Demographics

Most of the Australian population descends from 19th and 20th century immigrants, most from Britain and Ireland to begin with, but from other sources in later years. Although Australia was founded as a penal colony, the transportation of British convicts to Australian Colonies was gradually phased out between 1840 and 1868. During the " gold rush" of the late 19th century, the convicts and their descendants were rapidly overshadowed by hundreds of thousands of free settlers from many different countries: for example, in the 1850s about two per cent of the combined populations of Britain and Ireland emigrated to New South Wales and Victoria.

By the late 20th century many inhabitants were of Greek, Italian or Asian descent. Descendants of the indigenous population, the Australian Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, make up 2.2% of the population, according to the 2001 Census. In common with many other developed countries, Australia is currently experiencing a demographic shift towards an older population, with more people retiring and fewer people of working age.

Because of the ageing population, Australia maintains one of the most active immigration programs in the world, absorbing tens of thousands of immigrants from all over the world every year. Most permanent resident visas are granted on the basis of professional skills or family associations.

New Zealanders are granted Special Category Visas on arrival in Australia, which allow them to remain in Australia to live or work indefinitely. However, New Zealand citizens are excluded from government subsidised tertiary education or other advantages granted to Australian citizens and permanent residents. Until 2001, New Zealanders were entitled to unemployment benefits in Australia on arrival in the country, but now they may only claim these after two years, as is the norm for permanent residents of other nationalities.

English is the spoken language in Australia, although some of the surviving Aboriginal communities maintain their native languages, and a considerable number of first and sometimes second-generation migrants are bilingual. Although the nation is broadly secular and few are church-goers, three-quarters of Australians are nominally Christian, mostly Catholic or Anglican. A diverse range of other religions are practised.

Commonwealth of Australia
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Advance Australia Fair N1
Capital	Canberra 35°18′ S 149°08′ E /  -35.3, 149.133
Largest city	Sydney
Official languages	None N2
National language	English (de facto) N2
Demonym	Australian, Aussie[1][2] (colloquial)
Government	Parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, see Government of Australia
Monarch	Queen Elizabeth II
Independence	from the United Kingdom
Constitution	1 January 1901
Statute of Westminster	11 December 1931
Statute of Westminster Adoption Act	9 October 1942 (with effect from 3 September 1939)
Australia Act	3 March 1986
Area
Total	7, 741, 220 km² (6th) 2, 988, 902 sq mi
Water (%)
Population
2008 estimate	21, 370, 000[3] (53rd)
2006 census	19, 855, 288
Density	2.6/km² (224th) 6.7/sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2007 estimate
Total	US$718.4 billion (IMF) (17th)
Per capita	US$34, 359 (IMF) (14th)
GDP (nominal)	2008 estimate
Total	US$1046.8 billion (13th)
Per capita	US$49, 271 (DFAT) (16th)
HDI (2007)	▬ 0.962 (high) (3rd)
Currency	Australian dollar (AUD)
Time zone	various N3 (UTC+8 to +10.5)
Summer (DST)	various N3 (UTC+9 to +11.5)
Internet TLD	.au
Calling code	+61