Australia
Commonwealth of Australia · Australia and New Zealand
About Australia
Australia (officially Commonwealth of Australia) is a country in Australia and New Zealand, with Canberra as its capital. It is home to roughly 27.61 million people, giving a population density of about 4 people per square kilometre. The country covers 7,692,024 km² of land and has no shared land borders. Its economy is valued at approximately $1.8T in nominal GDP (2025), and it records a Human Development Index of 0.958. The official currency is the Australian dollar (AUD), and the main language is English.
How Australia is governed
Ceremonial head of state.
Holds executive power; leads the government.
Bicameral — House of Representatives — elected; Senate — elected, represents the states
Who holds the power?
Australia combines a Westminster parliamentary system with a US-style elected Senate and a written federal constitution. The monarch is head of state, represented by the Governor-General, but power rests with the Prime Minister and Cabinet, drawn from the elected House of Representatives. Unusually, the Senate is powerful and fully elected, and the High Court can strike down laws that breach the constitution. Voting is compulsory.
Key indicators
Latest available data · World Bank & UNDP.
💹 Economy
👥 People
🌍 Quality of Life
Travel & practical
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Fun facts about Australia
- Australia is the only nation that is also an entire continent.
- It is home to some of the oldest continuous living cultures on Earth.
- The country has thousands of beaches along its vast coastline.
- Australia is the 55th most populous country in the world, with about 27.61 million people.
- It is the most populous country in Oceania.
- By land area it is the 6th-largest country in the world, covering 7,692,024 km².
- It has the world's 15th-largest economy by nominal GDP ($1.8T).
Australia vs Canada
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
Fiji
Solomon Islands
Vanuatu
Samoa
Kiribati
Micronesia