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officially Commonwealth of Australia
Smallest continent and sixth largest country (in area) on Earth, lying between the Pacific and Indian oceans.
Area: 2,969,910 sq mi (7,692,030 sq km). Population (2002 est.): 19,702,000. Capital: Canberra . Most Australians are descendants of Europeans. The largest nonwhite minority is the Australian Aboriginal s. The Asian portion of the population has grown as a result of relaxed immigration policy. Language: English (official). Religions: Roman Catholicism, Anglicanism. Currency: Australian dollar. Australia has four major physiographic regions. More than half its land area is on the Western Australian Shield, which includes the outcrops of Arnhem Land and the Kimberleys in the northwest and the Macdonnell Ranges in the east. A second region, the Great Artesian Basin, lies east of the shield. The Eastern Uplands, which include the Great Dividing Range , are a series of high ridges, plateaus, and basins. The fourth region is the Flinders–Mount Lofty ranges. The country's highest point is Mount Australian Alps , and the lowest is Lake Eyre . Major rivers include the Murray - Darling system, the Flinders and Swan rivers, and Cooper Creek . There are many islands and reefs along the coast, including the Great Barrier Reef , Melville Island , Kangaroo Island , and Tasmania . Australia is rich in mineral resources, including coal, petroleum, and uranium. A vast diamond deposit was found in Western Australia in 1979. The country's economy is basically free-enterprise; its largest components include finance, manufacturing, and trade. Formally a constitutional monarchy, its chief of state is the British monarch, represented by the governor-general. In reality it is a parliamentary state with two legislative houses; its head of government is the prime minister. Australia has long been inhabited by Aboriginals, who arrived 40,000–60,000 years ago. Estimates of the population at the time of European settlement in 1788 range from 300,000 to more than 1,000,000. Widespread European knowledge of Australia began with 17th-century explorations. The Dutch landed in 1616 and the British in 1688, but the first large-scale expedition was that of James Cook in 1770, which established Britain's claim to Australia. The first English settlement, at Port Jackson (1788), consisted mainly of convicts and seamen; convicts were to make up a large proportion of the incoming settlers. By 1859 the colonial nuclei of all Australia's states had been formed, but with devastating effects on the indigenous peoples, whose population declined sharply with the introduction of European diseases and weaponry. Britain granted its colonies limited self-government in the mid 19th century, and an act federating the colonies into a commonwealth was passed in 1900. Australia fought alongside the British in World War I, notably at Gallipoli , and again in World War II, preventing Australia's occupation by the Japanese. It joined the U.S. in the Korean and Vietnam wars. Since the 1960s the government has sought to deal more fairly with the Aboriginals, and a loosening of immigration restrictions has led to a more heterogeneous population. Constitutional links allowing British interference in government were formally abolished in 1968, and Australia has assumed a leading role in Asian and Pacific affairs. During the 1990s it experienced several debates about giving up its British ties and becoming a republic.
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[c mediumvioletred] (as used in expressions)
Commonwealth of Australia
{{link=South Australia">South Australia
Western Australia