Portal:Western Australia
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Western Australia is a state of Australia occupying the western third of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent and with a total land area of 2,529,875 km2 (976,790.2 sq mi), it is the largest of Australia's states and territories. It is bordered to the east by South Australia and the Northern Territory, to the west by the Indian Ocean and to the south by the Southern Ocean. With 2 million people, the state comprises around 10 percent of the Australian population and ranks fourth in population among the states and territories. The majority of its people reside in the capital city Perth, with most of the remainder settled in the South West region.
The state has been inhabited by Indigenous Australians for around 40,000 years. The first European to visit Western Australia was a Dutch explorer, Dirk Hartog who on 26 October 1616 landed at (what is now known as) Cape Inscription, Dirk Hartog Island. In 1829, the Swan River Colony was established on the Swan River by Captain James Stirling. The colony eventually became a state of Australia on 1 January 1901. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Box-header/colours' not found. Banksia brownii is a species of shrub that occurs in southwest Western Australia. An attractive plant with fine feathery leaves and large red-brown flower spikes, it usually grows as an upright bush around two metres (7 ft) high, but can also occur as a small tree or a low spreading shrub. First collected in 1829 and published the following year, it is placed in Banksia subg. Banksia, section Oncostylis, series Spicigerae. It occurs naturally only in two population clusters, between Albany and the Stirling Range. In the Stirling Range it occurs among heath on rocky mountain slopes; further south it occurs among Jarrah woodland in shallow nutrient-poor sand. It is rare and endangered in its natural habitat, with all known populations currently threatened by Phytophthora cinnamomi dieback, a disease to which the species is highly susceptible. Other threats include loss of habitat, commercial exploitation and changes to the fire regime. B. brownii is highly valued by Australia's horticultural and cut flower industries.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Box-header/colours' not found. Photo credit: Gnangarra Featured articlesGood articles
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