umental in the adoption of the name: the name came gradually to be accepted over the following ten years.[32] Lachlan Macquarie, a Governor of New South Wales, subsequently used the word in his dispatches to England, and on 12 December 1817 recommended to the Colonial Office that it be formally adopted.[33] In 1824, the Admiralty agreed that the continent should be known officially as Australia.[34] History Main article: History of Australia Exploration by Europeans till 1812   1606 Willem Janszoon   1606 Luis Váez de Torres   1616 Dirk Hartog   1619 Frederick de Houtman   1644 Abel Tasman   1696 Willem de Vlamingh   1699 William Dampier   1770 James Cook   1797–1799 George Bass   1801–1803 Matthew Flinders Human habitation of the Australian continent is estimated to have begun between 42,000 and 48,000 years ago,[35] possibly with the migration of people by land bridges and short sea-crossings from what is now South-East Asia. These first inhabitants may have been ancestors of modern Indigenous Australians. At the time of European settlement in the late 18th century, most Indigenous Australians were hunter-gatherers, with a complex oral culture and spiritual values based on reverence for the land and a belief in the Dreamtime. The Torres Strait Islanders, ethnically Melanesian, were originally horticulturalists and hunter-gatherers.[36] Following sporadic visits by fishermen from the Malay Archipelago,[37] the first recorded European sighting of the Australian mainland and the first recorded European landfall on the Australian continent were attributed to the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon. He sighted the coast of Cape York Peninsula on an unknown date in early 1606, and made landfall on 26 February at the Pennefather River on the western shore of Cape York, near the modern town of Weipa.[38] The Dutch charted the whole of the western and northern coastlines of "New Holland" during the 17th century, but made no attempt at settlement.[38] William Dampier, an English explorer and privateer landed on the north-west coast of Australia in 1688 and again in 1699 on a return trip. In 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast of Australia, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Great Britain.[39] Cook's discoveries prepared the way for establishment of a new penal colony. Captain Arthur Phillip led the First Fleet into Port Jackson on 26 January 1788.[40] This date became Australia's national day, Australia Day. (The British Crown Colony of New South Wales was not formally promulgated until 7 February 1788, but 26 January has entered the popular consciousness as the effective date of its foundation.) Van Diemen's Land, now known as Tasmania, was settled in 1803 and became a separate colony in 1825.[41] The United Kingdom formally claimed the western part of Australia in 1828.[42] Separate colonies were carved from parts of New South Wales: South Australia in 1836, Victoria in 1851, and Queensland in 1859.[43] The Northern Territory was founded in 1911 when it was excised from South Australia.[44] South Australia was founded as a "free province"—it was never a penal colony.[45] Victoria and Western Australia were also founded "free", but later accepted transported convicts.[46][47] A campaign by the settlers of New South Wales led to the end of convict transportation to that colony; the last convict ship arrived in 1848.[48] Port Arthur, Tasmania was Australia's largest gaol for transported convicts. The indigenous population, estimated at 750,000 to 1,000,000 at the time of European settlement,[49] declined steeply for 150 years following settlement, mainly due to infectious disease.[50] The "Stolen Generations" (removal of Aboriginal children from their families), which historians such as Henry Reynolds have argued could be considered genocide,[51] may have contributed to the decline in the Indigenous population.[52] Such interpretations of Aboriginal history are disputed by conservative commentators such as former Prime Minister John Howard as exaggerated or fabricated for political or ideological reasons.[53] This debate is known within Australia as the History wars.[54] The Federal government gained the power to make laws with respect to Aborigines following the 1967 referendum.[55] Traditional ownership of land—aboriginal title—was not recognised until 1992, when the High Court case Mabo v Queensland (No 2) overturned the notion of Australia as terra nullius ("land belonging to no one") before European occupation.[56] A gold rush began in Australia in the early 1850s,[57] and the Eureka Rebellion against mining licence fees in 1854 was an early expression of civil disobedience.[58] Between 1855 and 1890, the six colonies individually gained responsible government, managing most of their own affairs while remaining part of the British Empire.[59] The Colonial Office in London retained control of some matters, notably foreign affairs,[60] defence,[61] and international shipping. The Last Post is played at an ANZAC Day ceremony in Port Melbourne, Victoria. Similar ceremonies are held in most suburbs and towns. On 1 January 1901 federation of the colonies was achieved after a decade of planning, consultation, and voting.[62] The Commonwealth of Australia was established and it became a dominion of the British Empire in 1907. The Federal Capital Territory (later renamed the Australian Capital Territory) was formed in 1911 as the location for the future federal capital of Canberra. Melbourne was the temporary seat of government from 1901 to 1927 while Canberra was constructed.[63] The Northern Territory was transferred from the control of the South Australian government to the federal parliament in 1911.[64] In 1914, Australia joined Britain in fighting World War I, with support from both the outgoing Liberal Party and the incoming Labor Party.[65] Australians took part in many of the major battles fought on the Western Front.[66] Of about 416,000 who served, about 60,000 were killed and another 152,000 were wounded.[67] Many Australians regard the defeat of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) at Gallipoli as the birth of the nation—its first major military action.[68][69] The Kokoda Track campaign is regarded by many as an analogous nation-defining event during World War II.[70] Britain's Statute of Westminster 1931 formally ended most of the constitutional links between Australia and the UK. Australia adopted it in 1942,[71] but it was backdated to 1939 to confirm the validity of legislation passed by the Australian Parliament during World War II.[72][73] The shock of the UK's defeat in Asia in 1942 and the threat of Japanese invasion caused Australia to turn to the United States as a new ally and protector.[74] Since 1951, Australia has been a formal military ally of the US, under the ANZUS treaty.[75] After World War II Australia encouraged immigration from Europe. Since the 1970s and following the abolition of the White Australia policy, immigration from Asia and elsewhere was also promoted.[76] As a result, Australia's demography, culture, and self-image were transformed.[77] The final constitutional ties between Australia and the UK were severed with the passing of the Australia Act 1986, ending any British role in the government of the Australian States, and closing the option of judicial appeals to the Privy Council in London.[78] In a 1999 referendum, 55 per cent of Australian voters and a majority in every Australian state rejected a proposal to become a republic with a president appointed by a two-thirds vote in both Houses of the Australian Parliament. Since the election of the Whitlam Government in 1972,[79] there has been an increasing focus in foreign policy on ties with other Pacific Rim nations, while maintaining close ties with Australia's traditional allies and trading partners.[80] Government Main articles: Government of Australia, Politics of Australia, and Monarchy of Australia Parliament House, Canberra was opened in 1988, replacing the provisional Parliament House building opened in 1927. Australia is a constitutional monarchy with a federal division of powers. It uses a parliamentary system of government with Queen Elizabeth II at its apex as the Queen of Australia, a role that is distinct from her position as monarch of the other Commonwealth realms. The Queen resides in the United Kingdom, and she is represented by her viceroys in Australia, (the Governor-General at the federal level and by the Governors at the state level), who by convention act on the advice of her ministers. Supereme executive authority is vested by the constitution of Australia in the sovereign, but the power to exercise it is conferred by the constitution specifically to the Governor-General.[81][82] The most notable exercise of the Governor-General's reserve powers outside a Prime Minister's request was the dismissal of the Whitlam Government in the constitutional crisis of 1975.[83] The federal government is separated into three branches: The legislature: the bicameral Parliament, defined in section 1 of the constitution as comprising the Queen (represented by the Governor-General), the Senate, and the House of Representatives; The executive: the Federal Executive Council, in practice the Governor-General as advised by the Prime Minister and Ministers of State;[84] The judiciary: the High Court of Australia and other federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the Governor-General on advice of the Council. Government House, Canberra, also known as "Yarralumla", the official residence of the Governor-General. In the Senate (the upper house), there are 76 senators: twelve each from the states and two each from the mainland territories (the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory).[85] The House of Representatives (the lower house) has 150 members elected from single-member electoral divisions, commonly known as "electorates" or "seats", allocated to states on the basis of population,[86] with each original state guaranteed a minimum of five seats.[87] Elections for both chambers are normally held every three years, simultaneously; senators have overlapping six-year terms except for those from the territories, whose terms are not fixed but are tied to the electoral cycle for the lower house; thus only 40 of the 76 places in the Senate are put to each election unless the cycle is interrupted by a double dissolution.[85] Australia's National Flag comprises the Union Jack, the Commonwealth Star, and the Southern Cross. Australia's electoral system uses preferential voting for all lower house elections with the exception of Tasmania and the ACT, which, along with the Senate and most state upper houses, combine it with proportional representation in a system known as the single transferable vote. Voting is compulsory for all enrolled citizens 18 years and over in every jurisdiction,[88] as is enrolment (with the exception of South Australia).[89] The party with majority support in the House of Representatives forms the government and its leader becomes Prime Minister. In cases where no party has majority support, the Governor-General has the power to appoint the Prime Minister, and if necessary dismiss one that has lost the confidence of Parliament.[90] There are two major political groups that usually form government, federally and in the states: the Australian Labor Party, and the Coalition which is a formal grouping of the Liberal Party and its minor partner, the National Party.[91][92] Independent members and several minor parties—including the Greens and the Australian Democrats—have achieved representation in Australian parliaments, mostly in upper houses. Following a partyroom leadership challenge, Julia Gillard became the first female Prime Minister in June 2010.[93] The last federal election was held on 21 August 2010 and resulted in the first hung parliament in over 50 years. Gillard was able to form a minority Labor government with the support of independents. States and territories Main article: States and territories of Australia A clickable map of Australia's states and mainland territories Australia has six states—New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia—and two major mainland territories—the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). In most respects these two territories function as states, but the Commonwealth Parliament can override any legislation of their parliaments. By contrast, federal legislation overrides state legislation only in areas that are set out in Section 51 of the Australian Constitution; state parliaments retain all residual legislative powers, including those over schools, state police, the state judiciary, roads, public transport, and local government, since these do not fall under the provisions listed in Section 51.[94] Each state and major mainland territory has its own parliament—unicameral in the Northern Territory, the ACT, and Queensland, and bicameral in the other states. The states are sovereign entities, although subject to certain powers of the Commonwealth as defined by the Constitution. The lower houses are known as the Legislative Assembly (the House of Assembly in South Australia and Tasmania); the upper houses are known as the Legislative Council. The head of the government in each state is the Premier, and in each territory the Chief Minister. The Queen is represented in each state by a Governor; and in the Northern Territory, the Administrator.[95] In the Commonwealth, the Queen's representative is the Governor-General.[96] The federal parliament directly administers the following territories:[84] Ashmore and Cartier Islands Australian Antarctic Territory Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands Coral Sea Islands Heard Island and McDonald Islands Jervis Bay Territory, a naval base and sea port for the national capital in land that was formerly part of New South Wales Norfolk Island is also technically an external territory; however, under the Norfolk Island Act 1979 it has been granted more autonomy and is governed locally by its own legislative assembly. The Queen is represented by an Administrator, currently Owen Walsh.[97] Foreign relations and military Main articles: Foreign relations of Australia and Australian Defence Force Over recent decades, Australia's foreign relations have been driven by a close association with the United States through the ANZUS pact, and by a desire to develop relationships with Asia and the Pacific, particularly through ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum. In 2005 Australia secured an inaugural seat at the East Asia Summit following its accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and in 2011 will attend the Sixth East Asia Summit in Indonesia. Australia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, in which the Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings provide the main forum for co-operation.[98] Australian Army soldiers conducting a foot patrol during a joint training exercise with US forces in Shoalwater Bay (2007). Australia has pursued the cause of international trade liberalisation.[99][100][101] It led the formation of the Cairns Group and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.[102][103] Australia is a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Trade Organization,[104][105] and has pursued several major bilateral free trade agreements, most recently the Australia – United States Free Trade Agreement[106] and Closer Economic Relations with New Zealand,[107] with another free trade agreement being negotiated with China—the Australia – China Free Trade Agreement—and Japan,[108] South Korea in 2011,[109][110] Australia–Chile Free Trade Agreement, ASEAN – Australia – New Zealand Free Trade Area, and the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership. Along with New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Singapore, Australia is party to the Five Power Defence Arrangements, a regional defence agreement. A founding member country of the United Nations, Australia is strongly committed to multilateralism[111] and maintains an international aid program under which some 60 countries receive assistance. The 2005–06 budget provides A$2.5 billion for development assistance;[112] as a percentage of GDP, this contribution is less than that recommended in the UN Millennium Development Goals. Australia ranks seventh overall in the Center for Global Development's 2008 Commitment to Development Index.[113] Australia's armed forces—the Australian Defence Force (ADF)—comprise the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), in total numbering 80,561 personnel (including 55,068 regulars and 25,493 reservists).[114] The titular role of Commander-in-Chief is vested in the Governor-General, who appoints a Chief of the Defence Force from one of the armed services on the advice of the government.[115] Day-to-day force operations are under the command of the Chief, while broader administration and the formulation of defence policy is undertaken by the Minister and Department of Defence. In the 2010–11 budget, defence spending was A$25.7 billion,[116] representing the 14th largest defence budget in the world but accounting for only 1.2 per cent of global military spending.[117] Australia has been involved in UN and regional peacekeeping, disaster relief and armed conflict; it currently has deployed approximately 3,330 defence force personnel in varying capacities to 12 overseas operations in areas including East Timor, Solomon Islands and Afghanistan.[118] Geography and climate Main articles: Geography of Australia, Climate of Australia, and Geology of Australia Climatic zones in Australia, based on the Köppen climate classification. Australia's landmass of 7,617,930 square kilometres (2,941,300 sq mi)[119] is on the Indo-Australian Plate. Surrounded by the Indian[N 4] and Pacific oceans, it is separated from Asia by the Arafura and Timor seas. The world's smallest continent[120] and sixth largest country by total area,[121] Australia—owing to its size and isolation—is often dubbed the "island continent",[122] and is sometimes considered the world's largest island.[123] Australia has 34,218 kilometres (21,262 mi) of coastline (excluding all offshore islands),[124] and claims an extensive Exclusive Economic Zone of 8,148,250 square kilometres (3,146,060 sq mi). This exclusive economic zone does not include the Australian Antarctic Territory.[125] Excluding Macquarie Island, Australia lies between latitudes 9° and 44°S, and longitudes 112° and 154°E. The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef,[126] lies a short distance off the north-east coast and extends for over 2,000 kilometres (1,240 mi). Mount Augustus, claimed to be the world's largest monolith,[127] is located in Western Australia. At 2,228 metres (7,310 ft), Mount Kosciuszko on the Great Dividing Range is the highest mountain on the Australian mainland. Even taller are Mawson Peak (at 2,745 metres or 9,006 feet), on the remote Australian territory of Heard Island, and, in the Australian Antarctic Territory, Mount McClintock and Mount Menzies, at 3,492 metres (11,457 ft) and 3,355 metres (11,007 ft) respectively.[128] Everlastings on Mount Hotham, located in Victoria Australia's size gives it a wide variety of landscapes, with subtropical rain forests in the north-east, mountain ranges in the south-east, south-west and east areas, and a dry desert in its centre.[129] It is the flattest continent,[130] with the oldest and least fertile soils;[131][132] desert or semi-arid land commonly known as the outback makes up by far t