01
Physical geography
Mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast.
Local timeCanberra ·
Oceania / Australia and New Zealand · Card 003
Australia
Australia is a federal country occupying the Australian mainland, Tasmania and other islands. Its capital is Canberra.
Find Australia
● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.
At a glance
- Capital
- Canberra
- Languages
- English
- Currency
- Australian dollar (AUD)
- Population
- 27.6 million2025 · World Bank
- Area
- 7,692,024 km²2,969,905.85 square miles
- Federation
- 1901Constitutional independence developed through later legal changes.
Australia in context
Oceania and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Canberra; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.
Natural Earth · locator mapGeography & languages
02
Languages
English is the main language of government and public life. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and many migrant languages are also spoken.
03
Location
Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean.
Flag
Blue, with the UK flag in the upper-left quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower-left quadrant; on the right half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white, with one small five-pointed star and four larger seven-pointed stars
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Australian Government · Statute of Westminster Adoption Act · Australian Government · Australia Act
History & status
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have lived in Australia for tens of thousands of years. British colonisation began at Sydney in 1788 and brought dispossession and major disruption to Indigenous societies. Six colonies federated as the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. Independence developed through later legal changes, including adoption of the Statute of Westminster and the Australia Act, rather than a single war of independence.
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British colonisation begins at Sydney
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Six colonies federate as the Commonwealth of Australia
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Australia adopts the Statute of Westminster
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The Australia Act ends remaining constitutional links with the UK Parliament
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Australian Government · Statute of Westminster Adoption Act · Australian Government · Australia Act
Economy
Main activities
Services account for much of Australia’s economic activity, including health, education, finance and professional services. Mining supplies major exports such as iron ore, coal and natural gas. Agriculture, tourism, construction and manufacturing also matter. Commodity prices and trade with Asian markets influence export earnings.
Industry and production
Mining, energy production, food processing, manufacturing, construction and a broad range of services.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Australian Government · Statute of Westminster Adoption Act · Australian Government · Australia Act
Population & economic trends
Dated World Bank observations. Population uses selected years; real GDP uses all available annual observations.
Population, 1970–2025
Millions of people27.62025 · millions of people
Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.
Sources: World Bank · Population
View data table
| Year | People | Millions of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 12,507,000 | 12.507 |
| 1980 | 14,692,000 | 14.692 |
| 1990 | 17,065,128 | 17.065 |
| 2000 | 19,028,802 | 19.029 |
| 2010 | 22,031,750 | 22.032 |
| 2020 | 25,649,248 | 25.649 |
| 2025 | 27,614,411 | 27.614 |
Real GDP, 1990–2025
Trillions of constant 2015 US dollars1.72025 · trillions of constant 2015 US dollars
Constant prices adjust for inflation. This is total economic output, not current-dollar GDP or income per person. Missing years are left as gaps.
Sources: World Bank · Real GDP
View data table
| Year | Constant 2015 US$ | Trillions of constant 2015 US dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 630,990,273,461 | 0.631 |
| 1991 | 628,563,287,009 | 0.629 |
| 1992 | 631,285,380,040 | 0.631 |
| 1993 | 656,826,136,947 | 0.657 |
| 1994 | 682,960,226,532 | 0.683 |
| 1995 | 709,528,553,282 | 0.710 |
| 1996 | 736,956,619,706 | 0.737 |
| 1997 | 765,830,271,633 | 0.766 |
| 1998 | 801,646,726,962 | 0.802 |
| 1999 | 841,955,290,890 | 0.842 |
| 2000 | 874,926,744,106 | 0.875 |
| 2001 | 892,700,520,464 | 0.893 |
| 2002 | 927,960,453,450 | 0.928 |
| 2003 | 956,646,310,281 | 0.957 |
| 2004 | 997,006,658,240 | 0.997 |
| 2005 | 1,028,467,016,035 | 1.028 |
| 2006 | 1,056,965,077,771 | 1.057 |
| 2007 | 1,097,018,464,974 | 1.097 |
| 2008 | 1,136,774,249,983 | 1.137 |
| 2009 | 1,158,996,461,663 | 1.159 |
| 2010 | 1,184,610,839,240 | 1.185 |
| 2011 | 1,212,979,128,949 | 1.213 |
| 2012 | 1,260,921,781,881 | 1.261 |
| 2013 | 1,294,392,358,274 | 1.294 |
| 2014 | 1,328,061,960,035 | 1.328 |
| 2015 | 1,356,805,839,936 | 1.357 |
| 2016 | 1,394,194,533,275 | 1.394 |
| 2017 | 1,426,167,740,135 | 1.426 |
| 2018 | 1,467,158,231,105 | 1.467 |
| 2019 | 1,499,347,932,644 | 1.499 |
| 2020 | 1,497,345,824,797 | 1.497 |
| 2021 | 1,527,396,783,520 | 1.527 |
| 2022 | 1,592,357,665,099 | 1.592 |
| 2023 | 1,649,424,913,624 | 1.649 |
| 2024 | 1,672,078,242,948 | 1.672 |
| 2025 | 1,694,657,951,604 | 1.695 |
Human development
The Human Development Index combines health, education and income. Scores range from 0 to 1.
HDI · 20230.958Very High human developmentRank 7 of 193 · 2025 report
Human Development Index over time
19900.867
20000.897
20100.929
20200.950
20230.958
83.9 yearsLife expectancy at birth
12.9 yearsMean schooling, adults aged 25+
The latest values refer to 2023. All historical scores use the same report edition. HDI does not describe every aspect of inequality or quality of life.
Sources: UNDP · Human Development Report 2025
Government
A federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The Governor-General represents the monarch, and the Prime Minister leads the government. The federal Parliament has a House of Representatives and a Senate. States and territories have their own governments.
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Australian Government · Statute of Westminster Adoption Act · Australian Government · Australia Act
Knowledge check
Three questions about Australia.
QUESTION 1 OF 3
What type of national government does Australia have?
Sources & notes
Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile · Australian Government · Statute of Westminster Adoption Act · Australian Government · Australia Act
Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.
Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.