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Australia, Officially The Commonwealth of Australia

Australia is an island continent located between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It is the largest country in Oceania and has a population of 25 million people that is highly urbanized along the eastern coast. Indigenous Australians have lived on the continent for over 65,000 years, and Great Britain claimed the eastern half in 1770, establishing the penal colony of New South Wales. On January 1, 1901, the six self-governing colonies of Australia federated to form the nation of Australia, which has since maintained a stable liberal democratic government. Australia has a diverse landscape ranging from deserts to tropical rainforests, and has a highly developed economy based on mining, banking, and other industries.

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77 views2 pages

Australia, Officially The Commonwealth of Australia

Australia is an island continent located between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It is the largest country in Oceania and has a population of 25 million people that is highly urbanized along the eastern coast. Indigenous Australians have lived on the continent for over 65,000 years, and Great Britain claimed the eastern half in 1770, establishing the penal colony of New South Wales. On January 1, 1901, the six self-governing colonies of Australia federated to form the nation of Australia, which has since maintained a stable liberal democratic government. Australia has a diverse landscape ranging from deserts to tropical rainforests, and has a highly developed economy based on mining, banking, and other industries.

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JOYCE
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia,[12] is a sovereign country

comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania,


and numerous smaller islands. It is the largest country in Oceania and the
world's sixth-largest country by total area. The neighbouring countries
are Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and East Timor to the north; the Solomon
Islands and Vanuatuto the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.
The population of 25 million[6] is highly urbanised and heavily concentrated
on the eastern seaboard.[13] Australia's capital is Canberra, and its
largest city is Sydney. The country's other major metropolitan
areasare Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.

Indigenous Australians inhabited the continent for about 65,000 years prior
to European discovery[14] with the arrival of Dutchexplorers in the early 17th
century, who named it New Holland. In 1770, Australia's eastern half was
claimed by Great Britain and initially settled through penal transportation to
the colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788, a date which became
Australia's national day. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades,
and by the time of an 1850s gold rush, most of the continent had been
explored and an additional five self-governing crown colonies established. On 1
January 1901, the six colonies federated, forming the Commonwealth of
Australia. Australia has since maintained a stable liberal democratic political
system that functions as a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy,
comprising six states and ten territories.

Being the oldest,[15] flattest[16] and driest inhabited continent,[17][18] with


the least fertile soils,[19][20] Australia has a landmass of 7,617,930 square
kilometres (2,941,300 sq mi).[21] A megadiverse country, its size gives it a
wide variety of landscapes, with desertsin the centre, tropical rainforests in
the north-east and mountain ranges in the south-east. Its population density,
2.8 inhabitants per square kilometre, remains among the lowest in the
world.[22] Australia generates its income from various sources
including mining-related exports, telecommunications, banking,
and manufacturing.[23][24][25]

Australia is a highly developed country, with the world's 14th-largest


economy. It has a high-income economy, with the world's tenth-highest per
capita income.[26] It is a regional power and has the world's 13th-highest
military expenditure.[27] Australia has the world's eighth-largest immigrant
population, with immigrants accounting for 29% of the
population.[28][29] Having the third-highest human development index and
the eighth-highest ranked democracy globally, the country ranks highly in
quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, civil liberties and political
rights,[30] with all its major cities faring well in global
comparative livability surveys.[31]Australia is a member of the United
Nations, G20, Commonwealth of Nations, ANZUS, Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD), World Trade
Organization, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Pacific Islands Forum, and
the ASEAN Plus Six mechanism.

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