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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, the

sovereign country A sovereign state or sovereign country, is a political entity represented by one central government that has supreme legitimate authority over territory. International law defines sovereign states as having a permanent population, defined terr ...

. The continent of Australia, the world's smallest

continent A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas t ...

, is in the Southern Hemisphere and borders both the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

and the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...

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

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, other nearby islands, and various external territories. Neighbouring countries are

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-west ...

, and

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

to the north, the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

, and New Caledonia to the north-east, and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

to the south-east. The Australian mainland has been inhabited for at least 50,000 years by

Aboriginal Australians Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Isl ...

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

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

explorers in 1606,MacKnight, CC (1976).''The Voyage to Marege: Macassan Trepangers in Northern Australia.'' Melbourne University Press the eastern half of Australia was later claimed by the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation as part of the colony of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

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

self-governing __NOTOC__ Self-governance, self-government, or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any form of ...

Crown colonies A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Council ...

were established during the 19th century.

General reference

* Pronunciation: * Common English country name: Australia * Official English country name: The

* Common endonym(s): Land Down Under * Official endonym(s): * Adjectival(s):

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal A ...

* Demonym(s): Australian, Aussie (Colloquially) *

Etymology Etymology ()The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p. 633 "Etymology /ˌɛtɪˈmɒlədʒi/ the study of the class in words and the way their meanings have changed throughout time". is the study of the history of the Phonological chan ...

: Name of Australia *

International rankings of Australia The following are international rankings of Australia. References * Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tas ...

ISO country codes ISO 3166-1 (''Codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions – Part 1: Country codes'') is a standard defining codes for the names of countries, dependent territories, and special areas of geographical interest. It ...

: AU, AUS, 036 *

ISO region codes ISO 3166-2 is part of the ISO 3166 standard published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and defines codes for identifying the principal subdivisions (e.g., provinces or states) of all countries coded in ISO 3166-1. The ...

: See ISO 3166-2:AU *

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

country code top-level domain A country code top-level domain (ccTLD) is an Internet top-level domain generally used or reserved for a country, sovereign state, or dependent territory identified with a country code. All ASCII ccTLD identifiers are two letters long, and all ...

.au .au is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Australia. It was created on 5 March 1986. Domain name policy is managed by .au Domain Administration (auDA). As of July 2018, the registry is operated by Afilias. History The d ...

Geography

Geography of Australia The geography of Australia encompasses a wide variety of biogeographic regions being the world's smallest continent, while comprising the territory of the sixth-largest country in the world. The population of Australia is concentrated along ...

* Australia is... ** a

** a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

*** a

nation state A nation state is a political unit where the state and nation are congruent. It is a more precise concept than "country", since a country does not need to have a predominant ethnic group. A nation, in the sense of a common ethnicity, may i ...

*** a Commonwealth realm *** a megadiverse country * Location: ** Australia is a region or subregion of: *** The

World In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

(Australia is a

on the planet

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

) **** Southern Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere ****

Oceania Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million ...

*****

Australasia Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologi ...

** Australia lies between: ***

***

****

South Pacific Ocean South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...

***

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is regarded as the second-small ...

by some reckonings **

Time zone A time zone is an area which observes a uniform standard time for legal, commercial and social purposes. Time zones tend to follow the boundaries between countries and their subdivisions instead of strictly following longitude, because it ...

s: *** Australian Eastern Standard Time (EST) (

UTC+10 UTC+10:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +10:00. This time is used in: As standard time (year-round) ''Principal cities: Brisbane, Gold Coast, Vladivostok, Khabarovsk, Port Moresby, Dededo, Saipan'' North Asia *Russia – ...

), Australian Eastern Summer Time (EDT) (

UTC+11 UTC+11:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +11:00. This time is used in: As standard time (year-round) ''Principal cities: Nouméa, Magadan, Honiara, Port Vila, Palikir, Weno, Buka, Arawa '' North Asia *Russia – Magad ...

) *** Australian Central Standard Time (CST) ( UTC+09:30), Australian Central Summer Time (CDT) ( UTC+10:30), ***

Australian Western Standard Time Australia uses three main time zones: Australian Western Standard Time (AWST; UTC+08:00), Australian Central Standard Time (ACST; UTC+09:30), and Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST; UTC+10:00). Time is regulated by the individual state ...

(WST) (

UTC+08 UTC+08:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +08:00. With an estimated population of 1.708 billion living within the time zone, roughly 24% of the world population, it is the most populous time zone in the world, as well as a ...

) **

Extreme points of Australia This is a list of the extreme points of Australia (the country, not the continent). The list includes extremes of cardinal direction, elevation, and other points of peculiar geographic interest. The location of some points depend on whether is ...

(mainland) *** Northernmost Point – Cape York,

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

(10°41' S) *** Southernmost Point – South Point,

Wilsons Promontory Wilsons Promontory, is a peninsula that forms the southernmost part of the Australian mainland, located in the state of Victoria. South Point at is the southernmost tip of Wilsons Promontory and hence of mainland Australia. Located at nea ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

(39°08' S) *** Westernmost Point –

Steep Point Steep Point () is the westernmost point of mainland Australia. It is located within the Gascoyne region of Western Australia, north of the state's capital Perth, in the proposed Edel Land National Park. It is also a part of the Shark Bay ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

(113°09' E) *** Easternmost Point –

Cape Byron Cape Byron is the easternmost point of the mainland of Australia, located in New South Wales. It is about east of the town of Byron Bay, New South Wales and projects into the Pacific Ocean at 28.6335° S, 153.6383° E. A lighthouse is situated t ...

(153°38' E) *** Highest Point –

Mount Kosciuszko Mount Kosciuszko ( ; Ngarigo: , ), previously spelled Mount Kosciusko, is mainland Australia's tallest mountain, at 2,228 metres (7,310 ft) above sea level. It is located on the Main Range of the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National ...

*** Lowest Point –

Lake Eyre Lake Eyre ( ), officially known as Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre, is an endorheic lake in east-central Far North South Australia, some north of Adelaide. The shallow lake is the depocentre of the vast endorheic Lake Eyre basin, and contains th ...

** Land boundaries: ''none'' ** Coastline: 25,760 km *

Population of Australia The population of Australia is estimated to be as of . The population estimate shown is automatically calculated daily at 00:00 UTC and is based on data obtained from the population clock on the date shown in the citation. Australia is the 55 ...

: 25,694,393 people (December 2020) – 53rd most populous country * Area of Australia: – 6th largest country * Atlas of Australia *

Surveying in Australia Surveying in Australia is triangulation-based and shares many similarities with the United Kingdom, including the title deed system. However, a distinctive feature of surveying in Australia is the Torrens System, where real estate records are hel ...

Environment

Environment of Australia The Australian environment ranges from virtually pristine Antarctic territory and rainforests to degraded industrial areas of major cities. Forty distinct ecoregions have been identified across the Australian mainland and islands. Central Aus ...

Climate of Australia Australia's climate is governed mostly by its size and by the hot, sinking air of the subtropical high pressure belt (subtropical ridge or Australian High). This moves north-west and north-east with the seasons. The climate is variable, with ...

** Bushfires in Australia **

Climate change in Australia Climate change in Australia has been a critical issue since the beginning of the 21st century. Australia is becoming hotter and more prone to extreme heat, bushfires, droughts, floods, and longer fire seasons because of climate change. Since t ...

** Effects of global warming on Australia *

Ecoregions of 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. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) identified 825 terres ...

Environmental issues in Australia Environmental issue in Australia describes a number of environmental issues which affect the environment of Australia. There are a range of such issues, some of the relating to conservation in Australia while others, for example the deteriora ...

* Renewable energy in Australia ** Geothermal power in Australia **

Solar power in Australia Solar power in Australia is a fast growing industry. As of September 2022, Australia's over 3.27 million solar PV installations had a combined capacity of 28,177 MW photovoltaic (PV) solar power, of which at least 4,258 MW was installed in th ...

Wind power in Australia Wind power is one of the main renewable energy sources in Australia contributing 10% of Australia's total electricity supply in 2020, and making up 37.5% of it's renewable energy supply. Wind resource testing conditions in Australia are opti ...

Geology of Australia The geology of Australia includes virtually all known rock types, spanning a geological time period of over 3.8 billion years, including some of the oldest rocks on earth. Australia is a continent situated on the Indo-Australian Plate. Compon ...

* National parks of Australia *

Protected areas of Australia Protection is any measure taken to guard a thing against damage caused by outside forces. Protection can be provided to physical objects, including organisms, to systems, and to intangible things like civil and political rights. Although th ...

* Wildlife of Australia **

Flora of Australia The flora of Australia comprises a vast assemblage of plant species estimated to over 30,000 vascular and 14,000 non-vascular plants, 250,000 species of fungi and over 3,000 lichens. The flora has strong affinities with the flora of Gondwana, ...

** Fauna of Australia ***

Birds of Australia Australia and its offshore islands and territories have 898 recorded bird species as of 2014. Of the recorded birds, 165 are considered vagrant or accidental visitors, of the remainder over 45% are classified as Australian endemics: found now ...

***

Mammals of Australia The mammals of Australia have a rich fossil history, as well as a variety of extant mammalian species, dominated by the marsupials, but also including monotremes and placentals. The marsupials evolved to fill specific ecological niches, and in man ...

Image:Koala climbing tree.jpg, A

koala The koala or, inaccurately, koala bear (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the w ...

. Image:Kangaroo-in-flight cropped.jpg, A

kangaroo Kangaroos are four marsupials from the family Macropodidae (macropods, meaning "large foot"). In common use the term is used to describe the largest species from this family, the red kangaroo, as well as the antilopine kangaroo, eastern ...

. Image:SaltwaterCrocodile('Maximo').jpg, The

Saltwater crocodile The saltwater crocodile (''Crocodylus porosus'') is a crocodilian native to saltwater habitats and brackish wetlands from India's east coast across Southeast Asia and the Sundaic region to northern Australia and Micronesia. It has been list ...

is the largest species of crocodile in the world. Image:Emoe.jpg, An

emu The emu () (''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is the second-tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus '' Dromaius''. The emu ...

. Image:Chlamydosaurus kingii.jpg,

Frill-necked lizard The frilled lizard (''Chlamydosaurus kingii''), also known as the frill-necked lizard or frilled dragon, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. It is native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea. This species is the only member o ...

Geographic features

Islands of Australia This is a list of selected Australian islands grouped by State or Territory. Australia has 8,222 islands within its maritime borders. Largest islands The islands larger than are: * Tasmania (Tas) ; * Melville Island, Northern Territory (NT ...

* Lakes of Australia *

Mountains of Australia A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

** Volcanoes in Australia *

Rivers of Australia This is a list of rivers of Australia. Rivers are ordered alphabetically, by state. The same river may be found in more than one state as many rivers cross state borders. Longest rivers nationally Longest river by state or territory Althoug ...

Valleys of Australia A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

* Waterfalls of Australia *

World Heritage Sites in Australia In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

Regions

Ecoregions in Australia An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

Multi-state regions

* Barkly Tableland * Capital Country *

Eastern states of Australia The eastern states of Australia are the states adjoining the east continental coastline of Australia. These are the mainland states of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, and the island state of Tasmania. The Australian Capital Territor ...

East Coast of Australia The eastern states of Australia are the states adjoining the east continental coastline of Australia. These are the mainland states of Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, and the island state of Tasmania. The Australian Capital Territory ...

Lake Eyre basin The Lake Eyre basin ( ) is a drainage basin that covers just under one-sixth of all Australia. It is the largest endorheic basin in Australia and amongst the largest in the world, covering about , including much of inland Queensland, large porti ...

Murray–Darling basin The Murray–Darling basin is a large geographical area in the interior of southeastern Australia, encompassing the drainage basin of the tributaries of the Murray River, Australia's longest river, and the Darling River, a right tributary of ...

Northern Australia The unofficial geographic term Northern Australia includes those parts of Queensland and Western Australia north of latitude 26° and all of the Northern Territory. Those local government areas of Western Australia and Queensland that lie p ...

* The Nullarbor * Outback * Southern Australia

Administrative divisions

States and territories of Australia

=States

= *

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

=Territories

Mainland territories

Flag of the Australian Capital Territory

Australian Capital Territory The Australian Capital Territory (commonly abbreviated as ACT), known as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) until 1938, is a landlocked federal territory of Australia containing the national capital Canberra and some surrounding townships. I ...

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory shares its borders with Western Aust ...

Jervis Bay Territory The Jervis Bay Territory (; JBT) is an internal territory of Australia. It was established in 1915 from part of New South Wales (NSW), in order to give the landlocked Australian Capital Territory (ACT) access to the sea. It was administered ...

External territories

Ashmore and Cartier Islands * Flag of Australia

Australian Antarctic Territory The Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) is a part of East Antarctica claimed by Australia as an external territory. It is administered by the Australian Antarctic Division, an agency of the federal Department of Climate Change, Energy, the En ...

Norfolk Island * Flag of Christmas Island

Christmas Island Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an Australian external territory comprising the island of the same name. It is located in the Indian Ocean, around south of Java and Sumatra and around north-west of the ...

Cocos (Keeling) Islands ) , anthem = "''Advance Australia Fair''" , song_type = , song = , image_map = Australia on the globe (Cocos (Keeling) Islands special) (Southeast Asia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands , map_caption = ...

Coral Sea Islands Territory Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secre ...

Heard and McDonald Islands

=Municipalities

= Local government in Australia * Cities of Australia

Demography

Demographics of Australia The population of Australia is estimated to be as of . The population estimate shown is automatically calculated daily at 00:00 UTC and is based on data obtained from the population clock on the date shown in the citation. Australia is the 55 ...

Government and politics

* Form of government:

Federal Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

constitutional monarchy A constitutional monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not alone in decision making. Constitutional monarchies dif ...

* Capital of Australia: Canberra *

Elections in Australia Elections in Australia take place periodically to elect the legislature of the Commonwealth of Australia, as well as for each Australian state and territory and for local government councils. Elections in all jurisdictions follow similar princip ...

1901 Events January * January 1 – The British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia federate as the Commonwealth of Australia; Edmund Barton becomes the first Prime Minist ...

–

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using mean solar tim ...

– 1974 –

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

–

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democrat ...

– 1980 –

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

–

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

–

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, ...

–

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

–

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

– 1996 –

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

– 2001 – 2004 – 2007 – 2010 – ''

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

'' **

Australian electoral system The Australian electoral system comprises the laws and processes used for the election of members of the Australian Parliament and is governed primarily by the ''Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918''. The system presently has a number of distincti ...

***

Compulsory voting Compulsory voting, also called mandatory voting, is the requirement in some countries that eligible citizens register and vote in elections. Penalties might be imposed on those who fail to do so without a valid reason. According to the CIA World ...

***

Preferential voting {{short description, Election systems Preferential voting or preference voting (PV) may refer to different election systems or groups of election systems: * Ranked voting methods, all election methods that involve ranking candidates in order of pr ...

Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives In Australia, electoral districts for the Australian House of Representatives are called divisions or more commonly referred to as electorates or seats. There are currently 151 single-member electorates for the Australian House of Representati ...

Human rights in Australia Human rights in Australia have largely been developed by the democratically-elected Australian Parliament through laws in specific contexts (rather than a stand-alone, abstract bill of rights) and safeguarded by such institutions as the indepen ...

Political parties in Australia The politics of Australia has a mild two-party system, with two dominant political groupings in the Australian political system, the Australian Labor Party and the Liberal/National Coalition. Federally, 16 of the 151 members of the lower house ...

Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is a centre-right political party in Australia, one of the two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-left Australian Labor Party. It was founded in 1944 as the successor to the United Au ...

Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms t ...

National Party of Australia The National Party of Australia, also known as The Nationals or The Nats, is an List of political parties in Australia, Australian political party. Traditionally representing graziers, farmers, and regional voters generally, it began as the Au ...

Australian Democrats The Australian Democrats is a centrist political party in Australia. Founded in 1977 from a merger of the Australia Party and the New Liberal Movement, both of which were descended from Liberal Party dissenting splinter groups, it was Austral ...

** Australian Greens * Political scandals of Australia *

Republicanism in Australia Republicanism in Australia is a popular movement to change Australia's system of government from a constitutional parliamentary monarchy to a republic, replacing the monarch of Australia (currently Charles III) with a president. Republicanism ...

Taxation in Australia Income taxes are the most significant form of taxation in Australia, and collected by the federal government through the Australian Taxation Office. Australian GST revenue is collected by the Federal government, and then paid to the states und ...

Federal government

Government of Australia

Branches of the government

Separation of powers in Australia The separation of powers in Australia is the division of the institutions of the Australian government into legislative, executive and judicial branches. This concept is where legislature makes the laws, the executive put the laws into operation ...

=Executive branch

= * Head of state:

King of Australia The monarchy of Australia is Australia's form of government embodied by the Australian sovereign and head of state. The Australian monarchy is a constitutional monarchy, modelled on the Westminster system of parliamentary government, while ...

(

King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

) ** Head of state's representative: Governor-General (

David Hurley General David John Hurley, (born 26 August 1953) is an Australian former senior officer in the Australian Army who has served as the 27th governor-general of Australia since 1 July 2019. He was previously the 38th governor of New South Wales, ...

) * Head of government: Prime Minister of Australia ( Anthony Albanese) * Cabinet * Federal Executive Council

=Legislative branch

= *

Parliament of Australia The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislature, legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the ...

** Australian monarch ** Australian Senate **

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. The term of members o ...

***

Opposition Leader The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

(currently:

Peter Dutton Peter Craig Dutton (born 18 November 1970) is an Australian politician who has been leader of the opposition and leader of the Liberal Party since May 2022. He has represented the Queensland seat of Dickson in the House of Representatives sinc ...

)

=Judicial branch

Judiciary of Australia The judiciary of Australia comprises judges who sit in federal courts and courts of the States and Territories of Australia. The High Court of Australia sits at the apex of the Australian court hierarchy as the ultimate court of appeal on matter ...

* High Court of Australia * Australian court hierarchy * Constitution of Australia

Military

Australian Defence Force (ADF) * Command ** Commander-in-chief: Governor-General as the Monarchy of Australia, King's representative. *** Minister for Defence (Australia), Minister for Defence of Australia (Richard Marles) * Forces ** Army of Australia: Australian Army ** Navy of Australia: Royal Australian Navy ** Air force of Australia: Royal Australian Air Force ** Special forces of Australia * Military history of Australia * Australian Defence Force ranks

Foreign relations

* ANZUS * Australia–United States relations * Australia–New Zealand relations * Australia–Indonesia relations * Australia–China relations * Australia–Japan relations * Anglo-Australian relations * Australia and the United Nations

International organisation membership

The Commonwealth of Australia is a member of the: * Asian Development Bank (ADB) * Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) * Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (dialogue partner) * Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum (ARF) * Australia Group * Australia-New Zealand-United States Security Treaty (ANZUS) * Bank for International Settlements (BIS) * Colombo Plan (CP) * Commonwealth of Nations * East Asia Summit (EAS) * European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) * Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) * Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (G20) * MIKTA, Informal social partnership (MIKTA) * International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) * International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) * International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) * International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) * International Criminal Court (ICCt) * International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) * International Development Association (IDA) * International Energy Agency (IEA) * International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS) * International Finance Corporation (IFC) * International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) * International Labour Organization (ILO) * International Maritime Organization (IMO) * International Mobile Satellite Organization (IMSO) * International Monetary Fund (IMF) * International Olympic Committee (IOC) * International Organization for Migration (IOM) * International Organization for Standardization (ISO) * International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM) * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) * International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO) * International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) * Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) * Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) * Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) (guest) * Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) * Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) * Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) * Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) * The Pacific Community (SPC) * Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) * Paris Club * Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) * South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) (observer) * South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Co-operation Agreement (Sparteca) * United Nations (UN) * United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) * United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) * United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) * United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) * United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) * United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) * United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) * Universal Postal Union (UPU) * World Customs Organization (WCO) * World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) * World Health Organization (WHO) * World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) * World Meteorological Organization (WMO) * World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) * World Trade Organization (WTO) * World Veterans Federation * Zangger Committee (ZC)

Law and order

Law of Australia * Australian nationality law, Citizenship * Cannabis in Australia * Constitution of Australia * Crime in Australia * Law enforcement in Australia ** National law enforcement agencies *** Australian Border Force (ABF) *** Australian Federal Police (AFP) *** Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) *** Australian Crime Commission (ACC) *** Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) *** Australian Taxation Office (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 *** New South Wales Police Force *** Northern Territory Police *** Queensland Police Service *** South Australia Police *** Tasmania Police *** Victoria Police *** Western Australia Police

State and territory governments

* Governors of the Australian states * Parliaments of the Australian states and territories * Premiers of the Australian states * Government of New South Wales * Government of Queensland * Government of South Australia * Government of Tasmania * Government of Victoria (Australia), Government of Victoria * Government of Western Australia * Government of the Australian Capital Territory * Government of the Northern Territory

Local government

Local government in Australia * Local government in Australia

History

* Prehistory of Australia * Australian archaeology * European maritime exploration of Australia, European exploration of Australia * History of Australia (1788–1850) * History of Australia (1851–1900) * History of Australia (1901–1945) ** Australian Federation ** Australia in World War I ** Australia in World War II ** Stolen Generations * History of Australia since 1945 * Constitutional history of Australia * Immigration history of Australia * Postage stamps and postal history of Australia

History of states

* History of New South Wales * History of Queensland * History of South Australia * History of Tasmania * History of Victoria * History of Western Australia

Culture

Culture of Australia * Architecture of Australia **Architecture of Western Australia **Australian architectural styles * Australian art **Indigenous Australian art * Cinema of Australia * Australian cuisine * Dance in Australia * List of festivals in Australia, Festivals in Australia * Australian folklore * Humour in Australia * Languages of Australia **List of Australian Aboriginal languages, Australian Aboriginal languages **Australian Aboriginal English ** Australian English * Australian literature * Media of Australia ** Television in Australia ** Cinema of Australia * Music of Australia ** Template:Australian music charts, Australian music charts ** Australian country music ** Australian hip hop ** Australian jazz ** Australian rock ** Indigenous Australian music ** Music of immigrant communities in Australia * National symbols of Australia ** Coat of arms of Australia ** Flag of Australia ** National anthems: *** Official national anthem: Advance Australia Fair *** Royal anthem: God Save the King * Lists of Australians, People of Australia ** Australian diaspora ** Australian of the Year * Prostitution in Australia * Public holidays in Australia * List of World Heritage Sites in Australia, World Heritage Sites in Australia * Theatre of Australia

Economy and infrastructure

Economy of Australia * List of countries by GDP (nominal), Economic rank, by nominal GDP (2007): 14th (fourteenth) * Agriculture in Australia * Telecommunications in Australia ** Internet in Australia * Reserve Bank of Australia * List of companies of Australia, Companies of Australia ** List of pizzerias in Australia ** List of restaurant chains in Australia * Currency, Currency of Australia: Australian dollar, Dollar ** ISO 4217: Australian dollar, AUD * Economic history of Australia * Energy in Australia ** Energy in Australia ** Energy policy of Australia *** Effects of global warming on Australia *** Garnaut Climate Change Review ** Coal in Australia ** Carbon capture and storage in Australia ** Geothermal power in Australia **

* Health care in Australia * Median household income in Australia and New Zealand * Mining in Australia ** Coal mining in Australia * Australian Securities Exchange * Tourism in Australia ** Visa policy of Australia * Transport in Australia ** List of airports in Australia, Airports in Australia ** Rail transport in Australia ** Road transport in Australia ** List of tunnels in Australia, Tunnels in Australia * Water supply and sanitation in Australia

State economies

* Economy of New South Wales * Economy of Queensland * Economy of South Australia * Economy of Tasmania * Economy of Victoria * Economy of Western Australia

Education

* Homeschooling and distance education in Australia * Public and private education in Australia * List of universities in Australia, Universities in Australia ** Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight

States education

* Education in New South Wales * Education in Queensland * Education in South Australia * Education in Tasmania * Education in Victoria * Education in Western Australia * Education in the Australian Capital Territory

Religion and belief systems in Australia

* Australian Aboriginal religion and mythology * Irreligion in Australia * Religion in Australia ** Buddhism in Australia ** Christianity in Australia *** Catholicism in Australia *** Protestantism in Australia ** Hinduism in Australia ** Islam in Australia ** Judaism in Australia *** History of the Jews in Australia ** Sikhism in Australia

Sport

Sport in Australia * Australia at the Olympics * Australia at the Commonwealth Games * Football in Australia ** Soccer in Australia ** Australian rules football in Australia ** Rugby union in Australia ** Rugby league in Australia * Cricket in Australia * Golf in Australia * Field hockey in Australia * Motorsport in Australia * Tennis in Australia * Basketball in Australia * Netball in Australia * Swimming in Australia ** Swimming Australia ** List of Australian records in swimming ** Women's swimming in Australia * Skiing in Australia * Thoroughbred racing in Australia, Australian horse racing * Winter sport in Australia

References

External links

Detailed map of Australia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Australia Australia-related lists, Australia, Outlines of countries, Australia