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Western Australia

Western Australia
State
Flag of Western Australia
Flag
Official seal of Western Australia
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): 
  • The Wildflower State
  • The Golden State
Location of Western Australia in Australia
26°S 121°E / 26°S 121°E / -26; 121
CountryAustralia
Before federationColony of Western Australia
Established as the Swan River Colony2 May 1829
Responsible government21 October 1890
Federation1 January 1901
Capital
and largest city
Perth
Administration139 local government areas
Demonym(s)
  • Western/West Australian
  • West Aussie
  • Sandgroper (colloquial)
Government
• Monarch
Charles III
• Governor
Chris Dawson
• Premier
Roger Cook (Labor)
LegislatureParliament of Western Australia
• Upper house
Legislative Council
• Lower house
Legislative Assembly
JudiciarySupreme Court of Western Australia
Parliament of Australia
• Senate
12 senators (of 76)
• House of Representatives
15 seats (of 151)
Area
• Total
2,527,013[1] km2 (975,685 sq mi) (1st)
Highest elevation
(Mount Meharry)
1,249 m (4,098 ft)
Population
• June 2023 estimate
2,878,600[2] (4th)
• Density
1.11/km2 (2.9/sq mi) (7th)
GSP2022 estimate
• Total
AU$377.257 billion[3] (4th)
• Per capita
AU$135,320 (1st)
HDI (2021)Increase 0.967[4]
very high · 2nd
Time zone
Postal abbreviation
WA
ISO 3166 codeAU–WA
Symbols
BirdBlack swan
(Cygnus atratus)
FishWhale shark
(Rhincodon typus)
FlowerRed and green kangaroo paw
(Anigozanthos manglesii)
MammalNumbat
(Myrmecobius fasciatus)
Colour(s)Black and gold
FossilGogo fish
(Mcnamaraspis kaprios)
Websitewa.gov.au

Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western third of the land area of Australia, excluding external territories.[5] It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. With a total land area of 2,527,013 square kilometres (975,685 sq mi),[5] Western Australia is Australia's largest state as well as the second-largest subdivision of any country on Earth, surpassed only by the Sakha Republic in eastern Russia. As of 2021, the state has 2.76 million inhabitants—11 percent of the national total.[6] The vast majority (92 percent) live in the south-west corner; 79 percent of the population lives in the Perth area,[7] leaving the remainder of the state sparsely populated.

The first Europeans to visit Western Australia belonged to the Dutch Dirk Hartog expedition, who visited the Western Australian coast in 1616. The first permanent European colony in what is today Western Australia occurred following the landing by Major Edmund Lockyer on 26 December 1826 of an expedition on behalf of the New South Wales colonial government.[8][text–source integrity?] Lockyer established a convict-supported military garrison at King George III Sound, at present-day Albany, and on 21 January 1827[8] he formally took possession for the British Crown of the western part of the continent that was not already claimed by the Crown.[9] This was followed by the establishment of the Swan River Colony in 1829, including the site of the present-day capital, Perth.

York was the first inland settlement in Western Australia. Situated 97 kilometres (60 miles) east of Perth, it was settled on 16 September 1831.[10] Western Australia achieved responsible government in 1890 and federated with the other British colonies in Australia in 1901.

Today, Western Australia's economy mainly relies on mining, oil and gas, services and construction. The state produces 46 percent of Australia's exports.[11] Western Australia is the largest iron ore producer in the world.[12] Its nickname is "The Wildflower State".[13]

  1. ^ "Area of Australia - States and Territories". 27 June 2014.
  2. ^ "National, state and territory population, June 2023 | Australian Bureau of Statistics".
  3. ^ "Western Australian Economic Notes – Gross State Product – 2021-22" (PDF). Archived from the original on 31 August 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference ga20 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "National, state and territory population, March 2021 | Australian Bureau of Statistics". abs.gov.au. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference ABSCapitalPop was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b "King George's Sound Settlement". State Records Authority of New South Wales. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference rei08 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Knibbs, G.H. (1911). "The Creation of the Several Colonies". Official Year Book of the Commonwealth of Australia. Vol. 4. Melbourne: Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics. p. 16.
  11. ^ Curran, Enda (21 February 2012). "Western Australia Plans Sovereign Wealth Fund". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  12. ^ "US Geological Survey" (PDF). Minerals.usgs.gov. 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  13. ^ Thomas, Abbie (2 August 2002). "Western Australian wildflowers bloom". abc.net.au. Retrieved 3 November 2020.

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