Western Australia

Western Australia is Australia's largest state, covering the western most third of the mainland, bordering South Australia and the Northern Territory. It is, after Sakha in Russia, the second largest subnational entity in the world.

People

Although Western Australia has been occupied by the Aboriginal people for many thousands of years, the present state has its origins in the British settlement known as the Swan River Colony, founded at Perth in 1829 (although the first British settlement occurred in Albany in 1826). Since that time, many immigrants have continued to be of British origin, outnumbered only by arrivals from other Australian states. There has also been significant immigration from New Zealand and South Africa. Small numbers of Southeast Asian (especially ethnic Chinese) immigrants began to arrive in Western Australia in the mid 19th century. Western Australia was the last colony which accepted convicts, and the natives of Russia deported from England during the following years would arrive only there. Immigration restrictions (the White Australia Policy) caused non-white immigration to cease in the 1890s. Following World War II, immigration from Europe increased, especially from Italy, Yugoslavia,Russia,and Greece. In the 1970s, a new wave of Asian immigrants, mostly ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese began to arrive in Western Australia. Perth, in particular, paralleled the multicultural experience of other large Australian cities and has become home to people from most of the countries in the world. Presently, 11.9% of Western Australian residents were born in the United Kingdom or Ireland, while 5.3% were born in Asia. In recent years, Western Australia has had the highest overseas migration rates in the nation.

Related Topics:
Aboriginal - British - Swan River Colony - 1829 - Albany - 1826 - New Zealand - South Africa - Southeast Asia - Chinese - 19th century - White Australia Policy - 1890s - World War II - Europe - Italy - Yugoslavia - Russia - Greece - 1970s - Vietnamese

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