Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia state flag	Western Australia coat of arms
State flag (In detail)	Coat of Arms (In detail)

Location of Western Australia

Capital

Perth

Area
— Land
— Marine
— Total

2 529 875 km²
115 740 km²
2 645 615 km²

Population (2002)
Density

1 934 500
0.76/km²

Time zone

UTC+8

Highest point

Mt Meharry (1 253 m)

ISO 3166-2 code:

AU-WA

Western Australia is Australia's largest state, covering the westernmost third of the mainland, bordering South Australia and the Northern Territory.

Table of contents

1 Geography
2 Economy
3 Media
4 Politics
5 See Also
6 External Links

Geography

The state capital is the city of Perth (population 1.3 million) on the south-western coastline, in whose metropolitan area a majority of the state's residents reside. Other centers include Kalgoorlie, Broome, Bunbury and Albany but they are really only medium-sized towns. The south-west coastal area is relatively temperate and forested, while the rest of the state is arid and lightly inhabited, becoming steadily warmer on its northern and north-western coastline.

Economy

Western Australia's economy is supported primarily by various mining industries, as well as some agriculture (notably large-scale beef farming) and forestry in the south-west.

The people of Western Australia are represented in a State Parliament located in the State capital city, Perth. This Parliament consists of two houses, the Legislative Assembly, often referred to as the lower House, and the Legislative Council, the upper House.

Media

Western Australia as a whole is served by one daily tabloid newspaper, The West Australian, and one Sunday tabloid newspaper, The Sunday Times.

Metropolitan Perth has six broadcast television stations, while regional Western Australia is served by four broadcast networks.

Politics

The party or coalition of parties holding a majority of seats in the lower house of Parliament forms the Government of Western Australia, and the leader of this party (or of the largest party in the coalition) becomes the Premier of Western Australia. The current Premier of Western Australia is Geoff Gallop, the state leader of the Australian Labor Party.

The Queen of Australia, Queen Elizabeth II, is represented in Western Australia by a Governor, currently John Sanderson. Acting in a largely ceremonial position, the Governor acts to approve legislation which has passed through Parliament. The Governor lives in the beautiful Government House in the heart of Perth City, surrounded by lush gardens.