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AUSTRALIA

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia,] is an Oceanian country


comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous
smaller islands. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area. Neighbouring countries
include Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and East Timor to the north; the Solomon Islands and
Vanuatu to the north-east; and New Zealand to the south-east.
For at least 40,000 years before the first British settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was
inhabited by indigenous Australians, who spoke languages grouped into roughly 250 language
groups.
After the European discovery of the continent by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern
half was claimed by Great Britain in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the
colony of New South Wales from 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent
decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing crown colonies were
established. On 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated, forming the Commonwealth of
Australia. Since Federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system
that functions as a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy comprising six
states and several territories. The population of 23.6 million is highly urbanised and heavily
concentrated in the eastern states and on the coast.

The culture of Australia is essentially a Western culture influenced by the unique


geography of the Australian continent, the diverse input of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples, the British colonisation of Australia that began in 1788, and the various waves of multiethnic migration that followed. The predominance of the English language, the existence of a
democratic system of government drawing upon the British traditions of Westminster
Government, Parliamentarianism and constitutional monarchy, American constitutionalist and
federalist traditions, Christianity as the dominant religion, and the popularity of sports
originating in (or influenced by) the British Isles, are all evidence of a significant Anglo-Celtic
heritage. Australian culture has diverged significantly since British settlement.
Aboriginal people are believed to have arrived as early as 60,000 years ago, and evidence of
Aboriginal art in Australia dates back at least 30,000 years. Several states and territories had their
origins as penal colonies, with the first British convicts arriving at Sydney Cove in 1788. Stories
of outlaws like the bushranger Ned Kelly have endured in Australian music, cinema and
literature. The Australian gold rushes from the 1850s brought wealth as well as new social
tensions to Australia, including the miners' Eureka Stockade rebellion. The colonies established
elected parliaments and rights for workers and women before most other Western nations. [2]
Federation in 1901 evidenced a growing sense of national identity that had developed over the
latter half of the 19th century, as seen in the works of the Heidelberg School painters and writers

like Banjo Paterson, Henry Lawson and Dorothea Mackellar. The World Wars profoundly altered
Australia's sense of identity, with World War I introducing the ANZAC legend, and World War II
seeing a reorientation from Britain to the United States as the nation's foremost major ally. After
the second war, 6.5 million migrants from 200 nations brought immense new diversity, and
Australians grew increasingly aware of their proximity to Asia. Over time, the diverse food,
lifestyle and cultural practices of immigrants have been absorbed into mainstream Australian
culture.
Egalitarianism, informality and an irreverent sense of humour have been common themes of
cultural commentary, exemplified by the works of C. J. Dennis, Barry Humphries and Paul
Hogan. Fascination with the outback has persisted in the arts in Australia.
Major cities host internationally renowned cultural institutions as the Sydney Opera House and
the National Gallery of Australia. Australia has contributed many artists to music and film
internationally, from hard rock's AC/DC to opera's Nellie Melba and Joan Sutherland, as well as
Hollywood actors Geoffrey Rush, Nicole Kidman and Errol Flynn, and designer Catherine
Martin. Australians also participate in a wide variety of sports, including Australian rules
football and a vibrant surf culture.
The arts in Australiafilm, music, painting, theatre, dance and craftshave achieved
international recognition. While much of Australia's cultural output has traditionally tended to fit
with general trends and styles in Western arts, the arts as practiced by indigenous Australians
represent a unique Australian cultural tradition, and Australia's landscape and history have
contributed to some unique variations in the styles inherited by Australia's various migrant
communities.
Australia has no official language, but is largely monolingual with English being the de
facto national language. Australian English has a distinctive accent and vocabulary. According to
the 2011 census, 76.8% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home
included Mandarin 1.6%, Italian 1.4%, Arabic 1.3%, Cantonese 1.2% and Greek 1.2%.
A considerable proportion of first- and second-generation migrants are bilingual. It is believed
that there were almost 400 Australian Aboriginal languages at the time of first European contact.
Only about 70 of these languages have survived and all but 30 of these are now endangered. An
indigenous language remains the main language for about 50,000 (0.25%) people. Australia has a
sign language known as Auslan, which is the main language of about 6,500 deaf people.

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