Queensland

Queensland, second largest Australian state, in the northeastern region of Australia, covering 667,000 sq mi (1,727,530 sq km). Tropical and eucalyptus forests in the rugged east contrast with pasture and desert on the vast western plain. It produces sheep, nearly half of Australia's cattle, and such crops as sugarcane, wheat, cotton, and fruit. It has valuable oil and mineral deposits. Founded as a penal colony (1824–43), Queensland became a state of the Commonwealth in 1901.

See also: Australia.