Australia is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Neighbouring countries include 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.
For at least 40, 000 years before Western settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians who belonged to 1 or more of approximately 250 language teams. After discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia's eastern 50 percent was stated by Britain in 1770 and primarily resolved through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales, officially founded on 7 February 1788 (although formal possession of the land had occurred on 26 January 1788).
Main
