A-major-shift-1830-60">A major shift: 1830–60</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42403"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/A-major-shift-1830-60#ref42403">Settlement</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42404"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/A-major-shift-1830-60#ref42404">Politics</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42405"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/A-major-shift-1830-60#ref42405">The economy</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42406"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/A-major-shift-1830-60#ref42406">Culture</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42407"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/A-major-shift-1830-60#ref42407">Aboriginal people</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42408" class="has-children"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Several-small-democracies-1860-1900">Several small democracies: 1860–1900</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42409"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Several-small-democracies-1860-1900#ref42409">Politics</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42410"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Several-small-democracies-1860-1900#ref42410">The economy</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42411"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Several-small-democracies-1860-1900#ref42411">The colonies</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h5"><li data-target="#ref42412"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Several-small-democracies-1860-1900#ref42412">Victoria</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h5"><li data-target="#ref42413"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Several-small-democracies-1860-1900#ref42413">New South Wales</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h5"><li data-target="#ref42414"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Several-small-democracies-1860-1900#ref42414">Queensland</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h5"><li data-target="#ref42415"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Several-small-democracies-1860-1900#ref42415">South Australia</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h5"><li data-target="#ref42416"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Several-small-democracies-1860-1900#ref42416">Tasmania</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h5"><li data-target="#ref42417"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Several-small-democracies-1860-1900#ref42417">Western Australia</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42418"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Social-movements">Social movements</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h5"><li data-target="#ref42419"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Social-movements#ref42419">Labour</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h5"><li data-target="#ref42420"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Social-movements#ref42420">Movement toward federation</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42421"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Social-movements#ref42421">The culture</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42422"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Social-movements#ref42422">Aboriginal people</a></li></ul></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref42423"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Australia-since-1900">Australia since 1900</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42424" class="has-children"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Australia-since-1900#ref42424">Nationhood and war: 1901–45</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42425"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Australia-since-1900#ref42425">Growth of the Commonwealth</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42426"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Australia-since-1900#ref42426">World War I</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42427"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/The-postwar-years">The postwar years</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42428"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/World-War-II">World War II</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42429"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/The-culture">The culture</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42430"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/The-culture#ref42430">Aboriginal peoples</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref42431" class="has-children"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/The-culture#ref42431">Australia from 1945 to c. 1983</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42432"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/The-culture#ref42432">Postwar expansion</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref338338"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/The-ascendance-of-Australian-popular-culture">The ascendance of Australian popular culture</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42433"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/The-ascendance-of-Australian-popular-culture#ref42433">Domestic politics to 1975</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42435"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/International-affairs">International affairs</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref228718"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/International-affairs#ref228718">Immigration</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42436"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Strains-of-modern-radicalism">Strains of modern radicalism</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref42437"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Strains-of-modern-radicalism#ref42437">Cultural achievements</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h3"><li data-target="#ref228719" class="has-children"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Australia-since-1983">Australia since 1983</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref251645"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Domestic-issues">Domestic issues</a><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h5"><li data-target="#ref350744"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Domestic-issues#ref350744">The premierships of Bob Hawke (1983–91), Paul Keating (1991–96), and John Howard (1996–2007)</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h5"><li data-target="#ref350745"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Domestic-issues#ref350745">The premierships of Kevin Rudd (2007–10 and 2013) and Julia Gillard (2010–13)</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h5"><li data-target="#ref350746"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Domestic-issues#ref350746">The premierships of Tony Abbott (2013–15) and Malcolm Turnbull (2015–18)</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h5"><li data-target="#ref350747"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Domestic-issues#ref350747">The premiership of Scott Morrison (2018–22)</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h5"><li data-target="#ref350777"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Domestic-issues#ref350777">The premiership of Anthony Albanese (2022– )</a></li></ul></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h4"><li data-target="#ref251646"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/Domestic-issues#ref251646">Foreign policy and immigration</a></li></ul></li></ul></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref280572"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/place/Australia/National-and-state-emblems-of-Australia">National and state emblems of Australia</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Australia/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Australia">Facts & Stats</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Australia/images-videos">Images, Videos & Interactives</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div 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Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. </div> <div class="label mt-20 mb-10">Select Citation Style</div> <select class="js-citation-format-select form-select"> <option selected value="mla">MLA</option> <option value="apa">APA</option> <option value="chicago">Chicago Manual of Style</option> </select> <div class="citation font-serif border rounded p-15 mt-20" data-authors="Ride, W.D.L., Rickard, John David, Powell, Joseph Michael, Lange, Robert Terence, Veevers, John J., Roe, Michael, Twidale, Charles Rowland" data-authors-initial="Ride, W., Rickard, J.D., Powell, J.M., Lange, R.T., Veevers, J.J., Roe, M., Twidale, C.R." data-title="Australia" data-published-date="26 Feb. 2025" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/place/Australia" > <div class="citation-text"></div> </div> <button class="js-copy-citation-button mt-20 btn btn-xs btn-outline-blue border shadow-sm pr-10" > <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 my-n5 mr-5" data-icon="file_copy"></em> <span class="js-citation-status-text">Copy Citation</span> </button> </div> </div> </div> <div> <button class="js-share-modal-button js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal="[data-topic-id=43654] .md-share-modal"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="share"></em> Share </button> <div class="md-share-modal size-lg d-none qa-share-modal"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif d-flex align-items-center pb-15 border-bottom"> <em class="material-icons text-blue mr-10" data-icon="share"></em> Share </div> <div class="label my-20">Share to social media</div> <div class="md-social-toolbar-circle d-flex align-items-start inverted" data-value="share" title="Australia" data-url="https://www.britannica.com/place/Australia" > <a class="social-icon facebook justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/BRITANNICA/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>Facebook</span></a> <a class="social-icon x justify-content-center d-flex align-items-center align-self-center" data-provider="x" href="https://x.com/britannica" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span>X</span></a> </div> <div class="label pt-20 mt-20 mb-5 border-top">URL</div> <a class="font-serif text-truncate d-inline-block" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Australia">https://www.britannica.com/place/Australia</a> </div> </div> </div> <div> <button class="js-feedback-modal-button js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal=".md-feedback-modal"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="message"></em> Feedback </button> </div> <div> <button class="qa-external-website-modal-button js-modal btn btn-sm btn-link gtm-topic-tool font-weight-bold btn-link" data-modal="[data-topic-id=43654] .md-websites-modal"> <em class="material-icons md-icon ml-n10 mr-5" data-icon="link"></em> External Websites </button> </div> </div> <div class="md-feedback-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom"> Feedback </div> <form method="post" action="/submission/feedback/43654"> <div class="my-20"> Corrections? 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/oceania-physical-geography/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">National Geographic - Australia and Oceania: Physical Geography</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://saudiarabia.embassy.gov.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Official Site of the Embassy of Australia in Saudi Arabia</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="http://www.navy.gov.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">The Official Site of Royal Australian Navy</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/australia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Central Intelligence Agency - The World Factbook - Australia</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.australia.gov.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Official Site of the Government of Australia</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/atwar/first-world-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Australian War Memorial - First World War 1914–18</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://lebanon.embassy.gov.au" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Official Site of the Embassy of Australia in Lebanon</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/atwar/boer" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Australian War Memorial - Australia and the Boer War, 1899–1902</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="http://anzaccentenary.archive.vic.gov.au/history/australias-contribution-wwi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Anzac Centenary - Australia’s Contribution to WWI</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.humanrights.gov.au/face-facts-cultural-diversity" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Australian Human Rights Commission - Face the facts: Cultural Diversity</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-title">Britannica Websites</div> <div class="md-websites-ebk-subtitle">Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.</div> <ul class="list-unstyled bps-topic-web-sites lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Australia/345639" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australia - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Australia/273020" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australia - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 d-none mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10 px-sm-5 px-md-10 js-header-ai-ask-button"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: Commonwealth of Australia</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/WDL-Ride/3866" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">W.D.L. Ride</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Visiting Fellow, Australian National University, Canberra. Head, School of Applied Science, Canberra College of Advanced Education, 1982–87. Author of <i>A Guide to the Native Mammals of Australia.</i></div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> W.D.L. Ride</span>, <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/John-David-Rickard/3865" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">John David Rickard</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Reader in History, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia. Author of <i>Australia: A Cultural History </i>and others.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> John David Rickard</span><span class="text-gray-700 mx-5">•</span><a class="see-all border-gray-700 gtm-byline" rel="nofollow" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Australia/additional-info#contributors">All</a> </div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 qa-editor-popup font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2025-02-26T00:00:00CST" >Feb 26, 2025</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Australia/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn btn-sm border-2 btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 module-spacing js-inline-ai-ask-button p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot </button> </div> <div class="bg-gray-50 p-15 rounded module-spacing recent-news d-flex flex-column float-false"> <div> <h2 class="font-weight-bold font-14 m-0 d-inline"> News <span class="text-gray-600">•</span> </h2> <div class="recent-news-item first-recent-news-item d-inline"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/43654/b1b742a390e5a1ec38b47fe91471b93f" rel="nofollow">Matildas condemn misogynistic comments by radio host about Australian women's soccer team</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 26, 2025, 3:25 AM ET (AP) <button class="btn btn-link d-inline p-0 font-12 js-toggle-recent-news"> <span class="text-gray-500">...</span><span>(Show more)</span> </button> </span> </div> </div> <div class="rest-of-recent-news-items"> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/43654/6f62064606dac0558427f045a0631f49" rel="nofollow">Biyendolo and Cooper score as United States beats Australia 2-1 in SheBelieves Cup</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 23, 2025, 7:36 PM ET (AP) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/43654/08067898b342c350ce7ef7cec56717de" rel="nofollow">China issued 'disconcerting' warning of live-fire exercises to planes flying above, Australia says</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 21, 2025, 5:41 AM ET (AP) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/43654/2c683dea3b06e204b261ba3d83919ad2" rel="nofollow">Wellness blogger Belle Gibson lied about having cancer. Years later, Australia is still chasing her</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 21, 2025, 1:09 AM ET (AP) </span> </div> <div class="recent-news-item mt-5"> <a class="font-14 gtm-ap-news-link" href="/news/43654/aa55e662e9d33fe0962dda7144d2e3aa" rel="nofollow">Experts give up hope for 157 false killer whales stranded on a beach in Australia's Tasmania state</a> <span class="font-14 text-gray-600"> <span>•</span> Feb. 19, 2025, 9:15 PM ET (AP) </span> </div> <button class="js-toggle-recent-news d-flex btn btn-unstyled font-14 pr-10 rounded-sm mt-10" aria-label="Toggle additional news items"> Show less <em class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_less"></em> </button> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies multiple medialist slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100" data-type="other"><div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex"><div class="rw-track d-flex align-items-center"><div class="position-relative rw-slide col-100 px-20 "><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="8093" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/49/20349-050-C5029C80/Uluru-Ayers-Rock-Uluru-Kata-Tjuta-National-Park-Australia.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/43654/8093"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/49/20349-050-C5029C80/Uluru-Ayers-Rock-Uluru-Kata-Tjuta-National-Park-Australia.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/49/20349-050-C5029C80/Uluru-Ayers-Rock-Uluru-Kata-Tjuta-National-Park-Australia.jpg?w=300" alt="Uluru/Ayers Rock, Northern Territory, Australia" data-width="1243" data-height="835" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/49/20349-050-C5029C80/Uluru-Ayers-Rock-Uluru-Kata-Tjuta-National-Park-Australia.jpg" data-href="/media/1/43654/8093">Uluru/Ayers Rock, Northern Territory, Australia</a><span>Uluru/Ayers Rock, Uluru–Kata Tjuta National Park, southwestern Northern Territory, central Australia.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div></div><button disabled="true" class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span></button><button disabled="true" class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue-dark m-20"><span class="material-icons" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span></button></div><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref475868"></span>Australia</strong>, the smallest <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/continent" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">continent</a> and one of the largest countries on Earth, lying between the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Pacific-Ocean" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Pacific</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Indian-Ocean" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Indian</a> oceans in the Southern Hemisphere. Australia’s capital is <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Canberra" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Canberra</a>, located in the southeast between the larger and more important economic and cultural centres of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Sydney-New-South-Wales" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Sydney</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Melbourne" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Melbourne</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="208244" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/86/183586-050-A05EF881/World-Data-Locator-Map-Australia.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/43654/208244"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/86/183586-050-A05EF881/World-Data-Locator-Map-Australia.jpg"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/86/183586-050-A05EF881/World-Data-Locator-Map-Australia.jpg?w=300" alt="Australia" data-width="1600" data-height="1533" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/86/183586-050-A05EF881/World-Data-Locator-Map-Australia.jpg" data-href="/media/1/43654/208244">Australia</a><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The Australian mainland extends from west to east for nearly 2,500 miles (4,000 km) and from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Cape-York-Peninsula" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Cape York Peninsula</a> in the northeast to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Wilsons-Promontory" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Wilsons Promontory</a> in the southeast for nearly 2,000 miles (3,200 km). To the south, Australian <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="jurisdiction" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/jurisdiction" data-type="EB">jurisdiction</a> extends a further 310 miles (500 km) to the southern extremity of the island of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Tasmania" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tasmania</a>, and in the north it extends to the southern shores of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Papua-New-Guinea" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Papua New Guinea</a>. Australia is separated from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Indonesia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Indonesia</a> to the northwest by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Timor-Sea" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Timor</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Arafura-Sea" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Arafura</a> seas, from Papua New Guinea to the northeast by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Coral-Sea" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Coral Sea</a> and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Torres-Strait" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Torres Strait</a>, from the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Coral-Sea-Islands" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Coral Sea Islands Territory</a> by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Great-Barrier-Reef" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Great Barrier Reef</a>, from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-Zealand" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">New Zealand</a> to the southeast by the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Tasman-Sea" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tasman Sea</a>, and from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Antarctica" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Antarctica</a> in the far south by the Indian Ocean.</p><div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="qf-title font-weight-bold font-14 mb-10 text-center"> Quick Facts</div> <div class="m-n10 "> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 media-slider card-snap-slider col-100"> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex col-100"> <div class="rw-track w-100"> <div class="pt-10 d-inline-flex col-100"> <div class="w-100"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/78/6078-050-18D5DEFE/Flag-Australia.jpg" data-href="/media/1/43654/62127" class="media-overlay-link card-media d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center px-20" > <div class="position-relative"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/78/6078-050-18D5DEFE/Flag-Australia.jpg" alt="Australia" class="cropped-false w-100 " /> <em class="material-icons qf-zoom" data-icon="zoom_in"></em> </div> </a> <div class="card-body text-center pt-5 pb-10 font-14"> <span>See article: <a href="/topic/flag-of-Australia">flag of Australia</a> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <button disabled class="prev-button js-prev-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue btn-blue-dark" aria-label="Previous"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_left"></span> </button> <button disabled class="next-button js-next-button position-absolute btn btn-circle shadow btn-lg btn-blue btn-blue-dark" aria-label="Next"> <span class="material-icons md-24" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></span> </button> </div> </div> <audio src="https://cdn.britannica.com/72/139772-005-7BE34645/Advance-Australia-Fair-Sydney-Philharmonia-Choir-Australian.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" controls=""></audio> <div class="text-center font-12 mt-5"> <span>Audio File:</span> Anthem of Australia (<a href="/topic/Advance-Australia-Fair">see article</a>)</div> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Head Of Government: </dt> <dd>Prime Minister: <a href="/biography/Anthony-Albanese">Anthony Albanese</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Capital: </dt> <dd><a href="/place/Canberra">Canberra</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Population: </dt> <dd>(2025 est.) 27,978,000</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Currency Exchange Rate: </dt> <dd>1 USD equals 1.545 Australian dollar</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Head Of State: </dt> <dd>British Monarch: <a href="/biography/Charles-III-king-of-the-United-Kingdom">King Charles III</a>, represented by Governor-General: Sam Mostyn</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Form Of Government: </dt> <dd>federal parliamentary state (formally a constitutional monarchy) with two legislative houses (Senate [76]; House of Representatives [150])</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Official Language: </dt> <dd>none<sup>1</sup></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Official Religion: </dt> <dd>none</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Official Name: </dt> <dd>Commonwealth of Australia</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Total Area (Sq Km): </dt> <dd>7,688,126</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Total Area (Sq Mi): </dt> <dd>2,968,385</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Monetary Unit: </dt> <dd>Australian dollar ($A)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Population Rank: </dt> <dd>(2025) 53</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Population Projection 2030: </dt> <dd>27,564,000</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Density: Persons Per Sq Mi: </dt> <dd>(2025) 9.4</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Density: Persons Per Sq Km: </dt> <dd>(2025) 3.6</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Urban-Rural Population: </dt> <dd>Urban: (2018) 86%</dd> <dd>Rural: (2018) 14%</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Life Expectancy At Birth: </dt> <dd>Male: (2020–2022) 81.2 years</dd> <dd>Female: (2020–2022) 85.3 years</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate: </dt> <dd>Male: not available</dd> <dd>Female: not available</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000): </dt> <dd>(2023) 1,681,999</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class="facts-item-none d-none"> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Gni Per Capita (U.S.$): </dt> <dd>(2023) 63,140</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="footnotes mb-15"> <ol> <li>There is no official language designated in the Australian constitution. English is widely considered the de facto national language.</li> </ol> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Australia"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> <button class="facts-list-show-more-btn mt-15 p-0 mx-auto btn font-14 d-block font-weight-normal"> <span class="material-icons" data-icon="expand_more"></span> <span class="show-more-label">Show More</span> </button> </div><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Australia has been called “the Oldest Continent,” “the Last of Lands,” and “the Last Frontier.” Those descriptions typify the world’s fascination with Australia, but they are somewhat unsatisfactory. In simple physical terms, the age of much of the continent is certainly impressive—most of the rocks providing the foundation of Australian landforms were formed during <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/Precambrian" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Precambrian</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/Paleozoic-Era" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Paleozoic</a> time (some 4.6 billion to 252 million years ago)—but the ages of the cores of all the continents are approximately the same. On the other hand, whereas the landscape history of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="extensive" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/extensive" data-type="EB">extensive</a> areas in Europe and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/North-America" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">North America</a> has been profoundly influenced by events and processes that occurred since late in the last Ice Age—roughly the past 25,000 years—in Australia scientists use a more extensive timescale that takes into account the great antiquity of the continent’s landscape.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Australia is the last of lands only in the sense that it was the last continent, apart from Antarctica, to be <span id="ref475869"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/non-European-exploration" class="md-crosslink ">explored</a> by Europeans. At least 60,000 years before European explorers sailed into the South Pacific, the first <span id="ref761634"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Australian-Aboriginal" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Aboriginal</a> explorers had arrived from <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Asia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Asia</a>, and by 20,000 years ago they had spread throughout the mainland and its chief island outlier, Tasmania. When Captain <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Arthur-Phillip" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Arthur Phillip</a> of the British <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Royal-Navy" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Royal Navy</a> landed with the First Fleet at <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Botany-Bay" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Botany Bay</a> in 1788, there may have been between 250,000 and 500,000 Aboriginals, though some estimates are much higher. Largely nomadic hunters and gatherers, the Aboriginals had already transformed the primeval landscape, principally by the use of fire, and, contrary to common European perceptions, they had established <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="robust" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/robust" data-type="MW">robust</a>, semipermanent settlements in well-favoured localities.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="68649" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/69/74869-050-6BACE8C9/Dove-Lake-part-Cradle-Mountain-St-Clair.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/43654/68649"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/69/74869-050-6BACE8C9/Dove-Lake-part-Cradle-Mountain-St-Clair.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/69/74869-050-6BACE8C9/Dove-Lake-part-Cradle-Mountain-St-Clair.jpg?w=300" alt="Dove Lake, Tasmania, Australia" data-width="1600" data-height="1060" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/69/74869-050-6BACE8C9/Dove-Lake-part-Cradle-Mountain-St-Clair.jpg" data-href="/media/1/43654/68649">Dove Lake, Tasmania, Australia</a><span>Dove Lake in Cradle Mountain–Lake St. Clair National Park, Tasmania, Australia.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">The American-style concept of a national “frontier” moving outward along a line of settlement is also inappropriate. There was, rather, a series of comparatively independent expansions from the margins of the various colonies, which were not joined in an independent federated union until 1901. Frontier <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="metaphors" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metaphors" data-type="MW">metaphors</a> were long employed to suggest the existence of yet another extension of Europe and especially of an outpost of Anglo-Celtic <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="culture" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture" data-type="MW">culture</a> in the distant “antipodes.”</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/australian-vocabulary-quiz" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/81/251681-131-E930042A/graduation-cap-flag-Australia-speech-bubble.jpg" alt="Graduation cap sitting over a speech bubble with an Australian flag on a blue background. (education)" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Australian Vocabulary Quiz</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The most striking characteristics of the vast <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/nation-state" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">country</a> are its global isolation, its <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/cyclone-meteorology" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">low</a> relief, and the aridity of much of its surface. If, like the English novelist <span id="ref761635"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/D-H-Lawrence" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">D.H. Lawrence</a>, visitors from the Northern Hemisphere are at first overwhelmed by “the vast, uninhabited land and by the grey charred bush…so phantom-like, so ghostly, with its tall, pale trees and many dead trees, like corpses,” they should remember that to Australians the bush—that sparsely populated Inland or <span id="ref761582"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Outback" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Outback</a> beyond the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Great-Dividing-Range" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Great Dividing Range</a> of mountains running along the Pacific coast and separating it from the cities in the east—is familiar and evokes <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="nostalgia" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nostalgia" data-type="MW">nostalgia</a>. It still retains some of the mystical quality it had for the first explorers searching for inland seas and great rivers, and it remains a symbol of Australia’s strength and independence; the Outback poem by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Banjo-Paterson" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">A.B. (“Banjo”) Paterson</a>, “<span id="ref761637"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Waltzing-Matilda" class="md-crosslink ">Waltzing Matilda</a>,” is the unofficial <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/national-anthem" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">national anthem</a> of Australia known the world over.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="162698" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media" data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/09/153409-050-D97E6581/coast-Great-Barrier-Reef-Australia-Queensland.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/43654/162698"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/09/153409-050-D97E6581/coast-Great-Barrier-Reef-Australia-Queensland.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/09/153409-050-D97E6581/coast-Great-Barrier-Reef-Australia-Queensland.jpg?w=300" alt="Great Barrier Reef" data-width="1600" data-height="1067" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/09/153409-050-D97E6581/coast-Great-Barrier-Reef-Australia-Queensland.jpg" data-href="/media/1/43654/162698">Great Barrier Reef</a><span>The Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">Australia’s isolation from other continents explains much of the singularity of its plant and animal life. Its unique flora and fauna include hundreds of kinds of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/plant/Eucalyptus" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">eucalyptus</a> trees and the only egg-laying mammals on Earth, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/platypus" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">platypus</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/animal/echidna-monotreme" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">echidna</a>. Other plants and animals associated with Australia are various acacias (<em>Acacia pycnantha</em> [golden wattle] is the national flower) and dingoes, kangaroos, koalas, and kookaburras. The <span id="ref782636"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Great-Barrier-Reef" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Great Barrier Reef</a>, off the east coast of Queensland, is the greatest mass of coral in the world and one of the world’s foremost tourist attractions. The country’s low relief results from the long and extensive erosive action of the forces of wind, rain, and the heat of the sun during the great periods of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/geologic-time" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">geologic time</a> when the continental mass was elevated well above <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/sea-level" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">sea level</a>.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=august-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Isolation is also a pronounced characteristic of much of the social landscape beyond the large coastal cities. But an equally significant feature of modern Australian society is the representation of a broad spectrum of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="cultures" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cultures" data-type="MW">cultures</a> drawn from many lands, a development stemming from immigration that is transforming the strong Anglo-Celtic orientation of Australian culture. Assimilation, of course, is seldom a quick and easy process, and minority rights, multiculturalism, and race-related issues have played a large part in contemporary Australian politics. In the late 1990s these issues sparked a <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="conservative" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conservative" data-type="MW">conservative</a> backlash.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Australia has a federal form of government, with a national government for the Commonwealth of Australia and individual state governments (those of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/New-South-Wales" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">New South Wales</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Victoria-state-Australia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Victoria</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Queensland-state-Australia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Queensland</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/South-Australia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">South Australia</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Western-Australia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Western Australia</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Tasmania" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tasmania</a>). Each state has a constitution, and its government exercises a limited <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/degree-education" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">degree</a> of <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="sovereignty" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sovereignty" data-type="MW">sovereignty</a>. There are also two internal territories: <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Northern-Territory" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Northern Territory</a>, established as a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bantustan" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">self-governing territory</a> in 1978, and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Australian-Capital-Territory" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Australian Capital Territory</a> (including the city of Canberra), which attained self-governing status in 1988. The federal authorities govern the external territories of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Norfolk-Island" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Norfolk Island</a>, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Cocos-Islands" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Cocos (Keeling) Islands</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Christmas-Island" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Christmas Island</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Ashmore-and-Cartier-Islands" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Ashmore and Cartier islands</a>, the Coral Sea Islands, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Heard-and-McDonald-Islands" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Heard Island and McDonald Islands</a> and claim the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Australian-Antarctic-Territory" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Australian Antarctic Territory</a>, an area larger than Australia itself. Papua New Guinea, formerly an Australian external territory, gained its independence in 1975.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD10 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Historically part of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/British-Empire" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">British Empire</a> and now a member of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Commonwealth-association-of-states" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Commonwealth</a>, Australia is a relatively prosperous independent country. Australians are in many respects fortunate in that they do not share their continent—which is only a little smaller than the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">United States</a>—with any other country. Extremely remote from their traditional allies and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/market" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">trading</a> partners—it is some 12,000 miles (19,000 km) from Australia to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/United-Kingdom" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Great Britain</a> via the Indian Ocean and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Suez-Canal" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Suez Canal</a> and about 7,000 miles (11,000 km) across the Pacific Ocean to the west coast of the United States—Australians have become more interested in the proximity of huge potential markets in Asia and in the highly competitive industrialized economies of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/China" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">China</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Japan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Japan</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/South-Korea" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">South Korea</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Taiwan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Taiwan</a>. Australia, the continent and the country, may have been quite isolated at the beginning of the 20th century, but it entered the 21st century a culturally <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="diverse" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diverse" data-type="MW">diverse</a> land brimming with confidence, an attitude encouraged by the worldwide fascination with the land “Down Under” and demonstrated when Sydney hosted the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Sydney-2000-Olympic-Games" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">2000 Olympic Games</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD10 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-simplify-root"></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":40,"pageId":43654,"pageLength":1239,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.133.36"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-133/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.133.36' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"B","adLeg":"B","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"COUNTRY_PAGINATED","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":true} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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