Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country and the world's smallest continent, situated between the Pacific and Indian oceans. It is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy, with the British monarch, currently Charles III, as the head of state, represented by the Governor-General.
The country was created on 1 January 1901 through the process of Federation, which united the six self-governing British colonies. This was enabled by the British Parliament passing the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 in July 1900. Federation solved the problem of disunity by creating a national government and a single Australian Constitution that divided law-making powers between the new federal Parliament and the former colonies, which became the states.
The Australian system of government is based on the Constitution, which establishes a bicameral Parliament consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The government is a responsible government, closely following the British model.
Australia's relationship with India has been significantly strengthened, connecting through a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), which was elevated in June 2020. Both nations are members of the Quad (Quadrilateral Security Dialogue) and the Commonwealth of Nations. A key recent development is the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), signed on 2 April 2022, which eliminated tariffs on over 85% of Australian goods exports to India. Furthermore, Australia's strategic focus has recently shifted from the "Asia Pacific" to the "Indo Pacific," reflecting the growing strategic convergence with India.