At no time in human history has Australia been part of any continent. It is the world's oldest freestanding island. Initially settled by the Aborigines around 40,000 years ago, Australia could only have been conquered from the sea. The origin of the Aborigines is unknown, but it is believed they came from what is now Papua New Guinea, or possibly Tamil, on the Indonesian Archipalego. 

Europeans believed in the existence of a southern continent that would balance the landmass of the northern hemisphere. They called that continent Terra Australis Incognito: the hidden southland. However, routine explorations of the Pacific proved futile; Australia was either thought unimportant in terms of discovery, or else it was missed altogether. There is evidence that the Portuguese visited the western shore as early as the 1600's; but alas, no record exists to prove the Portuguese actively explored this area.

The confimation that Terra Austalias Incognito existed came in the eigthteenth century, when Captain Cook of His Majesty's Royal Navy, claimed the east coast in the name of Britain. After England lost the American colonies in the Revolutionary War, it began to send its convicts to colonize Australia. The first fleet of convicts arrived on January 26th, 1788. The day, called Australia Day,  is now a public holiday and is considered Australia's birthday.

As convicts and freesettlers continued to populate the continent, the idea that Australia was to remain nothing more then a prison slowly vanished. Bounderies were drawn and territories became states, settlements and prisons became cities and towns. Australia formally became a nation on January 1, 1901. The six states of Australia are New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia. The Northern Territory is not a state. The Tiwi Islands and Norfolk Island are are some of Australia's other territories.

In addition to becoming a nation, Australia sought to attract migrants from other nations in order to expand the population. The initial migration policy was open only to western Europeans, particularly citizens of England. After World War Two, Australia revamped its migration policy, and people all over the world started pouring in. Today, Australia is a nation of approximately 25 million people, a quarter of whom were born in other countries.

Along with the Bahamas and twenty-nine other countries, Australia is a member of the commonwealth of England. The official name of Australia is The Commonwealth of Australia. The Queen of Australia is Queen Elizabeth II, and she is represented in Australia by the Governer-General. There is little loyalty to the royalty to be found in Australia; however, as there is a movement to completly severe ties with England and become a republic.

The future of Australia looks bright. In post-terrorist economies,  Australia's dollar is performing better then any other currency on the planet. The unemployment rate is low, the weather is great, and people are educated. It is likely that Australia could become a world power within the next century.