About Australia

Commonwealth of Australia

Known as the “Land Down Under,” Australia has been inhabited for over 40,000 years. When Captain James Cook arrived in 1770, there were over 300,000 Aboriginals and Torres Straits Islanders living in the country. These indigenous people lived a highly developed social and spiritual life and are an important part of the richness and the diversity of this smallest continent in the world. Immigration has always been a crucial ingredient in Australia‘s development; Europeans started settling in New South Wales in 1788 and even today one in four Australians are born in other countries, which include Ireland, America, Greece, Italy and especially New Zealand. The culture of Australia is a distinct mixture of European and Aboriginal flavors with a touch of American features and that blend fills the country with originality especially in art, as we as in sports and social interaction. This highly charged atmosphere offers residents as well as tourist an exciting assortment of attractions, which are uniquely entertaining and are absolutely amazing in their scope, as well as their presence.

Australia was originally composed of six colonies which are now the states in the Commonwealth. New South Wales was first in 1788 and Tasmania was next in 1825. Western Australia and South Australia followed in 1829 and 1836 and Victoria and Queensland became states in 1851 and 1859. Australia covers over 3 million square miles, which is approximately the size of the United States. The capital city is Canberra which has a population of 345,000. The largest city is Sydney with 4.4 million residents followed by Melbourne with 3.9 million people. Brisbane and Perth are next with 1.9 and 1.6 million and Adelaide has 1.2 million full time residents. The total population is over 21.8 million and the country continues to grow by almost 2% a year.

The largest area is still the great “Outback,” which is a hot, humid desert except for areas in the north which has tropical rainforests, wetlands, swamps and grassy woodlands. The country has over 10,000 beaches and the magnificent Great Barrier Reef still attracts people from all over the world. There are over 40 million kangaroos, 101 million sheep and 27 million cattle and an unknown number of koala bears that share residency with the Aussies. Australia is the largest gold producer in the world and Coober Pedy, located in the south, is known as the opal capital of the world.

Australia’s Economy

Australia’s economy is based on mining and agriculture for the most part and the country has taken steps to become more internationally competitive in the global market by restructuring their economic and political systems, as well as reforming the tax structure. Tourism and education also play an important part in Australia’s economy today. It is the sixth largest country, but has the lowest population density which means there are challenges as well as opportunities, as Australia continues to grow in the 21st century.

Cities

• Adelaide
• Brisbane
• Cairns
• Canberra
• Darwin
• Hobart
• Melbourne
• Perth
• Sydney

Regions

• Queensland
• New South Wales
• Australian Capital Territory
• Victoria
• Tasmania
• South Australia
• Western Australia
• Northern Territory