On January 26, 1788 (now celebrated as Australia Day), the First Fleet, under Captain Arthur Phillip, landed in Sydney.
Prior to this, native indigenous tribes had inhabited the continent of Australia for several thousands of years. The current indigenous population of Australia numbers more than 500,000 representing about 2.5% of the population.
Since the end of World War II, the government and public of Australia have made various efforts to be more responsive to the rights and needs of our indigenous peoples.
In 1901 the Commonwealth of Australia was created. This was a federation of six states; New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia. Australia also has two independent territories; the Northern Territory, and the Australian Capital Territory. Australia's capital city, Canberra, is located in the Australian Capital Territory.
Since the British settlement in 1788, immigration has been a key part of Australia's development on the world stage. Most settlers originally came from the British Isles, and the people of Australia are still predominantly of British or Irish origin, with a culture and outlook similar to those of Americans.
Since the end of World War II, the population has more than doubled, from 1945 through 2000, nearly 5.9 million immigrants have settled in Australia; nearly two out of every seven Australians were born overseas.
If you would like to read more about the history of Australia please click here.