Australia,officiallytheCommonwealthofAustralia,isacountryinthesouthernhemispherecomprisingthemainlandoftheworld'ssmallestcontinent,themajorislandofTasmania,andnumerousotherislandsintheIndianandPacificOceans.N4NeighbouringcountriesincludeIndonesia,EastTimor,andPapuaNewGuineatothenorth,theSolomonIslands,Vanuatu,andNewCaledoniatothenorth-east,andNewZealandtothesouth-east.
Foraround40,000yearsbeforeEuropeansettlementcommencedinthelate18thcentury,theAustralianmainlandandTasmaniawereinhabitedbyaround250individualnations[7]ofindigenousAustralians.[8]Aftersporadicvisitsbyfishermenfromtheimmediatenorth,andEuropeandiscoverybyDutchexplorersin1606,[9]theeasternhalfofAustraliawasclaimedbytheBritishin1770andinitiallysettledthroughpenaltransportationtothecolonyofNewSouthWales,foundedon26January1788.Thepopulationgrewsteadilyinthefollowingyears;thecontinentwasexplored,andduringthe19thcenturyanotherfivelargelyself-governingCrownColonieswereestablished.
On1January1901,thesixcoloniesbecameafederation,andtheCommonwealthofAustraliawasformed.SinceFederation,AustraliahasmaintainedastableliberaldemocraticpoliticalsystemandremainsaCommonwealthrealm.Thepopulationisjustover21.7million,withapproximately60%concentratedinandaroundthemainlandstatecapitalsofSydney,Melbourne,Brisbane,Perth,andAdelaide.Thenation'scapitalcityisCanberra,locatedintheAustralianCapitalTerritory(ACT).
Technologicallyadvancedandindustrialised,Australiaisaprosperousmulticulturalcountryandhasexcellentresultsinmanyinternationalcomparisonsofnationalperformancesuchashealthcare,lifeexpectancy,quality-of-life,humandevelopment,publiceducation,economicfreedom,andtheprotectionofcivillibertiesandpoliticalrights.[10]Australiancitiesalsoroutinelyrankamongtheworld´shighestintermsoflivability,culturalofferings,andqualityoflife.ItisamemberoftheUnitedNations,G-20majoreconomies,CommonwealthofNations,ANZUS,OECD,andtheWTO.
澳大利亚，全名澳大利亚联邦（英文：CommonwealthofAustralia），是全球地理面积第六大国家、大洋洲最大国家。其国境东南邻近新西兰，西北邻近印度尼西亚，北边靠近巴布亚新几内亚、西巴布亚和东帝汶。
“澳大利亚”一词源于拉丁语“未知的南方大陆”（terraaustralisincognita）。其所在的地理学位置通常称作澳大利亚大陆，是地球上最小的大陆板块。其人民平均拥有国土面积乃世界最广国家之一，经济成就亦属世界高度发达国家。国民生活水平很高，经济的主要重点是高效率的能源和畜牧业。
澳大利亚有多样的自然景观，包括迷人的热带雨林、别称“红色中央”的干燥贫瘠的沙漠，白雪皑皑的山峰、绵羊遍布的牧场、及引人入胜的海滨，和驰名遐迩的自然遗产大堡礁、乌鲁汝。在每年世界最佳居住城市评选中，澳大利亚名列前茅的城市数目在全球国家之先。
