Victoria
The smallest state on the mainland of Australia is Victoria. It has an area of 87,884 square miles
(227,619 square kilometres). The capital is Melbourne.
Victoria has a rich variety of landscapes and can be divided into three geographical regions. Most
of the state's forest is in the central uplands.
The river separates Victoria from the state of New South Wales
Victoria became a state of the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
New South Wales
The first British colony in Australia was established in New South Wales, which became the most
populous and industrialized state of the country. Located in the southeastern part of Australia, it is
bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the east and the states of Victoria to the south, South Australia to
the west, and Queensland to the north.
New South Wales is Australia's major trading state.
The Australian Capital Territory, including Canberra, the federal capital, is in New South Wales.
Sydney, the state capital, is the largest city and one of the world's leading ports.
The state's current boundaries were established in 1915. The present land area is 309,433 square
miles (801,428 square kilometres).
South Australia
The fourth largest state in Australia, South Australia occupies one of the driest parts of the
continent. Located in the south-central part of the country, it is bounded by Western Australia on
the west; the Northern Territory on the north; Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria on the
east; and the Great Australian Bight of the Indian Ocean on the south.
The majority of the population is of British or other European descent. About 10,000 have some
aboriginal ancestry.
South Australia became a state in 1901. The Northern Territory was detached from the state in
1911.
Queensland
The second largest state in Australia is Queensland. It occupies the most tropical part of the
continent. Located in northeastern Australia, it is bounded by the Pacific Ocean on the north and
east, New South Wales and South Australia on the south, and the Northern Territory on the west. Its
land area is 666,900 square miles (1,727,300 square kilometres).
The Great Barrier Reef coral ridge lies off the eastern coast. Rainfall ranges from 180 inches (460
centimetres) annually in the northeast to 5 inches (13 centimetres) in the southwest.
Queensland has the country's largest concentration of Aboriginals.
A part of New South Wales until 1859, Queensland became a state of the Commonwealth of
Australia in 1901. It is the only state with a single house (lower house) of parliament.
Western Australia
A large part of the Australian Great Western Plateau, the state of Western Australia encompasses
nearly one third of the continent. The Indian Ocean lies to its south, west, and northwest, and the
Timor Sea shapes its jagged northern coastline. To the east are the central states of the Northern
Territory and South Australia.
Much of this sparsely populated state is desert. The Great Sandy Desert is located in the north, the
Gibson Desert in the central portion, and the Great Victoria Desert in the southeast.
The state capital is Perth, a city of more than 1 million on the southwestern coast.
Northern Territory
Although it is six times the size of Great Britain, Australia's Northern Territory is home to only
about 1 percent of the population of Australia. The territory covers an area of 519,800 square miles
(1,346,300 square kilometres). It is bounded by the Timor and Arafura seas on the north, the Gulf of
Carpentaria and Queensland on the east, South Australia on the south, and Western Australia on the
west.
Darwin is the capital and main port.
The Aboriginals, the people indigenous to Australia, live mostly in rural areas. They own about 30
percent of the Northern Territory, and their culture and heritage are well preserved.
Tasmania
The smallest state of the Commonwealth of Australia is the triangle-shaped island of Tasmania,
about 150 miles (240 kilometres) from the mainland across Bass Strait.
After being a part of New South Wales colony from 1803 to 1825, it became a separate colony. The
island's name was changed to Tasmania in 1856. In 1901 Tasmania became a state in the
Australian commonwealth.
Hobart, the largest city and chief port, is located in the southeastern corner of the island.
Australian Capital Territory
also called A.C.T., formerly Yass-Canberra, political entity of the Commonwealth of Australia
consisting of Canberra, the national capital, and surrounding land. Most of the Australian Capital
Territory lies within the Southern Tablelands district of New South Wales. The area is 900 square
miles (2,400 square kilometres).
The Australian constitution requires the establishment of such a territory. The site was chosen in
1908, construction began in 1911, and parliament moved from the temporary capital, Melbourne,
into the first Parliament House in 1927.