Australia

Australia is a representative democracy located in Oceania on Sahul Island, to the east of Agnibhumi and to the west of Austeroa. Prior to Dutch and British colonization, the region was inhabited by Aboriginal peoples for thousands of years. After the Dutch abandoned their settlements in the region, the British took control over some of those colonies, which were in the present-day Australian province of Queensland. In the early 1900s, Australia peacefully became an independent nation, though most people in Australia still speak English. The nation covers a variety of environments, from the red deserts far inland to the mountainous coast along the east coast to large forested areas in its west. Many natural and historical aspects of Australia play a role in Australian identity and culture.

Geography and wildlife
Australia has a variety of environments, hosting many animals and lifeforms that are unique to Oceania. In Australia's west, there are vast temperate forests, mostly concentrated near the rivers in Gibson province. This part of Australia has some of the most fertile soil in Oceania, due to the minerals which flow down the rivers from the mountains and because the soil is not washed away by ocean currents. The fertility of the soil has allowed for a large human population to be sustained in Gibson, and the province has since become the second most populated in Australia.

Much of Australia's interior is characterized by deserts and grassland savannas. Very few people live in these areas, but they are home to some of Oceania's most notable wildlife, such as the emu, dingo, and kangaroo. Due to a lack of human intervention in their habitats, these animals have thrived in Australia. Emus and kangaroos in particular have become major parts of Australian identity.

Australia's east coast is primarily characterized by its mountains and human settlements, and is the most populated region of the country. The area benefits greatly from the Australian sea current, which moves warm air and water from the equator to Australia's east coast. The island's eastern mountains then block the air and water, keeping them on the east coast; as a result, the region receives a disproportionate amount of precipitation compared to the rest of Australia. Most of the indigenous life in the region has been driven out due to the large human presence there.

In Australia's far south, particularly in Tasmania and Antica, the land is dominated by cold grasslands, and much of the Tasmanian mountainsides are completely barren. These areas do sustain some distinct life though, most notably the Tasmanian devil and the Antican penguin.

Pre-European colonization
Prior to colonization by the Dutch and British, the island was inhabited by Aboriginal peoples, who are believed to have first arrived there around 45,000 years ago. While there is not much early documentation of these peoples, it is known that they interacted peacefully with the Indian peoples of Agnibhumi when the nation was established in the 1300s. Agnibhumian documents from this time period indicate that the Aboriginal peoples mostly traded with Agnibhumi. Minor conflicts were also recorded too, most of them having been instigated by Agnibhumi.

Over time, trade with Agnibhumi gave Aboriginal peoples more advanced farming technology and weapons, which allowed some of them to settle in certain areas along the coast and other areas with fertile soil. For a time, there was a self-sustaining Gibson river valley nation made up of Aboriginal peoples, though this largely collapsed from internal tensions in the late 1600s.

Dutch and British colonization
From the 1600s to the 1800s, multiple European countries established colonies throughout Oceania. In Australia in particular, the Dutch and British competed for dominance. The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle on the island, setting up small ports along the island's southwest and northeast coasts in the 1770s. Shortly afterwards, the British established penal colonies in the 1780s, mainly along the southern and eastern coasts. The British centered their regional operations in the city of Sydney, while the Dutch centered theirs in Boorloo. Over the following decades, the two colonial powers competed for regional dominance, hoping to secure the whole island as a base for future explorations and a place to extract natural resources. Eventually, the Dutch abandoned their southwest settlements in 1846 due to Britain-sponsored sieges by Agnibhumi, and they gave away most of their northeast settlements to the Germans to resolve financial conflicts between the Netherlands and Germany. The remaining Dutch colony on the island, which encompassed present-day Nieuw Zeeland, was eventually given independence in the late 1800s.

Over the next few decades, the Australians created new settlements, largely centered around the coast and coastal mountains due to the harsh, inhospitable environments of much of Australia's deep interior. The British cooperated with the Agnibhumians to set claims for Agnibhumi and Australia, a move which was generally unpopular among the Australian populace as they had little say over such claims.

Industrial Revolution (1830s-1890s)
Much of the new technology developed near the start of the European Industrial Revolution was developed in Britain, which was very beneficial to Australia as the British controlled Australia at the time. As a result, Australians were able to import much of that technology at a relatively low price, and as early as the 1830s, steam engines started to be produced locally in Australia. Local manufacturing was promoted due to Australia's geographic distance from Europe. The materials used also had to be localized, as Australia's trees and soil was different from such in Europe.

Australia's industrialization was largely centered in its major port cities, mainly Bicheno, Sydney, and Melbourne. As much of the Australian populace was already centered in these cities, there was a large workforce which was able to work the factories. By the 1870s, Australia had become the largest industrialized country in Oceania, and their economy was bolstered as nearby countries and colonies bought industrial products from them. Australia became a preferred trade partner particularly with other European colonies in Oceania.

During this time, Australia also became much more self-sufficient, as new technology developed in Britain bolstered agricultural production in the rural areas. Most of this agriculture was centered around the east coast and the Murray River, as most of the savannah and interior of Australia was unsuitable for agriculture, especially large scale farming. The increased agricultural output of Australia led to it becoming a net exporter of agricultural goods by the 1880s.

Gaining independence (1890s-1926)
After negotiations with Britain, Australia was granted the ability to have its own independent government and judiciary, and given the status of a self-governing colony. On January 1st, 1901, Edmund Barton took office as the first Prime Minister of Australia, declaring Australia to be an independent nation. Britain still held some control over Australia's government though, mainly the ability to veto foreign policy decisions made by the Australian government. After extended discussion following the Great War, Australia was granted full independence on March 1st, 1926, under the rule of PM Stanley Bruce. The official date of independence that the Australian government recognizes is January 1st, 1901.

Gibson War and Great Depression (1928-1945)
In April 1928, the Australian government, under the leadership of PM Stanley Bruce, formally disavowed the claims set by the former British rulers, and set new claims which extended Australian land across much of the Gibson river valley. This was done amid a time of growing nationalism within Australia, a time in which the Industrial Revolution had made life easier and recent formalizations of full independence had brought confidence in Australian power to the people of Australia. These new claims sparked tension between Agnibhumi and Australia, which over the next several months culminated in Agnibhumi declaring war on Australia in November 1928. Bruce was subsequently elected out of office in 1929 due to his failure to avoid a war. Joseph Lyons, who succeeded Bruce as the PM of Australia, oversaw the Australian war effort during the Gibson War.

Neither country had adequately prepared militaries at the start of the war. The Great Depression, which started in late 1929 via the crashing of multiple western stock markets, further worsened the ability for the two countries to continue war efforts. As hundreds of thousands of Australians and Agnibhumians went unemployed in 1930, both governments struggled to continue paying for their militaries to keep going, and in 1932 an armistice was signed, ending the war. As Australia had taken the most territory in their claims over Gibson, they were granted nearly the whole river valley with some revisions from their original claims. Agnibhumi also gave away large swaths of what is now Tanami as a compromise in order to maintain control over the opening to the island's inner sea.

The Labor government, which was under the leadership of James Scullin, was left to dealt with the beginning of the Great Depression. The Scullin government made a series of efforts to mitigate the Depression's impact but had little effect, and by 1930 unemployment had reached 20%. The Labor party also experienced a split over what plan to take regarding the Depression, with Scullin and others taking a more moderate position and others like James Lyon taking a more fiscally conservative position. In 1932 unemployment reached a peak of 32% and Scullin was voted out by a wide margin, Lyons becoming PM with the backing of a large coalition.

Lyons promoted lowering tariffs, decreasing spending deficits, and maintaining the value of the Australian Pound. While his policies had some success over the long run, most experts agree that it was the recoveries made by other countries like Britain, which Australia still had a somewhat intertwined economy with, that helped Australia recover the most.

Demographics
Australia is one of the most highly urbanized countries in the world, with tall buildings dotting the skylines even of smaller cities. The vast majority of Australia's population is concentrated along the country's east coast and in Gibson province. As of 2016, the vast majority of Australians speak English, and a plurality identify ethnically as having origins in the British Isles. There is also a substantial amount of people who ethnically self-identify as Australian. Since its independence in 1901, Australia's population has nearly tripled in size. While a narrow majority of Australians self-identify as being a Christian of some sort, there is a sizeable non-religious and Hindu population.

Government
Australia's government is a representative democracy, in which local government officials and a national prime minister are democratically elected by their respective constituents. Once elected, those government officials will appoint a cabinet of people to assist them in their work. Elections take place once every two years, and there are no term limits in place for government positions.

Prior to becoming independent from Britain in 1901, Australia was ruled by several lords and dukes who lived in Britain. Though city councils and local governments were allowed to function, those lords and dukes, as well as the British monarch, were allowed to veto any decision made by them. This includes the ability to veto people from taking office in local governments, even if they were given such office via democratic vote among the local populace. This power was used frequently by the British in order to prevent revolutionaries from taking office.

National symbols
There are many cultural symbols throughout Australia, most of them based on nature but some of them also based on Aboriginal and British symbology. Australia's national animals are the red kangaroo and emu, both animals indigenous to Oceania. British symbols like the Union Jack are also used in Australian iconography, including some provincial flags.

Prominent national symbols include but are not limited to:


 * The Eureka Flag, the national flag of Australia
 * The Southern Cross, a constellation which appears in the night sky of the southern hemisphere
 * The Red Kangaroo, one of Australia's two national animals and a species of kangaroo which is indigenous to Oceania
 * The Emu, one of Australia's two national animals and a flightless bird unique to Oceania
 * The Union Jack, the flag of Australia's main colonizer, Britain
 * The Australian Hibiscus, the national flower of Australia which also appears on the flag of Gibson

Food
Dingo and sheep meat are commonly associated with the Australian diet, and while historically they were significant to such, Australians in the present day enjoy a much wider variety of food to choose from. Kangaroos and emus, the country's national animals, are expressly banned from being hunted or eaten.

Sports
Rugby and Football are popular sports in Australia, having become ingrained in the culture of the country. The country's official sports colors are blue, yellow, and green.

Inspiration

 * Detailed article about the Industrial Revolution in Australia
 * Decent but kinda short article on the Great Depression in Australia