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The world's smallest continent, Australia is also the sixth-largest country by land area and sometimes considered the world's largest island. Australia has a mainland coastline of 32,994 kilometres (20,502 mi) [14] and claims an exclusive economic zone of about 8,200,000 square kilometres (3,200,000 sq mi). [15]
The Australia Act 1986 made Australia completely independent of the United Kingdom. [86] no change to map: 11 May 1989 Jervis Bay Territory was split from the Australian Capital Territory to become its own territory. [87] 7 July 1997 Elizabeth Reef and Middleton Reef were transferred from New South Wales to the Coral Sea Islands Territory. [88]
Aboriginal reserves were used from the nineteenth century to keep Aboriginal people separate from the white Australian population, often ostensibly for their protection. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Protectors of Aborigines had been appointed from as early as 1836 in South Australia (with Matthew Moorhouse as the first permanent appointment as Chief Protector ...
Australia has the world's eighth-largest immigrant population, with immigrants accounting for 30% of the population, a higher proportion than in any other nation with a population of over 10 million. [ 78 ] [ 80 ] Most immigrants are skilled, [ 81 ] but the immigration quota includes categories for family members and refugees .
The South Australia Act 1834 described the land as "waste" and "uninhabited", [1] but unlike other colonies in Australia, the British settlement of South Australia did not assume the principle of terra nullius (Latin for nobody's land) when the colonists originally arrived.
Australia has the third-largest exclusive economic zone of 8,148,250 km 2 (3,146,060 sq mi). This EEZ does not include the Australian Antarctic Territory (an additional 5,896,500 km 2 (2,276,700 sq mi)). Australia has the largest area of ocean jurisdiction of any country on Earth. [5] It has no land borders.
In 1963, the population was approximately two million, of which about 25,000 were non-indigenous. The economy was based on cash crops including coffee, cocoa, and copra as well as timber mills, wharves and factories. Difficult terrain rendered communication between districts difficult and there was a lack of national unity in the territory. [10]
The use of counties, hundreds and parishes was popular in Australia in the 19th century, with many maps of Australian colonies showing these divisions, [6] and towns and cities often listed in their county. Legal cases referenced counties, and many genealogical records for Australia in the 19th century list the county and parish for location of ...