Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country that includes the Australian mainland, Tasmania, and various smaller islands. Covering an area of 7,688,287 km², it is the sixth-largest country globally and the largest in Oceania. Known as the world’s flattest and driest inhabited continent, Australia is megadiverse, featuring deserts and tropical rainforests.
The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians arrived from Southeast Asia 50,000 to 65,000 years ago, leading to a rich cultural heritage of over 250 distinct languages. European exploration began in the 17th century, with British colonization starting in 1788, culminating in the federation of colonies into the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
Australia is a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, consisting of six states and ten territories, with a population of around 28 million, primarily concentrated along the eastern seaboard. Canberra is the capital, while Sydney and Melbourne are the most populous cities. The country boasts a diverse culture, a highly developed economy, and ranks highly for quality of life.
As a middle power, Australia has significant military expenditure and is a member of various international organizations, including the United Nations and G20, as well as being a major non-NATO ally of the United States.
Image Credit: Australia (orthographic projection).svg: Ssolbergj / derivative work Roke – File:Australia (orthographic projection).svg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9397159
