View source for Western Australia

{{Short description|State of Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Use Australian English|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox political division
| name = Western Australia
| settlement_type = [[States and territories of Australia|State]]
| image_flag = Flag of Western Australia.svg
| flag_size = 130px
| flag_link = Flag of Western Australia
| image_seal = Western Australian Coat of Arms.svg
| seal_size = 130px
| seal_type = Coat of arms
| seal_link = Coat of arms of Western Australia
| motto     = 
| nickname  = {{hlist|The Wildflower State|The Golden State}}
| image_map = {{Australian state map|Map=Western Australia in Australia.svg|align=center|border=none|width=300px}}
| map_caption = Location of Western Australia in Australia<br />{{coord|26|S|121|E|type:adm1st_region:AU-WA|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = [[Australia]]
| established_title = Before federation
| established_date = [[Colony of Western Australia]]
| established_title2 = Established as the [[Swan River Colony]]
| established_date2 = 2 May 1829
| established_title3 = [[Responsible government]]
| established_date3 = 21 October 1890
| established_title4 = [[Federation of Australia|Federation]]
| established_date4 = 1 January 1901
| demonym = {{hlist|Western/West Australian|West Aussie|[[Sandgroper (insect)|Sandgroper]] (colloquial)}}
| capital      = [[Perth]]
| largest_city = capital
| coordinates = 
| admin_center_type = Administration
| admin_center  = [[Local government areas of Western Australia|139 local government areas]]
| leader_title1 = [[Monarchy of Australia|Monarch]]
| leader_name1  = {{Current Australian monarch |Charles III}}
| leader_title2 = [[Governor of Western Australia|Governor]]
| leader_name2  = [[Chris Dawson (governor)|Chris Dawson]]
| leader_title3 = [[Premier of Western Australia|Premier]]
| leader_name3 = [[Roger Cook (politician)|Roger Cook]] ([[Western Australian Labor Party|Labor]])
| legislature  = [[Parliament of Western Australia]]
| upper_house  = [[Western Australian Legislative Council|Legislative Council]]
| lower_house  = [[Western Australian Legislative Assembly|Legislative Assembly]]
| judiciary    = [[Supreme Court of Western Australia]] 
| national_representation = [[Parliament of Australia]]
| national_representation_type1 = [[Australian Senate|Senate]]
| national_representation1 = [[List of senators from Western Australia|12 senators]] (of 76)
| national_representation_type2 = [[House of Representatives (Australia)|House of Representatives]]
| national_representation2 = [[List of electoral divisions in Western Australia|16 seats]] (of 150)
| area_km2 = 2527013<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/national-location-information/dimensions/area-of-australia-states-and-territories | title=Area of Australia - States and Territories | date=27 June 2014 }}</ref>
| area_land_km2 = 
| area_water_km2 = 
| area_rank = 1st
| area_rank_link = States and territories of Australia#Statistics
| elevation_max_m = 1249
| elevation_max_point = [[Mount Meharry]]
| population_estimate = 3,008,700<ref name=ABSPop>{{cite web | url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/population/national-state-and-territory-population/dec-2024 | title=National, state and territory population, December 2024 &#124; Australian Bureau of Statistics | date=19 June 2025 }}</ref>
| population_estimate_rank = 4th
| population_rank_link = States and territories of Australia#Statistics
| population_estimate_year = December 2024
| population_density_km2 = 1.11
| population_density_sq_mi =
| population_density_rank = 7th
| population_density_rank_link = States and territories of Australia#Statistics
| GDP_nominal = {{AUD|377.257B|link=yes}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Western Australian Economic Notes – Gross State Product – 2021-22 |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/national-accounts/australian-national-accounts-state-accounts/2021-22-financial-year |access-date=16 September 2023 |archive-date=31 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831063352/https://www.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-12/gross-state-product-economic-notes-2019-20.pdf }}</ref>
| GDP_nominal_type = [[List of Australian states and territories by gross state product|GSP]]
| GDP_nominal_year = 2022
| GDP_nominal_rank = 4th
| GDP_nominal_rank_link = List of Australian states and territories by gross state product
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{AUD|135,320}}
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 1st
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank_link = List of Australian states and territories by gross state product
| HDI = 0.973<!--number only-->
| HDI_year = 2023<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year-->
| HDI_change = increase
| HDI_ref = <ref name="GlobalDataLab">{{cite web|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|title=Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab|website=hdi.globaldatalab.org|language=en|access-date=11 November 2025}}</ref>
| HDI_rank = 2nd
| HDI_rank_link = List of Australian states and territories by Human Development Index
| utc_offset_list = {{ublist|[[UTC+08:00]] ([[Australian Western Standard Time|AWST]])|[[UTC+08:45]] ([[Eucla, Western Australia|Eucla]], [[Cocklebiddy, Western Australia|Cocklebiddy]], [[Madura, Western Australia|Madura]], [[Mundrabilla, Western Australia|Mundrabilla]]; DST not observed)}}
| calling_code = 
| postal_code_type = [[Postcodes in Australia#Allocation|Postal abbreviation]]
| postal_code = WA
| website = {{URL|wa.gov.au}}
| iso_code = [[ISO 3166-2:AU|AU–WA]]
{{Infobox place symbols| embedded=Yes
| mammal   = [[Numbat]]<br />''(Myrmecobius fasciatus)''
| bird     = [[Black swan]]<br />''(Cygnus atratus)''
| fish     = [[Whale shark]]<br />''(Rhincodon typus)''
| flower   = [[Anigozanthos manglesii|Red and green kangaroo paw]]<br />''(Anigozanthos manglesii)''
| fossil = [[Mcnamaraspis kaprios|Gogo fish]]<br />''(Mcnamaraspis kaprios)''
| colour    = Black and gold
}}
|pushpin_map_alt=[[States and territories of Australia|State]]
}}

'''Western Australia''' ('''WA''') is the westernmost [[States and territories of Australia|state]] of [[Australia]]. It is bounded by the [[Indian Ocean]] to the north and west, the [[Southern Ocean]] to the south, the [[Northern Territory]] to the north-east, and [[South Australia]] to the south-east. Western Australia is Australia's largest state, with a land area of {{convert|2527013|km2}},<ref name="ga20" /> and is also the [[List of first-level administrative divisions by area|second-largest subdivision]] of any country on Earth.{{efn|Surpassed only by the [[Sakha Republic]] in eastern Russia, and formerly [[Northwest Territories]] in Canada, before the creation of [[Nunavut]]. It is also the largest proper subnational entity, being a state rather than a territory or an autonomous region.}}

Western Australia has a diverse range of climates, including tropical conditions in the [[Kimberley (Western Australia)|Kimberley]], deserts in the interior (including the [[Great Sandy Desert]], [[Little Sandy Desert]], [[Gibson Desert]], and [[Great Victoria Desert]]) and a [[Mediterranean climate]] on the south-west and southern coastal areas. {{As of|2024|June|post=,}} the state has 2.965&nbsp;million inhabitants—10.9 percent of the national total.<ref>{{Cite web|date=22 March 2024|title=National, state and territory population, March 2024 {{!}} Australian Department of Treasury|url=https://www.wa.gov.au/organisation/department-of-treasury/population}}</ref> Over 90 percent of the state's population live in the [[South-West Land Division|south-west corner]] and around 80 percent live in the state capital [[Perth]],<ref name=ABSCapitalPop/> leaving the remainder of the state sparsely populated. The [[Trans-Australian Railway]] and the [[Eyre Highway]] traverse the [[Nullarbor Plain]] in the state's south-east, providing the principal connection between Western Australia and the population centres in the [[Eastern states of Australia|eastern states]].

Western Australia's [[Aboriginal cultures of Western Australia|Indigenous peoples]] have been present for tens of thousands of years. Dutch explorers visited Western Australia from the 17th century, with [[Dirk Hartog]]'s 1616 expedition the first Europeans to make landfall. The British claimed Western Australia in 1827 and established the [[Swan River Colony]] with Perth as its capital in 1829. The [[Western Australian gold rushes]] of the late 19th century resulted in a significant population influx. The colony was granted [[responsible government]] in 1890, the last of the Australian colonies to become self-governing, and [[Federation of Australia|federated]] with the other colonies in 1901.

Western Australia's [[Mining in Western Australia|mining sector]] is a key driver of the [[Economy of Western Australia|state economy]]. The late 20th century saw the development of the state's significant [[Iron ore mining in Western Australia|iron ore mining industry]] – the world's largest – as well as primarily offshore [[Petroleum industry in Western Australia|petroleum and natural gas resources]]. [[Gold mining in Western Australia|Gold mining]] retains a significant presence and many other mineral commodities are mined, with Perth being a major centre for associated services. Outside of mining, primary industry is the other significant contributor to the state's economy, including agriculture in the [[Wheatbelt (Western Australia)|Wheatbelt]] and temperate southern coastal regions, [[List of pastoral leases in Western Australia|pastoralism]] in marginal grassland areas, [[Forests of Australia|forestry]] in the south-west and fishing (including [[Pearling in Western Australia|pearling]] and, historically, [[Whaling in Western Australia|whaling]]).

==History==
{{Main|History of Western Australia}}
{{See also|French Western Australia}}

Western Australia has a geological history dating back to 4.4 billion years ago when [[Hadean zircon]]s were formed. The earliest direct known life on land, known as [[stromatolite]]s, started to be created by microbes at around 3.48 billion years ago.

The first human inhabitants of Australia arrived from the north "over 50,000 years ago and possibly as much as 70,000 years ago".<ref name="men22">{{cite Q |Q127496561 |mode=cs1 |url-status=live |access-date=2024-05-19 }}</ref>{{rp|5}} Over thousands of years they eventually spread across the whole landmass.{{cn |date=June 2024}} These [[Indigenous Australians]] were long established throughout Western Australia by the time European explorers began to arrive in the early 17th century.

[[File:Hessel Gerritsz - Malay Archipelago and Australia.jpg|thumb|right|Map first drawn in 1618 by [[Hessel Gerritsz]], 12 years after [[Janszoon voyage of 1605–1606|Europeans first encountered]] the Australian mainland,<ref name="huy95" /> showing the charted coast of Australia. Chartings after 1618, for example by [[François Thijssen]] in 1627, were added to the engraved plate between 1628 and 1632.<ref name="ger18">{{cite web |title=Chart of the Malay Archipelago and the Dutch discoveries in Australia |last=Gerritsz |first=Hessel |author1-link=Hessel Gerritsz |others=Octroy Vande H.M. Heeren de Staten Generael der Vereenichde Neerlanden. The discoveries after 1618 were added to the engraved plate between 1628 and 1632 |publisher=Hessel Gerritsz |location=Amsterdam |year=1618–1638 |url=https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-231306238/view |via=Trove |access-date=3 August 2020 }}</ref>]]

The first Europeans to visit Western Australia were those of the Dutch [[Dirk Hartog]] expedition, who on 25 October 1616 landed at what is now known as Cape Inscription, [[Dirk Hartog Island]]. For the rest of the 17th century, [[European maritime exploration of Australia|other Dutch and British navigators]] encountered the coast of what [[Abel Tasman]] named [[New Holland (Australia)|New Holland]] in 1644, usually unintentionally as demonstrated by the many shipwrecks along the coast of ships that deviated from the [[Brouwer Route]] (because of poor navigation and storms).<ref>{{cite journal |last=Green |first=J.N. |date=1977 |title=Australia's oldest wreck: The Loss of the Trial, 1622 |url=http://museum.wa.gov.au/maritime-archaeology-db/sites/default/files/no._278_trial_bar_1977_0.pdf |journal=British Archaeological Reports, Supplementary Series |volume=27 |location=Oxford}}</ref> By the late 18th century, British and French sailors had begun to explore the Western Australian coast. The [[Baudin expedition to Australia|Baudin expedition]] of 1800–03 included the coast of Western Australia and resulted in the [[Freycinet Map of 1811]], the first published map featuring the full outline of Australia. The name New Holland remained in popular and semi-official use until at least the mid-1850s; that is, it was in use for about {{#expr: 1850 - 1644}} years in comparison to the name Australia which to date has been in use for about {{#expr: floor( ( {{CURRENTJULIANDAY}} - {{JULIANDAY|1829}} ) / 365.25 ) }} years.<ref name="wayb79" />{{rp|11}}

[[File:Thevenot - Hollandia Nova detecta 1644.png|thumb |left |[[Melchisédech Thévenot]]'s ''Hollandia Nova—Terre Australe'' in his travel anthology ({{langx|fr|link=no|Relations de divers voyages curieux}}) published in 1664,<ref name="the64" /> and which seems to be a copy of ''Archipelagus Orientalis sive Asiaticus'' by [[Joan Blaeu]] in the ''Atlas of the Great Elector'' ({{langx|de|link=no|Atlas des Großen Kurfürsten}}) from 1659.<ref name="bla59" /> The latitude staff depicted by Thévenot falls along the ''Zaragoza antimeridian'' from the [[Treaty of Zaragoza]] of 1529 between [[Crown of Castile|Castile]] and [[Portugal]], and which complemented the ''Tordesillas meridian'' from the [[Treaty of Tordesillas]] of 1494.]]

The origins of the present state began with the establishment by Lockyer<ref name="Western Australia Foundation"/> of a convict-supported settlement from [[New South Wales]] at [[King George Sound|King George III Sound]]. The settlement was formally annexed on 21 January 1827 by Lockyer when he commanded the [[Union Jack]] be raised and a [[feu de joie]] fired by the troops. The settlement was founded in response to British concerns about the possibility of a French colony being established on the coast of Western Australia.<ref name="Western Australia Foundation"/> On 7 March 1831 it was transferred to the control of the Swan River Colony,<ref name=knibbs/> and named [[Albany, Western Australia|Albany]] in 1832.

In 1829 the [[Swan River Colony]] was established on the Swan River by Captain [[James Stirling (Australian governor)|James Stirling]]. By 1832, the British settler population of the colony had reached around 1,500, and the official name of the colony was changed to Western Australia on 6 February that year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://poi-australia.com.au/swan-river-colony-proclaimed/|title=Swan River Colony Proclaimed|date=2 May 1829|publisher=POI Australia|language=English|accessdate=13 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://statelibrarynsw.tumblr.com/post/156855938896/on-this-day-6th-february-1832-the-swan-river|title=On this day, 6th February 1832|newspaper=State Library of New South Wales|language=English|accessdate=13 February 2021}}</ref> The two separate townsites of the colony developed slowly into the port city of [[Fremantle]] and the state's capital, [[Perth]]. [[York, Western Australia|York]] was the first inland settlement in Western Australia, situated {{convert|97|km}} east of Perth and settled on 16 September 1831. York was the staging point for early explorers who discovered the rich gold reserves of Kalgoorlie.

Population growth was very slow until significant discoveries of gold were made in the 1890s around [[Kalgoorlie]].

[[File:John Forrest 1898.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[John Forrest]] was the first Premier of Western Australia.]]

In 1887, a new constitution was drafted, providing for the right of self-governance of European Australians, and in 1890, the act granting [[self-governing colony|self-government]] to the colony was passed by the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|British Parliament]]. [[John Forrest]] became the first [[Premier of Western Australia]].

In 1896, after discoveries of gold at [[Coolgardie, Western Australia|Coolgardie]] and [[Kalgoorlie]], the [[Western Australian Parliament]] authorised the raising of a loan to construct a [[Pipeline transport|pipeline]] to transport {{convert|5|e6impgal|ML|order=flip|abbr=off}} of water per day to the burgeoning population on the goldfields. The pipeline, known as the [[Goldfields Water Supply Scheme]], was completed in 1903. [[C. Y. O'Connor|{{thinspace|C. Y.}} O'Connor]], Western Australia's first engineer-in-chief, designed and oversaw the construction of the pipeline. It carries water {{convert|530|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Perth to [[Kalgoorlie]], and is attributed by historians as an important factor driving the state's population and economic growth.<ref>{{cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |id2=oconnor-charles-yelverton-7874 |title=Charles Yelverton O'Connor (1843–1902) |author=Tauman, Merab Harris  |year=1988 |pages=51–54 |access-date=8 August 2025}}</ref>

Following a campaign led by Forrest, electors of the colony of Western Australia voted in favour of [[Federation of Australia|federation]] with the five other Australian colonies, resulting in Western Australia officially becoming a state on 1 January 1901.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hawkins |first1=John Robert |title=John Forrest: Four times treasurer |url=https://treasury.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-03/08_John_Forrest.pdf |publisher=University of Canberra |access-date=3 May 2023 |date=2007}}</ref>

==="West Australia"===
[[File:2shillingsWestAustralia.jpg|thumb|upright|"West Australia" on a 1902 stamp]]
"West Australia" and its related demonym "West Australian" are occasionally used, including in the names of the main daily newspaper, ''[[The West Australian]]'', and the state-based [[West Australian Football League]], but are rarely used in an official sense. The terms "[[Westralia (disambiguation)|Westralia]]" and "Westralian" were regularly used in the 19th and 20th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://henrietta.liswa.wa.gov.au/search/?searchtype=X&SORT=D&searcharg=westralia&searchscope=2&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&submit=Submit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111109143420/http://henrietta.liswa.wa.gov.au/search/?searchtype=X&SORT=D&searcharg=westralia&searchscope=2&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&submit=Submit |archive-date=9 November 2011 |title=SLWA Online Catalogue /Entire Sta |website=Henrietta.liswa.wa.gov.au |access-date=2 November 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/result?q=westralia|title=Search results for 'westralia' – Trove|website=Trove.nla.gov.au|access-date=16 September 2015}}</ref> The terms are still found in the names of certain companies and buildings, e.g. Westralia House in Perth, the [[skyscraper]] Westralia Square on [[St Georges Terrace]], and Westralia Airports Corporation, which operates [[Perth Airport]], as well as in the names of several ships.<ref>{{cite web |title=SLWA Online Catalogue /Entire Sta |url=http://henrietta.liswa.wa.gov.au/record=b2140613~S2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111109135900/http://henrietta.liswa.wa.gov.au/record=b2140613~S2 |archive-date=9 November 2011 |website=Henrietta.liswa.wa.gov.au |access-date=2 November 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=SLWA Online Catalogue /Entire Sta |url=http://henrietta.liswa.wa.gov.au/record=b1791098~S2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111109141500/http://henrietta.liswa.wa.gov.au/record=b1791098~S2 |archive-date=9 November 2011 |website=Henrietta.liswa.wa.gov.au |access-date=2 November 2012 }}</ref>

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Western Australia}}
Western Australia is bounded to the east nominally by longitude 129°E, the meridian 129 degrees east of Greenwich, although the actual border with South Australia and the [[Northern Territory]] (as surveyed and marked or otherwise indicated on the ground) deviates from 129° east and is not a single straight line,<ref>{{cite conference |title=Longitude 129 degrees east, and why it is not the longest, straight line in the world |last=Porter |first=John R. |date=31 March – 6 April 1990 |conference=32nd Australian Surveyors Congress |publisher=Institution of Surveyors Australia |location=Canberra |pages=18–24 |url=https://www.xnatmap.org/adnm/docs/1genmap/sgcnr/1porter.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220109181904/https://www.xnatmap.org/adnm/docs/1genmap/sgcnr/1porter.pdf |archive-date=2022-01-09 |access-date=2022-09-15 |oclc=220695231 }}</ref> and bounded by the Indian Ocean to the west and north. The [[International Hydrographic Organization]] (IHO) designates the [[Australia and the Southern Ocean|body of water south of the continent]] as part of the Indian Ocean; in Australia it is officially gazetted as the [[Southern Ocean]].{{efn|In Australia, the [[Southern Ocean|body of water south of the continent]] is officially gazetted as the [[Southern Ocean]], whereas the [[International Hydrographic Organization]] (IHO) designates it as part of the Indian Ocean.<ref name="iho53" /><ref name="Canberra all at sea"/>}}<ref name="iho53">{{cite book |title=Limits of Oceans and Seas |year=1953 |edition=3rd |url=http://www.iho.shom.fr/publicat/free/files/S23_1953.pdf |series=Special Publication No. 23 |publisher=International Hydrographic Organization |location=Monte Carlo |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007114205/http://www.iho.shom.fr/publicat/free/files/S23_1953.pdf |archive-date=7 October 2009 |access-date=24 September 2021 }}</ref><ref name="Canberra all at sea">{{cite news |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/canberra-all-at-sea-over-position-of-southern-ocean-20031222-gdwzeb.html |title=Canberra all at sea over position of Southern Ocean|date=22 December 2003 |newspaper=[[The Age]] |access-date=29 January 2025 |oclc=224683742}}</ref>

The total length of the [[Border of Western Australia|state's eastern border]] is {{convert|1862|km|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ga.gov.au/education/facts/dimensions/borders.htm |title=State And Territory Borders|publisher=Geoscience Australia |date=11 September 2007|access-date=25 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071128113204/http://www.ga.gov.au/education/facts/dimensions/borders.htm |archive-date=28 November 2007}}</ref> There are {{convert|20781|km|0|abbr=on}} of coastline, including {{convert|7892|km|0|abbr=on}} of island coastline.<ref>{{cite web |date=18 November 2010 |title=Coastline Lengths |url=http://www.ga.gov.au/education/geoscience-basics/dimensions/coastline-lengths.html |publisher=Geoscience Australia |access-date=21 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122025201/http://www.ga.gov.au/education/geoscience-basics/dimensions/coastline-lengths.html |archive-date=22 January 2011}}</ref> The total land area occupied by the state is {{convert|2.5|e6km2|e3mi2|abbr=unit}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=Area of States and Territories |url=http://www.ga.gov.au/education/facts/dimensions/areadime.htm |publisher=Geoscience Australia |date=31 August 2005 |access-date=25 September 2008 |archive-date=30 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080730134442/http://www.ga.gov.au/education/facts/dimensions/areadime.htm}}</ref>

===Geology===
The bulk of Western Australia consists of the extremely old [[Yilgarn craton]] and [[Pilbara craton]] which merged with the [[Deccan Plateau]] of India, [[Madagascar]] and the [[Kaapvaal craton|Kaapvaal]] and [[Zimbabwe]] cratons of Southern Africa, in the [[Archean]] Eon to form [[Ur (continent)|Ur]], one of the oldest [[supercontinent]]s on Earth (3–3.2 &nbsp;billion years ago). In May 2017, evidence of the [[Earliest known life forms|earliest known life]] [[Evolutionary history of life#Colonization of land|on land]] may have been found in 3.48-billion-year-old [[geyserite]] and other related mineral deposits (often found around [[hot spring]]s and [[geyser]]s) uncovered in the Pilbara craton.<ref name="PO-20170509">{{cite news |title=Oldest evidence of life on land found in 3.48-billion-year-old Australian rocks |url=https://phys.org/news/2017-05-oldest-evidence-life-billion-year-old-australian.html |date=9 May 2017 |website=[[Phys.org]] |access-date=13 May 2017 }}</ref><ref name="NC-20170509">{{cite journal |last1=Djokic |first1=Tara |last2=Van Kranendonk |first2=Martin J. |last3=Campbell |first3=Kathleen A. |last4=Walter |first4=Malcolm R. |last5=Ward |first5=Colin R. |title=Earliest signs of life on land preserved in ca. 3.5 Ga hot spring deposits |date=9 May 2017 |journal=[[Nature Communications]] |volume=8 |article-number=15263 |doi=10.1038/ncomms15263 |pmid=28486437 |pmc=5436104 |bibcode=2017NatCo...815263D }}</ref>

Because the only [[orogeny|mountain-building]] since then has been of the [[Stirling Range]] with the rifting from [[Antarctica]], the land is extremely eroded and ancient, with no part of the state above 1,249 metres (4,098&nbsp;ft) [[Australian Height Datum|AHD]] (at [[Mount Meharry]] in the [[Hamersley Range]] of the [[Pilbara]] region). Most of the state is a low plateau with an average elevation of about 400 metres (1,200&nbsp;ft), very low relief, and no [[surface runoff]]. This descends relatively sharply to the coastal plains, in some cases forming a sharp escarpment (as with the Darling Range/[[Darling Scarp]] near Perth).

[[File:WAHighways.png|thumb|right|Western Australian cities, towns, settlements and [[List of highways in Western Australia|road network]].]]

The extreme age of the landscape has meant that the soils are remarkably infertile and frequently [[laterite|laterised]]. Even soils derived from [[granite|granitic]] [[bedrock]] contain an order of magnitude less available [[phosphorus]] and only half as much [[nitrogen]] as soils in comparable climates in other continents. Soils derived from extensive sandplains or [[ironstone]] are even less fertile, nearly devoid of soluble phosphate and deficient in [[zinc]], copper, [[molybdenum]] and sometimes [[potassium]] and [[calcium]].

The infertility of most of the soils has required heavy application by farmers of fertilisers. These have resulted in damage to [[invertebrate]] and bacterial populations.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}} The grazing and use of hoofed mammals and, later, heavy machinery through the years have resulted in [[soil compaction|compaction of soils]] and great damage to the fragile soils.

Large-scale land clearing for agriculture has damaged habitats for native flora and fauna. As a result, the [[Southwest Australia|South West region]] of the state has a higher concentration of rare, threatened or endangered flora and fauna than many areas of Australia, making it one of the world's biodiversity "hot spots". Large areas of the state's wheatbelt region have problems with [[Soil salinity control|dryland salinity]] and the loss of fresh water.

===Climate===
[[File:Western Australia Köppen.svg|left|thumb|[[Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate types]] in Western Australia]]
The [[Southwest corner of Western Australia|southwest coastal area]] has a [[Mediterranean climate]]. It was originally heavily forested, including large stands of [[karri]], one of the [[List of tallest trees|tallest trees]] in the world.<ref>{{cite web |title=Climate of Western Australia |publisher=Bureau of Meteorology |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/levelthree/ausclim/ausclimwa.htm |access-date=6 December 2009 |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20090317054300/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/96122/20090317-1643/www.bom.gov.au/lam/climate/levelthree/ausclim/ausclimwa.html |archive-date=17 March 2009}} {{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> This agricultural region is one of the nine most bio-diverse terrestrial habitats, with a higher proportion of [[endemic species]] than most other equivalent regions<!-- In Australia or in the world? -->. Thanks to the offshore [[Leeuwin Current]], the area is one of the top six regions for marine biodiversity and contains the most southerly [[coral reef]]s in the world.

Average annual rainfall varies from 300 millimetres (12&nbsp;in) at the edge of the [[Wheatbelt (Western Australia)|Wheatbelt]] region to 1,400 millimetres (55&nbsp;in) in the wettest areas near [[Northcliffe, Western Australia|Northcliffe]], but from November to March, evaporation exceeds rainfall, and it is generally very dry. Plants are adapted to this as well as the extreme poverty of all soils.

The central two-thirds of the state is [[arid]] and sparsely inhabited. The only significant economic activity is mining. Annual rainfall averages less than 300 millimetres (8–10&nbsp;in), most of which occurs in sporadic torrential falls related to cyclone events in summer.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/jsp/ncc/climate_averages/rainfall/index.jsp |title=Average annual, seasonal and monthly rainfall |publisher=Commonwealth of Australia, Bureau of Meteorology |date=26 October 2011 |access-date=1 June 2014 }}</ref>

An exception to this is the northern tropical regions. The [[Kimberley (Western Australia)|Kimberley]] has an extremely hot [[Australian monsoon|monsoonal climate]] with average annual rainfall ranging from 500 to 1,500 millimetres (20–60&nbsp;in), but there is a very long almost rainless season from April to November. Eighty-five percent of the state's [[runoff (water)|runoff]] occurs in the Kimberley, but because it occurs in violent floods and because of the insurmountable poverty of the generally shallow soils, the only development has taken place along the [[Ord River]].

Snow is rare in the state and typically occurs only in the [[Stirling Range]] near [[Albany, Western Australia|Albany]], as it is the only mountain range far enough south and sufficiently elevated. More rarely, snow can fall on the nearby [[Porongurup National Park|Porongurup Range]]. Snow outside these areas is a major event; it usually occurs in hilly areas of southwestern Australia. The most widespread low-level snow occurred on 26 June 1956 when snow was reported in the [[Perth Hills]], as far north as [[Wongan Hills, Western Australia|Wongan Hills]] and as far east as [[Salmon Gums, Western Australia|Salmon Gums]]. However, even in the Stirling Range, snowfalls rarely exceed {{convert|5|cm|0|abbr=on}} and rarely settle for more than one day.<ref>[http://www.feargod.net/wa-snow1.php Snow in Western Australia: About Snow in WA] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511051459/http://www.feargod.net/wa-snow1.php |date=11 May 2011 }}. Retrieved 4 February 2007.</ref>

The highest observed temperature of 50.7&nbsp;°C (123.3&nbsp;°F) was recorded in [[Onslow, Western Australia|Onslow]] on 13 January 2022.<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-59977193|title=Australia equals hottest day on record at 50.7C |publisher=BBC |date=13 January 2022 |access-date=13 January 2022 }}</ref> The lowest temperature recorded was −7.2&nbsp;°C (19.0&nbsp;°F) at [[Eyre Bird Observatory]] on 17 August 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/extreme/records/national.pdf|title=Rainfall and Temperature Records: National|publisher=[[Bureau of Meteorology]]|access-date=14 November 2009}}</ref>

The [[South Geomagnetic Pole|south geomagnetic pole]] is currently tilted 10 degrees away from the [[South Pole]] towards Western Australia, allowing for [[aurora australis]] displays as far north as [[Geraldton]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Logan |first1=Tyne |title=Southern lights events expected to increase over next two years as sun reaches solar maximum |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-30/southern-lights-events-increase-australia/102281398 |newspaper=ABC News |date=29 April 2023 |access-date=9 December 2023}}</ref>

{{Weather box
|location = Western Australia
|metric first = Yes
|single line = Yes
|Jan record high C = 50.7
|Feb record high C = 50.5
|Mar record high C = 48.1
|Apr record high C = 45.0
|May record high C = 40.6
|Jun record high C = 37.8
|Jul record high C = 38.3
|Aug record high C = 41.6
|Sep record high C = 43.1
|Oct record high C = 46.9
|Nov record high C = 48.0
|Dec record high C = 49.8
|Jan record low C = 0.9
|Feb record low C = 0.5
|Mar record low C = -0.8
|Apr record low C = -2.2
|May record low C = -5.6
|Jun record low C = -6.0
|Jul record low C = -6.7
|Aug record low C = -7.2
|Sep record low C = -5.1
|Oct record low C = -5.0
|Nov record low C = -2.1
|Dec record low C = 0.0
|source = [[Bureau of Meteorology]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Australian Daily Extremes Table |url=http://www.bom.gov.au/cgi-bin/climate/extremes/monthly_extremes.cgi?area=wa |website=Bureau of Meteorology |access-date=25 November 2020}}</ref>
|date=November 2020
| source 2 = <ref name="BBC" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://x.com/Hitchy04/status/1828008763800113360|title=x.com|work=X (formerly Twitter) }}</ref>{{full citation needed |date=January 2025}}
}}

===Flora and fauna===
[[File:RottnestQuokka.jpg|alt=|thumb|A [[quokka]] on [[Rottnest Island]]]]
[[File:Black Swans.jpg|thumb|right|upright|The [[black swan]] is the state bird of Western Australia]]
Western Australia is home to around [[List of Western Australian birds|630 species of birds]] (depending on the taxonomy used). Of these around 15 are [[endemic species|endemic]] to the state. The best areas for birds are the southwestern corner of the state and the area around Broome and the Kimberley.

The [[Flora of Western Australia]] comprises 10,162 published native [[vascular plant]] species, along with a further 1,196 species currently recognised but unpublished. They occur within 1,543 [[genus|genera]] from 211 [[Family (biology)|families]]; there are also 1,276 naturalised alien or [[invasive plant]] species, more commonly known as weeds.<ref>{{cite web|title=2016 Vascular Flora Statistics|publisher=Flora Base |url=https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/statistics/|access-date=3 June 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=New linear systematic sequence for vascular plants |publisher=Flora Base |url=https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/articles/sequence/sequence |access-date=3 June 2017|archive-date=15 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215190326/https://florabase.dpaw.wa.gov.au/articles/sequence/sequence}}</ref> In the southwest region are some of the largest numbers of plant species for its area in the world. 

Western Australia's [[ecoregion]]s include the sandstone gorges of [[Kimberley tropical savanna|the Kimberley]] on the northern coast, and below that the drier [[Victoria Plains tropical savanna]] inland, and the semi-desert [[Pilbara shrublands]], [[Carnarvon xeric shrublands]], and [[Western Australian mulga shrublands]] to the southwest. Southwards along the coast are the [[Southwest Australia savanna]] and the [[Swan Coastal Plain]] around Perth, with the [[Warren bioregion|Jarrah-Karri forest and shrublands]] on the southwest corner of the coast around the [[Margaret River]] wine-growing area. Going east along the Southern Ocean coast is the [[Goldfields-Esperance]] region, including the [[Esperance mallee]] and the [[Coolgardie woodlands]] inland around town of [[Coolgardie]]. Deserts occupy the interior, including the [[Great Sandy-Tanami desert]], [[Gibson Desert]], [[Great Victoria Desert]], and [[Nullarbor Plain]].

In 1831, Scottish botanist [[Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)|Robert Brown]] produced a scientific paper, titled ''[[General view of the botany of the vicinity of Swan River]]''. It discusses the vegetation of the [[Swan River Colony]].<ref>{{cite book | author = Diels, Ludwig |translator=Carr, D. J. | year = 1981 | chapter = Extra-tropical Western Australia | pages = 47–78 | editor1 = Carr, D. J. | editor2=Carr, S. G. M. | title = People and plants in Australia | publisher = Academic Press Australia | isbn = 978-0-12-160720-3}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{See also|Demographics of Australia}}
[[File:Perth (AU), Elizabeth Quay -- 2019 -- 0259.jpg|thumb |The metropolitan area of Western Australia's capital and largest city, [[Perth]], is home to more than 80% of the state's population.]]
[[File:Western Australia population T.svg|upright|thumb|left|Population growth 1829–2010]]

Europeans began to settle permanently in 1826 when [[Albany, Western Australia|Albany]] was claimed by Britain to forestall French claims to the western third of the continent. Perth was founded as the [[Swan River Colony]] in 1829 by British and Irish settlers, though the outpost languished. Its officials eventually requested [[Convictism in Australia|convict]] labour to augment its population. By the time [[Penal transportation|transportation]] ceased in 1868, convicts outnumbered free settlers 9,700 to 7,300.<ref name="nma23">{{cite web |title=Founding of Perth |date=2023-05-04 |website=National Museum of Australia, Government of Australia |url=https://www.nma.gov.au/defining-moments/resources/founding-of-perth |access-date=2024-06-16 |quote=Between 1850 and 1868 around 10,000 British convicts arrived at the colony. By 1868 the total population was 17,000, with convicts outnumbering settlers, 9700 to 7300. }}</ref> In the 1890s, interstate immigration, resulting from a mining boom in the [[Goldfields-Esperance|Goldfields region]], resulted in a sharp population increase.

Western Australia did not receive significant flows of [[Immigration to Australia|immigrants]] from Britain, Ireland or elsewhere in the [[British Empire]] until the early 20th century. At that time, its local projects—such as the [[Group Settlement Scheme]] of the 1920s, which encouraged farmers to settle the southwest—increased awareness of Australia's western third as a destination for colonists.

Led by immigrants from the British Isles, Western Australia's population developed at a faster rate during the twentieth century than it had previously. After [[World War II]], both the eastern states and Western Australia received large numbers of [[Italian Australian|Italians]], [[Croatian Australian|Croatians]] and [[Macedonian Australians|Macedonians]]. Despite this, Britain has contributed the greatest number of immigrants to this day. Western Australia—particularly Perth—has the highest proportion of British-born of any state: 10.3% in 2011, compared to a national average of 5.1%. This group is heavily concentrated in certain parts, where they account for a quarter of the population.<ref name=abs_2011>{{cite web|title=Country of Birth |url=http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/3105.0.65.0012014?OpenDocument |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |access-date=27 October 2014|format=xls|date=1 October 2014}}</ref>

{{further|List of places in Western Australia by population}}
Perth's metropolitan area (including [[Mandurah]]) had an estimated population of 2,043,138<ref name=ABSCapitalPop>{{cite web |title=3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2016–17: Main Features|publisher=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] |url=http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/3218.0Main+Features12016-17 |date=24 April 2018|access-date=13 October 2018}} Estimated resident population, 30 June 2017.</ref> in June 2017 (79% of the state). Other significant population centres include [[Bunbury, Western Australia|Bunbury]] (73,989),<ref name=ABSSUA>{{cite web|title=3218.0 – Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2016–17: Population Estimates by Significant Urban Area, 2007 to 2017|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/3218.02016-17|publisher=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]]|date=24 April 2018 |access-date=12 October 2018}} Estimated resident population, 30 June 2017.</ref> [[Geraldton]] (37,961),<ref name=ABSSUA/> [[Kalgoorlie-Boulder]] (30,420),<ref name=ABSSUA/> [[Albany, Western Australia|Albany]] (33,998),<ref name=ABSSUA/> [[Karratha]] (16,446),<ref name=ABSSUA/> [[Broome, Western Australia|Broome]] (14,501)<ref name=ABSSUA/> and [[Port Hedland, Western Australia|Port Hedland]] (14,285).<ref name=ABSSUA/>

===Ancestry and immigration===
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right;"
|+Country of birth (2016)<ref name="quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au">{{cite web |title=2016 Census Community Profiles: Western Australia |url=https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/communityprofile/5?opendocument |website=quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au |access-date=22 June 2019 |archive-date=13 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313164658/https://quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/communityprofile/5?opendocument}}</ref><ref name="censusdata.abs.gov.au">{{cite web |title=2016 – Census Output |url=http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/CensusOutput/copsub2016.NSF/All%20docs%20by%20catNo/2016~Community%20Profile~5/$File/GCP_5.zip?OpenElement |website=www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ |access-date=22 June 2019 |archive-date=15 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190315060507/http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/CensusOutput/copsub2016.NSF/All%20docs%20by%20catNo/2016~Community%20Profile~5/$File/GCP_5.zip?OpenElement}}</ref>
! Birthplace{{efn|In accordance with the Australian Bureau of Statistics source, England, [[Scotland]], [[Mainland China]] and the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and [[Macau]] are listed separately}} !! Population
|-
| Australia ||1,492,842
|-
| England ||194,163 <!-- England and Scotland are listed separately as per the source. Do not combine -->
|-
| New Zealand ||79,221
|-
| India ||49,385
|-
| South Africa ||41,008
|-
| [[Philippines]] ||30,835
|-
| [[Malaysia]] ||29,126
|-
| [[Mainland China]] ||27,126 <!-- Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau SARs are listed separately as per the source. Do not combine -->
|-
| [[Scotland]] ||26,063 <!-- England and Scotland are listed separately as per the source. Do not combine -->
|-
| Italy ||19,210
|}

At the 2016 census, the most commonly nominated ancestries were:{{efn|As a percentage of 2,286,107 persons who nominated their ancestry at the 2016 census.}}<ref name="quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au"/><ref name="censusdata.abs.gov.au"/> <!-- Only ancestries with >1% are listed. Do not use the QuickStats data from ABS for ancestries. Use the full ancestry data series (eg from ABS Community Profiles series) as the QuickStats data shows each ancestry as a percentage of all ancestry responses (where each person can list up to two, thus a far greater number than the total population) while the full data series in the ABS Community Profiles show the percentage of people nominating a given ancestry as a percentage of the population who nominated an ancestry -->
{{columns-list|colwidth=13em|
* [[English Australians|English]] (40.7%)
* Australian (33.2%){{efn|The Australian Bureau of Statistics has stated that most who nominate "Australian" as their ancestry are part of the [[Anglo-Celtic Australian|Anglo-Celtic]] group.<ref>{{cite web |first=James |last=Jupp |date=January 1995 |url=http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/94713ad445ff1425ca25682000192af2/49f609c83cf34d69ca2569de0025c182!OpenDocument |title=Feature Article – Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in Australia (Feature Article)|website=abs.gov.au}}</ref>}}
* [[Irish Australians|Irish]] (9.8%)
* [[Scottish Australians|Scottish]] (9.4%)
* [[Italian Australians|Italian]] (5.4%)
* [[Chinese Australians|Chinese]] (4.5%)
* [[German Australians|German]] (3.2%)
* [[Indigenous Australians|Indigenous]] (3.1%){{efn |name="census" |Of any ancestry. Includes those identifying as [[Aboriginal Australians]] or [[Torres Strait Islanders]]. Indigenous identification is separate to the ancestry question on the Australian Census and persons identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander may identify any ancestry.}}
* [[Indian Australians|Indian]] (3%)
* [[Dutch Australians|Dutch]] (2.1%)
* [[Filipino Australians|Filipino]] (1.6%)
* [[New Zealand Australians|New Zealander]] (1.4%)
* [[South African Australians|South African]] (1.3%)
* [[Māori Australians|Maori]] (1.2%)
}}

3.1% of the population, or 75,978 people, identified as [[Indigenous Australians]] ([[Aboriginal Australians]] and [[Torres Strait Islanders]]) in 2016.{{efn | name="census"}}<ref name="quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au"/><ref name="censusdata.abs.gov.au"/>

===Language===
At the 2016 census, 75.2% of inhabitants spoke only English at home, with the next most common languages being [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]] (1.9%), Italian (1.2%), [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] (0.8%), [[Cantonese]] (0.8%) and [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]] (0.6%).<ref name="quickstats.censusdata.abs.gov.au"/><ref name="censusdata.abs.gov.au"/>

===Religion===
[[File:Roebourne, Holy Trinity Church.jpg|thumb|[[Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Roebourne|Holy Trinity Anglican Church]] in Roebourne]]
[[File:Perth sivan koyil.jpg|thumb|[[Perth Shiva Temple]], major Hindu temple in Western Australia]]
According to the 2021 census, [[Christianity]] is the major religious affiliation in WA, followed by 41.1% of its population. In 1971, Christianity was followed by 85.5% of the population and it has been declining since, while the percentage of people who identified as having no religious affiliation has increased from 8.7% in 1971 to 42.9% in 2021.
A small minority of the population are [[Islam|Muslims]] (2.5%), [[Buddhism|Buddhists]] (2.2%) and [[Hinduism|Hindus]] (2.0%).<ref>{{cite web |date=24 July 2022 |title=Snapshot of Western Australia |url=https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/snapshot-wa-2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220724092940/https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/snapshot-wa-2021#:~:text=In%20the%202021%20Census%2C%20the,counted%20almost%201.0%20million%20people |archive-date=24 July 2022 |access-date=24 July 2022 |website=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] |language=en }}</ref><ref name="quickstats">{{Census 2016 AUS|id=5 |name=Western Australia |access-date=26 June 2019 |quick=on}}</ref><ref name="censusdata.abs.gov.au"/>

==Economy==
{{See also|Economy of Western Australia|Economy of Australia}}
[[File:Brockman 4 Process Plant, July 2019 03.jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Brockman 4 mine|Brockman 4]], an [[Iron ore mining in Western Australia|iron ore mine]] in the [[Pilbara]] ]]
[[File:2007 Resource production WA-svg.svg|thumb|right|Western Australia's resource commodity mix, 2007]]
[[File:Major West Australian Commodities 2008-2009 ($ million).png|thumb|right|Major commodity mix, 2008–2009]]
Western Australia's economy is largely driven by extraction and processing of a diverse range of mineral and petroleum commodities. The structure of the economy is closely linked to these natural resources, providing a comparative advantage in resource extraction and processing. As a consequence:
* Western Australia contributes an estimated 58% of Australia's Mineral and Energy Exports,<ref>{{cite web |title=Quick Resource Facts |url=http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/7846.aspx |publisher=[[Department of Mines & Petroleum]]|date=9 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311224403/http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/7846.aspx|access-date=9 November 2011|archive-date=11 March 2011}}</ref> potentially earning up to 4.64% of Australia's total GDP.<ref>{{cite web|title=Australian Bureau of Statistics |url=http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/1301.0Chapter18012009%E2%80%9310|publisher=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]] |date=9 November 2011|access-date=9 November 2011}}</ref>
* [[Gross state product]] per person ($97,940 in 2017–18) is higher than any other state and well above the national average ($73,267).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/mf/5220.0 |title=Australian National Accounts: State Accounts, 2017–18 |publisher=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]]|date=16 November 2018|access-date=19 April 2019}}</ref>
* Diversification (i.e. a greater ''range'' of commodities) over the past 15 years has provided a more balanced production base and less reliance on just a few major export markets, insulating the economy from fluctuations in world prices to some extent.{{citation needed|date=November 2011}}
* Finance, insurance and property services and construction have grown steadily and have increased their share of economic output.<ref>{{cite book |date=August 2005 |url=http://www.dtf.wa.gov.au/cms/uploadedFiles/structure_wa_economy_2005.pdf |title=Structure of the WA Economy |publisher=WA Department of Treasury and Finance |isbn=0-7307-4546-5 |access-date=10 September 2008 |archive-date=1 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081001203306/http://www.dtf.wa.gov.au/cms/uploadedFiles/structure_wa_economy_2005.pdf}}</ref>
* Recent growth in global demand for minerals and petroleum, especially in China (iron-ore) and Japan (for LNG), has ensured economic growth above the national average.

In 2019 Western Australia's overseas exports accounted for 46% of the nation's total.<ref name=wsj/><ref>{{cite web |year=2008 |title=Australian Economic Indicators|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |url=http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/34CE7FFF9776F3F1CA2574B30017CFB2/$File/13500_sep%202008.pdf |access-date=11 September 2008}}</ref> The state's major export commodities included iron-ore, petroleum, gold, [[alumina]], nickel, wheat, copper, lithium, chemicals and mineral sands.<ref name=profile>{{cite web |title=Western Australia Economic Profile |url=https://www.jtsi.wa.gov.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/wa-economic-profile-0320.pdf?sfvrsn=9bb8711c_4 |publisher=Government of Western Australia, Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation |access-date=17 April 2020 |location=Perth, WA |page=8 |date=March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926054324/https://www.jtsi.wa.gov.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/wa-economic-profile-0320.pdf?sfvrsn=9bb8711c_4 |archive-date=2020-09-26}}</ref>

Western Australia is the world's largest iron-ore producer (34% of the world's total), and extracts 66% (6.9% of world production) of Australia's {{convert|306|t|e6ozt|abbr=off}} of gold in 2022.<ref name="ga24">{{cite web |title=Australia's Identified Mineral Resources 2023 |date=2022-12-31 |website=Geoscience Australia |url=https://www.ga.gov.au/digital-publication/aimr2022/aimr-2023-preliminary-tables |access-date=2024-06-12 }}</ref> It is a major world producer of bauxite, which is processed into alumina at four refineries providing 11% of total world production. Until 2020 diamonds were extracted from the world's largest [[Argyle diamond mine|diamond mine]] in the far north Kimberley region. Coal mined at [[Collie, Western Australia|Collie]] is the main fuel for baseload electricity generation in the state's south-west.<ref name=profile/><ref name=usgs>{{cite book |title=Mineral commodity summaries 2023 |date=31 January 2023 |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |location=Reston, Virginia |doi=10.3133/mcs2023 |isbn=978-1-4113-4504-1|url=https://pubs.er.usgs.gov/publication/mcs2023 |access-date=2 May 2023}}</ref>

Agricultural production in WA is a major contributor to the state and national economy. In the period 2010–2019 wheat production in WA has averaged nearly {{convert|10|e6t|e9lb|abbr=off}}, valued at $2.816{{nbsp}}billion in 2019, accounting for half the nation's total and providing $2–3{{nbsp}}billion in export income.<ref name="cropreport">{{cite web |last1=Wilkinson |first1=Ian |date=9 April 2019 |title=Western Australian wheat industry |url=https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/grains-research-development/western-australian-wheat-industry |access-date=17 April 2020 |publisher=Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Agriculture and Food division |location=South Perth, WA |archive-date=9 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200309030337/https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/grains-research-development/western-australian-wheat-industry |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="WAatAglance">{{cite web |url=http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/EFF65DC1D23D314FCA25741D000DC292/$File/13065_2008_reissue.pdf |title=WA at a Glance 2008|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics|date=2 April 2008|access-date=10 September 2008}}</ref>

Other significant farm output includes wool, beef, lamb, barley, canola, lupins, oats and pulses.<ref name="cropreport"/> There is a high level of overseas demand for live animals from WA, driven mainly by southeast Asia's feedlots and Middle Eastern countries, where [[Islamic dietary laws]] and a lack of storage and refrigeration facilities favour live animals over imports of processed meat. About half of Australia's live cattle exports come from Western Australia.<ref name="LivestockReport">{{cite web |url=http://abare.gov.au/publications_html/livestock/livestock_08/LiveExports.pdf |title=2008 Live Exports |publisher=ABARE |date=31 March 2008 |access-date=15 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719182756/http://abare.gov.au/publications_html/livestock/livestock_08/LiveExports.pdf |archive-date=19 July 2008 |page=9 }}</ref>

Resource sector growth in recent years has resulted in significant labour and skills shortages, leading to recent efforts by the state government to encourage interstate and overseas immigration.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gowestnow.com|title=Go West Now |publisher=Government of Western Australia|year=2008|access-date=16 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121040603/http://www.gowestnow.com/|archive-date=21 November 2011}}</ref> According to the 2006 census,{{needs update |date=June 2024 |reason=There have been THREE censuses since then.}}<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/ViewData?&action=401&tabname=Summary&areacode=5&issue=2006&producttype=QuickStats&textversion=true&navmapdisplayed=true&&breadcrumb=PLD& |title=2006 Census QuickStats: Western Australia, October 2007 |website=Censusdata.abs.gov.au |access-date=14 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131209132653/http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/ABSNavigation/prenav/ViewData?&action=401&tabname=Summary&areacode=5&issue=2006&producttype=QuickStats&textversion=true&navmapdisplayed=true&&breadcrumb=PLD& |archive-date=9 December 2013}}</ref> the median individual income was A$500 per week in Western Australia (compared to A$466 in Australia as a whole). The median family income was A$1246 per week (compared to A$1171 for Australia). Recent growth has also contributed to significant rises in average property values in 2006, although values plateaued in 2007.
[[File:Whale oil tanks at Albany's Historic Whaling Station, April 2022 01.jpg|left|thumb|[[Cheyne Beach Whaling Station|Albany's Historic Whaling Station]]]]
Located south of Perth, the heavy industrial area of [[City of Kwinana|Kwinana]] had the [[Kwinana Oil Refinery|nation's largest oil refinery]] with a capacity of {{convert|146,000|oilbbl/d|order=flip|abbr=off}} until its closure in 2021, producing most of the state's petrol and diesel.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bp.com/en_au/australia/about-us/what-we-do/refining.html|title=Refining|website=[[BP]]|access-date=30 August 2016 |archive-date=25 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825080619/http://www.bp.com/en_au/australia/about-us/what-we-do/refining.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=McKinnon|first1=Stuart|date=3 April 2014|title=BP sticks by Kwinana despite Qld closure|url=https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/22323082/bp-sticks-by-kwinana-despite-qld-closure/#page1|access-date=27 October 2014|newspaper=[[The West Australian]]|archive-date=20 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920203547/https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/wa/a/22323082/bp-sticks-by-kwinana-despite-qld-closure/#page1|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.aip.com.au/pdf/Downstream_Petroleum_2007_Report.pdf |title=Downstream_Petroleum 2007 Report|publisher=Australian Institute of Petroleum|date=15 July 2008|access-date=12 September 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081001041851/http://www.aip.com.au/pdf/Downstream_Petroleum_2007_Report.pdf|archive-date=1 October 2008}}</ref> Kwinana also hosts alumina and nickel processing plants, port facilities for grain and other bulk exports, and support industries for mining and petroleum such as heavy and light engineering, and metal fabrication. Shipbuilding (e.g. [[Austal]]) and associated support industries are found at nearby [[Henderson, Western Australia|Henderson]], just north of Kwinana. Significant secondary industries include cement and building product manufacturing, flour milling, food processing, animal feed production, automotive body building and printing.

Western Australia has a significant fishing industry. Products for local consumption and export include [[western rock lobster]]s, prawns, crabs, shark and tuna, as well as pearl fishing in the [[Kimberley (Western Australia)|Kimberley]] region of the state. Processing is conducted along the west coast. [[Whaling]] was a key marine industry but ceased at Albany in 1978.

Western Australia has the world's biggest plantations of both [[Indian sandalwood]] (northern WA)<ref>{{cite news | title=Tropical Forestry Services becomes Quintis as the company shifts focus|first=Clint|last= Jasper| website=ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) | date=21 March 2017 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/rural-news/2017-03-22/tropical-forestry-services-rebrands-sandalwood-co-to-quintis/8374366 | access-date=19 September 2020}}</ref> and [[Australian sandalwood]] (semi-arid regions), which are used to produce [[sandalwood oil]] and [[incense]].<ref name=waspfaq>{{cite web | title=Frequently Asked Questions | website=WA Sandalwood Plantations | url=https://www.wasandalwood.com/faq | access-date=19 September 2020}}</ref> The WA [[sandalwood]] industry provides about 40% of the international sandalwood oil market.<ref name=abcdutjahn>{{cite news | title=From the Gibson Desert to New York, these sandalwood harvesters are winning over the perfume market|first1=Rhiannon |last1=Stevens |first2= Isabel|last2= Moussalli| website=ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) | date=5 September 2020 | url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-05/gibson-desert-sandalwood-harvesers-go-international/12453324 | access-date=19 September 2020}}</ref>

===Tourism===
[[File:Broome Cable Beach and camels.jpg|thumb|Camel rides are a popular tourist activity at [[Cable Beach]] in [[Broome, Western Australia|Broome]]]]
In the 2000s, tourism grew in importance, with significant numbers of visitors to the state in 2008 coming from the UK and Ireland (28%), other European countries (14%) Singapore (16%), Japan (10%) and Malaysia (8%).<ref name="WAatAglance" /> Revenue from tourism is a strong economic driver in many of the smaller population centres outside of Perth, especially in coastal locations.

Tourism forms a major part of the Western Australian economy with 833,100 international visitors making up 12.8% of the total international tourism to Australia in the year ending March 2015. The top three source markets include the United Kingdom (17%), Singapore (10%), and New Zealand (10%) with the majority of purpose for visitation being holiday/vacation reasons.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tourism.wa.gov.au/Publications%20Library/Research%20and%20reports/Fast%20Facts%20YE%20March%202015.pdf|title=Tourism Western Australia : Fast Facts Year Ending March 2015|website=Tourism.wa.gov.au|access-date=17 February 2019|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043947/http://www.tourism.wa.gov.au/Publications%20Library/Research%20and%20reports/Fast%20Facts%20YE%20March%202015.pdf}}</ref> The tourism industry contributes $9.3&nbsp;billion to the Western Australian economy and supports 94,000 jobs within the state. Both directly and indirectly, the industry makes up 3.2% of the state's economy whilst comparatively, WA's largest revenue source, the mining sector, brings in 31%.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tourism Satellite Account : Western Australia 2013 – 2014 : Fact Sheet |url=http://www.tourism.wa.gov.au/Publications%20Library/Research%20and%20reports/TSA%202013-14%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf |website=Tourism.wa.gov.au |access-date=17 February 2019|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035910/http://www.tourism.wa.gov.au/Publications%20Library/Research%20and%20reports/TSA%202013-14%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf}}</ref>

Tourism WA is the government agency responsible for promoting Western Australia as a holiday destination.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tourism.wa.gov.au/|title=Tourism Western Australia |website=Tourism.wa.gov.au|access-date=16 September 2015}}</ref>

==Government==
{{Main|Government of Western Australia}}
[[File:AUS Perth, Central Business District, Parliament House 002.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|[[Parliament House, Perth|Parliament House]]]]
Western Australia was granted self-government in 1890<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Government of Western Australia|date=11 June 2015 |url=https://www.constitutionalcentre.wa.gov.au/ResearchAndSeminarPapers/LaunchingTheShip/Pages/ProclamationDay.aspx|title=Proclamation Day |access-date=21 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029211952/https://www.constitutionalcentre.wa.gov.au/ResearchAndSeminarPapers/LaunchingTheShip/Pages/ProclamationDay.aspx|archive-date=29 October 2017}}</ref> with a bicameral [[Parliament of Western Australia|Parliament]] located in Perth, consisting of the [[Western Australian Legislative Assembly|Legislative Assembly]] (or ''lower house''), which has 59 members; and the [[Western Australian Legislative Council|Legislative Council]] (or ''upper house''), which has 36 members. Suffrage is universal and compulsory for citizens over 18 years of age.

With the federation of the Australian colonies in 1901, Western Australia became a state within Australia's [[Federation|federal]] structure; this involved ceding certain powers to the Commonwealth (or Federal) government in accordance with the Constitution; all powers not specifically granted to the Commonwealth remained solely with the State. However over time the Commonwealth has effectively expanded its powers through broad interpretation of its enumerated powers and increasing control of taxation and financial distribution (see [[Federalism in Australia]]).

Whilst the sovereign of Western Australia is [[monarchy of Australia|the monarch of Australia]] (currently {{Current Australian monarch |Charles III}}) and executive power is nominally vested in his or her state representative, the [[Governor of Western Australia|Governor]] (currently [[Chris Dawson (governor)|Chris Dawson]]), executive power rests with the premier and ministers drawn from the party or coalition of parties holding a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly. [[Roger Cook (politician)|Roger Cook]] is the premier, having succeeded [[Mark McGowan]] after his resignation in June 2023.

===Secession===
{{Main|Secessionism in Western Australia}}
[[File:Westralia secession movement meeting 1933.jpg|thumb|A 1933 meeting of the Dominion League in support of secession]]
Secessionism has been a recurring feature of Western Australia's political landscape since shortly after European settlement in 1826. Western Australia was the most reluctant participant in the [[Federation of Australia|Commonwealth of Australia]].<ref>[http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/MULR/2000/40.html Review Essay, New Federation History, Melbourne University Law Review] www.austlii.edu.au</ref> Western Australia did not participate in the earliest federation conference. Longer-term residents of Western Australia were generally opposed to federation; however, the discovery of gold brought many immigrants from other parts of Australia. It was these residents, primarily in Kalgoorlie but also in Albany who voted to join the Commonwealth, and the proposal of these areas being admitted separately under the name [[Auralia]] was considered.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}

In a [[1933 Western Australian secession referendum|referendum in April 1933]], 68% of voters voted for the state to leave the Commonwealth of Australia with the aim of returning to the British Empire as an autonomous territory. The State Government sent a delegation to [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Westminster]], but the British Government ruled that after the [[Statute of Westminster 1931]], it no longer had the authority to amend the constitution of Australia without the consent of its federal government; the British Government took no action.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article30087998|title=25 May 1935 – W. A. Secession Petition Disallowed Committee's ...|newspaper=Mercury |date=25 May 1935 |access-date=16 September 2015}}</ref>

===Local government===
Western Australia is divided into 139 [[Local Government Areas of Western Australia|Local Government Areas]], including [[Shire of Christmas Island|Christmas Island]] and the [[Shire of Cocos|Cocos (Keeling) Islands]]. Their mandate and operations are governed by the [[Local Government Act 1995]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/wa/consol_act/lga1995182/|title= Local Government Act 1995 |website=Australasian Legal Information Institute |access-date=26 July 2011}}</ref>

==Education==
[[File:UWAWinthropHallSunsetcurves gobeirne.jpg|thumb|[[University of Western Australia]]]]
Education in Western Australia consists of one year of pre-school at age 4 or 5, followed by six years of primary education for all students as of 2015.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://det.wa.edu.au/schoolsandyou/detcms/schoolsandyou/schools-and-you/pre-primary-and-year-7/year-7.en?cat-id=12742035|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140717005600/http://det.wa.edu.au/schoolsandyou/detcms/schoolsandyou/schools-and-you/pre-primary-and-year-7/year-7.en?cat-id=12742035|archive-date=17 July 2014 |title=Year 7 students move to secondary school – School education |website=The Department of Education|date=17 July 2014|access-date=17 February 2019}}</ref> At age 12 or 13, students begin six years of secondary education. Students are required to attend school up until they are 16 years old. 16- and 17-year-olds are required to be enrolled in school or a training organisation, be employed or be in a combination of school/training/employment.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.education.wa.edu.au/enrolling-in-school |title=Enrolling in school|website=The Department of Education |language=en-AU|access-date=31 May 2018}}</ref> Students have the option to study at a [[Technical and further education|TAFE]] college after Year 10,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.northmetrotafe.wa.edu.au/sites/default/files/uploads/TAFE%20Admissions%20guide%20for%20entry%20to%20full-time%20courses%20FINAL.pdf|title=TAFE Admissions guide for entry to full time courses|website=Northmetrotafe.wa.edu.au|access-date=31 May 2018 |archive-date=16 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516224421/http://www.northmetrotafe.wa.edu.au/sites/default/files/uploads/TAFE%20Admissions%20guide%20for%20entry%20to%20full-time%20courses%20FINAL.pdf}}</ref> or continue through to Year 12 with vocational courses or university entrance courses.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Western Australian Certificate of Education: WACE Manual: General information for senior secondary schooling 2018|date=31 May 2018 |url=https://scsa.wa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/438192/WACE-Manual-2018-January-2018.pdf|publisher=School Curriculum and Standards Authority|access-date=31 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313032617/https://www.scsa.wa.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/438192/WACE-Manual-2018-January-2018.pdf |archive-date=13 March 2018}}</ref>

There are five universities in Western Australia. They consist of four [[Perth]]-based [[public university|public universities]], being the [[University of Western Australia]], [[Curtin University]], [[Edith Cowan University]] and [[Murdoch University]]; and one [[Fremantle]]-based [[private university|private Roman Catholic university]], the [[University of Notre Dame Australia]]. The [[University of Notre Dame Australia|University of Notre Dame]] is also one of only two [[private university|private universities]] in Australia, along with [[Bond University]], a not-for-profit private education provider based in [[Gold Coast, Queensland]].

==Media==
===Print===
{{Main|List of newspapers in Western Australia}}
[[File:OIC herdsman newspaper house 3.jpg|thumb|[[Seven West Media]]'s Newspaper House, where ''[[The West Australian]]'' newspaper is produced]]Western Australia has two daily newspapers: the [[Seven West Media]]-owned tabloid ''[[The West Australian]]'' and the ''[[Kalgoorlie Miner]]''. Also published is one weekend paper, ''The Weekend West'', and one Sunday tabloid newspaper, which is also owned by Seven West Media after purchase from [[News Corp Australia|News Corporation's]] ''[[The Sunday Times (Western Australia)|The Sunday Times]]''. There are also 17 weekly [[Community paper|community newspapers]] with distribution from [[Yanchep]] in the north to [[Mandurah]] in the south. There are two major weekly rural papers in the state, ''Countryman'' and the [[Australian Community Media]]-owned ''[[Farm Weekly]]''. The national broadsheet publication ''[[The Australian]]'' is also available, although with sales per capita lagging far behind those in other states. ''[[WAtoday]]'' is an online newspaper owned by [[Nine Entertainment]], focusing its coverage on Perth and Western Australia.

===Television===
Metropolitan Perth has five broadcast television stations;
* [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC TV]] WA. (Callsign: [[ABW (TV station)|ABW]] – Channel 12 Digital)
* [[Special Broadcasting Service|SBS]] WA. (Callsign: [[SBS (Australian TV channel)|SBS]] – was on Channel 29 Digital – now Channel 7 Digital since the 2013 retune)
* [[Seven Network]] Perth. (Callsign: [[TVW]] – Channel 6 Digital)
* [[Nine Network]] Perth. (Callsign: [[STW]] – Channel 8 Digital)
* [[Network Ten]] Perth. (Callsign: [[NEW (TV station)|NEW]] – Channel 11 Digital)
* Perth formerly had [[West TV]], a free-to-air community television channel that began broadcasting in April 2010 and ceased broadcasting in February 2020. It replaced [[Access 31]], which ceased broadcasting in August 2008.

Regional WA has a similar availability of stations as Perth. Geographically, it is one of the largest television markets in the world, including almost one-third of the continent.
* [[Golden West Network|Golden West Network (GWN7)]]. Owned by [[Seven West Media]]. (Callsigns: SSW South West, VEW Goldfields/Esperance, GTW Central West, WAW remote areas)
* [[WIN Television WA]]. Affiliated with Nine (Callsign: WOW)
* [[West Digital Television]]. Affiliated with Ten (Callsigns: SDW South West, VDW Goldfields/Esperance, GDW Central West, WDW remote areas)
* Regional WA used to have [[Westlink (Australian TV channel)|Westlink]]. An open-narrowcast community-based television channel that was only on satellite until Westlink's discontinuation in 2018. (Satellite only)
[[File:ABC Perth gnangarra.JPG|thumb|ABC studios in [[East Perth, Western Australia|East Perth]]]]
In addition, broadcasters operate digital multichannels:
{{Div col |colwidth=20em}}
* [[ABC HD (Australian TV channel)|ABC HD]] (Carried by [[ABW (TV station)|ABW]])
* [[ABC TV Plus]] (Carried by [[ABW (TV station)|ABW]])
* [[ABC Me]] (Carried by [[ABW (TV station)|ABW]])
* [[ABC News (TV channel)|ABC News]] (Carried by [[ABW (TV station)|ABW]])
* [[SBS HD]] (Carried by [[SBS-TV|SBS]])
* [[SBS Viceland]] (Carried by [[SBS-TV|SBS]])
* [[SBS World Movies]] (Carried by [[SBS-TV|SBS]])
* [[SBS Food]] (Carried by [[SBS-TV|SBS]])
* [[National Indigenous Television|NITV]] (Carried by [[SBS-TV|SBS]])
* [[SBS WorldWatch]] (Carried by [[SBS-TV|SBS]])
* [[7HD]] (Carried by [[TVW]])
* [[7TWO]] (Carried by [[TVW]] and affiliates)
* [[7mate]] (Carried by [[TVW]] and affiliates)
* [[7flix]] (Carried by [[TVW]])
* [[Racing.com]] (Carried by [[TVW]] and affiliates)
* [[9HD]] (Carried by [[STW]] and affiliates)
* [[9Gem (Australian TV channel)|9Gem]] (Carried by [[STW]] and affiliates)
* [[9Go! (Australian TV channel)|9Go!]] (Carried by [[STW]] and affiliates)
* [[9Life]] (Carried by [[STW]] and affiliates)
* [[9Rush]] (Carried by [[STW]])
* [[Extra (Australian TV channel)|Extra]] (Carried by [[STW]])
* [[10 Bold]] (Carried by [[NEW (TV station)|NEW]] and affiliate)
* [[10 Peach]] (Carried by [[NEW (TV station)|NEW]] and affiliate)
* [[10 Shake]] (Carried by [[NEW (TV station)|NEW]])
* [[10 HD]] (Carried by [[NEW (TV station)|NEW]] and affiliate)
* [[TVSN]] (Carried by [[NEW (TV station)|NEW]] and affiliate)
* Gecko TV (Carried by [[NEW (TV station)|NEW]])
{{Div col end}}

Pay TV services are provided by [[Foxtel]], which acquired many of the assets and all the remaining subscribers of the insolvent [[Galaxy (Australian television)|Galaxy Television]] satellite service in 1998. Some metropolitan suburbs are serviced by Pay TV via cable; however, most of the metropolitan and rural areas can only access Pay TV via satellite.

===Radio===
Perth has many radio stations on both AM and FM frequencies. ABC stations include [[ABC NewsRadio]] (6PB 585&nbsp;AM), [[ABC Radio Perth]] (6WF 720&nbsp;AM), [[Radio National]] (6RN 810&nbsp;AM), [[ABC Classic FM]] (6ABC 97.7FM) and [[Triple J]] (6JJJ 99.3FM). The six commercial stations are: [[Triple M Perth|Triple M]] (6PPM), [[Nova 93.7]] (6PER), [[Mix 94.5]] (6MIX), [[96FM (Perth radio station)|96FM]] (6NOW) and AM 882 (6PR), AM 1080 ([[6IX (radio station)|6iX]]) and AM 1116 (6MM)

The leading [[community radio]] stations are [[Curtin FM]] 100.1, [[RTRFM|6RTR]] FM 92.1, Sonshine FM 98.5 (6SON) and [[91.3 SportFM]] (6WSM).

==Culture==

=== Arts and entertainment ===
[[File:Hackett Hall, Western Australian Museum, Perth, 2023, 01.jpg|thumb|[[WA Museum Boola Bardip]]]]
Western Australia is home to one of the country's leading performance training institutions, the acclaimed [[Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts]] (WAAPA), as well as a burgeoning theatrical and musical scene. Notable musicians and bands to have been born in or lived in Western Australia include [[Adam Brand (musician)|Adam Brand]], [[Ammonia (band)|Ammonia]], [[Karnivool]], [[Birds of Tokyo]], [[Bon Scott]], [[Eskimo Joe]], [[Johnny Young]], [[Gyroscope (band)|Gyroscope]], the [[John Butler Trio]], [[Tame Impala]], [[Kevin Mitchell (musician)|Kevin Mitchell]], [[Tim Minchin]], [[Troye Sivan]], [[the Kill Devil Hills]], [[Pendulum (drum and bass band)|Pendulum]], [[the Pigram Brothers]], [[Rolf Harris]], [[Stella Donnelly]] and [[the Triffids]]. The [[West Australian Music Industry Awards]] (WAMis) have been awarded every year to the leading musicians and performers in WA since 2001.

Notable actors and television personalities from Western Australia include [[Heath Ledger]], [[Sam Worthington]], [[Ernie Dingo]], [[Jessica Marais]], [[Megan Gale]], [[Rove McManus]], [[Isla Fisher]], and [[Melissa George]]. Films and television series filmed or partly filmed in Western Australia include ''[[Rabbit-Proof Fence]]'', ''[[The Heights (Australian TV series)|The Heights]]'', ''[[Mystery Road (TV series)|Mystery Road]]'', ''[[These Final Hours]]'', ''[[Cloudstreet]]'', ''[[Jasper Jones (film)|Jasper Jones]]'', ''[[Australia (2008 film)|Australia]]'', ''[[Bran Nue Dae (film)|Bran Nu Dae]]'', ''[[Red Dog (film)|Red Dog]]'', ''[[ABBA: the Movie]]'' and ''[[Last Train to Freo]]''.
[[File:Art Gallery of WA.jpg|left|thumb|[[Art Gallery of Western Australia]]]]
Noted Western Australian Indigenous painters and artisans include [[Jack Dale Mengenen]], [[Paddy Bedford]], [[Queenie McKenzie]], and siblings [[Nyuju Stumpy Brown]] and [[Rover Thomas]].<ref name="abc">{{cite news|last=Lee|first=Tim|date=12 February 2013|title='Grand old man of the Kimberley' dies|work=[[ABC News (Australia)]]|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-12/27grand-old-man-of-the-kimberley27-dies/4514018/?site=Indigenous&topic=latest|access-date=2 March 2013}}</ref>

The [[West Australian Symphony Orchestra]] (WASO) is based at the [[Perth Concert Hall, Western Australia|Perth Concert Hall]]. Other concert, performance and indoor sporting venues in Western Australia include [[His Majesty's Theatre, Western Australia|His Majesty's Theatre]], the [[State Theatre Centre of Western Australia]], the [[Crown Perth|Crown Theatre]] and [[Perth Arena]], which opened in 2012. Performing arts companies based in Perth include the [[West Australian Ballet]], the [[West Australian Opera]], the [[Black Swan State Theatre Company]] and the [[Perth Theatre Company]].

Western Australia has served as the setting for a number of works of [[Australian literature]]. Prominent authors include [[Katharine Susannah Prichard]], [[Randolph Stow]], [[Tim Winton]], [[Kim Scott]], [[Sally Morgan (artist)|Sally Morgan]], [[Joan London (Australian author)|Joan London]], [[Mary Durack]] and [[Craig Silvey]].

The public [[Art Gallery of Western Australia]] is part of the [[Perth Cultural Centre]]. Founded in 1895, it houses the State Art Collection, comprising works from local and international artists, dating back to the 1800s.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://artgallery.wa.gov.au/about|title=About Us|publisher= Art Gallery of Western Australia|access-date=15 January 2022}}</ref> The [[Perth Cultural Centre]] is also home to the [[Western Australian Museum]], [[State Library of Western Australia]], [[State Records Office of Western Australia|State Records Office]], and [[Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts]] (PICA). Western Australia has a [[Public library|public library system]], with [[List of libraries in Western Australia#Public libraries|libraries in every local government area]] (although some public libraries are shared school libraries).

===Sport===
{{Main|Sport in Western Australia}}
[[File:Shaun McManus attempts a tackle during his farewell match.jpg|thumb|Matches between the two Western Australian teams, the [[West Coast Eagles]] and the [[Fremantle Dockers]], are known as the [[Western Derby]]]]
A number of national or international sporting teams and events are based in the state, including:

* [[Australian rules football]]: The [[West Coast Eagles]] and the [[Fremantle Dockers]] compete in the [[Australian Football League]] (AFL). They also have women's teams playing in the [[AFL Women's]] league. The [[West Australian Football League]] (WAFL) is the main local football competition, but other [[Australian rules football in Western Australia|local and amateur football leagues]] exist across the state.
* Baseball: The [[Perth Heat]] compete in the [[Australian Baseball League]].
* Basketball: The [[Perth Wildcats]] (men) and [[Perth Lynx]] (women) compete in the [[National Basketball League (Australasia)|National Basketball League]] and [[Women's National Basketball League]], respectively.
* [[Cricket]]: [[Western Australia cricket team|Western Australia]] represent the state in [[first-class cricket|first-class]] and [[List A cricket|List A]] domestic cricket, with the [[Perth Scorchers]] competing in the [[Twenty20]] [[Big Bash League]].
* [[Field hockey]]: The [[WA Thundersticks|Thundersticks]] (men) and Diamonds (women) compete in the [[Australian Hockey League]].
* [[Ice hockey]]: The [[Perth Thunder]] (men) and [[Perth Inferno]] (women) compete in [[Australian Ice Hockey League|Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL).]]
* [[Netball]]: The [[West Coast Fever]] compete in the [[ANZ Championship]].
* [[Rugby league]]: The [[West Coast Pirates]] compete in the [[S. G. Ball Cup]].
* [[Rugby union]]: The [[Western Force]] competes in [[Super Rugby Pacific]].
* [[Soccer]]: [[Perth Glory]] field [[Perth Glory FC|men's]] and [[Perth Glory FC W-League|women's]] teams in the [[A-League Men]] and [[A-League Women]], respectively.
* Tennis: The [[International Tennis Federation|ITF]] [[Hopman Cup]], an annual international team indoor hardcourt tennis tournament.
* [[Water Polo]]: The [[UWA Torpedoes]] water polo club competes in the [[Australian National Water Polo League|National Water Polo League (NWPL)]].

International sporting events hosted in the past in Western Australia include the [[Tom Hoad Cup]] (water polo), the [[Perth International]] (golf), the 2006 [[Gravity Games]] ([[extreme sports]]), the 2002 [[Women's Hockey World Cup]], the 1991 [[FINA World Aquatics Championships]], the [[World Rally Championships]] and the [[1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games]].
[[File:Aravina Estate (23244523213).jpg|thumb|The [[Margaret River (wine region)|Margaret River region]] is known for its wine production]]
Western Australia's largest sports stadium is [[Perth Stadium]], also known by naming rights sponsorship as Optus Stadium. It has a capacity of over 60,000 people and is primarily used for Australian rules football and cricket.

=== Wine ===
{{Main|Western Australian wine}}
Winemaking regions are concentrated in the cooler climate of the [[West Australian wine#South Western Australia|south-western portion]] of the state. Western Australia produces less than 5% of the country's wine output, but in quality terms is considered to be very much near the top.<ref>{{cite book|title= The World Atlas of Wine; 6th Revised edition |publisher=Mitchell Beazley| year=2007|isbn=978-1-84533-414-7|author=Hugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson}}</ref><ref name="Sotheby">T. Stevenson ''"The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia"'' pg 589 Dorling Kindersley 2005 {{ISBN|0-7566-1324-8}}</ref><ref name="western australian wine">{{cite web |url=http://www.wineaustralia.com/Australia/Default.aspx?tabid=179 |title=Western Australia |website=Wineaustralia.com |publisher=Australian Gevernment – Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation|access-date=16 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080722023419/http://www.wineaustralia.com/Australia/Default.aspx?tabid=179|archive-date=22 July 2008}}</ref><ref name=ocw-wa>winepros.com.au, ''The Oxford Companion to Wine'' pg 765 [https://web.archive.org/web/20010507220252/http://www.winepros.com.au/jsp/cda/reference/oxford_entry.jsp?entry_id=3564 Western Australia]</ref> Major wine producing regions include: [[Margaret River (wine region)|Margaret River]], [[Great Southern Wine Region|The Great Southern]], [[Swan Valley (Western Australia)|Swan Valley]] as well as smaller districts including [[Blackwood Valley]], [[Manjimup, Western Australia|Manjimup]], [[Pemberton, Western Australia|Pemberton]], [[Peel (Western Australia)|Peel]], Chittering Valley, [[Perth Hills]], and [[Geographe Bay|Geographe]].<ref name="western australian wine"/>

== Public holidays ==
The table below outlines all recognised public holidays in Western Australia.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Public holidays in Western Australia
!Name
!Date
|-
|[[New Year's Day]]*
|[[January 1|1 January]]
|-
|[[Australia Day]]*
|[[January 26|26 January]]
|-
|[[Labour Day]]
|First [[Monday]] in [[March]]
|-
|[[Good Friday]]
|Variable (aligns with [[Easter]]) ([[March]] or [[April]])
|-
|[[Easter|Easter Sunday]]
|Variable (aligns with [[Easter]]) ([[March]] or [[April]])
|-
|[[Easter Monday]]
|Variable (aligns with [[Easter]]) ([[March]] or [[April]])
|-
|[[Anzac Day|ANZAC Day]]*
|[[April 25|25 April]]
|-
|[[Western Australia Day]]
|First [[Monday]] in [[June]]
|-
|[[King's Birthday]]
|As proclaimed by the [[governor of Western Australia]] ([[September]]/[[October]])
|-
|[[Christmas|Christmas Day]]*
|[[December 25|25 December]]
|-
|[[Boxing Day]]*
|[[26 December]]
|}

* Indicates a nation wide holiday

== Sister states ==
Western Australia has five sister states:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dca.wa.gov.au/DevelopingArtsandCulture/international/inter-government-networks/|title=Sister State Relationships |website=Department of Culture and Arts|access-date=17 February 2019 |archive-date=18 February 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190218021306/http://www.dca.wa.gov.au/DevelopingArtsandCulture/international/inter-government-networks/}}</ref>

* [[East Java]], Indonesia
* [[Hyōgo Prefecture]], Japan
* [[Andhra Pradesh|Andhra Pradesh State]], India
*[[Tuscany|Tuscany Region]], Italy
* [[Zhejiang|Zhejiang Province]], China

In 1981, a [[sister city|sister state]] agreement was drawn up between Western Australia and [[Hyōgo Prefecture]] in Japan that was aimed at improving cultural ties between the two states.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hyogo.com.au/about-hyogo/hyogo-wa-sister-state-relationship/ |title=Hyogo-WA Sister State Relationship |publisher=Hyogo Prefectural Government Cultural Centre |date=10 April 2015 |access-date=14 April 2016 |archive-date=23 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423002353/http://hyogo.com.au/about-hyogo/hyogo-wa-sister-state-relationship/}}</ref><ref name=Hyogo>{{cite web|url=http://www.wajapan.net/014_OurSisterStateRelationship_E |title=WA-Hyogo Sister State |publisher=Government of Western Australia |access-date= 14 April 2016}}</ref> To commemorate the 10th anniversary of this agreement, the Hyōgo Prefectural Government Cultural Centre was established in Perth in 1992.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hyogo.com.au/about-the-centre/ |title=About the centre |publisher=Hyogo Prefectural Government Cultural Centre |date=27 March 2015 |access-date=14 April 2016 |archive-date=23 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423013128/http://hyogo.com.au/about-the-centre/}}</ref> Prior to that, the Western Australian government opened an office in [[Kobe]], the largest city in Hyōgo, to facilitate maintenance of the relationship in 1989.<ref name=Hyogo/><ref name=garden>{{cite web|url=http://www.wajapan.net/news_e/889 |title=Japanese garden a tribute to Sister State relationship with Hyogo prefecture |publisher=Government of Western Australia |date=1 June 2013 |access-date=14 April 2016}}</ref>

Following the [[Great Hanshin earthquake]] that devastated southern Hyōgo in January 1995, Western Australian groups and businesses raised funds and provided materials, whilst individuals travelled to Hyōgo to help with emergency relief and the subsequent reconstruction process.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ajswa.com.au/about-the-ajswa.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130409085909/http://www.ajswa.com.au/about-the-ajswa.html |archive-date=9 April 2013 |title=About AJSWA |publisher=Australia Japan Society of WA |access-date=14 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Memorial service pays tribute to Japanese earthquake victims |publisher=City of Perth |url=http://www.perth.wa.gov.au/newsroom/featured-news/memorial-service-pays-tribute-japanese-earthquake-victims |date=January 15, 2016 |access-date=14 April 2016 |archive-date=8 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508145208/http://www.perth.wa.gov.au/newsroom/featured-news/memorial-service-pays-tribute-japanese-earthquake-victims}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/hansard/hans35.nsf/c02fad1ff7f00ecbc82572e4002d0af9/8137df1a3b82a563482565ff001aa60f?OpenDocument |title=Appropriation (Consolidated Fund) Bill (No 3) - Second Reading |date=21 October 1997 |publisher=Hansard, Parliament of Western Australia |access-date=14 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160422141344/http://www.parliament.wa.gov.au/hansard/hans35.nsf/c02fad1ff7f00ecbc82572e4002d0af9/8137df1a3b82a563482565ff001aa60f?OpenDocument |archive-date=22 April 2016}}</ref> The two governments signed a [[memorandum of understanding]] on the 20th anniversary in 2001 that aimed to improve the economic relationship between the two states.<ref name=Hyogo/>

Further to the sister state relationship, the [[City of Rockingham]] in Western Australia and the [[Akō, Hyōgo|City of Akō]] in Hyōgo signed a sister city agreement in 1997. It is one of nine sister city relationships between Western Australian and Japanese cities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wajapan.net/015_OurSisterCityRelationships_E |title=WA-Japan Sister City Relationships |publisher=Government of Western Australia |access-date= 14 April 2016}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Western Australia|Australia|Geography|Oceania}}
* [[Outline of Australia]]
* [[Index of Australia-related articles]]
* <!-- [[Bibliography of Australia]] -->
* [[Government of Western Australia]]
* [[Mining in Western Australia]]
* [[Petroleum in Western Australia]]

===Lists===
* [[List of Western Australian towns]]
* [[List of statues in Western Australia]]
* [[Local Government Areas of Western Australia]]
* {{cl|Lists of people from Western Australia}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
<references>
<ref name="bla59">{{cite book |chapter=Archipelagus Orientalis sive Asiaticus (Karte 27) |trans-chapter=Archipelago Eastern or Asiatic (Map 27) |title=Atlas des Großen Kurfürsten |trans-title=Atlas of the Great Elector |first=Johannes Willemszoon |last=Blaeu |author-link=Joan Blaeu |year=1659 |location=Amsterdam |via=[[Berlin State Library]] ({{langx|de|link=no|Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin}}) |url=https://www.bildindex.de/download.php?medium=mi09259i13&type=large |url-status=live |access-date=5 August 2020 |archive-date=4 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804044014/https://www.bildindex.de/download.php?medium=mi09259i13&type=large}}</ref>

<ref name="ga20">{{cite web |title=Area of Australia – States and Territories |url=http://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/national-location-information/dimensions/area-of-australia-states-and-territories |url-status=live |date=28 April 2023 |publisher=[[Geoscience Australia]], Commonwealth of Australia |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726112116/http://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/national-location-information/dimensions/area-of-australia-states-and-territories |archive-date=26 July 2020 |access-date=2 May 2023 }}</ref>

<ref name="huy95">{{cite report |title=On the yacht Duyfken (1601): The first European Ship known to explore the Australian coast |first=Marit |last=van Huystee |institution=Maritime Archaeology Department Western Australian Maritime Museum |number=105 |website=Western Australian Museum |year=1995 |url=https://museum.wa.gov.au/maritime-archaeology-db/sites/default/files/no._105_yacht_duyfken_1601_1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214151752/https://museum.wa.gov.au/maritime-archaeology-db/sites/default/files/no._105_yacht_duyfken_1601_1.pdf |archive-date=2019-02-14 |access-date=2024-06-15 |url-status=live }}</ref>

<ref name=knibbs>{{cite book |last1=Knibbs |first1=G.H. |author-link1=George Handley Knibbs |title=Official Year Book of the Commonwealth of Australia |chapter=The Creation of the Several Colonies |volume=4 |publisher=Commonwealth Bureau of Census and Statistics |year=1911 |location=Melbourne |page=16}}</ref>

<!-- <ref name="rei08">{{cite thesis |title=French Exploration and Intentions with Regard to the West Coast of Australia 1772–1829 |degree=MSSc |first= Dorothy V. |last=Reid |date=August 2008 |publisher=Department of Social Sciences, Curtin University of Technology |location=Bentley, Western Australia |url=https://espace.curtin.edu.au/bitstream/handle/20.500.11937/1615/18748_Reid2008.pdf |access-date=28 April 2021 }}</ref> -->

<ref name="the64">{{cite Q |Q130632460 |access-date=2024-10-24 |mode=cs1 }}</ref>

<ref name="wayb79">{{cite book |title=Western Australian Year Book |author=W. M. Bartlett |number=17 |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |location=Western Australian Office |year=1979 |url=https://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/free.nsf/0/D269F393BB0AE162CA257B020012F2FC/$File/13005%20-WA%20YrBook%201979.pdf |access-date=13 September 2020 |oclc=223554105 |issn=0083-8772 }}</ref>

<ref name="Western Australia Foundation">{{cite web |url=https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/agency/king-georges-sound-settlement |title=King George's Sound Settlement |publisher=[[State Records Authority of New South Wales]]|archive-date=11 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911033259/https://www.records.nsw.gov.au/agency/king-georges-sound-settlement |access-date=30 August 2016}}</ref>

<ref name="wsj">{{cite news | last = Curran | first = Enda | date = 21 February 2012 | title = Western Australia Plans Sovereign Wealth Fund |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970203358704577236780148058626 | work = The Wall Street Journal | access-date = 15 March 2012}}</ref>
</references>

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last=Zuckermann |first=Ghil'ad |author-link=Ghil'ad Zuckermann |year=2020 |title=Revivalistics: From the Genesis of Israeli to Language Reclamation in Australia and Beyond |title-link=Revivalistics: From the Genesis of Israeli to Language Reclamation in Australia and Beyond |location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780199812790 }}

==External links==
{{Commonscat}}
{{Wikivoyage}}
* [http://www.wa.gov.au/ Western Australia government's website]
* [http://www.westernaustralia.com/au/Pages/Welcome_to_Western_Australia.aspx Welcome to Western Australia], a tourist website run by [[Tourism Western Australia]], the [[statutory authority]] responsible for promoting Western Australia as a tourist destination
* {{OSM relation|2316598}}
* [http://nfsa.gov.au/blog/2012/05/15/west-australian-time-capsule/ Watch historical footage of Western Australia] from the [[National Film and Sound Archive]] of Australia's collection.
* [http://aso.gov.au/titles/tags/Western%20Australia/ Watch audiovisual material relating to Western Australia] on the [[National Film and Sound Archive]]'s [http://aso.gov.au/ ''australianscreen online''].

{{Western Australia}}
{{States and territories of Australia}}
{{Australia topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Western Australia| ]]
[[Category:1829 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1829]]
[[Category:States and territories of Australia]]