Commonwealth of Australia
Australia and New Zealand
Wild · Sunburnt · Free
Australia (officially Commonwealth of Australia) is a country located in Australia and New Zealand. Its capital city is Canberra, with other major cities including Sydney and Melbourne. With a population of approximately 26.1M, the main language spoken is English. The country covers an area of 7,692,024 km². The official currency is the Australian dollar ($). Traffic drives on the left side.
Australia has more than 10,000 beaches — you could visit a new one every day for 27 years.
Canberra serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Australia, positioned in Australia and New Zealand. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Canberra was purpose-built as a compromise capital after Sydney and Melbourne refused to yield the honour to each other — an American-designed garden city of roundabouts and embassies that is mocked by citizens of both rival cities and quietly loved by the public servants who live there.
With a population of approximately 26.1M, Australia is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The official language is English, which reflects the country's cultural heritage and connects it with a wide international community. Internationally, Australia is reached via the dialling code +61. Australians have built a self-image around the 'fair go' egalitarianism of the bush legend while the overwhelming majority live in coastal cities — a gap between mythology and urban reality that generates constant creative tension in literature, sport, and politics.
Australia spans 7,692,024 km², in the Australia and New Zealand subregion of Oceania. Geographically centred around 27.0°S, 133.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the left-hand rule, in line with surrounding Oceania convention.
The official currency is the Australian dollar ($), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Australia's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+05:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.
The emblematic dish of Australia is Meat Pie. Australian cuisine absorbed successive waves of migration to create a Pacific Rim fusion that includes Vietnamese banh mi in Melbourne's CBD, Japanese omakase in Sydney, Lebanese family restaurants in western Sydney, and a genuine café culture that has now exported its flat white coffee to the world.
Cricket / AFL holds a special place in the heart of Australia's national identity. Australian Rules Football evolved on the gold rush fields of 1850s Victoria to produce a sport uniquely suited to Australian conditions — vast oval grounds, kicking to mark contests high in the air, and a physical intensity that makes the AFL Grand Final the country's single largest annual sporting event.
The highest point in Australia is Mount Kosciuszko, rising to 2,228 metres above sea level. Uluru rises 348 metres from the central Australian desert in a geological formation that extends six kilometres underground, its sandstone changing from ochre to deep purple to crimson as the sun moves — a sacred site for the Anangu people that receives roughly half a million visitors each year.