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The name Australia (pronounced / ə ˈ s t r eɪ l i ə / in Australian English) [39] is derived from the Latin Terra Australis (' southern land '), a name used for a hypothetical continent in the Southern Hemisphere since ancient times. [40] Several 16th-century cartographers used the word Australia on maps, but not to identify modern ...
The Commonwealth of Australia comprises the mainland of the Australian continent, the major island of Tasmania, other nearby islands, and various external territories. [1] Neighbouring countries are Indonesia , East Timor , and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands , Vanuatu , and New Caledonia to the north-east, and New Zealand to ...
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. Australia has a total area of 7,688,287 km 2 (2,968,464 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest country in the world and the largest in Oceania. It is the world's oldest ...
Australia also gained a 42 per cent share of the formerly German-ruled island of Nauru, giving access to its rich superphosphate reserves. Australia argued successfully against a Japanese proposal for a racial equality clause in the League of Nations covenant, as Hughes feared that it would jeopardise the White Australia policy. [297]
English is the most common language in Australia. Australians enjoy a very high rate of private property ownership. [15] Australians have a preponderance to engage in gambling, experiencing the largest per capita losses in the world. [19]
Australian English is a major variety of the language, with a distinctive accent and lexicon, [86] and differs slightly from other varieties of English in grammar and spelling. [87] General Australian serves as the standard variety. At the 2021 census English was the only language spoken in the homes of 72% of the population.
For the purposes of Australian (and joint Australia-New Zealand) intergovernmental bodies, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are treated as if they were states. Each state has a governor, appointed by the monarch (currently King Charles III), which by convention he does on the advice of the state premier. [49]
Australia is the only First World country on the Australia-New Guinea continent, although the economy of Australia is by far the largest and most dominant economy in the region and one of the largest in the world. Australia's per-capita GDP is higher than that of the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and France in terms of purchasing power ...