This outline of Australia is an overview of and topical guide to various aspects of the country of Australia:

Location of Australia

Australia refers to both the continent of Australia and to the Commonwealth of Australia, the sovereign country. The continent of Australia, the world's smallest continent, is in the Southern Hemisphere and borders both the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The Commonwealth of Australia comprises the mainland of the Australian continent, the major island of Tasmania, other nearby islands, and various external territories.[1] Neighbouring countries are Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia to the north-east, and New Zealand to the south-east.

The Australian mainland has been inhabited for at least 50,000 years by Aboriginal Australians.[2] After sporadic visits by fishermen from the north and then European discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606,[3] the eastern half of Australia was later claimed by the British in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation as part of the colony of New South Wales, commencing on 26 January 1788. As the population grew and new areas were explored, another five largely self-governing Crown colonies were established during the 19th century.

General reference

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An enlargeable basic map of Australia

Geography

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An enlargeable topographic map of Australia
 
Climatic zones in Australia based on Köppen classification
 
Extreme points of mainland Australia

Geography of Australia

Environment

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An enlargeable satellite image of Australia

Environment of Australia

Geographic features

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Regions

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Multi-state regions

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Administrative divisions

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Australian external territories

States and territories of Australia

States
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Territories
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Mainland territories
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External territories
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Municipalities
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Local government in Australia

Demography

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Demographics of Australia

State/territory Land area (km2) Rank Population (2012)[4] Rank Population density (/km2) Rank % of population in capital Rank
  New South Wales 800,642 5th 7,348,900 1st 9.18 3rd 63.5% 5th
  Victoria 227,416 6th 5,679,600 2nd 24.97 2nd 74.8% 4th
  Queensland 1,730,648 2nd 4,610,900 3rd 2.66 5th 47.5% 7th
  Western Australia 2,529,875 1st 2,472,700 4th 0.98 7th 76.7% 3rd
  South Australia 983,482 4th 1,662,200 5th 1.69 6th 76.8% 2nd
  Tasmania 68,401 7th 512,400 6th 7.49 4th 42.3% 8th
  Australian Capital Territory 2,358 8th 379,600 7th 160.98 1st 98.7% 1st
  Northern Territory 1,349,129 3rd 236,900 8th 0.18 8th 55.6% 6th

Government and politics

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Political parties in government in 1945.
  Labor
  Liberal
  National/Country
  Other Coalition
  Other
  No government

Federal government

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Government of Australia

Branches of the government

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Separation of powers in Australia

Executive branch
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Legislative branch
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Judicial branch
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Judiciary of Australia

Military

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Australian Defence Force (ADF)

Foreign relations

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International organisation membership

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The Commonwealth of Australia is a member of the:[1]

Law and order

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Law of Australia

State and territory governments

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Local government

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History

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Map showing the creation of the colonies/states and mainland territories.

History of states

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Culture

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Culture of Australia

Economy and infrastructure

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Economy of Australia

State economies

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Education

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States education

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Religion and belief systems in Australia

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Sport

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Sport in Australia

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Australia". The World Factbook. United States Central Intelligence Agency. 2 July 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  2. ^ Both Australian Aborigines and Europeans Rooted in Africa – 50,000 years ago
  3. ^ MacKnight, CC (1976).The Voyage to Marege: Macassan Trepangers in Northern Australia. Melbourne University Press
  4. ^ a b "Australian Demographic Statistics December 2020". Retrieved 3 May 2021.
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  Wikimedia Atlas of Australia