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- Prime Minister Tony Abbott
- Chief Justice Robert French
Legislature Parliament
- Upper house Senate

- Lower house House of Representatives
Independence from the United Kingdom
- Constitution 1 January 1901

- Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 9 October 1942 (with effect from
3 September 1939)
- Australia Act 3 March 1986

Geography. Australia /ə’stre ljə, -, -iə/, officially the
Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the
Australian continent, the island of Tasmania [z], and numerous smaller

islands. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area.
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 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 [i: –

репресивний] 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. The federation
comprises six states and several territories. The population of 23.1 million is
highly urbanized and heavily concentrated in the eastern states.
Australia is a developed country and one of the wealthiest in the world,

with the world's 12th-largest economy.
Etymology. Pronounced [ə’st æ ljə, -liə] in Australian English, the
name Australia is derived from the Latin australis, meaning "southern". The

country has been referred to colloquially as Oz since the early 20th century.
Aussie is a common colloquial term for "Australian". In neighbouring New
Zealand, and less commonly in Australia itself, the noun "Aussie" is also

used to refer to the nation, as distinct from its residents. The sporting anthem

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