Western Australia

Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost <a href="/facts/State_of_Australia/kUd6AV5c">state of Australia</a>. It is bounded by the <a href="/facts/Indian_Ocean/Kv0crwKG">Indian Ocean</a> to the north and west, the <a href="/facts/Southern_Ocean/F15W9ADT">Southern Ocean</a> to the south, the <a href="/facts/Northern_Territory/5BFWuuyv">Northern Territory</a> to the north-east, and <a href="/facts/South_Australia/R7UdxV97">South Australia</a> to the south-east. Western Australia is Australia's largest state, with a land area of 2,527,013 square kilometres (975,685 sq mi), and is also the <a href="/facts/List_of_country_subdivisions_by_area/F2p4BCtW">second-largest subdivision</a> of any country on Earth.
Western Australia has a diverse range of climates, including tropical conditions in the <a href="/facts/Kimberley_(Western_Australia)/Rmq4bDQI">Kimberley</a>, deserts in the interior (including the <a href="/facts/Great_Sandy_Desert/bbpg7lCg">Great Sandy Desert</a>, <a href="/facts/Little_Sandy_Desert/0CwqvMGN">Little Sandy Desert</a>, <a href="/facts/Gibson_Desert/Em665AWb">Gibson Desert</a>, and <a href="/facts/Great_Victoria_Desert/sJWzmM4v">Great Victoria Desert</a>) and a <a href="/facts/Mediterranean_climate/gGsJAKE5">Mediterranean climate</a> on the south-west and southern coastal areas. As of June 2024, the state has 2.965 million inhabitants—10.9 percent of the national total. Over 90 percent of the state's population live in the <a href="/facts/South-West_Land_Division/UHes7j8G">south-west corner</a> and around 80 percent live in the state capital <a href="/facts/Perth/63YUr99S">Perth</a>, leaving the remainder of the state sparsely populated. The <a href="/facts/Trans-Australian_Railway/jqMak4Hr">Trans-Australian Railway</a> and the <a href="/facts/Eyre_Highway/0f5BmkXW">Eyre Highway</a> traverse the <a href="/facts/Nullarbor_Plain/Gts9GIzQ">Nullarbor Plain</a> in the state's south-east, providing the principal connection between Western Australia and the population centres in the <a href="/facts/Eastern_states_of_Australia/DRoXs4JH">eastern states</a>.
Western Australia's <a href="/facts/Aboriginal_cultures_of_Western_Australia/8zQKxPl7">Indigenous peoples</a> have been present for tens of thousands of years. Dutch explorers visited Western Australia from the 17th century, with <a href="/facts/Dirk_Hartog/FP0QK4SD">Dirk Hartog</a>'s 1616 expedition the first Europeans to make landfall. The British claimed Western Australia in 1827 and established the <a href="/facts/Swan_River_Colony/somoxVEE">Swan River Colony</a> with Perth as its capital in 1829. The <a href="/facts/Western_Australian_gold_rushes/SAbVoPUD">Western Australian gold rushes</a> of the late 19th century resulted in a significant population influx. The colony was granted <a href="/facts/Responsible_government/gSgDvLlf">responsible government</a> in 1890, the last of the Australian colonies to become self-governing, and <a href="/facts/Federation_of_Australia/fRsBVbCb">federated</a> with the other colonies in 1901.
Western Australia's <a href="/facts/Mining_in_Western_Australia/n3lbBNw3">mining sector</a> is a key driver of the <a href="/facts/Economy_of_Western_Australia/dWFag1lX">state economy</a>. The late 20th century saw the development of the state's significant <a href="/facts/Iron_ore_mining_in_Western_Australia/U2B70D8Q">iron ore mining industry</a> – the world's largest – as well as primarily offshore <a href="/facts/Petroleum_industry_in_Western_Australia/0P8A3GzF">petroleum and natural gas resources</a>. <a href="/facts/Gold_mining_in_Western_Australia/HprYEKwV">Gold mining</a> retains a significant presence and many other mineral commodities are mined, with Perth being a major centre for associated services. Outside of mining, primary industry is the other significant contributor to the state's economy, including agriculture in the <a href="/facts/Wheatbelt_(Western_Australia)/AKByLXsn">Wheatbelt</a> and temperate southern coastal regions, <a href="/facts/List_of_pastoral_leases_in_Western_Australia/bTLxE5tj">pastoralism</a> in marginal grassland areas, <a href="/facts/Forests_of_Australia/QLKCSy36">forestry</a> in the south-west and fishing (including <a href="/facts/Pearling_in_Western_Australia/PFokDTDa">pearling</a> and, historically, <a href="/facts/Whaling_in_Western_Australia/KF2aHWBE">whaling</a>).

Western Australia open-in-new

Western Australia