Australian states, territories + cities map

Interactive map for learning Australian states, internal territories, and major cities and settlements for geography students. Use the map to learn the names and locations of Australian places and then play the geography quiz.

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About the states and territories of Australia

Australia is made up of six states, three internal territories and seven external territories. Australia has a federal system of government and all of the states and internal territories have their own government and legislature. Internal territories recieve more federal government funding than states do, and have less political power in the senate.

States

New South Wales is in the southeast Australia, and is the fifth largest Australian state. New South Wales has a population of around 8 million people making it the most populous Australian state. Almost two thirds of people living in New South Wales live in Sydney. Mainland Australia's highest point, Mount Kosciuszko (2,229 m) is located in southern New South Wales.

Queensland is located in the north east of Australia. Queensland is Australia's second largest state by land area. Most of the population of Queensland live along the eastern coast, with Brisbane being the largest city as well as the capital of the state. Queensland is Australia's wettest state, and there is frequent flooding in the monsoon season. Fraser Island, the world's largest sand island, is located off the Queensland coast. Queensland's Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system.

South Australia is Australia's fourth largest state. It is also Australia's driest state with much of the land being desert or semi-arid outback, and with sparse population. The Murray River is the only significant permanent River in the whole state. Over three quarters of the population of South Australia live in or around the capital Adelaide.

The island state of Tasmania is the smallest Australian state, and the only state not to be located on the mainland. Tasmania is the 26th largest island in the world. The center of Tasmania is mountainous, and large areas of the island are forested. 42% of the land area of Tasmania is protected.

Victoria is located in southeast Australia, and is mainland Australia's most southern state. Victoria is the second most populous Australian state, and the most densely populated. The Great Dividing Range is the predominant geographical feature of the eastern half of Victoria. The northwestern and northern parts of the state are flat and semi-arid or arid.

Western Australia is the largest state in Australia, comprising almost one third of the Australian continent. Although the topography and climate of the regions of this large state varies enormously, most of the land in Western Australia is semi-arid or arid. Great deserts lie to the east of the state. Western Australia also contains large agricultural and forested regions.

Internal territories

Australian Capital Territory or ACT is a federal territory, and contains Canberra, Australia's capital city. Most ACT residents live in Canberra. Much of the area of the Australian Capital Territory is mountainous and forested, lying within parks and nature reserves.

Jervis Bay is a small Australian territory on the Tasman Sea coast that is surrounded by New South Wales. Jervis Bay was originally created as a port for Australian Capital Territory (ACT) but became a separate entity in 1989. Jervis Bay is a well-known beach destination and is known for its wildlife.

The Northern Territories is the 3rd largest of Australia's states and territories by land area. Northern Territories is relatively flat, with some notable ranges to the south. The northern part of the territory has much savanna, while the southern and central part is arid, and the location of great deserts. Uluru (Ayers Rock) is situated in the south of the Northern Territories. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders make up nearly a third of the population of the Northern Territories.

External territories

The Territory of Ashmore and Carter Islands lies 320 kms off the northwest of Australia in the Indian Ocean. The territory is made up of four islands, which are uninhabited.

The Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) is situated in East Antarctica and is the largest claim thatany county makes on Antarctica. Australia's claim to Antarctica was transferred from the UK in 1933, and the Australian claim to land in Antarctica is recognized by only four countries.

Christmas Island is an Australian external territory located in the Indian Ocean close. The small population of 1,843 is of varied ethnic origin. Around a sixth of the population speak Chinese as their first language and one sixth speak Malay as their first language. 63% of the island lies within a national park.

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands are an Australian external territory in the eastern Indian Ocean. The territory consists of 27 islands on two atolls. Most of the 600 people who live on the two inhabited islands are of Malay descent.

The Coral Sea Islands lie off the coast of Queensland, situated on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef. The territory has approximately 30 reefs and atolls. The only people living on the territory are the staff of a meteorological station.

The Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands are a group of islands in the Indian Ocean. Australia's two active volcanoes are in the territory, and Australia's highest mountain, Mawson Peak is on Heard Island. The territory is uninhabited.

The Territory of Norfolk Island lies in the Pacific Ocean and is comprised of Norfolk Island and two uninhabited islands. The population of Norfolk Island was 1,748 at the 2016 census. Around half of the population are of mixed European and Polynesian heritage, and are descendants of the sailors who took part in the mutiny of the Bounty.

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