Australia - is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the mainland of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania and a number of other islands in the Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans.N4 The neighbouring countries are Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the north-east, and New Zealand to the south-east. The Australian mainland has been inhabited for more than 42,000 years by Indigenous Australians. After sporadic visits by fishermen from the north[citation needed] 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 is 21 million, and is concentrated in the mainland state capitals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.

Recommended hotels - best offers:

Why is it worth to use the reservation of hotels in the world on our webpage?

• low prices, even 70% less then direct hotel reservation,
• we do not bill you with reservation fees, you pay by credit card for your stay at the destination place,
• wide range of hotels to choose from: we offer over 40 000 hotels in 10 000 cities on 6 continents,
• our reservation system is secure and high-standard, your credit card, details are encrypted,
• thousands of satisifed customers, we've reserved over 19 mln rooms, in hotels located abroad,
• we do speak your language, we also have the decriptions of hotels and client service in 16 languages!