The State of Western Australia is the largest federal division by area in Australia, and is the second largest country subdivision in the world. The area of the state is 2.53 million square kilometres, and comprises one-third of the land mass of Australia. Western Australia is bigger in area than Western Europe and four times the size of Texas.
In mid-2013, the population of Western Australia surged to a new record of in excess of 2.5 million, with about 1,500 people per week (January 2013 estimate) arriving in the state capital, Perth, with a view to permanent settlement.