Outline of Australia



and Tasmania
This outline of Australia is an overview of and topical guide to various aspects of the country of Australia.
Australia refers to both the continent of Australia and to the Commonwealth of Australia, the sovereign country.
The continent of Australia, the world's smallest continent, is in the Southern Hemisphere and borders both the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
The Commonwealth of Australia comprises the mainland of the Australian continent, the major island of Tasmania, other nearby islands, and various external territories.
Neighbouring countries are Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia to the north-east, and New Zealand to the south-east.
The Australian mainland has been inhabited for at least 50,000 years by Aboriginal Australians. After sporadic visits by fishermen from the north and then European discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, the eastern half of Australia was later claimed by the British in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation as part of the colony of New South Wales, commencing on 26 January 1788. As the population grew and new areas were explored, another five largely self-governing Crown colonies were established during the 19th century.

General reference

States
Mainland territories
State/territoryLand area RankPopulation RankPopulation density Rank% of population in capitalRank
New South Wales800,6425th7,348,9001st9.183rd63.5%5th
Victoria227,4166th5,679,6002nd24.972nd74.8%4th
Queensland1,730,6482nd4,610,9003rd2.665th47.5%7th
Western Australia2,529,8751st2,472,7004th0.987th76.7%3rd
South Australia983,4824th1,662,2005th1.696th76.8%2nd
Tasmania68,4017th512,4006th7.494th42.3%8th
Australian Capital Territory2,3588th379,6007th160.981st98.7%1st
Northern Territory1,349,1293rd236,9008th0.188th55.6%6th

Government and politics

Branches of the government

Executive branch
The Commonwealth of Australia is a member of the:

Religion and belief systems in Australia