Australia,officiallytheCommonwealthofAustralia,isanOceaniancountrycomprisingthemainlandoftheAustraliancontinent,theislandofTasmania,andnumeroussmallerislands.Itistheworld'ssixth-largestcountrybytotalarea.NeighbouringcountriesincludeIndonesia,EastTimorandPapuaNewGuineatothenorth;theSolomonIslandsandVanuatutothenorth-east;andNewZealandtothesouth-east.

　　Foratleast40,000yearsbeforethefirstBritishsettlementinthelate18thcentury,AustraliawasinhabitedbyindigenousAustralians,whospokelanguagesgroupedintoroughly250languagegroups.AftertheEuropeandiscoveryofthecontinentbyDutchexplorersin1606,Australia'seasternhalfwasclaimedbyGreatBritainin1770andinitiallysettledthroughpenaltransportationtothecolonyofNewSouthWalesfrom26January1788.Thepopulationgrewsteadilyinsubsequentdecades;thecontinentwasexploredandanadditionalfiveself-governingcrowncolonieswereestablished.

　　On1January1901,thesixcoloniesfederated,formingtheCommonwealthofAustralia.SinceFederation,Australiahasmaintainedastableliberaldemocraticpoliticalsystemthatfunctionsasafederalparliamentarydemocracyandconstitutionalmonarchycomprisingsixstatesandseveralterritories.Thepopulationof23.6millionishighlyurbanisedandheavilyconcentratedintheeasternstatesandonthecoast.

　　Australiaisadevelopedcountryandoneofthewealthiestintheworld,withtheworld's12th-largesteconomy.In2012Australiahadtheworld'sfifth-highestpercapitaincome.Australia'smilitaryexpenditureistheworld's13th-largest.Withthesecond-highesthumandevelopmentindexglobally,Australiarankshighlyinmanyinternationalcomparisonsofnationalperformance,suchasqualityoflife,health,education,economicfreedom,andtheprotectionofcivillibertiesandpoliticalrights.AustraliaisamemberoftheUnitedNations,G20,CommonwealthofNations,ANZUS,OrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment(OECD),WorldTradeOrganization,Asia-PacificEconomicCooperation,andthePacificIslandsForum.

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