The continent of Australia stretches from the state of Western Australia (WA) to the eastern seaboard states of Queensland and New South Wales (NSW). The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) contains the city of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and the home of the federal parliament. The ACT is located within the borders of New South Wales.
On the northern part of the continent, the vast Northern Territory is comprised largely of the remote ‘outback’ region. The state of South Australia forms part of the southern seaboard between Victoria and Western Australia, while the island state of Tasmania sits to the south of the mainland.
The population of Australia is 26 million, with 29% of the population born outside of Australia. Most of the population lives on the coastline, with 67% of the people living in one of the state capital cities.
| City | Population* |
| Canberra | 453,558 |
| Sydney | 5,259,764 |
| Melbourne | 4,976,157 |
| Adelaide | 1,402,393 |
| Perth | 2,192,229 |
| Darwin | 148,801 |
| Brisbane | 2,568,927 |
| Hobart | 251,047 |
*ABS census data 2021
