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| Anthem | "Advance Australia Fair" | ||||||
| Capital | Melbourne | ||||||
| Largest city | Sydney | ||||||
| Other cities | Brisbane, Perth, Auckland | ||||||
| Language official |
English, Maori | ||||||
| others | Fijian, Tongan, Bislama, Samoan, Aboriginal languages | ||||||
| Ethnic Groups main |
European Australian | ||||||
| others | Aboriginal Australian, Maori, Pacific Islander | ||||||
| Demonym | Australian | ||||||
| Government | Federal presidential constitutional republic | ||||||
| President | Malcolm Turnbull | ||||||
| Population | 38,665,732 (2017 estimate) | ||||||
| Established | December 3, 1854 | ||||||
| Independence | from the United Kingdom | ||||||
| declared | December 3, 1854 | ||||||
| recognized | June 18, 1860 | ||||||
| Currency | Australian dollar ($) (AUD)
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| Time Zone | (UTC+8)-(UTC+13) | ||||||
| Internet TLD | .au | ||||||
| Organizations | United Nations | ||||||
The Federal Republic of Australia, or just Australia, is a federal presidential constitutional republic located in Oceania. Its only land border is with Indonesia to the west of the state of Papua. Australia, which is comprised of 11 states and two territories, controls the majority of Oceania and is the dominant power in the region.
For millennia before the arrival of Europeans, many different groups inhabited present-day Australia, including aboriginal Australians, the Maori, and various peoples in the Pacific islands. Australia was discovered by the Netherlands in 1606, yet settlement of the continent would start until 1788, when Great Britain established the penal colony of New South Wales. For nearly 70 years, Australia continued to grow under British colonial rule. However, tensions rose between Australians and the British colonial government when a wave of republicanism swept Australia. These tensions boiled over when a small gold miners' rebellion at Eureka, Victoria (present-day Lalorsland) would eventually escalate into a full-scale war for independence, receiving Russian, American, and Dutch support. After a six-year long conflict, Australia emerged victorious, the Treaty of Washington affirming their independence. After gaining their freedom, Australia, under the guidance of the United States, began expanding into the South Pacific. Australia began subjugating the Pacific island kingdoms under their rule, and settled the southeastern coast of Papua. Australia fought in both World Wars, emerging victorious alongside the Allies both times. After the first World War, Australia was awarded the formerly German colonies of New Guinea and Samoa. Since the postwar era, Australia has remained a liberal democracy with close ties to the West.
Throughout history, the United States has proved to be Australia's closest and most important ally. After gaining independence with help from the Americans, Australia began expanding into the surrounding Pacific islands under America's guidance. Australia and the US fought side-by-side in both the first and second World Wars. Today, Australia retains close ties to both the United States and the West.
Australia is a developed country with a high GDP, and has one of the highest human development indexes in the world. Most economic activity is focused on the east coast of the Australian continent, though Perth and Auckland are also important economic centers.
Administrative divisions[]
Australia is a federal republic comprised of 11 states and two territories.
States:
New South Wales (Sydney)- Lalorsland (Melbourne)
- Cooksland (Brisbane)
- West Australia (Perth)
- South Australia (Adelaide)
- Tasmania (Hobart)
- New Zealand (Auckland)
- Papua (Langsport)
- Solomon Islands (Honiara)
- New Caledonia (Port-of-France)
- Fiji (Suva)
Territories:
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