Australia

**Brief outline:**

Australia, or as it is officially known, the Commonwealth of Australia, is a de facto continent nation-state, though is simultaneously regarded by many, primarily by fellow nations of Oceania, as an island. Further in regards to its geographic location, Australia is situated within the Southern Hemisphere, hence its popular nickname "the Land Down Under." Australia maintains a status of a Federal member of the Commonwealth, and has so since its independence from the United Kingdom on the first day of January 1901, stemming from its prior colonisation by the British Empire beginning in 1788. Today, Australia's culture is outlined by the two cultures which have inhabited the land throughout its history - those being of the British and other fellow European nations, as well as the original inhabitants, the Aboriginal people.

**Australian Flag:**

       This aforementioned cultural connection can be observed through the fact that Australia has three official flags - those being that of the blue ensign - a dark blue field that depicts the iconic Union Jack on the top left-hand corner, alongside the Southern cross on the right and the Commonwealth star on the bottom left side. This flag is simultaneously accompanied by the Aboriginal flag - a symbol designed by Indigenous artist Harold Thomas in 1971 to represent the Aboriginal people of Australia, as observed through the black within the top half of the flag. The significance of the Aboriginal people's connection to the land is simultaneously depicted through the bright red soil within the bottom half, as well as the central yellow circle - which symbolises the sun, the giver of life and the protector. The third and final official flag is that of the Torres Strait Islanders - an ethnic group present within the Torres Strait - a Strait situated in-between the state of Queensland and Australia's Northern neighbour, Papua New Guinea. Similarly to its Aboriginal counterpart, the Torres Strait Islander flag utilises symbolism to depict the people, culture and land, as can be observed through the black, alongside the blue to symbolise the Torres Strait's water sources and the green panels to depict the islands. The five-pointed-star, however, symbolises the five island groups, with the symbol above it taking the shape of a traditional headwear known as a Dari or Dhoeri.

**Statistics/facts:**

**Date of independence/United Nations recognition:** The independence date of Australia is disputed, with many arguing the state's federation and subsequent declaration of independence on the 1 January 1901 to be a mere symbolic gesture on behalf of the United Kingdom, resulting in nothing more than increased autonomy. Many believe the date of Australia's independence to have alternatively taken place on the 9 October 1942 upon the adoption of the Westminster parliamentary system, in which the United Kingdom severed all legislative control over the state. Australia later joined the United Nations three years later on its founding date on the 24 October 1945, being one of the 51 founding members of the organisation.

**Population:** 26,579,664 (January 2024)

**Religion:** Mixed - though the largest religion is that of Christianity at 43.9%, narrowly overtaking Atheism at 46.1, as well as Islam (3.2%), Hinduism (2.7%), Buddhism (2.4%), Sikhism (0.8%), Judaism (0.4%) and other faiths (0.5%)

**GDP:** 1,719,000,000,000 AUD (Australian dollars) (1,137,634,200,000 USD)

Ethnicity: English (33%), Australian (29.9%), Irish (9.5%), Scottish (8.6%), Chinese (5.5%), Italian (4.4), German (4%), Indian (3.1%), Aboriginal (2.9%), Greek (1.7%), Filipino (1.6%), Dutch (1.5%), Vietnamese (1.3%), Lebanese (1%), Polish (0.8%)

**National symbols:** The largest national symbol of Australia is that of the kangaroo, alongside the emu, which both appear very regularly in the coat of arms, alongside merchandise. The national flower, however, is the golden wattle, due to the shade of the plant being the same as that of the country's national colours of green and gold.

**Politics:**

Australia is a connotational monarchy due to its status as a commonwealth nation, recognising King Charles III of the United Kingdom as the official head of state. It simultaneously maintains a status as a representative democracy, meaning that the people elect an individual to make and pass laws on their behalf. The two main political parties are those of the centre-right Liberals (Peter Dutton as party leader) and the centre-left Labor (Anthony Albanese as party leader and current prime minister). Other major parties include the left wing Greens (Adam Bandt as party leader) and the centre-right Nationals (formerly the Country Party) (David Littleproud as leader)