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The followingoutline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Australia:
Australia, officially theCommonwealth of Australia, is a country comprisingthe mainland of theAustralian continent, the island ofTasmania andnumerous smaller islands. It has a total area of 7,688,287 km2 (2,968,464 sq mi), making it thesixth-largest country in the world and the largest inOceania. Australia is the world's flattest and driest inhabited continent. It is amegadiverse country, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes andclimates includingdeserts in theinterior andtropical rainforests along thecoast.
The ancestors ofAboriginal Australians began arriving fromSoutheast Asia 50,000 to 65,000 years ago, during theLast Glacial Period. By the time of British settlement, Aboriginal Australians spoke more than 250 distinct languages and had one of the oldest living cultures in the world.Australia's written history commenced withDutch exploration of most of the coastline in the 17th century. British colonisation began in 1788 with the establishment of the penalcolony of New South Wales. By the mid-19th century, most of the continent had been explored by European settlers and five additional self-governingBritish colonies were established, each gainingresponsible government by 1890. Thecolonies federated in 1901, forming the Commonwealth of Australia. This continued a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom, highlighted by theStatute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942, and culminating in theAustralia Acts of 1986.
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States and territories of Australia
Ashmore and Cartier IslandsAustralian Antarctic Territory
Norfolk Island
Christmas IslandCoral Sea Islands TerritoryHeard and McDonald Islands| State/territory | Land area (km2) | Rank | Population (2012)[1] | Rank | Population density (/km2) | Rank | % of population in capital | Rank |
 New South Wales | 800,642 | 5th | 7,348,900 | 1st | 9.18 | 3rd | 63.5% | 5th |
.svg) Victoria | 227,416 | 6th | 5,679,600 | 2nd | 24.97 | 2nd | 74.8% | 4th |
 Queensland | 1,730,648 | 2nd | 4,610,900 | 3rd | 2.66 | 5th | 47.5% | 7th |
 Western Australia | 2,529,875 | 1st | 2,472,700 | 4th | 0.98 | 7th | 76.7% | 3rd |
 South Australia | 983,482 | 4th | 1,662,200 | 5th | 1.69 | 6th | 76.8% | 2nd |
 Tasmania | 68,401 | 7th | 512,400 | 6th | 7.49 | 4th | 42.3% | 8th |
| Australian Capital Territory | 2,358 | 8th | 379,600 | 7th | 160.98 | 1st | 98.7% | 1st |
 Northern Territory | 1,349,129 | 3rd | 236,900 | 8th | 0.18 | 8th | 55.6% | 6th |
List all suburbs in Australia
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| Monarchy of Australia |
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List of political parties in Australia
Australian Defence Force (ADF)
The Commonwealth of Australia is a member of the:[2]
The states of Australia are governed by Premiers, and the territories are governed by Chief Ministers.
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