Australia - officially the Commonwealth of Australia

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AUSTRALIA
officially the Commonwealth of Australia

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Flag and emblem of Australia

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Australia is an Oceanian country comprising the mainland of
the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and
numerous smaller islands. It is the world's sixth-largest
country by total area. Neighbouring countries include Papua
New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the
Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north-east; and New
Zealand to the south-east.

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For about 50,000 years before the first British settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited
by indigenous Australians,who spoke languages grouped into roughly 250 language groups. After the
European discovery of the continent by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern half was claimed by
Great Britain in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales
from 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and
an additional five self-governing crown colonies were established. On 1 January 1901, the six colonies
federated, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. Since federation, Australia has maintained a stable
liberal democratic political system that functions as a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional
monarchy comprising six states and several territories. The population of 23.6 million is highly urbanised
and heavily concentrated in the eastern states and on the coast.
Australia is a developed country and one of the wealthiest in the world, with the world's 12th-largest
economy. In 2014 Australia had the world's fifth-highest per capita income. Australia's military expenditure
is the world's 13th-largest. With the second-highest human development index globally, Australia ranks
highly in many international comparisons of national performance, such as quality of life, health,
education, economic freedom, and the protection of civil liberties and political rights. Australia is a
member of the United Nations, G20, Commonwealth of Nations, ANZUS, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), World Trade Organization, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, and
the Pacific Islands Forum.

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Mountains, rivers and lakes
Mount Augustus, claimed to be the world's largest monolith, is located
in Western Australia. At 2,228 metres (7,310 ft), Mount Kosciuszko on
the Great Dividing Range is the highest mountain on the Australian
mainland. Even taller are Mawson Peak (at 2,745 metres or 9,006 feet),
on the remote Australian territory of Heard Island, and, in the
Australian Antarctic Territory, Mount McClintock and Mount Menzies,
at 3,492 metres (11,457 ft) and 3,355 metres (11,007 ft) respectively.

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rivers

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Australia is full of lakes

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Australian people
Australia's aboriginal inhabitants, a hunting-gathering people generally referred to as
Aboriginals and Torres Straits Islanders, arrived about 40,000 years ago. Although their
technical culture remained static--depending on wood, bone, and stone tools and weapons--their
spiritual and social life was highly complex. Most spoke several languages, and confederacies
sometimes linked widely scattered tribal groups. Aboriginal population density ranged from 1
person per square mile along the coasts to 1 person per 35 square miles in the arid interior.
When Capt. James Cook claimed Australia for Great Britain in 1770, the native population may
have numbered 300,000 in as many as 500 tribes speaking many different languages. The
aboriginal population currently numbers more than 410,000, representing about 2.2% of the
population. Since the end of World War II, the government and the public have made efforts to
be more responsive to aboriginal rights and needs.
Immigration has been a key to Australia's development since the beginning of European
settlement in 1788. For generations, most settlers came from the British Isles, and the people of
Australia are still predominantly of British or Irish origin, with a culture and outlook similar to
those of Americans. However, since the end of World War II, the population has more than
doubled; non-European immigration, mostly from the Middle East, Asia, and Latin America,
has increased significantly since 1960 through an extensive, planned immigration program.
From 1945 through 2000, nearly 5.9 million immigrants settled in Australia, and about 80%
have remained; nearly two of every seven Australians is foreign-born. Britain and Ireland have
been the largest sources of post-war immigrants, followed by Italy, Greece, New Zealand, and
the former Yugoslavia.

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Official language
Australia has no official language, but is largely monolingual with English being the de
facto national language. Australian English has a distinctive accent and vocabulary.
According to the 2011 census, 76.8% of people spoke only English at home. Other
languages spoken at home included Mandarin 1.6%, Italian 1.4%, Arabic 1.3%,
Cantonese 1.2% and Greek 1.2%.
A considerable proportion of first- and second-generation migrants are bilingual. It is
believed that there were almost 400 Australian Aboriginal languages at the time of first
European contact. Only about 70 of these languages have survived and all but 30 of
these are now endangered. An indigenous language remains the main language for about
50,000 (0.25%) people. Australia has a sign language known as Auslan, which is the
main language of about 6,500 deaf people use.

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Main cities
Sydney
Melbourne
Gold Coast
Brisbane
Ballarat
Canberra

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