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This article is about the country. For the continent, see Australia
(continent). For other uses, see Australia (disambiguation).

Coordinates: 25°S 133°E

Commonwealth of Australia

Flag

Coat of arms

Anthem: Advance Australia Fair[N 1]

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Commonwealth of Australia, including the Australian territorial claim

in the Antarctic
Capital

Canberra

35°18′29″S 149°07′28″E

Largest city

Sydney

National language

English[N 2]

Religion (2016)[3]

Various

[show]

Demonym(s)

Australian

Aussie (colloquial)[4][5]

Government

Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy

• Monarch

Elizabeth II

• Governor-General

David Hurley

• Prime Minister
Scott Morrison

• Deputy Prime Minister

Michael McCormack

• Treasurer

Josh Frydenberg

• Chief Justice

Susan Kiefel

Legislature

Parliament

• Upper house

Senate

• Lower house

House of Representatives

Independence from the United Kingdom

• Federation, Constitution

1 January 1901

• Statute of Westminster Adoption Act

9 October 1942 (with effect

from 3 September 1939)

• Australia Act
3 March 1986

Area

• Total

7,692,024 km2 (2,969,907 sq mi) (6th)

• Water (%)

0.76

Population

• 2020 estimate

25,721,900[6] (51st)

• 2016 census

23,401,892[7]

• Density

3.3/km2 (8.5/sq mi) (192nd)

GDP (PPP)

2020 estimate

• Total

$1.423 trillion[8] (19th)

• Per capita

$54,799 [8] (17th)

GDP (nominal)

2020 estimate
• Total

$1.375 trillion[8] (13th)

• Per capita

$52,952[8] (10th)

Gini (2018)

34.0[9]

medium · 22nd

HDI (2018)

0.938[10]

very high · 6th

Currency

Australian dollar (AUD)

Time zone

UTC+8; +9.5; +10 (Various[N 4])

• Summer (DST)

UTC+8; +9.5; +10;

+10.5; +11 (Various[N 4])

Date format

dd/mm/yyyy

yyyy-mm-dd[11]

Mains electricity
230 V–50 Hz

Driving side

left

Calling code

+61

ISO 3166 code

AU

Internet TLD

.au

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia,[12] is a

sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian
continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. It is
the largest country in Oceania and the world's sixth-largest country
by total area. The population of 26 million[6] is highly urbanised and
heavily concentrated on the eastern seaboard.[13] Australia's capital
is Canberra, though its largest city is Sydney. The country's other
major metropolitan areas are Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and
Adelaide.

Indigenous Australians inhabited the continent for about 65,000

years[14] prior to the first arrival of Dutch explorers in the early 17th
century, who named it New Holland. In 1770, Australia's eastern half
was claimed by Great Britain and initially settled through penal
transportation to the colony of New South Wales from 26 January
1788, a date which became Australia's national day. The population
grew steadily in subsequent decades, and by the time of an 1850s
gold rush, most of the continent had been explored and an
additional five self-governing crown colonies established. On 1
January 1901, the six colonies federated, forming the
Commonwealth of Australia. Australia has since maintained a stable
liberal democratic political system that functions as a federal
parliamentary constitutional monarchy, comprising six states and ten
territories.

Australia is the oldest,[15] flattest,[16] and driest inhabited

continent,[17][18] with the least fertile soils.[19][20] It has a
landmass of 7,617,930 square kilometres (2,941,300 sq mi).[21] A
megadiverse country, its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes,
with deserts in the centre, tropical rainforests in the north-east, and
mountain ranges in the south-east. Australia generates its income
from various sources including mining-related exports,
telecommunications, banking, manufacturing, and international
education.