Australia | History, Capital, Language, Flag, Facts & Geography of Australia

History of Australia:

Australia has an amazing history spanning millions of years. The people, places and events that shaped this country are celebrated in the form of unforgettable festivals, museums, walks and tours. History buffs will be richly rewarded with a unique experience that delves into the background of this island nation.

A referendum in 1901 decided to unite the colonies into the Commonwealth, creating what is now Australia. Australia fought both world wars as part of the British Empire and later as part of the Commonwealth of Nations, and became a longtime ally of the United States when threatened by the Empire of Japan in World War II. .

Information about Australia:

Capital Canberra
Population 26,484,542 (Source: 2023 worldometer)
Major Cities Canberra (capital), Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Darwin, Adelaide, Hobart, Sydney 
Borders Maritime borders with East Timor, Indonesia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and the islands of New Caledonia
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) $1,675,420,000,000 (2022 worldometer)
Currency Australian dollar (AUD)

Flag of Australia:

Australia Economy Key Industries:

Australia Major Industries: mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel

Australia Agricultural Products: wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits, cattle, sheep, poultry

Australia Natural Resources: bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum

Australia Major Exports: coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment

Australia Major Imports: machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products

The Geography of Australia:

Total Size of Australia: 7,692,024 km2 (source: 2022 wikipedia)

Geographical Low Point of Australia: Lake Eyre -15 m

Geographical High Point of Australia: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m

Climate of Australia: generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north

General Terrain of Australia: mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast

World Region or Continent of Australia: Oceania

Geographical Coordinates: 27 00 S, 133 00 E

Major Landforms of Australia: Great Dividing Range, MacDonnell Ranges, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Mount Augustus, Australian Alps, Great Victorian Desert, Tanami Desert, Great Artesian Basin, Tasmania Island, Great Barrier Reef (in the Coral Sea)

Major Bodies of Water: Great Australian Bight, Coral Sea, Timor Sea, Gulf of Carpentaria, Tasman Sea, Lake Gairdner, Lake Carnegie, Lake Eyre, Murray River, Murrumbidgee River, the Darling River, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean.

Famous Places of Australia: 

Sydney Opera House,
Ayers Rock (Uluru),
Bondi Beach,
Sydney Harbor Bridge,
Great Barrier Reef,
Kakadu National Park,
Port Authur (Tasmania),
Kangaroo Island,
12 Apostles (limestone rocks off the ocean)

The People of  Australia & Culture

Australia Government Type: federal parliamentary democracy

Australia Nationality: Australian(s)

Australia National Holiday: Australia Day, 26 January (1788)

Other Holidays of Australia: New Years’ Day (January 1), Australia Day (January 26), Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day (April 25), Queen’s Birthday (2nd Monday in June), Labour Day (1st Monday in October), Christmas Day (December 25), Boxing Day (December 26)

Australia Independence: 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)

Australia National Symbol:

  • Animal – Kangaroo, Koala
  • Bird – Emu
  • Colors – Green and Gold
  • Flower – Golden Wattle
  • Gemstone – Opal
  • Commonwealth Star – A seven pointed star where six of the points represent the states and the seventh point represents Australia’s territories.
  • Southern Cross – A constellation that is visible from the Southern Hemisphere.

Australia National Anthem or Song: Advance Australia Fair

Australia Languages Spoken: English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census)

Australia Religions: Catholic 26.4%, Anglican 20.5%, other Christian 20.5%, Buddhist 1.9%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 12.7%, none 15.3% (2001 Census)

Famous Peoples of Australia:

Names Professions
Keith Urban Country music singer
Ian Thorpe Swimmer
Andres ‘Banjo’ Patterson Poet
Greg Norman Professional golfer
Olivia Newton-John Singer and actress
Entrepreneur and publisher Rupert Murdoch
Kylie Minogue Singer
Macfarlane Burnet Medical researcher
Russell Crowe Actor
Mel Gibson Actor
Steve Irwin Crocodile hunter and naturalist
Hugh Jackman Actor
Nicole Kidman Actress

Interesting Facts about Australia:

The capital of Australia is Canberra. Canberra is the capital of Australia, although cities such as Sydney and Melbourne may be better known. Australia’s largest city is Brisbane.

Australia is a continent that includes mainland Australia, Tasmania, and the surrounding small islands. It’s a country too! It is the only country in the world that covers an entire continent.

Kangaroos live only in Australia. Australia is the only place in the world where kangaroos live in the wild. There are over 50 million kangaroos in Australia and the number is increasing each year.

Australia is home to the world’s most venomous snake, the inland taipan, as well as tarantulas, box jellyfish and blue octopus.

Bushfires in Australia are a widespread and regular phenomenon, but the impact of climate change is increasing the frequency of bushfires. Bushfires are caused by fires that start and spread rapidly in Australia’s dry forests. Many animals die in wildfires.

Australia was first “discovered” in her 1606. Of course, the natives who lived there knew it existed, so using the word “discovered” to describe this is an outdated way of describing it, but the Europeans knew it until that day. It had never been discovered and was only discovered after 1606. It started appearing on maps.

The Great Barrier Reef is Australia’s pride. It is made up of approximately 2,500 individual coral reefs and can be seen from space. The island stretches halfway up the eastern coast of the country, meaning there are plenty of starting points for exploring the kaleidoscope of coral.

You cannot travel to Australia without trying this wine. The variety of wine regions makes it difficult to choose among them. Most of the wine regions are in New South Wales and Victoria. So if you want to explore some of them, a road trip between Sydney and Melbourne would be a great option.