Australia is a vast island continent located in the Southern Hemisphere, between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is known for its remarkable wildlife, including kangaroos and koalas, as well as iconic landmarks like the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru. Australia is one of the world's largest countries by land area and is home to some of the oldest continuous cultures on Earth.
- Capital
- Canberra
- Continent
- Oceania
- Region
- Australia and New Zealand
- Area
- 7,692,024 km²
- Coordinates
- 27° S, 133° E
Country facts
- Australia is home to more than 80 percent of its plant and animal species found nowhere else on Earth.
- The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have lived in Australia for at least 65,000 years, making their cultures among the oldest in the world.
- Australia is the only nation to govern an entire continent.
- The Great Barrier Reef, off the coast of Queensland, is the world's largest coral reef system.
- Australia was colonised by Britain in 1788, when the First Fleet arrived at what is now Sydney.
Capital facts
- Canberra became Australia's capital in 1913 as a compromise between rivals Sydney and Melbourne.
- The city was designed by American architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, who won an international design competition in 1911.
- Lake Burley Griffin, an artificial lake in the city centre, was created in 1964 and is named after the city's designer.
- The Australian War Memorial in Canberra is one of the most visited cultural institutions in the country.
- Parliament House, opened in 1988, is built into Capital Hill and has a distinctive grassed roof that visitors can walk across.