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This WikiProject helps develop country-related pages (of all types) and works toward standardizing the formats of sets and types of country-related pages. For example, the sets of Culture of x, Administrative divisions of x, and Demographics of x articles, etc. – (where "x" is a country name) – and the various types of pages, like stubs, categories, etc.

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This WikiProject is focused on country coverage (content/gaps) and presentation (navigation, page naming, layout, formatting) on Wikipedia, especially country articles (articles with countries as their titles), country outlines, and articles with a country in their name (such as Demographics of Germany), but also all other country-related articles, stubs, categories, and lists pertaining to countries.

This WikiProject helps Wikipedia's navigation-related WikiProjects (Wikipedia:WikiProject Outline of knowledge, WikiProject Categories, WikiProject Portals, etc.) develop and maintain the navigation structures (menus, outlines, lists, templates, and categories) pertaining to countries. And since most countries share the same subtopics ("Cities of", "Cuisine of", "Religion in", "Prostitution in", etc.), it is advantageous to standardize their naming, and their order of presentation in Wikipedia's indexes and table-of-contents-like pages.

• List of all subpages of this page.

Many country and country-related articles have been extensively developed, but much systematic or similar information about many countries is not presented in a consistent way. Inconsistencies are rampant in article naming, headings, data presented, types of things covered, order of coverage, etc. This WikiProject works towards standardizing page layouts of country-related articles of the same type ("Geography of", "Government of", "Politics of", "Wildlife of", etc.).

We are also involved with the standardization of country-related stubs, standardizing the structure of country-related lists and categories (the category trees for countries should be identical for the most part, as most countries share the same subcategories – though there will be some differences of course).

1. Provide a centralized resource guide of all related topics in Wikipedia, as well as spearhead the effort to improve and develop them.
2. Create uniform templates that serve to identify all related articles as part of this project, as well as stub templates to englobe all related stubs under specific categories.
3. Standardize articles about different nations, cultures, holidays, and geography.
4. Verify historical accuracy and neutrality of all articles within the scope of the project.
5. Create, expand and cleanup related articles.

Although referenced during FA and GA reviews, this structure guide is advisory only, and should not be enforced against the wishes of those actually working on the article in question. Articles may be best modeled on the layout of an existing article of appropriate structure and topic (See: Canada or Japan)

A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, states with limited recognition, constituent country, or a dependent territory.

For lead length see, #Size

The article should start with a good simple introduction, giving name of the country, general location in the world, bordering countries, seas and the like. Also give other names by which the country may still be known (for example Holland, Persia). Also, add a few facts about the country, the things that it is known for (for example the mentioning of windmills in the Netherlands article). The primary purpose of a Wikipedia lead is not to summarize the topic, but to summarize the content of the article.

The first sentence should introduce the topic, and tell the nonspecialist reader what the subject is, and where. It should be in plain English.

The etymology of a country's name, if worth noting and naming disputes, may be dealt with in the etymology section. Foreign-languages, pronunciations and acronyms may also belong in the etymology section or in a note to avoid WP:LEADCLUTTER.

Example:

Y Sweden,^[a] formally the Kingdom of Sweden,^[b] is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe.
N Sweden (Swedish: Sverige [ˈsvæ̌rjɛ] ^ⓘ), formally the Kingdom of Sweden (Swedish: Konungariket Sverige [ˈkôːnɵŋaˌriːkɛt ˈsvæ̌rjɛ] ^ⓘ), is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe.

Overly detailed information or infobox data duplication such as listing random examples, excessive numbered statistics or naming individuals should be reserved for the infobox or body of the article. The lead prose should provide clear, relevant information through links to relevant sub-articles about the country an relevant terms, rather than listing random stats and articles with minimal information about the country.

Example:

Y A developed country, Canada has a high nominal per capita income globally and its advanced economy ranks among the largest in the world, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks. Recognized as a middle power, Canada's strong support for multilateralism and internationalism has been closely related to its foreign relations policies of peacekeeping and aid for developing countries. Canada promotes its domestically shared values through participation in multiple international organizations and forums.
N A highly developed country, Canada has the seventeenth-highest nominal per-capita income globally and the sixteenth-highest ranking in the Human Development Index. Its advanced economy is the tenth-largest in the world and the 14th for military expenditure by country, Canada is part of several major international institutions including the United Nations, NATO, the G7, the Group of Ten, the G20, the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and the Organization of American States.

There is a table with quick facts about the country called an infobox. A template for the table can be found at the bottom of this page.

Although the table can be moved out to the template namespace (to e.g. [[Template:CountryName Infobox]]) and thus easen the look of the edit page, most Wikipedians still disapprove as of now, see the talk page.

The contents are as follows:

• The official long-form name of the country in the local language is to go on top as the caption. If there are several official names (languages), list all (if reasonably feasible). The conventional long-form name (in English), if it differs from the local long-form name, should follow the local name(s). This is not a parameter to list every recognized language of a country, but rather for listing officially recognize national languages.
• The conventional short-form name of the country, recognised by the majority of the English-speaking world; ideally, this should also be used for the name of the article.
• A picture of the national flag. You can find flags at the List of flags. A smaller version should be included in the table itself, a larger-sized version in a page titled Flag of <country>, linked to via the "In Detail" cell. Instead of two different images, use the autothumbnail function that wiki offers.
• A picture of the national coat of arms. A good source is required for this, but not yet available. It should be no more than 125 pixels in width.
• Below the flag and coat of arms is room for the national motto, often displayed on the coat of arms (with translation, if necessary).
• The official language(s) of the country. (rot the place to list every recognized or used language)
• The political status. Specify if it is a sovereign state or a dependent territory.
• The capital city, or cities. Explain the differences if there are multiple capital cities using a footnote (see example at the Netherlands).
• If the data on the population is recent and reliable, add the largest city of the country.
• Land area: The area of the country in square kilometres (km²) and square miles (sq mi) with the world-ranking of this country. Also add the % of water, which can be calculated from the data in the Geography article (make it negligible if ~0%).
• Population: The number of inhabitants and the world-ranking; also include a year for this estimate (should be 2000 for now, as that is the date of the ranking). For the population density you can use the numbers now available.
• GDP: The amount of the gross domestic product on ppp base and the world ranking. also include the amount total and per head.
• HDI: Information pertaining to the UN Human Development Index – the value, year (of value), rank (with ordinal), and category (colourised as per the HDI country list).
• Currency; the name of the local currency. Use the pipe if the currency name is also used in other countries: [[Australian dollar|dollar]].
• Time zone(s); the time zone or zones in which the country is relative to UTC
• National anthem; the name of the National anthem and a link to the article about it.
• Internet TLD; the top-level domain code for this country.
• Calling Code; the international Calling Code used for dialing this country.

There is a long-standing practice that areas out of a state's control should be depicted differently on introductory maps, to not give the impression the powers of a state extend somewhere they do not. This is for various types of a lack of control, be it another state (eg. Crimea, bits of Kashmir) or a separatist body (eg. DPR, TRNC).

A section should be written in summary style, containing just the important facts. Undue weight can be given in several ways, including but not limited to the depth of detail, the quantity of text, prominence of placement, the juxtaposition of statements, and the use of imagery. Main article fixation is an observed effect that editors are likely to encounter in county articles. If a section it is too large, information should be transferred to the sub-article. Avoid sections focusing on criticisms or controversies. Try to achieve a more neutral text by folding debates into the narrative, rather than isolating them into sections.

Prose should provide clear, relevant information and links to relevant sub-articles about the country, rather than listing random stats and articles with minimal information about the country.

Y Corruption in Liberia is endemic at every level of society, making it one of the most politically corrupt nations.
N Liberia scored a 3.3 on a scale from 10 (highly clean) to 0 (highly corrupt) on the 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index.

Articles may consist of the following sections:

• Etymology sections are often placed first (sometimes called name depending on the information in the article). Include only if due information is available.
• History – An outline of the major events in the country's history (about 4 to 6 paragraphs, depending on complexity of history), including some detail on current events. Sub-article: "History of X"
• Politics – Overview of the current governmental system, possibly previous forms, some short notes on the parliament. Sub-article: "Politics of X"
• Administrative divisions – Overview of the administrative subdivisions of the country. Name the section after the first level of subdivisions (and subsequent levels, if available) (e.g. provinces, states, departments, districts, etc.) and give the English equivalent name, when available. Also include overseas possessions. This section should also include an overview map of the country and subdivisions, if available.
• Geography – Details of the country's main geographic features and climate. Historical weather boxes should be reserved for sub articles. Sub-article: "Geography of X"
• Economy – Details on the country's economy, major industries, bit of economic history, major trade partners, a tad comparison etc. Sub-article: "Economy of X"
• Demographics – Mention the languages spoken, the major religions, some well known properties of the people of X, by which they are known. Uncontextualized data and charts should be avoided. (See WP:NOTSTATS and WP:PROSE) Sub-article: "Demographics of X".
• Culture – Summary of the country's specific forms of art (anything from painting to film) and its best known cultural contributions. Caution should be taken to ensure that the sections are not simply a listing of names or mini biographies of individuals accomplishments. Good example Canada#Sports. Sub-article: "Culture of X".
• See also – 'See also" sections of country articles normally only contain links to "Index of country" and "Outline of country" articles, alongside the main portal(s).
• References – Sums up "Notes", "References", and all "Further Reading" or "Bibliography"
• External links – Links to official websites about the country. See WP:External links

Articles that have gone through FA and GA reviews generally consists of approximately 8,000 to 10,000 words as per WP:SIZERULE, with a lead usually 250 to 400 words as per MOS:LEADLENGTH.

• Australia = Prose size (text only): 60 kB (9,304 words) "readable prose size"
• Bulgaria = Prose size (text only): 56 kB (8,847 words) "readable prose size"
• Canada = Prose size (text only): 67 kB (9,834 words) "readable prose size"
• Germany = Prose size (text only): 54 kB (8,456 words) "readable prose size"
• Japan = Prose size (text only): 51 kB (8,104 words) "readable prose size"
• East Timor = Prose size (text only): 53 kB (8,152 words) "readable prose size"
• Malaysia = Prose size (text only): 57 kB (9,092 words) "readable prose size"
• New Zealand = Prose size (text only): 62 kB (9,761 words) "readable prose size"
• Philippines = Prose size (text only): 62 kB (9,178 words) "readable prose size"

The link should be shown as below: Avoid link clutter of multiple child articles in a hierarchical setup as hatnotes. Important links/articles should be incorporated into the prose of the section. For example, Canada#Economy is a summary section with a hatnote to Economy of Canada that summarizes the history with a hatnote to Economic history of Canada. See WP:SUMMARYHATNOTE, WP:HATNOTERULES, WP:HATLENGTH for more recommended hatnote usages.

Y== Economy ==

N== Economy ==

As prose text is preferred, overly detailed statistical charts and diagrams that lack any context or explanation such as; economic trends, weather boxes, historical population charts, and past elections results, etc, should be reserved for main sub articles on the topic as per WP:DETAIL as outlined at WP:NOTSTATS.

Galleries or clusters of images are generally discouraged - (unless a point of contrast or comparison is being made) - as they may cause undue weight to one particular section of a summary article and might cause accessibility problems, such as sand­wich­ing of text, images that are too small or fragmented image display for some readers as outlined at WP:GALLERY. Clusters of images may cause images to appear too late or too early for associated prose text, see MOS:SECTIONLOC for general recommendations. Articles that have gone through modern FA and GA reviews generally consists of one image for every three or four paragraph summary section, see MOS:ACCESS#FLOAT and MOS:SECTIONLOC for more information

As noted at Wikipedia:Categories, lists, and series boxes the number of templates at the bottom of any article should be kept to a minimum. Country pages generally have footers that link to pages for countries in their geographic region. Footers for international organizations are not added to country pages, but they rather can go on subpages such as "Economy of..." and "Foreign relations of..." Categories for some of these organizations are also sometimes added. Templates for supranational organizations like the European Union and CARICOM are permitted. A list of the footers that have been created can be found at Wikipedia:WikiProject Countries/Templates/Navboxes, however note that many of these are not currently in use.

Transclusions are generally discouraged in country articles for reasons outlined below.

Like many software technologies, transclusion comes with a number of drawbacks. The most obvious one being the cost in terms of increased machine resources needed; to mitigate this to some extent, template limits are imposed by the software to reduce the complexity of pages. Some further drawbacks are listed below.

• Transcluded text may have no sources for statements that should be sourced where they appear, have different established reference styles, contain no-text cite errors, or duplicate key errors. (To help mitigate these, see Help:Cite errors)
• Excerpts break the link between article code and article output.
• Changes made to transcluded content often do not appear in watchlists, resulting in unseen changes on the target page.
• Transcluded text may cause repeated links or have different varieties of English and date formats than the target page.
• Transclusions may not reflect protection levels, resulting in transcluded text perhaps having a different level of protection than the target page. See Cascading protection
• {{excerpt}} and related templates may require using <noinclude>, <includeonly> and <onlyinclude> markup at the transcluded page to have selective content; that would require monitoring that the markup is sustained.
• Excerpts cause editors to monitor transcluded pages for "section heading" changes to ensure transclusion continues to work. (To help mitigate this, see MOS:BROKENSECTIONLINKS)
• Excerpts can result in content discussions over multiple talk pages that may have different considerations or objectives for readers.

To determine which entities should be considered separate "countries" or included on lists, use the entries in ISO 3166-1 plus the list of states with limited recognition, except:

• Lists based on only a single source should follow that source.
• Specific lists might need more logical criteria. For example, list of sovereign states omits non-sovereign entities listed by ISO-3166-1. Lists of sports teams list whichever entities that have teams, regardless of sovereignty. Lists of laws might follow jurisdiction boundaries (for example, England and Wales is a single jurisdiction).

For consistency with other Wikipedia articles, the names of entities do not need to follow sources or ISO-3166-1. The names used as the titles of English Wikipedia articles are a safe choice for those that are disputed.

• WikiProject Former countries
• WikiProject Micronations
• WikiProject Limited recognition

• Wikipedia:WikiProject Countries/Popular pages

Australia FA‑class Top‑importance

Australia is within the scope of WikiProject Australia, which aims to improve Wikipedia's coverage of Australia and Australia-related topics. If you would like to participate, visit the project page.AustraliaWikipedia:WikiProject AustraliaTemplate:WikiProject AustraliaAustralia FA This article has been rated as FA-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale. Top This article has been rated as Top-importance on the project's importance scale. Need help improving this article? Ask a LibrarianWhat's this? at the National Library of Australia. The Wikimedia Australia chapter can be contacted via email to helpwikimedia.org.au for non-editorial assistance.

Template:Mainpage date Template:0.5 nom

Software: Computing Unassessed

This article is within the scope of WikiProject Software, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of software on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.SoftwareWikipedia:WikiProject SoftwareTemplate:WikiProject Softwaresoftware ??? This article has not yet received a rating on Wikipedia's content assessment scale. ??? This article has not yet received a rating on the project's importance scale. This article is supported by WikiProject Computing.

	Melbourne Meetup Next: TBD (watch) Last: 18 February 2023
See also: Australian events listed at Wikimedia.org.au (or on Facebook)

Adelaide Meetup Next: 15 November 2024 Last: 6 March 2020 This box: view • talk •

Are there any images floating around that would be more appropriate for the economy section than the skyline of Melbourne? I'd like one of a big open cut mine, something being harvested, a working port. Make you suggestion here please.--Peta 07:14, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

From Footscray ρ¡ρρµ δ→θ∑ - (waarom? jus'b'coz!) 07:21, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I like it, Pippu. fuddlemark (fuddle me!) 10:42, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How about this one from Kalgoorlie? --Astrokey44 11:57, 12 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think this mine one is great.--Peta 01:25, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Another vote for the Kalgoorlie mine image! -- Chuq 01:52, 13 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

how about scale all the images (including the skyline) to a similar size then make them into one vertical picture?

Although his wording was messy, Geoff Wing had a point about the current wording regarding the beliefs of indigenous Australians. Maybe this would be better:

The first Australians were the ancestors of the current Indigenous Australians; they arrived via land bridges and short sea-crossings from present-day Southeast Asia. Until recent centuries, most Indigenous Australians were hunter-gatherers, with a complex oral culture and spiritual values based on reverence for the land and a belief in the Dreamtime. The Torres Strait Islanders, ethnically Melanesian, inhabited the Torres Strait Islands and parts of far-north Queensland; they possess distinct cultural practices from the Aborigines.

Can someone do better? JPD (talk) 10:14, 26 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

• Perhaps instead of the adjective 'first' the use of Pleistocene australians would be more accurate? Melbob 02:34, 27 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Suggestion

The ancestors of the current Indigenous Australians arrived via land bridges and short sea-crossings from present-day Southeast Asia.

Someone has just added:

Most common languages other than English: Chinese languages, Italian, Greek, Romanian

Chinese, Italian and Greek I can see - but Romanian? Is that possible? ρ¡ρρµ δ→θ∑ - (waarom? jus'b'coz!) 23:26, 30 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

• There were a lot of untrue and undiscussed changes made to the demographics, I have reverted them.--Peta 00:04, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've reverted back further: all recent edits were either degenerative, inconsequential or incorrectly sourced and integrated.--cj | talk 07:11, 31 May 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Should there be an article on the international rankings, anyone wanna consider doing one? Jackp 04:13, 3 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

• No, relevant inernational ranking are mentioned in the text.--Peta 00:07, 5 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, I don't know how to edit the table template, but under 'Independence' the date for the Australian Acts doesn't line up. (It's sitting next to the Statute of Westminster) Fizban 12:22, 4 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In the independence table: australia's signing of the treaty of versailes after ww1 is quite important. previous treaties were signed by britain for its domminions and consequently this was the first foreign recognition of australia's independence from britain. do ppl think that this should be included in the table? or am i just wrong on this? (i need more practice with my wikipedia) aussietiger 03:05, 12 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"Australian music includes classical, jazz, and many popular music genres."

Shouldn't modern music also be mentioned? The summer festival season is such an iconic tradition it looks like a deliberate omission. Surely the BDO is more signicant than Dame Melba. So always come for a nice stay.

According to the article...

• Australian Population: 20,555,300
• Australian Unemployed: 10,034,500
• Australian Unemployment rate: 5.3%

Fix please? What's it supposed to be? -Kinst 15:17, 7 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's supposed to be what it says - Employed 10,034,500, not unemployed. Also keep in mind that the unemployment rate isn't a percentage of the total population, as it doesn't include those defined to be not seeking work. JPD (talk) 15:40, 7 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

• Oooh, I read it wrong, nevermind. --Kinst 16:53, 7 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

New South Wales was not (despite the wikipedia article) settled as the "Penal Colony" of NSW, it was then and thereafter known simply as the "Colony" of New South Wales. Early colonial rulers were no doubt averse to the idea that a colony should be pidgeon-holed to such an extent that it affected the colony's status. It's important to recognise that free settlers and British Government officials in NSW played an important role in the early years of European settlement. Therefore, we should use the correct official name of "The Colony of New South Wales" in the article. -AI.

Nowhere does the article state "The Penal Colony of New South Wales" was the colony's official name. It states the uncontestable iron-clad fact that New South Wales was settled as a penal colony. As far as "pidgeonholing" goes, before the arrival of Lachlan Macquarie and for a period afterwards, colonial administrators in New South Wales and Great Britain were frequent in asserting the colony's primary purpose was and should remain penal. Slac speak up! 11:45, 20 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I can't find this anywhere so I thought I might just ask here. In the early 20th century, from about 1900-1920 during WW1, what sort of school system was in place? I mean, were there 12 grades? What grade did most kids reach? What age? I really appreciate this, cheers. DarkSideOfTheSpoon 06:18, 16 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Someone has just added soccer to the rugby codes, cricket, etc. as a sport we perform well in. I sort of half agree, but it could be argued that it is a tad premature. Maybe it can stay if we make it through to the second round! ρ¡ρρµ δ→θ∑ - (waarom? jus'b'coz!) 07:17, 20 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Even now, the Socceroos are in the finals. The 32 teams in Germany are competing in finals that started with 198 countries competing for a spot! As a proportion, that makes us look pretty good already. --Scott Davis ^Talk 11:25, 20 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, that does suggest that they are reasonably good, but it's not quite "particularly strong", and definitely not at the same level as the other sports mentioned. I don't think it should be there. JPD (talk) 11:55, 20 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

If you put the current World Cup performance in the context of even the more recent history, it's an anomaly. Wait a few years until we actually win some competition or a series of important matches. --bainer (talk) 13:16, 20 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

American makes the soccer world cup very often, but on their site they don't claim to be particularly strong. I don't think any other in the world who has only made the soccer world cup 2 times as 'particularly strong'. I think saying that we do makes us look embarassing.

Is there a reason the "Royal Anthem" is listed on the info box?

I'd gather the majority of Australians wouldn't know it, don't want to know it and wouldn't even mime it if it was played for us.

Our anthem is "Advance Australia Fair" and that's all that should be listed.

Does anyone else agree? --James Pinnell 14:38, 27 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

• But the fact is that the Queen is our Head of state, therefore, anytime that we are greeting our Head of state publicly, we do indeed play the royal anthem for her. It's unfortunate, and a bit embarassing, but it's a fact. ρ¡ρρµ δ→θ∑ - (waarom? jus'b'coz!) 23:17, 27 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I know I'm being really picky here, but the word 'penal' is mentioned twice in one paragraph in the introduction. This is enough to put me off the article at large, and I'm sure some other people have noticed it. Can someone please rectify this? Because I CBF. Black-Velvet 12:07, 29 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's used in two linked phrases which really wouldn't convey the same meaning otherwise. Out of curiosity, why does it put you off? --bainer (talk) 13:30, 29 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The first three letters, and it sounds like an adjective for something not censored for minors. 124.178.27.241 13:37, 29 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It does seem a bit odd to say it was a penal colony as well as it was settled through penal transportation, but to object to the word itself because it sounds like something else is completely ridiculous. JPD (talk) 13:48, 29 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A solution may be to have a dictionary on hand when you read an article. Xtra 14:08, 29 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I am just imagining someone reading the article and being very confused about Australia's early history with all these "penile colonies" we had. I guess that explains the origins of the Mardi Gras! -- Chuq 23:47, 29 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This is so going on my quotes page. Rebecca 00:25, 30 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I removed the second "penal" to improve the flow of the sentence. Penal colony is still linked from the history section. --Scott Davis ^Talk 12:48, 30 June 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You've made me and many other edgy heterosexuals happy men. Many thanks. Black-Velvet 12:54, 6 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Dude, you've obviously got a big problem if you can't hack the word 'penal..' maybe you're kidding yourself about the heterosexuality? --58.160.157.30 07:30, 6 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Replace that... it's obviously a case of reverting not going back far enough...

I added a few external links to the page yesterday which I believe that are relevant & useful. However, they were deleted today. Is the addition of links or other information here against some sort of policies here or confined to certain individuals? Suisse2007 08:20, 27 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The whole Australia page looks unnatractive and its not a very good ad for our country, I think it needs a complete overhaul. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.7.176.131 (talk • contribs) 23:14, 4 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think that's a problem, seeing as it is an encyclopedia article and not an ad. What do you think would improve it? -- Chuq 13:26, 4 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This sentence forces two rather separate ideas together:

The capital city is Canberra, and the current population of around 20.5 million is concentrated mainly in the large coastal cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.

I've changed "although" to "and", because there was insufficient sense of contradicting the preceding clause. "The current population" might strike the reader at first as being Canberra's current population until reading further on (this was also the case with "although"). Anyone like to suggest a better wording? Tony 14:33, 8 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I've changed it to "...although the current national population..." to restore the original thrust of the sentence (that although it is the capital, Canberra is not a highly populated city) while making it clear that the current population referred to is not Canberra's. --bainer (talk) 14:59, 8 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

i believe that the name of Australia actually comes from the spanish, should that be put into the article?

to what im lead to believe is that the name of Australia actually originated with the spanish. I believe that Quiros came with the name of "Austrialia del Espiritu Santo" for an island he landed on which he thought was the great southern continent (present day Australia) in 1606.

Though it is thought that his chief pilot Luis Vaez de Torres sighted Australia when he travelled through the Torres straight - the torres straight is named after him - also in 1606.

see

http://www.namingaustralia.org.au/

http://www.namingaustralia.org.au/Docs/Quirostriptico.pdf

Every time I go to create the portal on Sydney, it redirects to Australia's portal, what do I do? I'm willing to create one and wish to be able to do so. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Jackp 09:32, 24 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

There isn't enough quality Sydney-related content to sustain a portal of any substance, hence the redirect. You've been explained this before.--cj | talk 12:15, 24 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The amount on information on Sydney is so giantic, it is my belief you are obviously joking. The addition of a Sydney wiki page is envitable and a great idea

Dear contributors

Since you're involved in maintaining a successful FA on a country, your experienced critiqueing would be valued at Wikipedia:Featured article review/Cambodia, where another country FA will require serious work if it's to retain its status. Thanks, Tony 12:10, 24 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

i am a carpenter that thinking to immigate to Australia, but i am not sure about successfull. i want to work 1-2 years in a workshop then make my own workshop and ... is there any relevant article in WikiPerdia?

• See Immigration to Australia and the external links at the end of the article.--Peta 07:09, 28 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

i would recomend asking for information by a professional, not over wikipedia...

As an Australian, I'd recommend you contact the Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs. Their website is http://www.immi.gov.au/ Harryboyles 09:39, 3 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, it's minor but I find the gatekeeping here extremely odd. Adding "...and sport" to "Culture" is reverted. Ditto splitting sport to its own section. So the word "sport" doesn't appear in the TOC. Is there an MOS consensus for this that I don't know about? Marskell 13:46, 1 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Single paragraphs don't need headings, see MoS--Peta 13:59, 1 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

So make it two. I'm actually surprised it's so short. I came here expecting a good one to use as a template for another article under review (see note on Cambodia above). Is there, to be more specific, a guideline on country TOCs? Marskell 14:02, 1 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Wikproject countries has one, just look at the other featued coutries. Sport is short becuase the concensus was to keep the article, as a summary, under ~45 kb, make sport its own section and it'd blow out of proportion compared to the remainder of the article.--Peta 14:04, 1 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

(after several edit conflicts)There isn't anything in the MOS, but the current structure is that used by many country articles, particularly other featured articles, and roughly described at Wikipedia:WikiProject Countries. A separate section is not necessary for one paragraph, and adding "and sport" to the heading is redundant. The question really is why should "sport" appear in the TOC? JPD (talk) 14:12, 1 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

"Blow out of proportion"—I think not. But perhaps I'll take it up at the Wiki project, which appears to be the de facto guideline on the topic. I certainly don't see how adding "...and sport" does any harm whatsoever (redundant how?). And I would revert the onus of JPD's question: why shouldn't it appear if it's something you could reasonably expect people to browse for? I'd suggest treating it country-by-country. "Culture" on Australia might have a sport sub-section while, say, on France it might have a cuisine sub-section. Standardization is good but it shouldn't be a straight jacket. Marskell 14:22, 1 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Its arrogant to assume that any one part of a countries culture is more important that another. By using headings and subheadings you are implying that a subject is distinct and more important than another topic. Sport is a part of cutlure, the sport information is there, it is easy to find, it is balanced with the other content.--Peta 14:33, 1 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry about that - I should also add that in my experience articles that have single subheadings within a section get criticised at peer review or FAC for increasing the length of the TOC for little to no gain, take a look at PRC - the sport and recreation heading breaks up the flow of the culture section and increases the TOC for no actual gain in readability.--Peta 14:19, 1 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Having a sub-section is one thing, although as Peta says there are downsides to that. Adding a redundant item to a heading is another matter. Media does not appear in the TOC either, so should we make it "Culture, sport and media"? Or be less redundant but more detailed and say "Arts, media and sport"? Culture is a perfectly good heading for the section. Standardisation simply means that people are more likely to expect this, so it is even less of a problem. JPD (talk) 14:36, 1 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

You're confusing specificity and redundancy. And why the word "arrogant" was just introduced I don't know—of course cultures vary in what they attach importance to. How could it be otherwise? Cheers, Marskell 14:51, 1 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I was quite clear about the difference between specificity and redundancy. "Arts, media and sport" is specific. "Culture" isn't. "Culture and sport" is redundant, as it includes the general and the specific. It is also not balanced, giving undue emphasis to one topic. JPD (talk) 15:16, 1 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Is it time to change soccer to football yet? Thats its official name now, after all. I've become quite accustomed to calling it football after watching so much world cup :) aussietiger 14:45, 1 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In which context are you asking? In the Australian context it is definitely not time, and may never be, have you ever heard of the Australian Football League? Some papers are now using "Football" to mean soccer - but you will find that all the Southern papers, i.e. Victorian, South Australian, Western Australian and Tasmanian, i.e. representing half of Australia's population, continue to refer to Association Football as soccer (as all of Canada, the USA and New Zealand continues to do). And while Wikipedia continues to contain an article called Football which (quite rightly) refers to the general meaning of the word, and the meaning most understood by the majority of the English speaking world, then one can only conclude that that time has not yet come. Who knows, there may come a time when crowds at regular soccer games nudge 90,000, when club memberships top 50,000, when crowds at games are split almost 50/50 between males and females, when half of Australia watches the grand final on tele, etc. Although if Australian soccer was true to its roots, there would be no grand final! The top team would simply take all, and we could enjoy dozens of nil all draws in the lead up to the exciting finish to the season (when the champion team had been decided 12 weeks earlier). πίππύ δ'Ω∑ - (waarom? jus'b'coz!) 03:54, 4 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

This old one again! Tonight, I'm going to write up a page summarising all current football Australia related discussions, so we can just point people to it. Will post a link here when I have done it so it can be reviewed. -- Chuq 06:27, 4 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Take a look at User:Chuq/Football in Australia and see what you think. Sources? Well, I haven't found where they all are, but mostly on talk and archive pages of Australian wikipedian's noticeboard, Talk:Football (soccer) in Australia, Talk:Australia national football (soccer) team, Talk:Australia_national_soccer_team/Archive_1. Oh, and the intent of this page is to summarise past discussion results - not to re-discuss the whole issue again. -- Chuq 14:58, 4 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry. Read the discussion in the australian soccer page after i was on this page. I didnt realise ppl had such strong feelings about it! I'm in Qld and ppl don't seem to have to much difficulty with "football" meaning "soccer". I guess cos we have traditionally called rugby (league) football and now we have afl and rugby union popular and also called football, so one more doesn't add too much to the confusion already existing over the word. when you say you are going to the footbal on weekend here no one really knows where you're going. aussietiger 02:58, 12 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

A recent reverting of the Australia article rather than attempting to either discuss or improve the article has been performed. The revert seem to have been performed by someone because they did not understand that the "Commonwealth of Australia" and the "Australian Continent" are two distinct concepts, the first is a government ruling various lands and islands, but the second is an area determined by the geographic term continent.

To clarify the situation, the British isles are part of Europe, Japan is part of Asia, and New Guinea is a continental island of the Australian continent just like the smaller island of Tasmania is because they are both sitting on the Australian continental shelf. Even commonly accepted biological indicator species such as wallabies, kangaroos, echidna, and cassowary are endemic to continental Australia including New Guinea, not to the CoA. Just like Sumatra, Java, and the Lesser Sunda Islands are on the Asian continental shelf. Continental land masses are measured by their amount of land above the current sea level, that includes any parts which have become temporary islands.

The fact that the Commonwealth of Australia occupies almost 90% of the continent is not a large or important issue, but Wikipedia should not be promoting the mistaken mythos of the CoA ruling the entire continent either.58.107.9.159 02:40, 4 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think you should be careful in ascribing motivations for the revert. The revert clearly did not think that the "Commonwealth of Australia" and the "Australian Continent" were the same thing, as it says the Commonwealth also includes several islands. There are several definitions of "continent", and that sentence seems to be using one that excludes islands. This was perhaps clearer in earlier versions. It may be better not to use this definition of continent, but if so, we need to find better wording than simply inserting an approximate 90% in the sentence. JPD (talk) 11:18, 4 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The Australia Census will be released quite soon, so keep an eye out for it to update infomation.

Well, it's being held tonight. It takes a few months for the stats to start coming out. I'm looking forwards to the new population stats. - ҉ Randwicked ҉ 04:44, 8 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I am under the impression that the ABS is plannning a two stage release, first in July 2007 then again in November. Sorry guys you might have to wait quite a while for the new population! Benhonan 18 August 2006

Judging by the history on this page, there is a date war (January 1 vs. 1 January). It seems like native Australians write the former, but perhaps the person who (first) wrote them was not. If indeed they write the former, maybe the date conventions should be set that way. I can tell you an article about the United States written in British English would never stand.

I don't understand the purpose of repeatedly reverting someone's alteration of dates when such an alteration is not vandalizing the article, but altering the convention. 67.185.99.246 07:13, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The person who was changing the dates was a community banned user (User:Pnatt). Sarah Ewart (Talk) 07:16, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Were the reverts due to the fact that changing the dates was unacceptable, or that it was being done by someone who had been community-banned? 67.185.99.246 07:18, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Pnatt has admitted in the past that he suffers from obsessive compulsive disorder which goes a long way in explaining why is he so persistent in disrupting Wikipedia by changing all dates and English spellings to his personal preference rather than respecting regional variants. However, it's a bit harder to tell if Category:Suspected_Wikipedia_sockpuppets_of_Pnatt are him as well or a copycat intent on causing maximum disruption to Wikipedia. --  Netsnipe  ^(Talk)  07:28, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well it looks like the page is in good hands, and thanks for the message. 67.185.99.246 09:25, 14 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Am discusted to see there is not one mention of the word 'racism'. You are not advertising Australia, but stating fact. Racism is a major issue in Australia's society and history, like South Africa in a way. 600,000 Aboriginals have died upon white settlement with racism being a major contributor. We cannot forget the Muslim's being attacked at Bondi nor OneNation's 25% share of the vote. I know there are links to the Stolen Generation on there. Please stop hiding the truth.—The preceding unsigned comment was added by 58.28.145.66 (talk • contribs) 23:20, August 16, 2006 (UTC)

Under "Demographics" there is a statement on racial inequality and human rights - this seems reasonable for an article that summarises a range of matters relating to Australia (if more can be added elsewhere in the article without upsetting its current flow and readability, please offer some ideas below). I know that there was a specific article written on the race riots and I am sure you would find other material on related matters if you look for it. Having said all that, as a general proposition, I would agree that Wikipedia is naturally biased towards an Anglo-American perspective of the world, but I do think a significant proportion of contributors make an effort to balance that tendency. πίππύ δ'Ω∑ - (waarom? jus'b'coz!) 13:47, 16 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Hey, does anyone know why Australians call football soccer and not football? If you do can you mention it somewhere please, thanks Henry Kricancic 14:52, 19 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

In the paragraph on sport, you might notice that there are three other codes of football listed as popular in Australia (Australian rules football is obvious, rugby league and rugby union less so). Rugby and Australian rules were called football in Australia even before the Football Association was formed, and the association version did not become popular for a long time, so the others have traditionally been called football as a result. If you think that mentioning the other codes doesn't make it clear enough, perhaps you could suggest how an explanation could be put in the paragragh nicely? JPD (talk) 15:04, 19 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

What is called football in most countries is more properly called Association Football, to distinguish it from Rugby Football, Australian Football, American Football, Gaelic Football, and no doubt others. Soccer is a recognised abreviation of Association Football, better to use in the context where the code is the least popular of four codes (although this last point may be changing).

--Michael Johnson 00:24, 20 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]