Indigenous Australia
Australia’s Indigenous population consists of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who are ethnically and culturally different from one another. Historically, Aboriginal people are from mainland Australia and Tasmania. Torres Strait Islanders come from the islands between the tip of Queensland and Papua New Guinea and share many cultural similarities with the people of Papua New Guinea and other Pacific islands.
It is estimated that there were between 300 000 and 750 000 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia at the start of European settlement in 1788. This population declined dramatically during the 19th and early 20th centuries due to a number of factors, including conflict on the frontier of European settlement, the impact of new diseases and social problems.
An increasing number of Australians now identify themselves as of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.
More than half of the Indigenous population lives in either New South Wales or Queensland. These states are home to about 140 000 and 130 000 Indigenous people respectively. Of all the states and territories, the Northern Territory has the highest proportion of Indigenous people.
The census data also shows that just over half of the Indigenous population live in or close to major cities. However, Indigenous people are far more likely to live in rural or remote areas. Nationally, Indigenous people make up 24 per cent of Australians living in remote or very remote areas, and just 1 per cent of those living in major cities.
Indigenous cultures are diverse and form a vital part of Australia’s national identity. Indigenous people contribute significantly across many fields, including the arts, media, academia, sport, business.
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