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Main article: History of Australia (1945–present)
Postwar migrants from Europe arriving in Australia in 1954
In the decades following World War II, Australia enjoyed significant increases in living standards, leisure time and suburban development.[112][113] Using the slogan "populate or perish", the nation encouraged a large wave of immigration from across Europe, with such immigrants referred to as "New Australians".[114]
A member of the Western Bloc during the Cold War, Australia participated in the Korean War and the Malayan Emergency during the 1950s and the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1972.[115] During this time, tensions over communist influence in society led to unsuccessful attempts by the Menzies Government to ban the Communist Party of Australia,[116] and a bitter splitting of the Labor Party in 1955.[117]
As a result of a 1967 referendum, the Federal Government received a mandate to implement policies to benefit Aboriginal people, and all Indigenous Australians were included in the Census.[118] Traditional ownership of land ("native title") was recognised in law for the first time when the High Court of Australia held in Mabo v Queensland (No 2) that the legal doctrine of terra nullius ("land belonging to no one") did not apply to Australia at the time of European settlement.[119]
Following the final abolition of the White Australia policy in 1973,[120] Australia's demography and culture transformed as a result of a large and ongoing wave of non-European immigration, mostly from Asia.[121][122] The late 20th century also saw an increasing focus on foreign policy ties with other Pacific Rim nations.[123] While the Australia Act 1986 severed the remaining vestigial constitutional ties between Australia and the United Kingdom,[124] a 1999 referendum resulted in 55% of voters rejecting a proposal to abolish the Monarchy of Australia and become a republic.[125]
Following the September 11 attacks on the United States, Australia joined the United States in fighting the Afghanistan War from 2001 to 2021 and the Iraq War from 2003 to 2009.[126] The nation's trade relations also became increasingly oriented towards East Asia in the 21st century, with China becoming the nation's largest trading partner by a large margin.[127]
During the COVID-19 pandemic which commenced in Australia in 2020, several of Australia's largest cities were locked down for extended periods of time, and free movement across state borders was restricted in an attempt to slow the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.[128]
Geography and environment
Main articles: Geography of Australia and Environment of Australia
See also: Environmental issues in Australia
General characteristics
Topographic map of Australia. Dark green represents the lowest elevation and dark brown the highest
Surrounded by the Indian and Pacific oceans,[N 7] Australia is separated from Asia by the Arafura and Timor seas, with the Coral Sea lying off the Queensland coast, and the Tasman Sea lying between Australia and New Zealand. The world's smallest continent[130] and sixth largest country by total area,[131] Australia—owing to its size and isolation—is often dubbed the "island continent"[132] and is sometimes considered the world's largest island.[133] Australia has 34,218 km (21,262 mi) of coastline (excluding all offshore islands),[134] 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.[135]
Mainland Australia lies between latitudes 9° and 44° South, and longitudes 112° and 154° East.[136] Australia's size gives it a wide variety of landscapes, with tropical rainforests in the north-east, mountain ranges in the south-east, south-west and east, and desert in the centre.[137] The desert or semi-arid land commonly known as the outback makes up by far the largest portion of land.[138] Australia is the driest inhabited continent; its annual rainfall averaged over continental area is less than 500 mm.[139] The population density is 3.2 inhabitants per square kilometre, although a large proportion of the population lives along the temperate south-eastern coastline.[140]
Heron Island, a coral cay in the southern Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef,[141] lies a short distance off the north-east coast and extends for over 2,000 km (1,200 mi). Mount Augustus, claimed to be the world's largest monolith,[142] is located in Western Australia. At 2,228 m (7,310 ft), Mount Kosciuszko is the highest mountain on the Australian mainland. Even taller are Mawson Peak (at 2,745 m (9,006 ft)), on the remote Australian external territory of Heard Island, and, in the Australian Antarctic Territory, Mount McClintock and Mount Menzies, at 3,492 m (11,457 ft) and 3,355 m (11,007 ft) respectively.[143]
Eastern Australia is marked by the Great Dividing Range, which runs parallel to the coast of Queensland, New South Wales and much of Victoria. The name is not strictly accurate, because parts of the range consist of low hills, and the highlands are typically no more than 1,600 m (5,200 ft) in height.[144] The coastal uplands and a belt of Brigalow grasslands lie between the coast and the mountains, while inland of the dividing range are large areas of grassland and shrubland.[144][145] These include the western plains of New South Wales, and the Mitchell Grass Downs and Mulga Lands of inland Queensland.[146][147][148][149] The northernmost point of the mainland is the tropical Cape York Peninsula.[136]
Uluru in the semi-arid region of Central Australia
The landscapes of the Top End and the Gulf Country—with their tropical climate—include forest, woodland, wetland, grassland, rainforest and desert.[150][151][152] At the north-west corner of the continent are the sandstone cliffs and gorges of The Kimberley, and below that the Pilbara. The Victoria Plains tropical savanna lies south of the Kimberly and Arnhem Land savannas, forming a transition between the coastal savannas and the interior deserts.[153][154][155] At the heart of the country are the uplands of central Australia. Prominent features of the centre and south include Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock), the famous sandstone monolith, and the inland Simpson, Tirari and Sturt Stony, Gibson, Great Sandy, Tanami, and Great Victoria deserts, with the famous Nullarbor Plain on the southern coast.[156][157][158][159] The Western Australian mulga shrublands lie between the interior deserts and Mediterranean-climate Southwest Australia.[
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