Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Australia
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Facts & Stats
Images, Videos & Interactives
Australia Map showing the country of Australia divided into its states and territories with major cities and surrounding bodies of water, including the Indian Ocean, Coral Sea, Tasman Sea, and Pacific Ocean. Uluru/Ayers Rock, Northern Territory, Australia Australia Dove Lake, Tasmania, Australia Great Barrier Reef MacDonnell Ranges, Northern Territory, Australia Cradle Mountain, Tasmania, Australia Hamersley Range, Western Australia
For Students
Australia summary
Quizzes
Flags of all countries of the world. Flags of the world. National flags. Country flags. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery
The Country Quiz
7:023 Geography: Think of Something Big, globe showing Africa, Europe, and Eurasia
Which Country Is Larger By Area? Quiz
Flags of the world against blue sky. Countries, International. Globalization, global relations, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Poland, Palestine, Japan. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
Which Country Is Larger By Population? Quiz
Flags of all nations of the world. Grouping of various country flags on a world map.
Which Country Is Larger? Quiz
Opened passport with visas, stamps, seals, world map. (travel, tourism)
Guess the Country by Its Neighbors Quiz
Read Next
World Data Locator Map: Australia
Is Australia an Island?
The fierce snake (also known as the inland taipan, western taipan and Oxyuranus microlepidotus) is the most venomous snake in the world.
How Deadly Are Australia’s Animals?
Flag of Australia
Add These 18 Paintings as Must-Sees During Your Next Trip to Australia
poem. A poet in a Heian period kimono writes Japanese poetry during the Kamo Kyokusui No En Ancient Festival at Jonan-gu shrine on April 29, 2013 in Kyoto, Japan. Festival of Kyokusui-no Utage orignated in 1,182, party Heian era (794-1192).
World Poetry Day
Discover
Panoramic view of moai, Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile
8 of the World’s Most-Remote Islands
Mona Lisa, oil on wood panel by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06; in the Louvre, Paris, France. 77 x 53 cm.
Why Is the Mona Lisa So Famous?
Panoramic view at sunrise of moai, Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile
6 Lost Civilizations
Remarkable new details of Pluto's largest moon Charon are revealed in this image from New Horizons' Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI), taken late on July 13, 2015 from a distance of 289,000 miles
Why Is Pluto No Longer a Planet?
A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England
Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
The Lost Colony of Roanoke, North Carolina, where 115 people mysteriously disappeared c. 1590. John White discovers the word Croatoan carved onto a tree upon his return to the deserted Roanoke Colony in 1590
The Lost Colony of Roanoke
Shoebill. A Shoebill Stork (Balaeniceps rex), aka 'Whalehead' standing in shallow marsh. Resides in tropical East Africa. A very large bird related to the storks. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill.
Funky Feathers: 10 Bizarre Birds

Australia: Facts & Stats

verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/facts/Australia
Written and fact-checked by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As Commonwealth of Australia
Head Of Government Prime Minister: Anthony Albanese
Capital Canberra
Population (2025 est.) 27,978,000
Currency Exchange Rate 1 USD equals 1.545 Australian dollar
Head Of State British Monarch: King Charles III, represented by Governor-General: Sam Mostyn
Form Of Government federal parliamentary state (formally a constitutional monarchy) with two legislative houses (Senate [76]; House of Representatives [150])
Official Language none1
Official Religion none
Official Name Commonwealth of Australia
Total Area (Sq Km) 7,688,126
Total Area (Sq Mi) 2,968,385
Monetary Unit Australian dollar ($A)
Population Rank (2023) 55
Population Projection 2030 27,564,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi (2025) 9.4
Density: Persons Per Sq Km (2025) 3.6
Urban-Rural Population Urban: (2018) 86% • Rural: (2018) 14%
Life Expectancy At Birth Male: (2020–2022) 81.2 years • Female: (2020–2022) 85.3 years
Literacy: Percentage Of Population Age 15 And Over Literate Male: not available • Female: not available
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000) (2023) 1,681,999
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$) (2023) 63,140
1There is no official language designated in the Australian constitution. English is widely considered the de facto national language.

Photos and Videos

Australia
Map showing the country of Australia divided into its states and territories with major cities and surrounding bodies of water, including the Indian Ocean, Coral Sea, Tasman Sea, and Pacific Ocean.
Uluru/Ayers Rock, Northern Territory, Australia
Australia
Dove Lake, Tasmania, Australia
Great Barrier Reef
MacDonnell Ranges, Northern Territory, Australia
Cradle Mountain, Tasmania, Australia
Hamersley Range, Western Australia
Cobar, New South Wales, Australia
Explore the Outback of Australia
See the University of Melbourne's Medical Museum and learn about venomous animals, particularly snakes and jellyfish, and the development of antivenins
Distinctive features of Australia's Indigenous languages
Take a guided tour of the Australian Outback, visiting the Undara lava tubes, Cobbold Gorge, and Agate Creek
Know about the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign and the role of ANZAC troops in the battles of World War I
Advance Australia Fair
See All Videos, Images, Audio and Interactives →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic
Anthony Albanese
Anthony Albanese
prime minister of Australia
Scott Morrison
Scott Morrison
prime minister of Australia
The first female prime minister of Australia
Julia Gillard
prime minister of Australia
Dunlop, Weary
Weary Dunlop
Australian physician
Abbott, Tony
Tony Abbott
prime minister of Australia
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
prime minister of Australia
Dodson, Patrick
Patrick Dodson
Australian activist and politician
John Howard
John Howard
prime minister of Australia
Pauline Lee Hanson
Australian politician
Turnbull, Malcolm
Malcolm Turnbull
prime minister of Australia
Cheryl Kernot
Australian politician
Carmen Lawrence
Australian politician
Bronwyn Bishop
Australian politician
Palmer, Clive
Clive Palmer
Australian politician and businessman
David Morrison
Australian general
Alexander Downer
Australian politician
Tim Fischer
Australian politician
Quentin Bryce
Quentin Bryce
Australian governor-general
Ken Wyatt
Australian politician
Bob Brown
Australian politician

Related Places

Murray River, South Australia
Murray River
river, Australia
flag of New South Wales
New South Wales
state, Australia
flag of Victoria
Victoria
state, Australia
flag of Western Australia
Western Australia
state, Australia
flag of South Australia
South Australia
state, Australia
The Pacific Ocean, with depth contours and submarine features
Pacific Ocean
flag of Queensland
Queensland
state, Australia
flag of Northern Territory
Northern Territory
territory, Australia
flag of Tasmania
Tasmania
island and state, Australia
Australian Capital Territory Flag
Australian Capital Territory
territory, Australia
Sydney: Harbour Bridge
Sydney
New South Wales, Australia
Melbourne: central business district
Melbourne
Victoria, Australia
Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef
reef, Australia
Uluru/Ayers Rock, Northern Territory, Australia
Uluru/Ayers Rock
tor, Northern Territory, Australia
Simpson Desert
Simpson Desert
desert, Australia

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Flags of all countries of the world. Flags of the world. National flags. Country flags. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery
The Country Quiz
10:087 Ocean: The World of Water, two globes showing eastern and western hemispheres
You Name It!
Flags of the world against blue sky. Countries, International. Globalization, global relations, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Poland, Palestine, Japan. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
Which Country Is Larger By Population? Quiz
Opened passport with visas, stamps, seals, world map. (travel, tourism)
Guess the Country by Its Neighbors Quiz
Graduation cap sitting over a speech bubble with an Australian flag on a blue background. (education)
Australian Vocabulary Quiz
Flag of Australia
Quick Quiz: Australian Geography
Brown globe on antique map. Brown world on vintage map. North America. Green globe. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery
Countries & Their Features
Actual continental drift of plates. Thematic map.
Geography Fun Facts
7:023 Geography: Think of Something Big, globe showing Africa, Europe, and Eurasia
Which Country Is Larger By Area? Quiz
Flags of all nations of the world. Grouping of various country flags on a world map.
Which Country Is Larger? Quiz
High detailed Australia physical map with labeling.
Australian Government and Political System
Flags of the world. National flags. Country flags. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery
Countries of the World
Brown globe on antique map. Brown world on vintage map. North America. Green globe. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, geography and travel, explore discovery
Match the Country with Its Hemisphere Quiz
List
Flag of Australia
Add These 18 Paintings as Must-Sees During Your Next Trip to Australia
Demystified
The fierce snake (also known as the inland taipan, western taipan and Oxyuranus microlepidotus) is the most venomous snake in the world.
How Deadly Are Australia’s Animals?
World Data Locator Map: Australia
Is Australia an Island?