Australia, island continent located between the Indian and South Pacific oceans south-east of Asia and forming, with the nearby island of Tasmania, the Commonwealth of Australia, a self-governing member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The continent is bounded on the north by the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea, and the Torres Strait; on the east by the Coral Sea and the Tasman Sea; on the south by the Bass Strait and the Indian Ocean; and on the west by the Indian Ocean. The Commonwealth of Australia extends about 4,000 km from Cape Byron in the east to Western Australia, and about 3,700 km from Cape York in the north to Tasmania in the south. Its coastline measures some 36,735 km. The area of Australia, including Tasmania, is 7,682,300 sq km.

Population
        18,235,600
        (1996 official estimate)
Population Density
        2.4 people/sq km
        (6.2 people/sq mi)
        (1996 estimate)
Urban/Rural Breakdown
        85% Urban
        15% Rural
Largest Cities
        Sydney3,772,700
        Melbourne3,218,100
        Brisbane1,480,100
        Perth1,262,600
        Adelaide1,081,000
        (1995 estimates)
Ethnic Groups
        95% European origin
        4% Asian
        1% Aborigine/Torres Strait
        Islanders
Languages
Official Language
        English
Religions
        26%Anglicanism
        26%Roman Catholicism
        24%Other Christian 
denominations
        24%Other
        including Eastern Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism