It is a megadiverse country, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates including deserts in the interior and tropical rainforests along the coast. Estimates of Aboriginal population prior to European settlement range from 300,000 to one million, with archaeological finds indicating a sustainable population of around 750,000. This ratio is much lower than many other countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (an intergovernmental organisation with 38 member developed countries). In 2015, 2.15% of the Australian population lived overseas, one of the lowest proportions worldwide. The current Australian resident population is estimated at 28,282,000 (29 November 2025). Multicultural immigration since the Second World War has led to the growth of non-Christian religions, the largest of which are Islam (3.2%), Hinduism (2.7%), Buddhism (2.4%), Sikhism (0.8%), and Judaism (0.4%). In 1786, the British government announced its intention to establish a penal colony in New South Wales. In 1770, Captain James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast, which he named "New South Wales" and claimed for Great Britain. On his second voyage of 1644, he mapped the north coast of Australia south of New Guinea. Later that year, Luís Vaz de Torres sailed to the north of Australia through Torres Strait, along New Guinea's southern coast. By the mid-18th century in northern Australia, contact, trade and cross-cultural engagement had been established between local Aboriginal groups and Makassan trepangers, visiting from present-day Indonesia. Culturally and linguistically distinct from mainland Aboriginal peoples, they were seafarers and obtained their livelihood from seasonal horticulture and the resources of their reefs and seas. At the 2021 census, 3.8% of the Australian population identified as being Indigenous—Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders.[N 11] Between 1788 and the Second World War, the vast majority of settlers and immigrants came from the British Isles (principally England, Ireland and Scotland), although there was significant immigration from China and Germany during the 19th century. Australia is also highly urbanised, with 67% of the population living in the Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (metropolitan areas of the state and mainland territorial capital cities) in 2018. Australia has a population density of 3.4 persons per square kilometre of total land area, which makes it one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. It is the 54th most populous country in the world and the most populous Oceanian country. Historically part of the British Empire and now a member of the Commonwealth, Australia is a relatively prosperous independent country. The Great Barrier Reef, off the east coast of Queensland, is the greatest mass of coral in the world and one of the world’s foremost tourist attractions. (“Banjo”) Paterson, “Waltzing Matilda,” is the unofficial national anthem of Australia known the world over. From 1886, Australian colonial governments began removing many Aboriginal children from their families and communities, justified on the grounds of child protection and forced assimilation policies. In the mid-19th century, explorers such as Burke and Wills charted Australia's interior. The six colonies individually gained responsible government between 1855 and 1890, managing most of their own affairs while remaining part of the British Empire. Growing opposition to the convict system culminated in its abolition in the eastern colonies by the 1850s. The Swan River Colony (present-day Perth) was established in 1829, evolving into the largest Australian colony by area, Western Australia. The British claim was extended to the whole Australian continent in 1827 when Major Edmund Lockyer established a settlement on King George Sound (modern-day Albany). As settlement expanded, tens of thousands of Indigenous people and thousands of settlers were killed in frontier conflicts, which many historians argue included acts of genocide by settlers. Since soon after the beginning of British settlement in 1788, people of European descent have formed the majority of the population in Australia. Australians of European descent are the majority in Australia, with the number of ancestry responses categorised within the European groups as a proportion of the total population amounting to 57.2% (including 46% North-West European and 11.2% Southern and Eastern European). The development of a distinctive Australian identity and national character began in the 19th century. The nation also ranks highly in beer consumption, with each state and territory hosting numerous breweries. Post-war migrants transformed Australian cuisine, bringing with them their culinary traditions and contributing to new fusion dishes. The AACTAs are Australia's premier film and television awards, and notable Academy Award winners from Australia include Geoffrey Rush, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger. There is a symphony orchestra in each state, and a national opera company, Opera Australia, well known for its famous soprano Joan Sutherland. Many of Australia's performing arts companies receive funding through the Australian government's Australia Council.
