Australia



Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere of Earth comprising the mainland, the major island of Tasmania and a number of islands in the Southern, Indian and Pacific Oceans. The neighboring countries are Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the French dependency of New Caledonia to the north-east, and New Zealand to the south-east. Densely populated, Australia features both tropical and desert environments.

Its capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. Sydney currently serves as the capital of the Unified Earth Government, as well as the location of HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6, the headquarters of the UNSC High Command and the Security Council.

History
The Australian mainland has been inhabited for more than 42,000 years by Indigenous Australians. After sporadic visits by fishermen from the north and by European explorers and merchants starting in the 17th century, the eastern half of Australia was claimed by the British in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation as part of the colony of New South Wales on 26 January 1788. As the population grew and new areas were explored, another five largely self-governing crown colonies were established during the 19th century.

On 1 January 1901, the six colonies became a federation, and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. Since federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and remains a Commonwealth Realm. The capital city is Canberra, located in the Australian Capital Territory. The population was a little over 22 million in 2010, and was concentrated in cities with roughly 92% of the population living in cities of over 100,000 people. the State and Territory capitals comprise Sydney (New South Wales) Melbourne (Victoria, close second largest city); Brisbane (Queensland); Perth (Western Australia); Adelaide (South Australia); Darwin (Northern Territory) and Hobart (Tasmania).

Australia has a long history as a stable economic powerhouse. Because of this, it is home to many UNSC military installations and technological sites. The most prominent include HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6, where the members of the UNSC Security Council gather, and the Sydney Synthetic Intellect Institute in Sydney, as well as the ONI Beta-5 Division Ordnance Testing Facility at Swanbourne, Perth. During the Battle of Earth in 2552, Australia was attacked by the Covenant. The Covenant conducted bombardment throughout the country which devastated much of Sydney, but the UNSC Headquarters located deep beneath the city survived intact.

As of 2553 Australia has adopted a new national flag. Though largely similar to the original flag, the Union Flag canton has been replaced by the large commonwealth star (now gold) on a green field—the national colors of Australia.

States

 * New South Wales
 * Queensland
 * South Australia
 * Tasmania
 * Victoria
 * Western Australia
 * Northern Territory
 * Australian Capital Territory

List of appearances

 * Halo: First Strike
 * Halo: Uprising
 * Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
 * Terminals
 * Halo: Glasslands
 * Halo: The Thursday War
 * Halo: Initiation
 * Halo: Escalation
 * Halo: Mortal Dictata