Full Name Commonwealth of Australia Capital City Canberra Area 7,682,300 sq km 2,966,136 sq miles Population 19,500,000 Time Zone GMT/UTC +10 (Eastern Standard Time) GMT/UTC +9.5 (Central Time) GMT/UTC +8 (Western Time) Daylight Saving Start last Sunday in October (TAS first Sun) Daylight Saving End last Sunday in March Languages English (official) Australia is a multi-cultural country, so it's not unusual to walk down a city street and hear people speaking Italian, Greek, Lebanese, Vietnamese or Arabic as their first language. Aboriginal languages are also spoken. English-speaking Australians have a passion for abbreviations and are liable to use a hotchpotch of local slang that can take the first-time visitor a while to untangle. Religion Christian 67.4% (Catholic 26.4%, Anglican 20.5%, other Christian 20.5%), Buddhist 1.9%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 12.7, none 15.3% Currency Australian Dollar (A$) Electricity 220-240V 50Hz Electric Plug Details Australian-style plug with two flat angled blades and one vertical grounding blade Country Dialing Code 61 |