Outline of Australia
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to 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 has a total area of 7,688,287 km2 (2,968,464 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest country in the world and the largest in Oceania. Australia is the world's flattest and driest inhabited continent. It is a megadiverse country, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates including deserts in the interior and tropical rainforests along the coast.
The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians began arriving from Southeast Asia 50,000 to 65,000 years ago, during the Last Glacial Period. By the time of British settlement, Aboriginal Australians spoke more than 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. British colonisation began in 1788 with the establishment of the penal colony of New South Wales. By the mid-19th century, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers and five additional self-governing British colonies were established, each gaining responsible government by 1890. The colonies federated in 1901, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. This continued a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom, highlighted by the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942, and culminating in the Australia Acts of 1986.
General reference
- Pronunciation: /əˈstreɪliə, ɒ-/ ⓘ
- Common English country name: Australia
- Official English country name: Commonwealth of Australia
- Common endonym(s): Australia
- Official endonym(s): Commonwealth of Australia
- Nicknames / colloquial names: Land Down Under, Oz
- Adjectival(s): Australian
- Demonym(s): Australian; Aussie (colloquial)
- Etymology: Name of Australia
- International rankings of Australia
- ISO country codes: AU, AUS, 036
- ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:AU
- Internet country code top-level domain: .au
Geography
- Australia is:
- Location:
- Earth
- Australia lies between:
- Time zones:
- Australian Western Standard Time (AWST) – UTC+08
- Australian Central Standard Time (ACST) – UTC+09:30
- Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) – UTC+10
- Daylight saving time
- Australian Central Daylight Time (ACDT) – UTC+10:30
- Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) – UTC+11
- Unofficial time zones
- Central Western Standard Time (CWST) – UTC+08:45
- Extreme points of Australia (mainland)
- Northernmost Point – Cape York, Queensland (10°41' S)
- Southernmost Point – South Point, Wilsons Promontory, Victoria (39°08' S)
- Westernmost Point – Steep Point, Western Australia (113°09' E)
- Easternmost Point – Cape Byron, New South Wales (153°38' E)
- Highest Point – Mount Kosciuszko 2,228 m (7,310 ft)
- Lowest Point – Lake Eyre −15 m (−49 ft)
- Land boundaries: none
- Coastline: 25,760 km
- Population of Australia: 27,915,880 people [1] (March 2026) – 54th most populous country
- Area of Australia: 7,688,287 km2 (2,968,464 sq mi) – 6th largest country
- Capital of Australia: Canberra
- Atlas of Australia
- Surveying in Australia
Environment
- Climate of Australia
- Ecoregions of Australia
- Environmental issues in Australia
- Renewable energy in Australia
- Geology of Australia
- National parks of Australia
- Protected areas of Australia
- Wildlife of Australia
- Iconic wildlife of Australia
-
A koala.
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A kangaroo.
-
The Saltwater crocodile is the largest species of crocodile in the world.
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An emu.
-
Geographic features
- Islands of Australia
- Lakes of Australia
- Mountains of Australia
- Rivers of Australia
- Valleys of Australia
- Waterfalls of Australia
- World Heritage Sites in Australia
Regions
Multi-state regions
- Barkly Tableland
- Capital Country
- Eastern states of Australia
- East Coast of Australia
- Lake Eyre basin
- Murray–Darling basin
- Northern Australia
- The Nullarbor
- Outback
- Southern Australia
Administrative divisions
States and territories of Australia
States
Territories
Mainland territories
External territories
- Ashmore and Cartier Islands
- Australian Antarctic Territory
- Norfolk Island
- Christmas Island
- Cocos (Keeling) Islands
- Coral Sea Islands Territory
- Heard and McDonald Islands
Municipalities
Demography
| State/territory | Land area (km2) | Rank | Population (2025)[1] | Rank | Population density (/km2) | Rank | % of population in capital | Rank |
| New South Wales | 801,150 | 5th | 8,593,871 | 1st | 10.49 | 3rd | 64.7% | 5th |
| Victoria | 227,444 | 6th | 7,074,468 | 2nd | 30.18 | 2nd | 75.6% | 4th |
| Queensland | 1,723,030 | 2nd | 5,674,834 | 3rd | 3.18 | 5th | 49.0% | 7th |
| Western Australia | 2,527,013 | 1st | 3,043,731 | 4th | 1.15 | 7th | 78.3% | 2nd |
| South Australia | 984,321 | 4th | 1,902,331 | 5th | 1.89 | 6th | 77.2% | 3rd |
| Tasmania | 68,402 | 7th | 575,960 | 6th | 8.89 | 4th | 44.3% | 8th |
| Australian Capital Territory | 2,358 | 8th | 484,792 | 7th | 198.97 | 1st | 97.7% | 1st |
| Northern Territory | 1,347,791 | 3rd | 264,411 | 8th | 0.19 | 8th | 57.7% | 6th |
Government and politics
| This article is part of a series on the |
| Monarchy of Australia |
|---|
|
Australia portal |
- Form of government: Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
- Capital of Australia: Canberra
- Far-right politics in Australia
- Political scandals of Australia
- Socialism in Australia
- Republicanism in Australia
- Taxation in Australia
Elections in Australia
- Section 44 of the Constitution of Australia
- 1901 – 1972 – 1974 – 1975 – 1977 – 1980 – 1983 – 1984 – 1987 – 1990 – 1993 – 1996 – 1998 – 2001 – 2004 – 2007 – 2010 – 2013 – 2016 – 2019 – 2022 – 2025
- Australian electoral system
- Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives
Political parties in Australia
List of political parties in Australia
Federal parties
Current major parties/groupings (May 2025)
Minor parties/groupings
- Australian Greens
- Centre Alliance
- Australia's Voice
- Katter's Australian Party
- Teal independents
- Independent politicians in Australia
State/territory parties
Queensland
Northern Territory
Federal government of Australia
Executive branch
- Head of state: King of Australia (King Charles III)
- Head of state's representative: Governor-General (Sam Mostyn)
- Head of government: Prime Minister of Australia (Anthony Albanese)
- Cabinet of Australia
- Second Albanese ministry (Current ministry as of May 2025)
- List of Australian ministries
- Federal Executive Council
Legislative branch
Judicial branch
Military
Australian Defence Force (ADF)
- Command
- Commander-in-chief: Governor-General as the King's representative.
- Forces
- Army of Australia: Australian Army
- Navy of Australia: Royal Australian Navy
- Air force of Australia: Royal Australian Air Force
- Special forces of Australia
- Military history of Australia
- Australian Defence Force ranks
Foreign relations
- ANZUS
- Australia–United States relations
- Australia–New Zealand relations
- Australia–Indonesia relations
- Australia–China relations
- Australia–Japan relations
- Anglo-Australian relations
- Australia and the United Nations
International organisation membership
The Commonwealth of Australia is a member of:[2]
Law and order
- Citizenship
- Cannabis in Australia
- Constitution of Australia
- Crime in Australia
- Human rights in Australia
- LGBTQ rights in Australia
- Referendums in Australia
Law enforcement in Australia
- National law enforcement agencies
- Regional law enforcement agencies – the following policing agencies are regulated by their respective State or Territory Government and are highly visible:
State and territory governments
The states of Australia are governed by Premiers, and the territories are governed by Chief Ministers.
- Governors of the Australian states
- Parliaments of the Australian states and territories
- Premiers of the Australian states
- Government of New South Wales
- Government of Queensland
- Government of South Australia
- Government of Tasmania
- Government of Victoria
- Government of Western Australia
- Government of the Australian Capital Territory
- Government of the Northern Territory
Local government
History
- Prehistory of Australia
- Australian archaeology
- European exploration of Australia
- History of Australia (1788–1850)
- History of Australia (1851–1900)
- History of Australia (1901–1945)
- History of Australia since 1945
- Constitutional history of Australia
- Immigration history of Australia
- Postage stamps and postal history of Australia
History of states
- History of New South Wales
- History of the Northern Territory
- History of Queensland
- History of South Australia
- History of Tasmania
- History of Victoria
- History of Western Australia
Indigenous Australia
- Aboriginal Australians
- Torres Strait Islanders
- Indigenous Australian cultures
- Indigenous Australian languages
- Native title in Australia
- Uluru Statement from the Heart
Culture
- Architecture of Australia
- Australian art
- Cinema of Australia
- Australian cuisine
- Dance in Australia
- Festivals in Australia
- Australian folklore
- Humour in Australia
- Languages of Australia
- Australian literature
- Media of Australia
- Music of Australia
- National symbols of Australia
- Coat of arms of Australia
- Flag of Australia
- National anthems:
- Official national anthem: Advance Australia Fair
- Royal anthem: God Save the King
- People of Australia
- Prostitution in Australia
- Public holidays in Australia
- World Heritage Sites in Australia
- Theatre of Australia
Economy and infrastructure
- Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2025): 14th (fourteenth)
- Agriculture in Australia
- Telecommunications in Australia
- Reserve Bank of Australia
- Currency of Australia: Dollar
- Economic history of Australia
- Energy in Australia
- Health care in Australia
- Median household income in Australia and New Zealand
- Mining in Australia
- Australian Securities Exchange
- Tourism in Australia
- Transport in Australia
- Water supply and sanitation in Australia
State economies
- Economy of New South Wales
- Economy of Queensland
- Economy of South Australia
- Economy of Tasmania
- Economy of Victoria
- Economy of Western Australia
Education
- Homeschooling and distance education in Australia
- Public and private education in Australia
- Universities in Australia
States education
- Education in New South Wales
- Education in Queensland
- Education in South Australia
- Education in Tasmania
- Education in Victoria
- Education in Western Australia
- Education in the Australian Capital Territory
Religion and belief systems in Australia
Sport
- Australia at the Olympics
- Australia at the Commonwealth Games
- Football in Australia
- Basketball in Australia
- Cricket in Australia
- Field hockey in Australia
- Golf in Australia
- Motorsport in Australia
- Netball in Australia
- Pickleball in Australia
- Skiing in Australia
- Swimming in Australia
- Tennis in Australia
- Australian horse racing
- Winter sport in Australia
See also
- All pages with titles beginning with Australia
- All pages with titles beginning with Australian
- All pages with titles containing Australia
- All pages with titles containing Australian
- List of Australia-related topics
- List of articles about Australia and New Zealand jointly
- Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations
- Members states of the Group of Twenty
- Member states of the United Nations
- Outline of geography
- Outline of Oceania
- List of place names of Dutch origin
References
- ^ a b "Australian Bureau of Statistics Population clock and pyramid". Retrieved 17 March 2026.
- ^ "Australia". The World Factbook. United States Central Intelligence Agency. 2 July 2009. Archived from the original on 9 January 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
External links
Government