australia

IPA/ɒsˈtreɪ.li.ə/
KK[ɔstrˈeljə]IPA/ɑːˈstreɪl.jə/

australia — noun

1. An independent country in the southwestern Pacific, taking up an entire continen

1.nounA2
Definition

An independent country in the southwestern Pacific, taking up an entire continent together with the nearby island of Tasmania. Its capital is Canberra, and about 26 million people live there, most of them along the eastern and southern coasts. English is the main language, and the country is a member of the Commonwealth.

Example

Élise spent a year studying at a university in Australia after she finished high school.

collocation: study in Australia (education context)

Defne flew from Istanbul to Australia to visit her brother in Sydney.

proper noun: a destination you travel to

Common collocations
  • the people of Australia
  • born in Australia
  • across Australia
Synonyms

Usage Note

Refers to the country as a political unit. Distinguish from sense 2, which names the continent as a geographic feature. In everyday speech the country meaning is far more common, and listeners will assume this sense unless the topic is geography.

Common Mistakes

The capital of Australia is Sydney.
The capital of Australia is Canberra; Sydney is the largest city.
Sydney is well known but is not the seat of government.

2. The smallest of the world's seven continents, lying south of Asia and entirely b

2.nounB1
Definition

The smallest of the world's seven continents, lying south of Asia and entirely below the Equator in the southern half of the world. It covers about 7.7 million square kilometres and is the only continent made up of a single country. Its centre is mostly dry desert, while the coasts are wetter and home to most of its plants and animals.

Example

Justin learned in school that Australia is the smallest of the seven continents.

subject in main clause; geography lesson

Many unusual animals such as kangaroos and koalas live only on the continent of Australia.

collocation: the continent of Australia

Common collocations
  • the continent of Australia
  • the centre of Australia
  • the coast of Australia
Synonyms

Usage Note

Refers to the continent as a physical landmass. Distinguish from sense 1, which names the country. The continent sense is most often used in geography, biology, or earth-science contexts, often paired with words like 'continent', 'landmass', or 'tectonic plate'.

Common Mistakes

Australia is part of Asia.
Australia is a separate continent south of Asia.
it sits on its own tectonic plate and is not part of the Asian landmass.

Word family

Common collocations

Nouns

  • the people of Australia
  • the coast of Australia
  • the centre of Australia

Phrases

  • a trip to Australia
  • born in Australia
  • live in Australia
  • move to Australia

Prepositions

  • in Australia
  • to Australia
  • from Australia
  • across Australia

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The name comes from the Latin phrase 'terra australis', meaning 'southern land'. European geographers used this label for hundreds of years for an imagined southern continent before they had even seen it. After British and Dutch sailors reached the real landmass, the explorer Matthew Flinders popularised the shorter form 'Australia' in the early 1800s, and the British government officially adopted it in 1824.