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The Commonwealth of
Australia is a
country in the
southern hemisphere
comprising the
mainland of the
world's smallest
continent, the major
island of Tasmania,
and a number of
other islands in the
Indian and Pacific
Oceans. The
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 more
than 42,000 years by
Indigenous
Australians. After
sporadic visits by
fishermen from the
north and then
European discovery
by Dutch explorers
in 1606, 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.
On 1 January 1901,
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 a
Commonwealth realm.
The capital city is
Canberra, located in
the Australian
Capital Territory.
The population is
just over 21
million, with
approximately 60% of
the population
concentrated in and
around the mainland
state capitals of
Sydney, Melbourne,
Brisbane, Perth, and
Adelaide.
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