Australia

Australia (pronounced /əˈstreɪljə, ɒˈstreɪljə/,[6] or formally /ɔːˈstreɪliə/), officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the continental mainland(the world's smallest),[7][8] the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.N4 Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea to thenorth, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia to the north-east, and New Zealand to the southeast.
For some 40,000 years before European settlement commenced in the late 18th century, theAustralian mainland and Tasmania were inhabited by around 250 individual nations[9] of indigenous Australians.[10] After sporadic visits by fishermen from the immediate north, and European discovery byDutch explorers in 1606,[11] the eastern half of Australia was claimed by the British in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales, founded on 26 January1788. The population grew steadily in the following years; the continent was explored, and during the 19th century another five largely self-governing Crown Colonies were established.
On 1 January1901, the six colonies became a federation, and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. Since Federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and remains aCommonwealth realm. The population is almost 21.9 million, with approximately 60% concentrated in and around the mainland state capitals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. The nation's capitalcity is Canberra, located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
Australia is a developed country, with a prosperous multicultural society and has excellent results in many internationalcomparisons of national performance such as health care, life expectancy, quality-of-life, human development, public education, economic freedom, and the protection of civil liberties and political...