Australia
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There is more information available on this subject at Australia on the English Wikipedia. |
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia,[2] is a country established on the continent of the same name in Earth's southern hemisphere. Its territory is comprised of the mainland, the major island of Tasmania, and a number of other islands in the Southern, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Neighboring countries include Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and the French dependency of New Caledonia to the northeast, and New Zealand to the southeast. Australia is densely populated and is home to both tropical and desert environments.[3] Its capital is Canberra, and its largest city is Sydney. Sydney currently serves as the capital of the Unified Earth Government,[4] as well as the location of both the UEG's primary headquarters and HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6, the headquarters of the UNSC High Command and the Security Council.[2]
History
Early history
The Australian mainland has been inhabited for more than 42,000 years by Indigenous Australians. Following sporadic visits on the part of fishermen from the north as well as European explorers and merchants starting in the 17th century, the eastern half of Australia was eventually claimed by the British in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation as part of the colony of New South Wales on January 26th, 1788. As the population grew and new areas were explored, another five largely self-governing crown colonies were established during the 19th century. On January 1st, 1901, the six colonies became a federation, and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. Since that time, Australia maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and remained a Commonwealth Realm. Canberra was declared the capital city, located in the Australian Capital Territory. Following the second world war, Australia became a founding member of the United Nations.
Recent history
The Unified Earth Government became a full-fledged governing entity in 2170 and gained full autonomy and authority over Earth and her colonies in 2204. As a nation on Earth, Australia has been directly subordinate to the United Nations ever since. Australia has a long history as a stable economic powerhouse. Because of this, it is home to many UNSC military installations and technological sites.[3] 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.[5] The Covenant conducted bombardment throughout the country[3] which devastated much of Sydney, but the UNSC Headquarters located deep beneath the city survived intact.[6]
By 2553 Australia had 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.[1]
List of appearances
- Halo: First Strike (First appearance)
- Halo: Uprising
- Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
- Halo: Glasslands
- Halo: The Thursday War
- Halo: Initiation
- Halo: Escalation
- Halo: Mortal Dictata
- Halo: Hunters in the Dark
- Halo: Last Light (Mentioned only)
Sources
- ^ a b Halo: Glasslands, page 27
- ^ a b Halo Waypoint: UNSC
- ^ a b c Halo Encyclopedia, pages 296-297 (2011 edition)
- ^ Halo Waypoint: UEG
- ^ Halo: Uprising, Issue #2
- ^ Halo: Glasslands, page 33
