Australia Map

Description: This map shows islands, states and territories, state/territory capital cities, and major cities and towns in Australia.

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Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere. It is made up of the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and many smaller islands. Its area is about 7.69 million square kilometres, which makes it the sixth-largest country in the world. Canberra is the capital, and Sydney is the largest city.

The Facts:

Capital:	Canberra
Area:	2,968,464 sq mi (7,688,287 sq km)
Population:	~ 28,000,000 (2026 Estimate)
Major Cities and Towns:	Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Tweed Heads, Newcastle, Maitland, Canberra, Queanbeyan, Sunshine Coast, Wollongong, Geelong, Hobart, Geelong, Cairns, Darwin, Toowoomba, Ballarat, Bendigo, Albury-Wodonga, Launceston, Mackay, Rockhampton, Bunbury, Bundaberg, Coffs Harbour, Hervey Bay, Tamworth, Noosa Heads, Maroochydore, Caloundra.
Official language:	None at federal level
Religion:	43.9% Christianity 38.9% no religion 3.2% Islam 2.7% Hinduism 2.4% Buddhism 1.7% other 7.2% unanswered
Currency:	Australian dollar ($) (AUD)
Driving side:	left
Calling code:	+61
Internet TLD:	.au
Time zone:	UTC+8; +9.5; +10. Summer (DST) UTC+8; +9.5; +10; +10.5; +11
Gross domestic product (PPP) (2026 estimate):	$2.107 trillion (Total) $75,039 (Per capita)
Gross domestic product (nominal) (2026 estimate):	$2.111 trillion (Total) $75,172 (Per capita)
Official government website:	www.australia.gov.au
Official tourism website:	www.australia.com
Main sights of Australia:	Sydney Opera House, Uluru, Great Ocean Road, Great Barrier Reef, Blue Mountains National Park, Fraser Island, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Kangaroo Island, Horizontal Waterfalls, Kakadu National Park.

Australia lies between the Indian and Pacific oceans. Much of its interior is dry desert or semi-arid land known as the Outback, and the continent is the driest inhabited one on Earth. Most of the population lives along the eastern and southeastern coasts. The highest point on the mainland is Mount Kosciuszko, at 2,228 metres. The lowest point is Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre, about 15 metres below sea level. Off the coast of Queensland lies the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef system. Uluru, a large sandstone monolith in the Northern Territory, is one of the country's best-known natural landmarks.

Indigenous Australians, made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, have lived on the continent for at least 65,000 years. In 1606, Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon made the first recorded European landing. In 1770, James Cook charted the east coast and claimed it for Great Britain. The First Fleet arrived at Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788 and set up a penal colony. Over the 19th century, more British colonies were established, and the gold rushes of the 1850s led to rapid population growth. On 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated to form the Commonwealth of Australia.

Australia is a federal parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy, with King Charles III as head of state. It has six states and ten territories.

The population is about 27 million, and a large share of residents were born overseas. Australia has no official language in law, but English is the national language in practice. The country has a high-income economy and is a major exporter of iron ore, coal and liquefied natural gas. Its currency is the Australian dollar. Australia is a member of the United Nations, the G20, the OECD and the Commonwealth of Nations.

Many of Australia's native animals are found nowhere else in the world. These include marsupials such as the kangaroo and koala, and monotremes such as the platypus and echidna.

Google Map of Australia

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States of Australia

State	Abbreviation	Capital	Population (2026)	Area
New South Wales	NSW	Sydney	8,670,105	312,724 sq mi (809,952 sq km)
Victoria	VIC	Melbourne	7,154,221	91,760 sq mi (237,657 sq km)
Queensland	QLD	Brisbane	5,739,461	714,959 sq mi (1,851,736 sq km)
Western Australia	WA	Perth	3,096,222	975,685 sq mi (2,527,013 sq km)
South Australia	SA	Adelaide	1,916,836	403,227 sq mi (1,044,353 sq km)
Tasmania	TAS	Hobart	580,691	35,042 sq mi (90,758 sq km)

Internal Territories of Australia

Territory	Abbreviation	Capital	Population (2026)	Area
Australian Capital Territory	ACT	Canberra	489,668	910 sq mi (2,358 sq km)
Northern Territory	NT	Darwin	268,899	548,120 sq mi (1,419,630 sq km)
Jervis Bay Territory	NSW	None	305	26 sq mi (68 sq km)

External territories of Australia: Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Australian Antarctic Territory, Coral Sea Islands, Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands.

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Geography of Australia

Australia is a country and continent in the Southern Hemisphere, located between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. With a total area of about 7.69 million square kilometres, it is the sixth-largest country in the world by area. The country includes the Australian mainland, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. Its mainland coastline is about 34,000 kilometres long.

Australia's nearest neighbours are Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the northeast, and New Zealand to the southeast. The Torres Strait separates the mainland from New Guinea, and the Bass Strait separates it from Tasmania.

Australia is the flattest continent, with an average elevation of about 330 metres. The Great Dividing Range runs along the eastern coast for more than 3,500 kilometres. Its highest peak, Mount Kosciuszko (2,228 m), is the highest point on the mainland. The lowest point is Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre in South Australia, about 15 metres below sea level. Uluru, a large sandstone formation in the Northern Territory, rises about 348 metres above the surrounding plain.

Most of the interior is arid or semi-arid. Deserts cover about 18 percent of the mainland, and the Great Victoria Desert is the largest of them. Australia is the driest inhabited continent.

The climate ranges from tropical in the north to temperate in the south and southeast. Most of the population lives along the eastern and southeastern coasts, where rainfall is higher.

The Murray River is Australia's longest river, at about 2,508 kilometres. Together with the Darling River and their tributaries, it forms the Murray–Darling Basin, the country's largest river system. Off the coast of Queensland lies the Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef system, which stretches for more than 2,300 kilometres.

Nearby Countries: New Zealand, Indonesia, Timor-Leste (East Timor), Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia.

Seas and Oceans: Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Southern Ocean, Arafura Sea, Timor Sea, Great Australian Bight, Tasman Sea, Coral Sea,.

Major Rivers: Murray, Murrumbidgee, Darling, Lachlan, Warrego, Cooper, Paroo, Victoria, Flinders, South Esk, Goulburn, Gascoyne.

Lakes of Australia: Lake Mackay, Lake Sylvester, Tarrabool Lake, Peery Lake, Budgewoi Lake, Narrabeen Lagoon, Avoca Lake, Blue Lake, Lake Woods, Lake Amadeus, Lake Eacham, Lake Galilee, Lake Buchanan, Coongie Lakes, Kati Thanda–Lake Eyre, Lake Torrens, Lake Frome, Lake Alexandrina, Lake Callabonna, Great Lake, Lake St Clair, Lake Corangamite, Lake Hindmarsh, Lake Carnegie, Lake Barlee, Lake Macleod, Lake Way, Lake Burnside.

Mountain Ranges: Australian Alps, Brindabella Range, Allyn Range, Blue Mountains, Budawang Range, Moonbi Range, Ramshead Range, Warrumbungles, Musgrave Ranges, Wellington Range, Bellenden Ker Range, Bunya Mountains, Carnarvon Range, Gillies Range, Barossa Range, Flinders Ranges, Gammon Ranges, Gawler Ranges, Arthur Range, Du Cane Range, Eldon Range, Prince of Wales Range, Tyndall Range, West Coast Range, Cathedral Range, Great Dividing Range, Victorian Alps.

Mountains (Height): Mount Kosciuszko (2228m), Mount Bogong (1986m), Mount Buller (1805m), Mount Ossa (1617m), Mount Bartle Frere (1611m), Brumlow Top (1586m), Round Mountain (1584m), Bellenden Ker (1582m), Legges Tor (1573m), Mount Zeil (1531m), Mount Kaputar (1510m), Frenchmans Cap (1446m), Mount Field West (1435m), Ngarutjaranya (1435m), Mount Anne (1423m), Mount Barrow (1414m), Snowy South (1398m), Mount Carbine Tableland (1383m), Thornton Peak (1374m), Mount Superbus (1371m), Mount Barney (1359m), Mount Weld (1345m), Mount Picton (1327m), Mount Murchison (1278m), Mount William (1259m).

Islands of Australia: Tasmania, Melville Island, Kangaroo Island, Groote Eylandt, Bathurst Island, K'gari, Flinders Island, King Island, Mornington Island, Lord Howe Island, Fraser Island, Great Keppel Island, Whitehaven Beach, Macquarie Island, King Island, Rottnest Island.

Ski Resorts in Australia: Thredbo, Perisher, Selwyn Snow Resort, Charlotte Pass, Mount Hotham, Falls Creek, Mount Baw Baw, Mount Buller, Ben Lomond, Mount Mawson.

The Best Coastal Towns and Cities in Australia: Gold Coast, Byron Bay, Jervis Bay, Port Douglas, Burleigh Heads, Port Macquarie, Apollo Bay, Nelson Bay, Kangaroo Island, Broome, Lorne, Pacific Palms, Cape Tribulation, Yamba, Bicheno, Port Douglas, Yallingup Beach, Avoca Beach, Mollymook, Airlie Beach.

Brief History of Australia

Australia has been inhabited for at least 65,000 years, making Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islanders among the oldest continuous cultures on Earth. These peoples developed rich traditions, languages, and deep knowledge of the land across hundreds of distinct groups.

European contact began when Dutch navigators charted parts of the western and northern coastline in the early 17th century. James Cook claimed the eastern coast for Britain in 1770, naming it New South Wales.

British colonization started on 26 January 1788 when Captain Arthur Phillip arrived at Port Jackson with the First Fleet, carrying over 700 convicts. This date is now observed as Australia Day. The penal colony expanded steadily, and free settlers began arriving in increasing numbers through the early 19th century. The colonization had catastrophic consequences for Indigenous populations, who suffered dispossession, introduced disease, and violent conflict.

The discovery of gold in Victoria and New South Wales in 1851 triggered a massive rush of migrants from Britain, Ireland, China, and elsewhere. Australia's population tripled within a decade.

On 1 January 1901, the six separate British colonies federated to form the Commonwealth of Australia, establishing one of the world's first federal parliamentary democracies. The new nation almost immediately introduced the Immigration Restriction Act, which enforced what became known as the White Australia Policy, restricting non-European migration for decades.

Australia fought alongside Britain in both World Wars. The Gallipoli campaign of 1915, though a military failure, became a defining moment in Australian national identity. Over 60,000 Australians died in World War I.

After World War II, Australia launched large-scale immigration programs, welcoming millions of Europeans displaced by the war. The White Australia Policy was progressively dismantled from the late 1960s and formally ended in 1973 under Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. Subsequent decades brought waves of migrants from Asia, the Middle East, and beyond, shaping a modern multicultural society.

In 1986, the Australia Act severed remaining legislative ties to Britain. The question of becoming a republic was put to a referendum in 1999, which resulted in a vote to retain the constitutional monarchy. Australia remains a federation of six states and two major territories, with a population of around 26 million.