Australia
/ɒsˈtreɪljə/- an island country and continent of the southern hemisphere, in the SW Pacific, a member state of the Commonwealth; pop. 21,262, 600 (est. 2009); official language, English; capital, Canberra.澳大利亚（南半球的岛国和大陆, 位于太平洋西南部, 是英联邦的成员之一, 2009年估计人口21,262, 600, 官方语言英语, 首都堪培拉）。
Inhabited by Aboriginal peoples since prehistoric times, Australia was explored by the Dutch from 1606; British colonization began in 1788, as did the transportation of convicts (discontinued in 1868). Australia was declared a Commonwealth in 1901, when the six colonies （New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and the offshore island of Tasmania） federated as sovereign states; Northern Territory achieved similar status in 1978.