Outline of Australia

Location of Australia

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.^[1]

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.^[2] After sporadic visits by fishermen from the north and then European discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606,^[3] 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[]

An enlargeable basic map of Australia

Pronunciation: /əˈstreɪliə, ɒ-/ (listen)
Common English country name: Australia
Official English country name: The Commonwealth of Australia
Common endonym(s): Land Down Under
Official endonym(s):
Adjectival(s): Australian
Demonym(s): Australian, Aussie (Colloquially)
Etymology: Name of Australia
International rankings of Australia
ISO country codes: AU, AUS, 036
ISO region codes: See ISO 3166-2:AU
Internet country code top-level domain: .au

Geography[]

An enlargeable topographic map of Australia

Climatic zones in Australia, based on Köppen classification.

Extreme points of mainland Australia

Geography of Australia

Australia is...
- a continent
- a country
  - a nation state
  - a Commonwealth realm
  - a megadiverse country
Location:
- Australia is a region or subregion of:
  - The World (Australia is a continent on the planet Earth)
    - Southern Hemisphere and Eastern Hemisphere
    - Oceania
      - Australasia
- Australia lies between:
  - Indian Ocean
  - Pacific Ocean
    - South Pacific Ocean
  - Southern Ocean by some reckonings
- Time zones:
  - Australian Eastern Standard Time (EST) (UTC+10), Australian Eastern Summer Time (EDT) (UTC+11)
  - Australian Central Standard Time (CST) (UTC+09:30), Australian Central Summer Time (CDT) (UTC+10:30),
  - Australian Western Standard Time (WST) (UTC+08)
- Extreme points of Australia (mainland)
  - Northernmost Point – Cape York, Queensland (10°41' S)
  - Southernmost Point – South Point, Wilsons Promontory, Victoria (39°08' S)
  - Westernmost Point – Steep Point, Western Australia (113°09' E)
  - Easternmost Point – Cape Byron, New South Wales (153°38' E)
  - Highest Point – Mount Kosciuszko 2,228 m (7,310 ft)
  - Lowest Point – Lake Eyre −15 m (−49 ft)
- Land boundaries: none
- Coastline: 25,760 km
Population of Australia: 22,065,700 people ^[4] (September 2009) – 53rd most populous country
Area of Australia: 7,741,220 km² (2,988,900 sq mi) – 6th largest country
Atlas of Australia
Surveying in Australia

Environment[]

An enlargeable satellite image of Australia

Environment of Australia

Climate of Australia
- Bushfires in Australia
- Climate change in Australia
- Effects of global warming on Australia
Ecoregions of Australia
Environmental issues in Australia
Renewable energy in Australia
- Geothermal power in Australia
- Solar power in Australia
- Wind power in Australia
Geology of Australia
National parks of Australia
Protected areas of Australia
Wildlife of Australia
- Flora of Australia
- Fauna of Australia
  - Birds of Australia
  - Mammals of Australia

Iconic wildlife of Australia
A koala.
A kangaroo.
The Saltwater crocodile is the largest species of crocodile in the world.
An emu.
Frill-necked lizard.

Geographic features[]

Islands of Australia
Lakes of Australia
Mountains of Australia
- Volcanoes in Australia
Rivers of Australia
Valleys of Australia
Waterfalls of Australia
World Heritage Sites in Australia

Regions[]

Ecoregions in Australia

Multi-state regions[]

Administrative divisions[]

Western
Australia

Northern
Territory

South
Australia

Queensland

New
South
Wales

Australian
Capital
Territory

Victoria

Tasmania

Indian Ocean

Timor
Sea

Gulf of
Carpentaria

Arafura Sea

Great
Australian
Bight

Tasman
Sea

Bass Strait

Coral
Sea

●

South
Pacific
Ocean

Southern Ocean

Great
Barrier
Reef

Australian external territories

States and territories of Australia

States[]

New South Wales
Victoria
Queensland
Western Australia
South Australia
Tasmania

Territories[]

Mainland territories[]

Australian Capital Territory
Northern Territory
Jervis Bay Territory

External territories[]

Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Australian Antarctic Territory
Norfolk Island
Christmas Island
Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Coral Sea Islands Territory
Heard and McDonald Islands

Municipalities[]

Local government in Australia

Cities of Australia

Demography[]

Demographics of Australia

State/territory	Land area (km²)	Rank	Population (2012)^[4]	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
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

Government and politics[]

Political parties in government in 1945.

Labor

Liberal

National/Country

Other Coalition

Other

No government

Form of government: Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Capital of Australia: Canberra
Elections in Australia
- 1901 – 1972 – 1974 – 1975 – 1977 – 1980 – 1983 – 1984 – 1987 – 1990 – 1993 – 1996 – 1998 – 2001 – 2004 – 2007 – 2010 – 2013
- Australian electoral system
  - Compulsory voting
  - Preferential voting
- Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives
Human rights in Australia
Political parties in Australia
- Liberal Party of Australia
- Australian Labor Party
- National Party of Australia
- Australian Democrats
- Australian Greens
Political scandals of Australia
Republicanism in Australia
Taxation in Australia

Federal government[]

Government of Australia

Branches of the government[]

Separation of powers in Australia

Executive branch[]

Head of state: Queen of Australia (Queen Elizabeth II)
- Head of state's representative: Governor-General (David Hurley)
Head of government: Prime Minister of Australia (Scott Morrison)
Cabinet
Federal Executive Council

Legislative branch[]

Parliament of Australia
- Australian Senate
- Australian House of Representatives
  - Opposition Leader (currently: Anthony Albanese)

Judicial branch[]

Judiciary of Australia

High Court of Australia
Australian court hierarchy
Constitution of Australia

Military[]

Australian Defence Force

Command
- Commander-in-chief: Governor-General as the Queen's representative.
  - Minister for Defence of Australia
    - ADF
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[]

International organisation membership[]

The Commonwealth of Australia is a member of the:^[1]

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)
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

Citizenship
Cannabis in Australia
Constitution of Australia
Crime in Australia
Law enforcement in Australia
- National law enforcement agencies
  - Australian Federal Police (AFP)
  - Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
  - Australian Crime Commission (ACC)
  - Australian Customs and Border Protection Service (ACBPS)
  - Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS)
  - Australian Securities and 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