Australia
Country Facts
| Population |
21.2 million
|
| Language |
English
|
| Nationality |
Australian
|
Minorities
|
Asian, Aboriginal |
| Major religions |
Catholic, Anglican, Uniting Church, Presbyterian and Reformed, Eastern Orthodox, other Christian, Buddhist, Muslim
|
| Size |
7,686,850 sq km
|
Geography
|
Oceania, between Indian and South Pacific Oceans
|
Australia’s first inhabitants were the Aboriginal people, settling the continent 40,000 years before European discovery. The first European explorers to reach Australia were the Dutch in 1606, but the country was ultimately claimed by the British as a penal colony starting in 1770. New South Wales was the first colony formed by the British, followed by five additional colonies that united in 1901 as the Commonwealth of Australia. The country maintained constitutional ties of varying strengths with Britain until 1986, and the governments remain closely linked.
