{"population":27614411,"blurb":{"text":"Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands. It has a land area of 7,688,287 km2 (2,968,464 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest country in the world. Australia is the world's flattest and driest inhabited continent. It is a megadiverse country, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates including deserts in the interior and tropical rainforests along the coast.","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia"},"vexillology":{"text":"The national flag of Australia is based on the British Blue Ensign—a blue field with the Union Jack in the upper hoist quarter—featuring a large white seven-pointed star and a representation of the Southern Cross constellation, made up of five white stars. Australia also has a number of other official flags representing its states and territories, indigenous peoples and government bodies.","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Australia"},"flagDesign":{"text":"The Australian flag uses three prominent symbols: the Union Jack, Southern Cross, and Commonwealth Star.\n\nLocated in the canton, the position of honour in the flag, the Union Jack acknowledges the history of British settlement in Australia. Further, the British Admiralty required a flag based on the Blue or Red Ensign for maritime use.\n\nThe Commonwealth Star, also known as the Federation Star, is located in the lower hoist quarter. It originally had six points, representing the six federating colonies. In 1908, a seventh point was added to symbolise the Territory of Papua, and any future territories. The Commonwealth Star does not have any official relation to Beta Centauri, despite the latter's brightness and location in the sky; however, the 1870 version of the flag of South Australia featured the pointer stars, Alpha and Beta Centauri.\n\nThe Southern Cross is located in the fly half of the flag. It is one of the most distinctive constellations visible in the Southern Hemisphere, and has been used to represent Australia since the early days of British settlement. Ivor Evans, one of the flag's designers, intended the Southern Cross to also refer to the four moral virtues ascribed…","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Australia"},"photos":["https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Koala_climbing_tree.jpg/500px-Koala_climbing_tree.jpg","https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/2017_AFL_Grand_Final_panorama_during_national_anthem.jpg/500px-2017_AFL_Grand_Final_panorama_during_national_anthem.jpg","https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Ausgeolbasic.jpg/500px-Ausgeolbasic.jpg","https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Bradshaw_rock_paintings.jpg/500px-Bradshaw_rock_paintings.jpg"]}