The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Australia:

Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

refers to both the continent of Australia

Australia (continent)

Australia is the world's smallest continent, comprising the mainland of Australia and proximate islands including Tasmania, New Guinea, the Aru Islands and Raja Ampat Islands...

and to the Commonwealth of Australia, the sovereign country. Australia, the world's smallest continent

Continent

A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...

, is in the southern hemisphere

Southern Hemisphere

The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...

 and borders both the Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

 and the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

.

The Commonwealth of Australia comprises the mainland of the Australian continent, plus the major island of Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

, and other nearby islands. The neighbouring countries are Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

, East Timor

East Timor

The Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, commonly known as East Timor , is a state in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the nearby islands of Atauro and Jaco, and Oecusse, an exclave on the northwestern side of the island, within Indonesian West Timor...

, and Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...

 to the north, the Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...

, Vanuatu

Vanuatu

Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...

, and New Caledonia

New Caledonia

New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...

 to the north-east, and New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

 to the south-east.

The Australian mainland has been inhabited for more than 42,000 years by Indigenous Australians

Indigenous Australians

Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....

. After sporadic visits by fishermen from the north and then European discovery by Dutch

Dutch people

The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...

 explorers in 1606, the eastern half of Australia was later claimed by the British

Kingdom of Great Britain

The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...

 in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation

Penal transportation

Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...

 as part of the colony of New South Wales

New South Wales

New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...

, commencing on 26 January 1788. As the population grew and new areas were explored, another five largely self-governing

Self-governance

Self-governance is an abstract concept that refers to several scales of organization.It may refer to personal conduct or family units but more commonly refers to larger scale activities, i.e., professions, industry bodies, religions and political units , up to and including autonomous regions and...

 Crown Colonies were established during the 19th century.

General reference

• Pronunciation:
  • Australian English: əˈstræɪljə], [əˈstræɪliː.ə], [əˈstræɪjə
  • British English: ɒˈstreɪlɪ.ə], [ɒˈstreɪlijə
  • American English: ɑˈstreɪli.ə], [ɑˈstreɪljə
• Common English country name: Australia
  Australia
  Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
  
  
• Official English country name: The Commonwealth of Australia
• Common endonym(s):
• Official endonym(s):
• Adjectival(s): Australian
  Australian (disambiguation)
  Australian may refer to:* Australian, a citizen of Australia**European Australian**Asian Australian*Indigenous Australians**Australian Aborigines, indigenous peoples of Australia as identified and defined within Australian law...
  
  
• Demonym(s):
• Etymology
  Etymology
  Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
  
  : Name of Australia
• International rankings of Australia
  International rankings of Australia
  The following are international rankings of Australia....
  
  
• ISO country codes: AU, AUS, 036
• ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:AU
  ISO 3166-2:AU
  ISO 3166-2:AU is the entry for Australia in ISO 3166-2, part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization , which defines codes for the names of the principal subdivisions of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1.Currently for Australia, ISO 3166-2 codes are...
  
  
• Internet
  Internet
  The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
  
   country code top-level domain
  Country code top-level domain
  A country code top-level domain is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, a sovereign state, or a dependent territory....
  
  : .au
  .au
  .au is the Internet country code top-level domain for Australia.-History:The domain name was originally allocated by Jon Postel, operator of IANA to Kevin Robert Elz of Melbourne University in 1986. After an approximately five year process in the 1990s, the Internet industry created a self...
  
  

Geography

Main articles: Australia (continent)

Australia (continent)

Australia is the world's smallest continent, comprising the mainland of Australia and proximate islands including Tasmania, New Guinea, the Aru Islands and Raja Ampat Islands...

, Australia, and Geography of Australia

Geography of Australia

The geography of Australia encompasses a wide variety of biogeographic regions being the world's smallest continent but the sixth-largest country in the world. The population of Australia is concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts...

• Australia is...
  • a continent
    Continent
    A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
    
    
  • a country
    Country
    A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
    
    
    • a nation state
    • a Commonwealth Realm
      Commonwealth Realm
      A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...
      
      
• Location:
  • Australia is a region or subregion of:
    • The World
      World
      World is a common name for the whole of human civilization, specifically human experience, history, or the human condition in general, worldwide, i.e. anywhere on Earth....
      
       (Australia is a continent
      Continent
      A continent is one of several very large landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, with seven regions commonly regarded as continents—they are : Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.Plate tectonics is...
      
       on the planet Earth
      Earth
      Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
      
      )
      • Southern Hemisphere
        Southern Hemisphere
        The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
        
         and Eastern Hemisphere
        Eastern Hemisphere
        The Eastern Hemisphere, also Eastern hemisphere or eastern hemisphere, is a geographical term for the half of the Earth that is east of the Prime Meridian and west of 180° longitude. It is also used to refer to Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australasia, vis-à-vis the Western Hemisphere, which includes...
        
        
      • Oceania
        Oceania
        Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
        
        
        • Australasia
          Australasia
          Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
          
          
  • Australia lies between:
    • Indian Ocean
      Indian Ocean
      The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
      
      
    • Pacific Ocean
      Pacific Ocean
      The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
      
      
      • South Pacific Ocean
    • Southern Ocean
      Southern Ocean
      The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
      
       by some reckonings
  • Time zone
    Time zone
    A time zone is a region on Earth that has a uniform standard time for legal, commercial, and social purposes. In order for the same clock time to always correspond to the same portion of the day as the Earth rotates , different places on the Earth need to have different clock times...
    
    s:
    • Australian Eastern Standard Time (EST) (UTC+10
      UTC+10
      UTC+10 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +10. This time is used in:-As standard time :*Australia **Queensland*Federated States of Micronesia**Chuuk, Yap and surrounding area...
      
      ), Australian Eastern Summer Time (EDT) (UTC+11
      UTC+11
      UTC+11 is an identifier for a +11 hour time offset from UTC. This time is used in:-As standard time :*Federated States of Micronesia**Kosrae, Pohnpei and surrounding area*New Caledonia*Solomon Islands*Vanuatu*Russia...
      
      )
    • Australian Central Standard Time (CST) (UTC+09:30), Australian Central Summer Time (CDT) (UTC+10:30
      UTC+10:30
      UTC+10:30 is an identifier for a +10:30 time offset from UTC. This time is used in:-As daylight saving time :*Australia **New South Wales - Broken Hill, New South Wales only...
      
      ),
    • Australian Western Standard Time (WST) (UTC+08)
  • Extreme points of Australia
    Extreme points of Australia
    -Australia :* Northernmost Point – Cape York, Queensland * Southernmost Point – South Point, Wilsons Promontory, Victoria * South-westernmost Point - Cape Leeuwin, Western Australia -Australia (mainland):* Northernmost Point – Cape York, Queensland (10°41' S)* Southernmost Point – South Point,...
    
     (mainland)
    • Northernmost Point – Cape York
      Cape York Peninsula
      Cape York Peninsula is a large remote peninsula located in Far North Queensland at the tip of the state of Queensland, Australia, the largest unspoilt wilderness in northern Australia and one of the last remaining wilderness areas on Earth...
      
      , Queensland
      Queensland
      Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
      
       (10°41' S)
    • Southernmost Point – South Point
      South Point (Wilsons Promontory)
      South Point is the southernmost point of the Australian mainland located on the northern side of Bass Strait. It is also the southernmost point of the mainland of the Wilsons Promontory-Peninsula. South Point is located at . South Point is also part of the Wilsons Promontory National Park in...
      
      , Wilsons Promontory
      Wilsons Promontory
      Wilsons Promontory is a peninsula that forms the southernmost part of the Australian mainland and is located at . South Point at is the southernmost tip of Wilsons Promontory and hence of mainland Australia...
      
      , Victoria
      Victoria (Australia)
      Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
      
       (39°08' S)
    • Westernmost Point – Steep Point
      Steep Point, Western Australia
      Steep Point is the westernmost point of the Australian mainland, located at . It is located within the Shark Bay World Heritage site in the Gascoyne region of Western Australia....
      
      , Western Australia
      Western Australia
      Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
      
       (113°09' E)
    • Easternmost Point – Cape Byron
      Cape Byron
      Cape Byron is the easternmost point of the mainland of Australia. It is located about northeast of the town of Byron Bay and projects into the Pacific Ocean...
      
      , New South Wales
      New South Wales
      New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
      
       (153°38' E)
    • Highest Point – Mount Kosciuszko
      Mount Kosciuszko
      Mount Kosciuszko is a mountain located in the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National Park. With a height of 2,228 metres above sea level, it is the highest mountain in Australia...
      
        2228 m (7,310 ft)
    • Lowest Point – Lake Eyre
      Lake Eyre
      Lake Eyre is the lowest point in Australia, at approximately below sea level, and, on the rare occasions that it fills, it is the largest lake in Australia and 18th largest in the world...
      
        -15 m
  • Land boundaries: none
  • Coastline: 25,760 km
• Population of Australia: 22,065,700 people (September 2009) – 53rd most populous country
• Area of Australia: 7741220 km² (2,988,901.8 sq mi) – 6th largest country
• Atlas of Australia

Environment

• Climate of Australia
  Climate of Australia
  The climate of Australia varies widely, but by far the largest part of Australia is desert or semi-arid – 40% of the landmass is covered by sand dunes. Only the south-east and south-west corners have a temperate climate and moderately fertile soil...
  
  
  • Bushfires in Australia
    Bushfires in Australia
    Bushfires in Australia are frequently occurring events during the hotter months of the year due to Australia's mostly hot, dry climate. Large areas of land are ravaged every year by bushfires, which also cause property damage and loss of life....
    
    
  • Climate change in Australia
    Climate change in Australia
    Climate change has become a major issue in Australia due to drastic climate events since the turn of the 21st century that have focused government and public attention. Rainfall in Australia has increased slightly over the past century, although there is little or no trend in rainfall in northeast...
    
    
  • Effects of global warming on Australia
    Effects of global warming on Australia
    Predictions measuring the effects of global warming on Australia assert that climate change will negatively impact the continent's environment, economy, and communities...
    
    
• Ecoregions of Australia
• Environmental issues in Australia
  Environmental issues in Australia
  Environmental issues in Australia describes a number of environmental issues which affect the environment of Australia. There are a range of such issues, some of them relating to conservation in Australia while others, for example the deteriorating state of Murray-Darling Basin, have a direct and...
  
  
• Renewable energy in Australia
  Renewable energy in Australia
  Renewable energy in Australia represents 5.2% of total energy consumption, but only 1.7% of total production, the difference being the result of significant non-renewable energy exports. In the five years to 2009 renewable energy consumption grew by 3.5%, faster than other energy sources. Of all...
  
  
  • Geothermal power in Australia
  • Solar power in Australia
    Solar power in Australia
    Australia has an estimated 300 MW of installed photovoltaic power , contributing an estimated 0.1 to 0.2% of total electricity production despite the hot and sunny climate that would make it ideal for utilisation...
    
    
  • Wind power in Australia
    Wind power in Australia
    Wind power in Australia is a proven and reliable technology that can be and is readily deployed. As of October 2010, there were 52 wind farms in Australia, most of which had turbines of from 1.5 to 3 megawatts...
    
    
• Geology of Australia
  Geology of Australia
  Australia is a continent situated on the Indo-Australian Plate.The geology of Australia includes virtually all known rock types and from all geological time periods spanning over 3.8 billion years of the Earth's history.-Components:...
  
  
• National parks of Australia
• Protected areas of Australia
  Protected areas of Australia
  Protected areas of Australia include Commonwealth and off-shore protected areas managed by the Australian government, as well as protected areas within each of the six states of Australia and two self-governing territories , which are managed by the eight state and territory...
  
  
• Wildlife of Australia
  • Flora of Australia
    Flora of Australia
    The flora of Australia comprises a vast assemblage of plant species estimated to over 20,000 vascular and 14,000 non-vascular plants, 250,000 species of fungi and over 3,000 lichens...
    
    
  • Fauna of Australia
    Fauna of Australia
    The fauna of Australia consists of a huge variety of animals; some 83% of mammals, 89% of reptiles, 90% of fish and insects and 93% of amphibians that inhabit the continent are endemic to Australia...
    
    
    • Birds of Australia
    • Mammals of Australia

Geographic features

• Islands of Australia
• Lakes of Australia
• Mountains of Australia
  • Volcanoes in Australia
• Rivers of Australia
• Valleys of Australia
• Waterfalls of Australia
• World Heritage Sites in Australia

Regions

• Ecoregions in Australia
  Ecoregions in Australia
  Ecoregions in Australia are geographically distinct plant and animal communities, defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature based on geology, soils, climate, and predominant vegetation....
  
  

Multi-state regions

• Barkly Tableland
• Capital Country
  Capital Country
  Capital Country is the name of one of the 16 regions of New South Wales, Australia. This geographical division is made for improving commerce, specifically tourism, in the state....
  
  
• Eastern states of Australia
  Eastern states of Australia
  In Australia, the term eastern states refers to the states adjoining the east coast of Australia. These are the mainland states of New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. The Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory, while not states, are also included. The term usually includes the...
  
  
• East Coast of Australia
• Lake Eyre Basin
  Lake Eyre Basin
  The Lake Eyre basin is a drainage basin that covers just under one-sixth of all Australia. The Lake Eyre Basin is the largest endorheic basin in Australia and amongst the largest in the world, covering about 1,200,000 square kilometres, including much of inland Queensland, large portions of South...
  
  
• Murray-Darling Basin
  Murray-Darling Basin
  The Murray-Darling basin is a large geographical area in the interior of southeastern Australia, whose name is derived from its two major rivers, the Murray River and the Darling River. It drains one-seventh of the Australian land mass, and is currently by far the most significant agricultural...
  
  
• Northern Australia
  Northern Australia
  The term northern Australia is generally known to include two State and Territories, being Queensland and the Northern Territory . The part of Western Australia north of latitude 26° south—a definition widely used in law and State government policy—is also usually included...
  
  
• The Nullarbor
  Nullarbor Plain
  The Nullarbor Plain is part of the area of flat, almost treeless, arid or semi-arid country of southern Australia, located on the Great Australian Bight coast with the Great Victoria Desert to its north. It is the world's largest single piece of limestone, and occupies an area of about...
  
  
• Outback
  Outback
  The Outback is the vast, remote, arid area of Australia, term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the main urban areas. The term "the outback" is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named "the bush".-Overview:The outback is home to a...
  
  
• Southern Australia
  Southern Australia
  The term southern Australia is generally considered to include the States and territories of Australia of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory...
  
  

Administrative divisions

States

•  New South Wales
  New South Wales
  New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
  
  
•  Victoria
  Victoria (Australia)
  Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
  
  
•  Queensland
  Queensland
  Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
  
  
•  Western Australia
  Western Australia
  Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
  
  
•  South Australia
  South Australia
  South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
  
  
•  Tasmania
  Tasmania
  Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
  
  

Mainland territories

•  Australian Capital Territory
  Australian Capital Territory
  The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
  
  
•  Northern Territory
  Northern Territory
  The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
  
  
•  Jervis Bay Territory
  Jervis Bay Territory
  The Jervis Bay Territory is a territory of the Commonwealth of Australia. It was surrendered by the state of New South Wales to the Commonwealth Government in 1915 so that the Federal capital at Canberra would have "access to the sea"....
  
  

External territories

• Ashmore and Cartier Islands
  Ashmore and Cartier Islands
  The Territory of the Ashmore and Cartier Islands is an external territory of Australia consisting of two groups of small low-lying uninhabited tropical islands in the Indian Ocean situated on the edge of the continental shelf north-west of Australia and south of the Indonesian island of...
  
  
• Australian Antarctic Territory
  Australian Antarctic Territory
  The Australian Antarctic Territory is a part of Antarctica. It was claimed by the United Kingdom and placed under the authority of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1933. It is the largest territory of Antarctica claimed by any nation...
  
  
• Norfolk Island
  Norfolk Island
  Norfolk Island is a small island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. The island is part of the Commonwealth of Australia, but it enjoys a large degree of self-governance...
  
  
• Christmas Island
  Christmas Island
  The Territory of Christmas Island is a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. It is located northwest of the Western Australian city of Perth, south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and ENE of the Cocos Islands....
  
  
• Cocos (Keeling) Islands
  Cocos (Keeling) Islands
  The Territory of the Cocos Islands, also called Cocos Islands and Keeling Islands, is a territory of Australia, located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of Christmas Island and approximately midway between Australia and Sri Lanka....
  
  
• Coral Sea Islands Territory
• Heard and McDonald Islands
  Heard Island and McDonald Islands
  The Heard Island and McDonald Islands are an Australian external territory and volcanic group of barren Antarctic islands, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to Antarctica. The group's overall size is in area and it has of coastline...
  
  

Municipalities

• Cities of Australia
  • Capital of Australia: Canberra
  • Sydney
    Sydney
    Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
    
    
  • Melbourne
    Melbourne
    Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
    
    
  • Brisbane
    Brisbane
    Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
    
    
  • Perth
    Perth, Western Australia
    Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
    
    
  • Adelaide
    Adelaide
    Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
    
    

Demography

State/territory	Land area (km²)	Rank	Population (2009)	Rank	Population density (/km²)	Rank	% of population in capital	Rank
New South Wales New South Wales New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...	800,642	5th	7,165,400	1st	8.44	3rd	63%	5th
Victoria Victoria (Australia) Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....	227,416	6th	5,473,300	2nd	22	2nd	71%	4th
Queensland Queensland Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...	1,730,648	2nd	4,450,400	3rd	2.26	5th	46%	7th
Western Australia Western Australia Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...	2,529,875	1st	2,259,500	4th	0.79	7th	73.4%	3rd
South Australia South Australia South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...	983,482	4th	1,629,500	5th	1.56	6th	73.5%	2nd
Tasmania Tasmania Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...	68,401	7th	504,400	6th	7.08	4th	41%	8th
Australian Capital Territory Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...	2,358	8th	353,600	7th	137.53	1st	99.6%	1st
Northern Territory Northern Territory The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...	1,349,129	3rd	227,000	8th	0.15	8th	54%	6th

Government and politics

Main articles: Australian governments

Australian governments

Australia employs a federal system of government. The national government is the Australian federal government, headed by the Queen, who is represented in Australia by the Governor-General of Australia, though ordinarily actual political power is wielded by the Prime Minister of Australia under the...

, Government of Australia

Government of Australia

The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...

, and Politics of Australia

Politics of Australia

The Politics of Australia take place within the framework of a parliamentary democracy, with electoral procedures appropriate to a two-party system. Australia is governed as a federation and as a constitutional monarchy, with an adversarial legislature based upon the Westminster system...

• Form of government
  Form of government
  A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized. Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".-Empirical and conceptual problems:...
  
  : federative
  Federation
  A federation , also known as a federal state, is a type of sovereign state characterized by a union of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central government...
  
   constitutional monarchy
  Constitutional monarchy
  Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
  
   under a parliamentary democracy
• Capital of Australia: Canberra

• Elections in Australia
  Elections in Australia
  Australia elects a legislature the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia using various electoral systems: see Australian electoral system. The Parliament consists of two chambers:...
  
  
  • 1901 – 1972
    Australian federal election, 1972
    Federal elections were held in Australia on 2 December 1972. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election. The Liberal Party of Australia had been in power since 1949, under Prime Minister of Australia William McMahon since March 1971 with coalition partner the Country Party...
    
     – 1974
    Australian federal election, 1974
    Federal elections were held in Australia on 18 May 1974. All 127 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 60 seats in the Senate were up for election, due to a double dissolution...
    
     – 1975
    Australian federal election, 1975
    Federal elections were held in Australia on 13 December 1975. All 127 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate were up for election following a double dissolution of both Houses....
    
     – 1977
    Australian federal election, 1977
    Federal elections were held in Australia on 10 December 1977. All 124 seats in the House of Representatives, and 34 of the 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election....
    
     – 1980
    Australian federal election, 1980
    Federal elections were held in Australia on 18 October 1980. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives, and 34 of the 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Malcolm Fraser with coalition partner the National Country Party led by Doug...
    
     – 1983
    Australian federal election, 1983
    Federal elections were held in Australia on 5 March 1983. All 125 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate, were up for election, following a double dissolution...
    
     – 1984 – 1987 – 1990 – 1993 – 1996 – 1998 – 2001 – 2004 – 2007 – 2010 – next
    Next Australian federal election
    A federal election was held on Saturday, 21 August 2010 for members of the 43rd Parliament of Australia. The incumbent centre-left Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister Julia Gillard won a second term against the opposition centre-right Liberal/National Coalition led by Opposition Leader...
    
    
  • Australian electoral system
    Australian electoral system
    The Australian electoral system has evolved over nearly 150 years of continuous democratic government, and has a number of distinctive features including compulsory voting, preferential voting and the use of proportional voting to elect the upper house, the Australian Senate.- Compulsory voting...
    
    
    • Compulsory voting
      Compulsory voting
      Compulsory voting is a system in which electors are obliged to vote in elections or attend a polling place on voting day. If an eligible voter does not attend a polling place, he or she may be subject to punitive measures such as fines, community service, or perhaps imprisonment if fines are unpaid...
      
      
    • Preferential voting
      Preferential voting
      Preferential voting is a type of ballot structure used in several electoral systems in which voters rank candidates in order of relative preference. For example, the voter may select their first choice as '1', their second preference a '2', and so on...
      
      
  • Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives
• Human rights in Australia
  Human rights in Australia
  Human Rights in Australia have largely been developed under Australian Parliamentary democracy, and safeguarded by such institutions as the Australian Human Rights Commission and an independent judiciary and High Court who apply the Common Law, the Australian Constitution and various other laws...
  
  
• Political parties in Australia
  • Liberal Party of Australia
    Liberal Party of Australia
    The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
    
    
  • Australian Labor Party
    Australian Labor Party
    The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
    
    
  • National Party of Australia
    National Party of Australia
    The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Traditionally representing graziers, farmers and rural voters generally, it began as the The Country Party, but adopted the name The National Country Party in 1975, changed to The National Party of Australia in 1982. The party is...
    
    
  • Australian Democrats
    Australian Democrats
    The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader...
    
    
  • Australian Greens
    Australian Greens
    The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
    
    
• Political scandals of Australia
• Republicanism in Australia
  Republicanism in Australia
  Republicanism in Australia is a movement to change Australia's status as a constitutional monarchy to a republican form of government. Such sentiments have been expressed in Australia from before federation onward to the present...
  
  
• Taxation in Australia
  Taxation in Australia
  There are many forms of taxation in Australia. Individuals and companies in Australia may be required to pay taxes or charges to all levels of government: local, state, and federal governments...
  
  

Executive branch

• Head of state: Queen of Australia (Queen Elizabeth II
  Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
  Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
  
  )
  • Head of state's representative: Governor-General
    Governor-General of Australia
    The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
    
     (Quentin Bryce
    Quentin Bryce
    Quentin Bryce, AC, CVO is the 25th and current Governor-General of Australia and former Governor of Queensland....
    
    )
• Head of government: Prime Minister of Australia
  Prime Minister of Australia
  The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
  
   (Julia Gillard
  Julia Gillard
  Julia Eileen Gillard is the 27th and current Prime Minister of Australia, in office since June 2010.Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales and migrated with her family to Adelaide, Australia in 1966, attending Mitcham Demonstration School and Unley High School. In 1982 Gillard moved...
  
  )
• Cabinet
  Cabinet of Australia
  The Cabinet of Australia is the council of senior ministers of the Crown, responsible to parliament. The Cabinet is appointed by the Governor-General, on the advice of the Prime Minister the Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, and serves at the former's pleasure. The strictly private...
  
  
• Federal Executive Council
  Federal Executive Council
  The Federal Executive Council is the formal body holding executive authority under the Constitution of Australia. It is equivalent to the other Executive Councils in other Commonwealth Realms such as the Executive Council of New Zealand and is equivalent to the Privy councils in Canada and the...
  
  

Legislative branch

• Parliament of Australia
  Parliament of Australia
  The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
  
  
  • Australian Senate
    Australian Senate
    The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
    
    
  • Australian House of Representatives
    Australian House of Representatives
    The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
    
    
    • Opposition Leader (currently: Tony Abbott
      Tony Abbott
      Anthony John "Tony" Abbott is the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian House of Representatives and federal leader of the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. Abbott has represented the seat of Warringah since the 1994 by-election...
      
      )

Judicial branch

• High Court of Australia
  High Court of Australia
  The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...
  
  
• Australian court hierarchy
  Australian court hierarchy
  There are two streams within the hierarchy of Australian courts, the federal stream and the state and territory stream. While the federal courts and the court systems in each state and territory are separate, the High Court of Australia remains the ultimate court of appeal for the Australian...
  
  
• Constitution of Australia
  Constitution of Australia
  The Constitution of Australia is the supreme law under which the Australian Commonwealth Government operates. It consists of several documents. The most important is the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia...
  
  

Military

• Command
  • Commander-in-chief
    Commander-in-Chief
    A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
    
    : Governor-General
    Governor-General of Australia
    The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia at federal/national level of the Australian monarch . He or she exercises the supreme executive power of the Commonwealth...
    
     as the Queen's
    Monarchy in Australia
    The Monarchy of Australia is a form of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign of Australia. The monarchy is a constitutional one modelled on the Westminster style of parliamentary government, incorporating features unique to the Constitution of Australia.The present monarch is...
    
     representative.
    • Minister for Defence of Australia
      Minister for Defence (Australia)
      The Minister for Defence of Australia administers his portfolio through the Australian Defence Organisation, which comprises the Department of Defence and the Australian Defence Force. Stephen Smith is the current Minister.-Ministers for Defence:...
      
      
      • ADF
        Australian Defence Force
        The Australian Defence Force is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia. It consists of the Royal Australian Navy , Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force and a number of 'tri-service' units...
        
        
• Forces
  • Army
    Army
    An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
    
     of Australia: Australian Army
    Australian Army
    The Australian Army is Australia's military land force. It is part of the Australian Defence Force along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. While the Chief of Defence commands the Australian Defence Force , the Army is commanded by the Chief of Army...
    
    
  • Navy
    Navy
    A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
    
     of Australia: Royal Australian Navy
    Royal Australian Navy
    The Royal Australian Navy is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. Following the Federation of Australia in 1901, the ships and resources of the separate colonial navies were integrated into a national force: the Commonwealth Naval Forces...
    
    
  • Air force
    Air force
    An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
    
     of Australia: Royal Australian Air Force
    Royal Australian Air Force
    The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
    
    
  • Special forces of Australia
    Special forces of Australia
    Since 1941, the Australian military has raised a range of special forces and special operations units, which fall into four categories:# Commando units such as the Independent and Commando Companies raised during World War II, and the 1st Commando Regiment, the 4th Battalion, Royal Australian...
    
    
• Military history of Australia
  Military history of Australia
  The military history of Australia spans the nation's 220-year modern history, from the early Australian frontier wars between Aborigines and Europeans to the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan in the early 21st century...
  
  
• Military ranks of Australia

Foreign relations

• ANZUS
  ANZUS
  The Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty is the military alliance which binds Australia and New Zealand and, separately, Australia and the United States to cooperate on defence matters in the Pacific Ocean area, though today the treaty is understood to relate to attacks...
  
  
• United States-Australia relations
• Australia-New Zealand relations
  Australia-New Zealand relations
  Relations between Australia and New Zealand, also sometimes referred to as Trans-Tasman relations due to the countries being on opposite sides of the Tasman Sea, are extremely close with both sharing British colonial heritage and being part of the Anglosphere...
  
  
• Australia-Indonesia relations
  Australia-Indonesia relations
  Australia–Indonesia relations are foreign relations between Australia and Indonesia.Since Indonesian independence, the two countries have maintained mutual diplomatic relations, formalised co-operation , a measure of security co-operation, broadening treaty relationships, co-membership of...
  
  
• Sino-Australian relations
  Sino-Australian relations
  Sino-Australian relations refers to the relations between the Australian Commonwealth and the People's Republic of China. The relationship between China and Australia have grown considerably over the years...
  
  
• Japanese-Australian relations
  Japanese-Australian relations
  Australia–Japan relations are generally warm, substantial and driven by mutual interests, and have expanded beyond strong economic and commercial links to other spheres, including culture, tourism, defense and scientific cooperation....
  
  
• Anglo-Australian relations
  Anglo-Australian relations
  Australia – United Kingdom relations are one of the closest international relationships in existence, marked by shared history, culture, institutions and language, extensive people-to-people links, aligned security interests, sporting tournaments , and vibrant trade and investment cooperation.The...
  
  
• Australia and the United Nations
  Australia and the United Nations
  Australia was a founding member of the United Nations in 1945 and has been actively engaged in the organisation since its formation...
  
  

International organisation membership

The Commonwealth of Australia is a member of the:

• Asian Development Bank
  Asian Development Bank
  The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...
  
   (ADB)
• Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
  Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
  Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim countries that seeks to promote free trade and economic cooperation throughout the Asia-Pacific region...
  
   (APEC)
• Association of Southeast Asian Nations
  Association of Southeast Asian Nations
  The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated ASEAN rarely ), is a geo-political and economic organization of ten countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Since then, membership has...
  
   (ASEAN) (dialogue partner)
• Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF)
• Australia Group
  Australia Group
  The Australia Group is an informal group of countries established in 1985 to help member countries to identify those of their exports which need to be controlled so as not to contribute to the spread of chemical and biological weapons .The group, initially consisting of 15 members, held its first...
  
  
• Australia-New Zealand-United States Security Treaty (ANZUS)
• Bank for International Settlements
  Bank for International Settlements
  The Bank for International Settlements is an intergovernmental organization of central banks which "fosters international monetary and financial cooperation and serves as a bank for central banks." It is not accountable to any national government...
  
   (BIS)
• Colombo Plan
  Colombo Plan
  The Colombo Plan is a regional organization that embodies the concept of collective inter-governmental effort to strengthen economic and social development of member countries in the Asia-Pacific Region...
  
   (CP)
• Commonwealth of Nations
  Commonwealth of Nations
  The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
  
  
• East Asia Summit
  East Asia Summit
  The East Asia Summit is a forum held annually by leaders of, initially, 16 countries in the East Asian region. Membership will expand to 18 countries including the United States and Russia at the Sixth EAS in 2011. EAS meetings are held after annual ASEAN leaders’ meetings...
  
   (EAS)
• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  Founded in 1991, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development uses the tools of investment to help build market economies and democracies in 30 countries from central Europe to central Asia. Its mission was to support the formerly communist countries in the process of establishing their...
  
   (EBRD)
• Food and Agriculture Organization
  Food and Agriculture Organization
  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
  
   (FAO)
• Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (G20)
• International Atomic Energy Agency
  International Atomic Energy Agency
  The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
  
   (IAEA)
• International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
  The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development is one of five institutions that compose the World Bank Group. The IBRD is an international organization whose original mission was to finance the reconstruction of nations devastated by World War II. Now, its mission has expanded to fight...
  
   (IBRD)
• International Chamber of Commerce
  International Chamber of Commerce
  The International Chamber of Commerce is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. Its hundreds of thousands of member companies in over 130 countries have interests spanning every sector of private enterprise....
  
   (ICC)
• International Civil Aviation Organization
  International Civil Aviation Organization
  The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
  
   (ICAO)
• International Criminal Court
  International Criminal Court
  The International Criminal Court is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression .It came into being on 1 July 2002—the date its founding treaty, the Rome Statute of the...
  
   (ICCt)
• International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol)
• International Development Association
  International Development Association
  The International Development Association , is the part of the World Bank that helps the world’s poorest countries. It complements the World Bank's other lending arm — the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development — which serves middle-income countries with capital investment and...
  
   (IDA)
• International Energy Agency
  International Energy Agency
  The International Energy Agency is a Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization established in the framework of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development in 1974 in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis...
  
   (IEA)
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
  International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
  The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is a humanitarian institution that is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement along with the ICRC and 186 distinct National Societies...
  
   (IFRCS)
• International Finance Corporation
  International Finance Corporation
  The International Finance Corporation promotes sustainable private sector investment in developing countries.IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and is headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States....
  
   (IFC)
• International Hydrographic Organization
  International Hydrographic Organization
  The International Hydrographic Organization is the inter-governmental organisation representing the hydrographic community. It enjoys observer status at the UN and is the recognised competent authority on hydrographic surveying and nautical charting...
  
   (IHO)
• International Labour Organization
  International Labour Organization
  The International Labour Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. Its secretariat — the people who are employed by it throughout the world — is known as the...
  
   (ILO)
• International Maritime Organization
  International Maritime Organization
  The International Maritime Organization , formerly known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization , was established in Geneva in 1948, and came into force ten years later, meeting for the first time in 1959...
  
   (IMO)
• International Mobile Satellite Organization
  International Mobile Satellite Organization
  The International Mobile Satellite Organization is the intergovernmental organization that oversees certain public satellite safety and security communication services provided via the Inmarsat satellites...
  
   (IMSO)
• International Monetary Fund
  International Monetary Fund
  The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
  
   (IMF)
• International Olympic Committee
  International Olympic Committee
  The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
  
   (IOC)
• International Organization for Migration
  International Organization for Migration
  The International Organization for Migration is an intergovernmental organization. It was initially established in 1951 as the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration to help resettle people displaced by World War II....
  
   (IOM)
• International Organization for Standardization
  International Organization for Standardization
  The International Organization for Standardization , widely known as ISO, is an international standard-setting body composed of representatives from various national standards organizations. Founded on February 23, 1947, the organization promulgates worldwide proprietary, industrial and commercial...
  
   (ISO)
• International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
  International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
  The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is an international humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million volunteers, members and staff worldwide which was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure respect for all human beings, and to prevent and alleviate human...
  
   (ICRM)
• International Telecommunication Union
  International Telecommunication Union
  The International Telecommunication Union is the specialized agency of the United Nations which is responsible for information and communication technologies...
  
   (ITU)

• International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
  International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
  The International Telecommunications Satellite Organization is an intergovernmental organisation charged with overseeing the public service obligations of Intelsat.-External links:*...
  
   (ITSO)
• International Trade Union Confederation
  International Trade Union Confederation
  The International Trade Union Confederation is the world's largest trade union federation. It was formed on November 1, 2006 out of the merger of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the World Confederation of Labour...
  
   (ITUC)
• Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)
• Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
  Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
  The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency is a member organization of the World Bank Group that offers political risk insurance. It was established to promote foreign direct investment into developing countries. MIGA was founded in 1988 with a capital base of $1 billion and is headquartered in...
  
   (MIGA)
• Nonaligned Movement (NAM) (guest)
• Nuclear Energy Agency
  Nuclear Energy Agency
  The Nuclear Energy Agency is an intergovernmental multinational agency that is organized under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development...
  
   (NEA)
• Nuclear Suppliers Group
  Nuclear Suppliers Group
  Nuclear Suppliers Group is a multinational body concerned with reducing nuclear proliferation by controlling the export and re-transfer of materials that may be applicable to nuclear weapon development and by improving safeguards and protection on existing materials.- History :It was founded in...
  
   (NSG)
• Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
• Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
• Pacific Islands Forum
  Pacific Islands Forum
  The Pacific Islands Forum is an inter-governmental organization that aims to enhance cooperation between the independent countries of the Pacific Ocean. It was founded in 1971 as the South Pacific Forum...
  
   (PIF)
• Paris Club
  Paris Club
  The Paris Club is an informal group of financial officials from 19 of some of the world's biggest economies, which provides financial services such as war funding, debt restructuring, debt relief, and debt cancellation to indebted countries and their creditors...
  
  
• Permanent Court of Arbitration
  Permanent Court of Arbitration
  The Permanent Court of Arbitration , is an international organization based in The Hague in the Netherlands.-History:The court was established in 1899 as one of the acts of the first Hague Peace Conference, which makes it the oldest institution for international dispute resolution.The creation of...
  
   (PCA)
• Secretariat of the Pacific Community
  Secretariat of the Pacific Community
  The Secretariat of the Pacific Community, or SPC , is a regional intergovernmental organisation whose membership includes both nations and territories...
  
   (SPC)
• South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
  South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
  The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is an organisation of South Asian nations, founded in December 1985 by Ziaur Rahman and dedicated to economic, technological, social, and cultural development emphasising collective self-reliance. Its seven founding members are Bangladesh,...
  
   (SAARC) (observer)
• South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement
  South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement
  The South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Co-operation Agreement is a nonreciprocal trade agreement in which Australia and New Zealand offer duty-free and unrestricted access for specified products originating from the developing island member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum...
  
   (Sparteca)
• United Nations
  United Nations
  The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
  
   (UN)
• United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
  The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body. It is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment, and development issues....
  
   (UNCTAD)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
  The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
  
   (UNHCR)
• United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste
  United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste
  The United Nations Integrated Mission in East Timor was established on August 25, 2006 by UN Security Council Resolution 1704. Its objectives are "to support the Government in consolidating stability, enhancing a culture of democratic governance, and facilitating political dialogue among Timorese...
  
   (UNMIT)
• United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS)
• United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
  United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
  United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East is a relief and human development agency, providing education, health care, social services and emergency aid to 5 million Palestine refugees living in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, as well as in the West Bank and the Gaza...
  
   (UNRWA)
• United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
  United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
  The United Nations Truce Supervision Organization is an organization founded on 29 May 1948 for peacekeeping in the Middle East. Its primary task was providing the military command structure to the peace keeping forces in the Middle East to enable the peace keepers to observe and maintain the...
  
   (UNTSO)
• Universal Postal Union
  Universal Postal Union
  The Universal Postal Union is an international organization that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration , the Postal Operations Council and the...
  
   (UPU)
• World Customs Organization
  World Customs Organization
  The World Customs Organization is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. With its worldwide membership, the WCO is recognized as the voice of the global customs community...
  
   (WCO)
• World Federation of Trade Unions
  World Federation of Trade Unions
  The World Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations...
  
   (WFTU)
• World Health Organization
  World Health Organization
  The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
  
   (WHO)
• World Intellectual Property Organization
  World Intellectual Property Organization
  The World Intellectual Property Organization is one of the 17 specialized agencies of the United Nations. WIPO was created in 1967 "to encourage creative activity, to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world"....
  
   (WIPO)
• World Meteorological Organization
  World Meteorological Organization
  The World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 189 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization , which was founded in 1873...
  
   (WMO)
• World Tourism Organization
  World Tourism Organization
  The World Tourism Organization , based in Madrid, Spain, is a United Nations agency dealing with questions relating to tourism. It compiles the World Tourism rankings. The World Tourism Organization is a significant global body, concerned with the collection and collation of statistical information...
  
   (UNWTO)
• World Trade Organization
  World Trade Organization
  The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
  
   (WTO)
• Zangger Committee
  Zangger Committee
  The Zangger Committee, also known as the Nuclear Exporters Committee, sprang from Article III.2 of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons which entered into force on March 5, 1970...
  
   (ZC)

Law and order

• Citizenship
  Australian nationality law
  Australian nationality law determines who is and who is not an Australian, and is based primarily on the principle of Jus soli. The status of Australian citizenship was created by the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948 which received Royal Assent on 21 December 1948 and came into force on...
  
  
• Constitution of Australia
  Constitution of Australia
  The Constitution of Australia is the supreme law under which the Australian Commonwealth Government operates. It consists of several documents. The most important is the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia...
  
  
• Crime in Australia
  Crime in Australia
  Crime-wise, Australia is comparatively a safe place to live, though often the perception of crime is much higher. Human smuggling, human trafficking and the illegal drug trade have all impacted Australia in recent years...
  
  
• Law enforcement in Australia
  Law enforcement in Australia
  Law enforcement in Australia is facilitated by police, sheriffs and bailiffs under the control of state, territory and the Federal governments. A number of specialist agencies also administer a wide variety of legislation related to white-collar crime....
  
  
  • National law enforcement agencies
    • Australian Federal Police
      Australian Federal Police
      The Australian Federal Police is the federal police agency of the Commonwealth of Australia. Although the AFP was created by the amalgamation in 1979 of three Commonwealth law enforcement agencies, it traces its history from Commonwealth law enforcement agencies dating back to the federation of...
      
       (AFP)
    • Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
      Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
      The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is an independent authority of the Australia government. It was established in 1995 with the amalgamation of the Australian Trade Practices Commission and the Prices Surveillance Authority to administer the Trade Practices Act 1974...
      
       (ACCC)
    • Australian Crime Commission
      Australian Crime Commission
      The Australian Crime Commission is an Australian Government national criminal intelligence and investigation agency. It was formulated under the Australian Crime Commission Act which came into effect on 1 January 2003, establishing the ACC as a national statutory authority to combat serious and...
      
       (ACC)
    • Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS)
    • Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service
      Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service
      The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service is the Australian government agency responsible for enforcing Australian quarantine laws...
      
       (AQIS)
    • Australian Securities and Investments Commission
      Australian Securities and Investments Commission
      The Australian Securities & Investments Commission is an independent Australian government body that acts as Australia's corporate regulator...
      
       (ASIC)
    • Australian Taxation Office
      Australian Taxation Office
      The Australian Taxation Office is an Australian Government statutory agency and the principal revenue collection body for the Australian Government. The ATO has responsibility for administering the Australian federal taxation system and superannuation legislation...
      
       (ATO)
  • Regional law enforcement agencies – the following policing agencies are regulated by their respective State or Territory Government and are highly visible:
    • Australian Capital Territory Police
      Australian Capital Territory Police
      ACT Policing is the portfolio of the Australian Federal Police responsible for providing policing services to the Australian Capital Territory...
      
      
    • New South Wales Police Force
    • Northern Territory Police
      Northern Territory Police
      The Northern Territory Police is the police body that has legal jurisdiction over the Northern Territory of Australia. This police service has 1302 gazetted police positions made up of 55 Senior Sergeants, 200 Sergeants, 741 Constables, 159 Auxiliaries, and 84 Aboriginal Community Police Officers...
      
      
    • Queensland Police Service
    • South Australia Police
      South Australia Police
      The South Australia Police is the police force of the Australian state of South Australia. It is an agency of the Government of South Australia within the South Australian Department of Justice.-History:...
      
      
    • Tasmania Police
      Tasmania Police
      Tasmania Police is the police force of the Australian state of Tasmania. Established in 1899, the force has over 1,200 officers policing Tasmania's population of about half a million people.-Structure:...
      
      
    • Victoria Police
      Victoria Police
      Victoria Police is the primary law enforcement agency of Victoria, Australia. , the Victoria Police has over 12,190 sworn members, along with over 400 recruits, reservists and Protective Service Officers, and over 2,900 civilian staff across 393 police stations.-Early history:The Victoria Police...
      
      
    • Western Australia Police
      Western Australia Police
      The Western Australia Police services an area of 2.5 million square kilometres, the world's largest non-federated area of jurisdiction. In 2008, its 7,526 employees included 5,647 police officers.-History:-Early history:...
      
      

State and territory governments

• Governors of the Australian states
  Governors of the Australian states
  The Governors of the Australian states are the representatives of the Queen of Australia in each of that country's six states. The Governors perform the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level...
  
  
• Parliaments of the Australian states and territories
  Parliaments of the Australian states and territories
  The Parliaments of the Australian states and territories are legislative bodies within the federal framework of the Commonwealth of Australia. Before the formation of the Commonwealth in 1901, the six Australian colonies were self-governing, with parliaments which had come into existence at various...
  
  
• Premiers of the Australian states
  Premiers of the Australian states
  The Premiers of the Australian states are the de facto heads of the executive governments in the six states of the Commonwealth of Australia. They perform the same function at the state level as the Prime Minister of Australia performs at the national level. The territory equivalents to the...
  
  
• Government of New South Wales
  Government of New South Wales
  The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
  
  
• Government of Queensland
  Government of Queensland
  The Government of Queensland is commonly known as the "Queensland Government".The form of the Government of Queensland is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1859, although it has been amended many times since then...
  
  
• Government of South Australia
  Government of South Australia
  The form of the Government of South Australia is prescribed in its constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
  
  
• Government of Tasmania
  Government of Tasmania
  The form of the Government of Tasmania is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
  
  
• Government of Victoria
  Government of Victoria
  The Government of Victoria, under the Constitution of Australia, ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in all other areas...
  
  
• Government of Western Australia
  Government of Western Australia
  The formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1890, although it has been amended many times since then...
  
  
• Government of the Australian Capital Territory
• Government of the Northern Territory
  Government of the Northern Territory
  The Northern Territory is governed according to the principles of the Westminster system, a form of parliamentary government based on the model of the United Kingdom...
  
  

Local government

• Local Government Areas in Australia

History

Main articles: History of Australia

History of Australia

The History of Australia refers to the history of the area and people of Commonwealth of Australia and its preceding Indigenous and colonial societies. Aboriginal Australians are believed to have first arrived on the Australian mainland by boat from the Indonesian archipelago between 40,000 to...

, Timeline of Australian history

Timeline of Australian history

This is a timeline of Australian history.-BC:*c. 68,000–40,000 BC: Aboriginal tribes are thought to have arrived in Australia.*c. 13,000 BC: Land bridges between mainland Australia and Tasmania are flooded. Tasmanian Aboriginal people become isolated for the next 12,000 – 13,000 years.*c...

• Prehistory of Australia
  Prehistory of Australia
  The prehistory of Australia is the period between the first human habitation of the Australian continent and the first definitive sighting of Australia by Europeans in 1606, which may be taken as the beginning of the recent history of Australia...
  
  
• Australian archaeology
  Australian archaeology
  Australian Archaeology is a large sub-field in the discipline of Archaeology. Archaeology in Australia takes three main forms, Aboriginal Archaeology , Historical Archaeology and Maritime Archaeology...
  
  
• European exploration of Australia
  European exploration of Australia
  The European exploration of Australia encompasses several waves of seafarers and land explorers. Although Australia is often loosely said to have been discovered by Royal Navy Lieutenant James Cook in 1770, he was merely one of a number of European explorers to have sighted and landed on the...
  
  
• History of Australia (1788-1850)
  History of Australia (1788-1850)
  The history of Australia from 1788–1850 covers the early colonies period of Australia's history, from the arrival of the First Fleet of British ships at Sydney to establish the penal colony of New South Wales in 1788 to the European exploration of the continent and establishment of other colonies...
  
  
• History of Australia (1851-1900)
  History of Australia (1851-1900)
  The History of Australia refers to the history of the indigenous and colonial peoples of the Australian continent during the 50 year period which preceded the foundation of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901....
  
  
• History of Australia (1901-1945)
  History of Australia (1901-1945)
   The history of Australia from 1901–1945 begins with the federation of the colonies to create the Commonwealth of Australia. The young nation joined Britain in the First World War, suffered in the global Great Depression and again joined Britain in the Second World War against Nazi Germany in...
  
  
• History of Australia since 1945
  History of Australia since 1945
  The history of Australia since 1945 has seen long periods of economic prosperity and the introduction of an expanded and multi-ethnic immigration program, which has coincided with moves away from Britain in political, social and cultural terms and towards engagement with the United States and...
  
  
• Australian Federation
• Constitutional history of Australia
  Constitutional history of Australia
  -Emergence of the Commonwealth of Australia:After European settlement in 1788, Australia was politically organised as a number of separate British colonies, eventually six in all...
  
  
• Immigration history of Australia
• Stamps and postal history of Australia
• Stolen Generation
  Stolen Generation
  The Stolen Generations were the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian Federal and State government agencies and church missions, under acts of their respective parliaments...
  
  

History of states

• History of New South Wales
  History of New South Wales
  The history of New South Wales refers to the history of the Australian State of New South Wales and its preceding Indigenous and British colonial societies. The Mungo Lake remains indicate occupation of New South Wales by Aboriginal Australians for at least 40,000 years...
  
  
• History of Queensland
  History of Queensland
  The human history of Queensland encompasses both a long Aboriginal Australian presence as well as the more recent European settlement. Before being charted and claimed for England by Lieutenant James Cook in 1770, the north-eastern Australian region was explored by Dutch, Portuguese and French...
  
  
• History of South Australia
  History of South Australia
  The history of South Australia refers to the history of the Australian State of South Australia and its preceding Indigenous and British colonial societies. Aboriginal Australians have lived in South Australia for tens of thousands of years, while British colonists arrived in the 19th century to...
  
  
• History of Tasmania
  History of Tasmania
  The history of Tasmania begins at the end of the most recent ice age when it is believed that the island was joined to the Australian mainland.-Indigenous people:...
  
  
• History of Victoria
  History of Victoria
  This article describes the history of the Australian state of Victoria.-Aboriginal history:The state of Victoria was originally home to many indigenous nations that had occupied the land for tens of thousands of years...
  
  
• History of Western Australia
  History of Western Australia
  The human history of Western Australia commenced between 40,000 and 60,000 years ago with the arrival of Indigenous Australians on the north-west coast. The first inhabitants expanded the range of their settlement to the east and south of the continent. The first recorded European contact was in...
  
  

Culture

• Architecture of Australia
  Architecture of Australia
  Architecture in Australia incorporates the architecture produced in the area of the Commonwealth of Australia...
  
  
• Cuisine of Australia
• Dance of Australia
• Festivals in Australia
• Folklore of Australia
• Humour in Australia
• Languages of Australia
  Languages of Australia
  Although Australia has no official language, it is largely monolingual with English being the de facto national language. Australian English has a distinctive accent and vocabulary. According to the 2001 census, English is the only language spoken in the home for around 80% of the population...
  
  
  • Australian English
    Australian English
    Australian English is the name given to the group of dialects spoken in Australia that form a major variety of the English language....
    
    
• Media of Australia
  Media of Australia
  Media in Australia is an important component of the Australian economy. Australian media is widely accessible and caters to a wide variety of audiences...
  
  
  • Television in Australia
• National symbols of Australia
  National symbols of Australia
  National symbols of Australia are the symbols that are used in Australia to represent what is unique about the nation, reflecting different aspects of its cultural life and history.-Official symbols:-Unofficial Emblems:-Australian Icons:...
  
  
  • Coat of arms of Australia
    Coat of arms of Australia
    The coat of arms of Australia is the official symbol of Australia. The initial coat of arms was granted by King Edward VII on 7 May 1908, and the current version was granted by King George V on 19 September 1912, although the 1908 version continued to be used in some contexts, notably appearing on...
    
    
  • Flag of Australia
    Flag of Australia
    The flag of Australia is a defaced Blue Ensign: a blue field with the Union Flag in the canton , and a large white seven-pointed star known as the Commonwealth Star in the lower hoist quarter...
    
    
  • National anthems:
    • Official national anthem: Advance Australia Fair
      Advance Australia Fair
      "Advance Australia Fair" is the official national anthem of Australia. Created by the Scottish-born composer, Peter Dodds McCormick, the song was first performed in 1878, but did not gain its status as the official anthem until 1984. Until then, the song was sung in Australia as a patriotic song...
      
      
    • Royal anthem: God Save the Queen
      God Save the Queen
      "God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...
      
      
• People of Australia
  • Australian diaspora
    Australian diaspora
    The term Australian diaspora may refer to the approximately 1,000,000 Australian citizens who today live outside Australia. This usage of the term includes the several hundred thousand people who spend some time in the United Kingdom and Europe but return to Australia...
    
    
  • Australian of the Year
    Australian of the Year
    Since 1960 the Australian of the Year Award has been part of the celebrations surrounding Australia Day , during which time the award has grown steadily in significance to become Australia’s pre-eminent award. The Australian of the Year announcement has become a very prominent part of the annual...
    
    
  • Indigenous Australians
    Indigenous Australians
    Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
    
    
    • Australian Aborigines
      Australian Aborigines
      Australian Aborigines , also called Aboriginal Australians, from the latin ab originem , are people who are indigenous to most of the Australian continentthat is, to mainland Australia and the island of Tasmania...
      
      
    • Torres Strait Islanders
      Torres Strait Islanders
      Torres Strait Islanders are the indigenous people of the Torres Strait Islands, part of Queensland, Australia. They are culturally and genetically linked to Melanesian peoples and those of Papua New Guinea....
      
      
• Prostitution in Australia
  Prostitution in Australia
  Prostitution in Australia is governed by state and territory laws, which vary considerably; and Federal legislation also has an impact on some aspects of prostitution throughout Australia, and of Australian citizens and residents outside of the country....
  
  
• Public holidays in Australia
  Public holidays in Australia
  Public holidays in Australia are declared on a state and territory basis, with the exception of national public holidays.-Nature of public holidays:...
  
  
• Religion in Australia
  Religion in Australia
  In the 21st century, religion in Australia is demographically dominated by Christianity, with 64% of the population claiming at least nominal adherence to the Christian faith as of 2007, although less than a quarter of those attend church weekly. 18.7% of Australians declared "no-religion" on the...
  
  
  • Buddhism in Australia
    Buddhism in Australia
    In Australia, Buddhism is a small but growing religion. According to the 2006 census, 2.1 percent of the total population of Australia, or 418,749 people, identified as Buddhist. It was also the fastest-growing religion by percentage, having increased its number of adherents by 79 percent between...
    
    
  • Christianity in Australia
    Christianity in Australia
    Christianity is the largest religion listed by Australians in the national census. In the 2006 Census, 63.9% of Australians were listed as Christian. Australia has no official state religion and the Australian Constitution protects freedom of religion. The presence of Christianity in Australia...
    
    
  • Hinduism in Australia
    Hinduism in Australia
    Hindus form a religious minority in Australia, roughly estimated to be 148,119 according to the 2006 census.Hinduism is the fastest growing religion in Melbourne, Australia.- History :...
    
    
  • Islam in Australia
    Islam in Australia
    Islam in Australia is a small minority religious grouping, but fourth largest after all forms of Christianity , irreligion and Buddhism , excluding 11.2% who failed to answer at the last census...
    
    
  • Judaism in Australia
  • Sikhism in Australia
    Sikhism in Australia
    Sikhism is a small but growing minority religion in Australia, that can trace its origins in the nation to the 1830s. The Sikhs form one of the largest subgroups of Indian Australians with 26,500 adherents according to the 2006 census, having grown from 17,000 in 2001 and 12,000 in 1996...
    
    
  • Irreligion in Australia
    Irreligion in Australia
    Atheism, agnosticism, deism, scepticism, freethought, secular humanism or general secularism is increasing in Australia. Post-war Australia has become a highly secularised country...
    
    
• World Heritage Sites in Australia

Art

• Art of Australia
  Art of Australia
  Australian art incorporates art made in Australia or about Australian subjects since prehistoric times. This includes Australian Aboriginal art, Australian Colonial art, Landscape, Atelier, Modernist and Contemporary art. The visual arts have a long history in Australia, with evidence of Aboriginal...
  
  
• Cuisine
  Australian cuisine
  Australian cuisine refers to the cuisine of the Commonwealth of Australia and its preceding indigenous and colonial societies. Indigenous Australians have occupied the lands of Australia for some 40,000-60,000 years, during which time they developed a unique hunter gatherer diet, known as "bush...
  
  
• Literature of Australia
• Music of Australia
  Music of Australia
  The music of Australia is the music produced in the area of, on the subject of, or by the people of modern Australia, including its preceding Indigenous and colonial societies. Indigenous Australian music is a part of the unique heritage of a 40–60,000 year history which produced the iconic...
  
  
  • Australian music charts
  • Indigenous Australian music
    Indigenous Australian music
    Australian indigenous music includes the music of Australian Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, who are collectively called Indigenous Australians; it incorporates a variety of distinctive traditional music styles practiced by Indigenous Australian peoples, as well as a range of contemporary...
    
    
  • Australian country music
    Australian country music
    Australian country music is a part of the music of Australia. There is a broad range of styles, from bluegrass, to yodelling to folk to the more popular. The genre has been influenced by Celtic and English folk music, by the traditions of Australian bush balladeers, as well as by popular American...
    
    
  • Australian hip hop
    Australian hip hop
    Australian hip hop music began in the early 1980s; originally it was primarily influenced by hip hop music and culture imported via radio and television from the United States of America. However, since the 1990s, a distinctive local style has developed. Australian hip hop is an underground music...
    
    
  • Australian jazz
    Australian jazz
    Jazz music has a long history in Australia. Over the years jazz has held a high profile at local clubs, festivals and other music venues and a vast number of recordings have been produced by Australian jazz musicians, many of whom have gone on to gain a high profile in the international jazz...
    
    
  • Australian rock
    Australian rock
    Australian rock, sometimes called OZ Rock is used to describe the various rock and many pop bands and solo artists from Australia. Australia has a rich history of rock music and an appreciation of the roots of various rock genres, usually originating in the United States but also Britain, Ireland,...
    
    
  • Music of immigrant communities in Australia
    Music of immigrant communities in Australia
    Australia is home to several large immigrant communities from every continent in the world.-Indonesian:See music of IndonesiaGamelan has been part of the music of Sydney since at least 1985, when gamelan instruments were purchased by the Centre for Performance Studies at the University of Sydney...
    
    
• Theatre in Australia
  Theatre in Australia
  Theatre of Australia incorporates the theatrical arts produced in the area of, on the subject of or by the people of the Commonwealth of Australia...
  
  
• Cinema of Australia
  Cinema of Australia
  Cinema of Australia, more commonly referred to as the Australian film industry, refers to the system of production, distribution, and exhibition of films in Australia. Film production commenced in Australia in 1906 with the production of The Story of the Kelly Gang, the earliest feature film made...
  
  

Sport

• Australia at the Olympics
• Australia at the Commonwealth Games
  Australia at the Commonwealth Games
  Australia became independent of the United Kingdom in 1901 and officially became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations in 1931 under the Statute of Westminster....
  
  
• Football in Australia
  Football in Australia
  Football in Australia can refer to several different variations of football as there are regional variations of the use of the word "Football" in Australia....
  
  
  • Association football in Australia
  • Australian rules football in Australia
    Australian rules football in Australia
    Australian rules football originated in Melbourne in 1858. It has continuously in every state and territory of Australia since 1915 and is particularly popular in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania, where it is the most watched sport, and Northern Territory where it is the...
    
    
  • Rugby Union in Australia
    Rugby union in Australia
    Rugby union is the third most popular winter sport in Australia, with its history dating back to 1864.The principal competition in Australian rugby union is Super Rugby, which is a multi-regional competition across the southern hemisphere...
    
    
  • Rugby League in Australia
    Rugby league in Australia
    Rugby league football is one of the most popular sports in Australia. It is the dominant winter sport on the eastern seaboard of Australia, including the states of New South Wales and Queensland as well as the Australian Capital Territory, which together comprise around half of the country's...
    
    
• Cricket in Australia
  Cricket in Australia
  Cricket is one of the most popular sports in Australia, at international, domestic and local levels. Unlike most other sports played in Australia, cricket generates equal interest in all states of the nation. In 2007, a survey by Sweeney Sports found that 52% of the Australian public have an...
  
  
• Golf in Australia
  Golf in Australia
  Golf in Australia refers to the sport of golf played in Australia.-Tournaments:The PGA Tour of Australasia is the main men's tour in Australia. it was founded in 1973 as the PGA Tour of Australia, and changed to its current name in 1991. The tour is one of the five charter members of the...
  
  
• Hockey in Australia
• Motorsport in Australia
  Motorsport in Australia
  Motorsport is a popular spectator sport in Australia, although there are relatively few competitors compared to other sports due to the high costs of competing. The most widely watched motorsport is V8 Supercars, especially at the Bathurst 1000...
  
  
• Tennis in Australia
• Basketball in Australia
  Basketball in Australia
  Basketball is a sport played both indoors and outdoors in Australia. Basketball remains one of the most popular participation sports in Australia, having a larger participation base than Cricket, Australian Rules Football, Rugby League and Rugby Union...
  
  
• Netball in Australia
  Netball in Australia
  Netball is the most popular women's team participation sport in Australia. In 1985, there were 347,000 players. In 1995, there were over 360,000 Australian netball players. Throughout most of Australia's netball history, the game has largely been a participation sport; it has not managed to become...
  
  
• Swimming in Australia
  • Swimming Australia
    Swimming Australia
    Swimming Australia is the peak governing body for competitive swimming in Australia. The body currently has approximately 90,000 registered members nationally in 1100 clubs across the country, which includes swimmers, coaches, officials, administrators and volunteers...
    
    
  • List of Australian records in swimming
  • Women's swimming in Australia
    Women's swimming in Australia
    -1800s:While not being urged to avoid competition, women had few opportunities to compete in sport in Australia until the 1880s. After that date, new sporting facilities were being built around the country and many new sport clubs were created...
    
    
• Skiing in Australia
  Skiing in Australia
  Skiing in Australia takes place in the high country of the states of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, as well as in the Australian Capital Territory, during the Southern Hemisphere winter....
  
  
• Australian horse racing
• Winter sport in Australia
  Winter sport in Australia
  Winter Sports in Australia encompasses a great variety of activities across the continent of Australia, including winter sports played in snow and ice. Climate varies considerably from the tropical North to temperate South in Australia, and sporting practices vary accordingly...
  
  

Economy and infrastructure

• Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 14th (fourteenth)

• Agriculture in Australia
  Agriculture in Australia
  Australia is a major agricultural producer and exporter. Agriculture and its closely related sectors earn $155 billion-a-year for a 12% share of GDP. Australian farmers and graziers own 135,996 farms, covering 61% of Australia’s landmass. There is a mix of irrigation and dry-land farming...
  
  
• Communications in Australia
  Communications in Australia
  Telecommunications in Australia deals with telecommunications in Australia, involving the availability and use of electronic devices and services, such as the telephone, television, radio or computer, for the purpose of communication.-Early:...
  
  
  • Internet in Australia
    Internet in Australia
    Internet access was first available in Australia to universities via AARNet in 1989. The first commercial dial-up ISPs appeared in capital cities soon after and by the mid-1990s almost the entire country had a wide choice of dial-up Internet access providers...
    
    
• Reserve Bank of Australia
  Reserve Bank of Australia
  The Reserve Bank of Australia came into being on 14 January 1960 as Australia's central bank and banknote issuing authority, when the Reserve Bank Act 1959 removed the central banking functions from the Commonwealth Bank to it....
  
  
• Companies of Australia

• Currency of Australia
  Currency
  In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
  
  : Dollar
  Australian dollar
  The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
  
  
  • ISO 4217
    ISO 4217
    ISO 4217 is a standard published by the International Standards Organization, which delineates currency designators, country codes , and references to minor units in three tables:* Table A.1 – Current currency & funds code list...
    
    : AUD
    Aud
    Aud might refer to*Australian dollar *Ambedkar University, Delhi *American University in Dubai *Doctor of Audiology *Auðr, the son of Nótt and Naglfari in Norse mythology...
    
    

• Economic history of Australia
  Economic history of Australia
  -1788 - 1820:The description 'bridgehead economy' was used by one of Australia's foremost economic historians, N. G. Butlin to refer to the earliest decades of British occupation when the colony was essentially a penal institution...
  
  
• Energy in Australia
  Energy in Australia
  Energy in Australia describes energy and electricity production, consumption and export in Australia. Energy policy of Australia describes the politics of Australia related to energy....
  
  
  • Energy in Australia
    Energy in Australia
    Energy in Australia describes energy and electricity production, consumption and export in Australia. Energy policy of Australia describes the politics of Australia related to energy....
    
    
  • Energy policy of Australia
    Energy policy of Australia
    Energy policy of Australia describes the energy policy in the politics of Australia. Energy in Australia describes energy and electricity production, consumption and export/import in Australia...
    
    
    • Effects of global warming on Australia
      Effects of global warming on Australia
      Predictions measuring the effects of global warming on Australia assert that climate change will negatively impact the continent's environment, economy, and communities...
      
      
    • Garnaut Climate Change Review
      Garnaut Climate Change Review
      The Garnaut Climate Change Review was a study by Professor Ross Garnaut, commissioned by then Opposition Leader, Kevin Rudd and by the Australian State and Territory Governments on 30 April 2007...
      
      
  • Coal mining in Australia
    Coal mining in Australia
    Coal in Australia is mined primarily in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. It is used to generate electricity and 75% of the coal mined in Australia is exported, mostly to eastern Asia. In 2000/01, 258.5 million tonnes of coal was mined, and 193.6 million tonnes exported. Coal also provides...
    
    
  • Carbon capture and storage in Australia
    Carbon capture and storage in Australia
    Carbon capture and storage is an approach to mitigate global warming by capturing carbon dioxide from large point sources such as fossil fuel power plants and storing it instead of releasing it into the atmosphere...
    
    
  • Geothermal power in Australia
  • Solar power in Australia
    Solar power in Australia
    Australia has an estimated 300 MW of installed photovoltaic power , contributing an estimated 0.1 to 0.2% of total electricity production despite the hot and sunny climate that would make it ideal for utilisation...
    
    
  • Solar power in Australia
    Solar power in Australia
    Australia has an estimated 300 MW of installed photovoltaic power , contributing an estimated 0.1 to 0.2% of total electricity production despite the hot and sunny climate that would make it ideal for utilisation...
    
    
  • Wind power in Australia
    Wind power in Australia
    Wind power in Australia is a proven and reliable technology that can be and is readily deployed. As of October 2010, there were 52 wind farms in Australia, most of which had turbines of from 1.5 to 3 megawatts...
    
    
• Health care in Australia
  Health care in Australia
  Health care in Australia is provided by both private and government institutions. The Minister for Health and Ageing, currently Nicola Roxon, administers national health policy...
  
  
• Median household income in Australia and New Zealand
  Median household income in Australia and New Zealand
  Median household income is commonly used to measure the relative prosperity of populations in different geographical locations. It divides households into two equal segments with the first half of households earning less than the median household income and the other half earning more.Since 2000...
  
  
• Mining in Australia
  Mining in Australia
  Mining in Australia is a significant primary industry and contributor to the Australian economy. Historically, mining booms have also encouraged immigration to Australia. Many different ores and minerals are mined throughout the country.-History:...
  
  
  • Coal mining in Australia
    Coal mining in Australia
    Coal in Australia is mined primarily in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. It is used to generate electricity and 75% of the coal mined in Australia is exported, mostly to eastern Asia. In 2000/01, 258.5 million tonnes of coal was mined, and 193.6 million tonnes exported. Coal also provides...
    
    
• Australian Securities Exchange
  Australian Securities Exchange
  The Australian Securities Exchange was created by the merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange in July 2006. It is the primary stock exchange group in Australia....
  
  
• Tourism in Australia
  Tourism in Australia
  Tourism is an important industry for the Australian economy. In the financial year 2009/10, the tourism industry represented 2.6% of Australia's GDP at a value of approximately A$34 billion to the national economy. Domestic tourism is a significant part of the tourism industry, and was...
  
  
• Transport in Australia
  Transport in Australia
  -Roads:Australia has the second highest level of car ownership in the world. It has three to four times more road per capita than Europe and seven to nine times more than Asia. Australia also has the third highest per capita rate of fuel consumption in the world. Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane are...
  
  
  • Airports in Australia
  • Rail transport in Australia
    Rail transport in Australia
    Rail transport in Australia is a crucial aspect of the Australian transport network, and an enabler of the wider Australian economy. Rail in Australia is to a large extent state-based. The Australian rail network consists of a total of 41,461 km of track of three major gauges, of which...
    
    
  • Road transport in Australia
    Road transport in Australia
    Road transport is an essential element of the Australian transport network, and enabler of the Australian economy. Australia relies heavily on road transport due to Australia's large area and low population density in considerable parts of the country....
    
    
  • Tunnels in Australia
• Water supply and sanitation in Australia
  Water supply and sanitation in Australia
  Water supply and sanitation in Australia is universal and of good quality. As the country's supply of freshwater is increasingly vulnerable to droughts, possibly as a result of climate change, there is an emphasis on water conservation and various regions have imposed restrictions on the use of...
  
  

State economies

• Economy of New South Wales
  Economy of New South Wales
  The economy of New South Wales represents a significant proportion of the Australian economy. The economy was valued at $382 billion in 2008-09, representing about 33% of Australia's total GDP.- Economic history :...
  
  
• Economy of Queensland
  Economy of Queensland
  The economy of Queensland was one of the fastest growing economies within Australia, with growth outstripping that of the wider Australian economy in every financial year between 1995–96 and 2007-08. In 2009, the global financial crisis slowed Queensland's economic growth...
  
  
• Economy of South Australia
• Economy of Tasmania
  Economy of Tasmania
  Tasmania has been said to be overreliant on revenue from the Government of Australia.Traditionally Tasmania's main industries have been: mining, including copper, zinc, tin, and iron; agriculture; forestry; and tourism. Significantly in the 1940s and 1950s there had been a Hydro-Industrialisation...
  
  
• Economy of Victoria
• Economy of Western Australia
  Economy of Western Australia
  The Western Australian economy is a state economy dominated by its resources and services sector and largely driven by the export of iron-ore, gold, liquefied natural gas and agricultural commodities such as wheat. Covering an area of 2.5 million km2, the state is Australia's largest, accounting...
  
  

Education

Main articles: Education in Australia

Education in Australia

Education in Australia is primarily the responsibility of the states and territories. Each state or territory government provides funding and regulates the public and private schools within its governing area. The federal government helps fund the public universities, but is not involved in setting...

 and Lists of schools in Australia

• Public and private education in Australia
  Public and private education in Australia
  Schools in Australia can be classified according to sources of funding and administrative structures. There are two broad categories of school in Australia: Public schools and Private schools, the latter of which can be further subdivided into Catholic schools and Independent...
  
  
• Universities in Australia
  • Group of Eight
    Group of Eight (Australian universities)
    The Group of Eight is a coalition of leading Australian tertiary institutions, intensive in research and comprehensive in general and professional education...
    
    

States education

• Education in New South Wales
• Education in Queensland
• Education in South Australia
• Education in Tasmania
  Education in Tasmania
  The education system in Tasmania comprises two tertiary education institutions; the government run K-12 schooling system, and numerous independent private schools and colleges, most of which are controlled or sponsored by religious organisations....
  
  
• Education in Victoria
  Education in Victoria
  Education in Victoria, Australia is supervised by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development , which is part of the State Government and whose role is to 'provide policy and planning advice for the delivery of education'...
  
  
• Education in Western Australia
  Education in Western Australia
  Education in Western Australia is supervised by the Department of Education and Training , which forms part of the Government of Western Australia...
  
  
• Education in the Australian Capital Territory
  Education in the Australian Capital Territory
  Almost all educational institutions in the Australian Capital Territory are located within Canberra. The ACT public education system schooling is normally split up into Pre-School, Primary School , High School and College followed by studies at university or TAFE...
  
  

See also

• Commonwealth realm
  Commonwealth Realm
  A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state within the Commonwealth of Nations that has Elizabeth II as its monarch and head of state. The sixteen current realms have a combined land area of 18.8 million km² , and a population of 134 million, of which all, except about two million, live in the six...
  
  
• Index of Australia-related articles
• List of Australia-related topics
• List of international rankings
• Member state of the Commonwealth of Nations
• Member state of the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors
• Member state of the United Nations
• Monarchy of Australia
• Outline of geography
  Outline of geography
  The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to geography:Geography – science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth.- Geography is :...
  
  
• Outline of Oceania
  Outline of Oceania
  Oceania is a geographical, and often geopolitical, region consisting of numerous lands—mostly islands in the Pacific Ocean and vicinity. The term is also sometimes used to denote a continent comprising Australia and proximate Pacific islands,....
  
  
• List of place names of Dutch origin

External links