Facts about Australia
Australia is the only country that occupies an entire continent, and its long isolation produced wildlife found nowhere else on Earth. Aboriginal peoples have lived here for at least 65,000 years, giving the country the oldest continuous human cultures known.
- Capital
- Canberra
- Population
- 27 million
- Area
- 7,692,024 km²
- Currency
- Australian dollar (A$)
- National language
- English, no official status
- Divisions
- 6 states, 2 mainland territories
- Highest point
- Mount Kosciuszko, 2,228 m
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Australia is a federation of six states and two mainland territories, and the distribution of people across it is extreme: roughly 70 percent of the continent is arid or semi-arid, and almost everyone lives on the eastern and southeastern coastal strip or around Perth on the far west coast. The Great Dividing Range separates that fertile eastern belt from the interior plains, and beyond it the outback runs for thousands of kilometers with almost nobody in it. Tasmania sits off the southeast corner, cooler and wetter than anywhere on the mainland.
Sydney and Melbourne hold the long-running rivalry and most of the population between them, while Canberra was built as a compromise capital in between. Brisbane anchors the subtropical southeast Queensland corridor, Perth is one of the most isolated cities in the world, and Adelaide and Hobart are the smaller southern capitals. Visitors typically combine a city or two with one of three very different landscapes: the Great Barrier Reef along the Queensland coast, the red center around Uluru, and the coastal drives of the southeast.
Geography of Australia
Australia is the only country that covers a whole continent. Most of the interior is arid, so almost everyone lives on the eastern and southeastern coast or around Perth in the far west.
- How big is Australia?
- About 7.69 million km², the sixth largest country in the world. The mainland is roughly the size of the continental United States.
- What is the outback?
- The broad name for the dry, thinly populated interior. Roughly 70 percent of the continent is arid or semi-arid.
- What is the Great Dividing Range?
- The chain of highlands that runs down the east coast. It separates the wetter coastal strip, where the big cities are, from the dry plains inland.
- Where is the Great Barrier Reef?
- Off the coast of Queensland, stretching more than 2,300 kilometers. It is the largest coral reef system in the world.
History of Australia
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have lived here for at least 65,000 years. British colonization began at Sydney Cove in 1788, and six colonies federated into one nation in 1901.
- Who were the first Australians?
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, who arrived at least 65,000 years ago and formed hundreds of distinct nations, each with its own country, law and language.
- What happened in 1788?
- The First Fleet arrived at Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788 and founded a British penal colony. That date is now Australia Day, and many Indigenous Australians mark it as a day of mourning.
- When did Australia become one country?
- On 1 January 1901, when six British colonies federated into the Commonwealth of Australia.
- Who are the Stolen Generations?
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children removed from their families by government policy, mostly between the early 1900s and the 1970s. The prime minister made a formal national apology in 2008.
Languages of Australia
English is the national language in practice, though it has no official status. Around 250 Indigenous languages were spoken before colonization, and about 120 are still in use.
- Does Australia have an official language?
- Not at the federal level. English is the language of government, schools and everyday life, spoken at home by about 72 percent of people.
- What makes Australian English distinctive?
- Its accent varies little across a huge country, and it shortens words readily: afternoon becomes arvo, breakfast becomes brekkie.
- Which Indigenous languages are still spoken widely?
- Kriol, an English-based creole of the north, has the most speakers. Western Desert languages such as Pitjantjatjara, and Yolŋu Matha in Arnhem Land, are still learned by children.
- What is Pitjantjatjara?
- A Western Desert language spoken by Anangu in the far northwest of South Australia and nearby parts of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. It is the language of the traditional owners of Uluru.
Culture of Australia
Aboriginal art and law are among the oldest continuous traditions on Earth. Modern Australian life is coastal and outdoors, with beaches, barbecues and sport at its center.
- What is the Dreaming?
- The English name for a body of Aboriginal law, story and belief that links people, ancestors and particular places. In Pitjantjatjara it is called Tjukurpa.
- Where does dot painting come from?
- From the Western Desert. The modern movement began at Papunya, west of Alice Springs, in 1971, and is now collected worldwide.
- Which sports do Australians follow?
- Cricket in summer, and in winter the football code depends on the state: Australian rules in the south and west, rugby league in New South Wales and Queensland.
- What is mateship?
- The idea of loyalty and equality between friends, often traced to convict, bush and wartime life. It sits alongside a dislike of anyone seen as acting superior.
Economy of Australia
Australia is a wealthy, service-based economy that also sells huge volumes of raw materials to Asia. It avoided recession for almost three decades before 2020.
- What does Australia export most?
- Iron ore, of which it is the world’s largest exporter, along with coal, liquefied natural gas and gold. China is the largest buyer.
- What currency does Australia use?
- The Australian dollar, introduced in 1966 when the country switched from pounds to decimal currency. Its banknotes are made of polymer.
- What is superannuation?
- A compulsory retirement savings system. Since 1992 employers have had to pay a share of wages into a worker’s own fund.
- Does mining dominate the economy?
- It dominates exports but not output. Services such as finance, health and education make up most of the economy.
Politics of Australia
Australia is a federal parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy, with the British monarch as head of state. Voting has been compulsory since 1924.
- Who is Australia’s head of state?
- King Charles III, represented in Australia by the governor-general. A 1999 referendum on becoming a republic was defeated.
- Is voting compulsory?
- Yes, for citizens aged 18 and over in federal elections since 1924. Turnout is usually above 90 percent.
- How do Australians vote?
- With preferential ballots in the House of Representatives: voters rank the candidates, and preferences are counted until someone has a majority.
- What was the Voice referendum?
- A 2023 proposal to create an Indigenous advisory body in the constitution. It was rejected nationally and in every state.
Nature of Australia
Millions of years of isolation left Australia with wildlife found nowhere else. Marsupials fill roles taken by other mammals elsewhere, and the platypus and echidnas lay eggs.
- What is a marsupial?
- A mammal that raises its young in a pouch. Kangaroos, koalas, wombats and the Tasmanian devil are all marsupials.
- Which mammals lay eggs?
- The platypus and the echidnas, known as monotremes. They live only in Australia and New Guinea.
- Is Australian wildlife dangerous?
- It has many of the world’s most venomous snakes, as well as saltwater crocodiles in the north. Serious bites are rare, and antivenoms cover the dangerous species.
- What threatens Australian nature?
- Introduced animals such as cats, foxes and rabbits, land clearing, bushfires and warming seas. Australia has one of the worst records of mammal extinctions since 1788.
Food of Australia
British food was reshaped by postwar migration from Italy, Greece, Lebanon, Vietnam and beyond. Café culture and native ingredients now define much of modern Australian cooking.
- What is Vegemite?
- A dark, salty spread made from brewer’s yeast, first sold in 1923. It is eaten thinly on buttered toast.
- What is a flat white?
- Espresso with a thin layer of steamed milk, made popular in Australian and New Zealand cafés and now served around the world.
- What is bush tucker?
- Native foods eaten by Aboriginal people for millennia, such as wattleseed, finger lime, quandong and witchetty grubs.
- Who invented the pavlova?
- Both Australia and New Zealand claim the meringue dessert, named after the ballerina Anna Pavlova. Historians have found early recipes on both sides of the Tasman Sea.
Landmarks of Australia
The most famous sights span a sacred rock in the desert, a harbor with an opera house on it and the largest reef on Earth.
- Why can’t you climb Uluru?
- The Anangu traditional owners asked visitors not to for decades, because the climb crosses a sacred path. It was closed for good in October 2019.
- Who designed the Sydney Opera House?
- The Danish architect Jørn Utzon, who won a design competition in 1957. The building opened in 1973.
- What are the Twelve Apostles?
- Limestone stacks standing in the sea beside the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. Despite the name, there have never been twelve.
- What is Kakadu?
- A huge national park east of Darwin, owned by its Aboriginal traditional owners, known for wetlands, crocodiles and rock art thousands of years old.
People of Australia
About 27 million people live in Australia, most of them in a few coastal cities. Nearly a third were born overseas.
- Where do most Australians live?
- In the state capitals. Sydney and Melbourne alone hold about 40 percent of the population.
- Where do Australians come from?
- Close to 30 percent were born overseas. England, India, China and New Zealand are the largest birthplaces.
- How many Indigenous Australians are there?
- Nearly one million people, or about 3.8 percent of the population, identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander in the 2021 census.
- What is a Welcome to Country?
- A greeting given by traditional owners at the start of events, welcoming visitors onto their land. It is common at official ceremonies and sports matches.