Australia hasn’t been part of the United Kingdom since 1901, when its six colonies formed the Commonwealth of Australia.
Like New Zealand, it is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, an organization of countries that were once part of the United Kingdom.
Queen Elizabeth II remains queen of Australia, even though her role is mainly symbolic.
Many Australians would like to see Australia change its government from the present form of a constitutional monarchy, with a prime minister, to that of a republic, with a president.
The name Australia comes from the Latin word “australis” which means “southern”, and is also referred to colloquially as Oz.
The earliest recorded use of the word Australia in English was in 1625, and was later was popularised by the explorer Matthew Flinders, who pushed for it to be formally adopted as early as 1804.
