Australia Information
Australia is the sixth largest nation in the world and has the smallest population of them such as
Russia, Canada, China, the United States of America and Brazil. Australia as a nation governs an
entire continent. The mainland is the largest island and the smallest continent on Earth. It lies
between 10° and 39° South latitude. The highest point on the mainland, Mount Kosciuszko and is
only 2228 metres. Apart from Antarctica, Australia is the driest continent. Its interior has one of
the lowest rainfalls in the world and about three-quarters of the land is arid or semi-arid. Its
fertile areas are well-watered, however, and these are used very effectively to help feed the
world. Sheep and cattle graze in the dry countryside. The Australian federation consists of six
States and two Territories.
Most inland borders follow lines of longitude and latitude. The largest State, Western Australia, is
about the same size as Western Europe.
Australia has a unique life forms not seen elsewhere the world. Australian plants and animals
evolved in isolation from other parts of the world. Over the past 45 million years, Australia has
moved away from Antarctica towards the equator and become warmer and more arid. About 35
million years ago, eucalypts began to displace the dense forests of the cool, damp Tertiary era.
The marsupials native to Australia have a different chromosome structure than mammals in other
parts of the world. Typically, they suckle their young in a pouch. As the world climate warmed and
glaciers melted, oceans gradually rose to their current level and the land bridges to New Guinea
and Tasmania were cut. Corals colonised a flooded coastal plain, forming the Great Barrier Reef of
Queensland.
Australia’s land icon, the kangaroo, marsupials seem to have appeared about 15 million years
ago. They vary enormously in size and adaptation. A species of tropical kangaroo lives in trees,
but most kangaroos are tough, efficient users of dry bush.
More than 60,000 years before the arrival of European settlers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples inhabited most areas of the Australian European settlement in 1788. There were
an estimated 300,000 Indigenous Australians living on the continent. It is a fact that asian and
Oceanic explorers and traders had contact with Indigenous Australian people long before the
European expansion into the eastern hemisphere.
After the American Civil War of Independence, Britain looked to establish new penal settlements
to replace the north Atlantic colonies. The First Fleet of 11 ships with 1500 aboard, half of them
convicts, arrived at Botany Bay in January 1788. Sydney grew from that first British penal
settlement. Transportation of British convicts to New South Wales ceased in 1840, but continued
to Western Australia until 1868. About 160 000 convicts arrived over 80 years. That compares
with free settler arrivals as high as 50 000 a year.
During the 1850s, settlement was boosted by gold rushes. Scarcity of labour, the vastness of the
bush, and new wealth based on farming, mining and trade all contributed to the development of
uniquely Australian social institutions and sensibilities.
In 1901 the Australian colonies federated to become the Commonwealth of Australia. As in
Canada, the British monarch remains the monarch of Australia, which is now an independent,
democratic nation with a tradition of religious tolerance and free speech.
Australia, a mixing pot of races and nations
Australia is culturally diverse society that includes its Indigenous peoples and settlers from
countries all around the world. Immigration is an important feature of Australian society. Since
1945, over six million people from 200 countries have come to Australia as new settlers. Migrants
have made a major contribution to shaping modern Australia. People born overseas make up
almost one quarter of the total population.
The federal government sets immigration intake numbers on a yearly basis. Australia's immigration
policies are non-discriminatory and all applicants to migrate must meet the same selection criteria.
Australia’s Economy
Australia has had one of the most outstanding economies of the world in recent years. As a high-
growth, low-inflation, low interest rate economy, it is more vibrant than ever before. There is an
efficient government sector, a flexible labour market and a very competitive business sector. With
its abundant physical resources, Australia has enjoyed a high standard of living since the
nineteenth century. It has made a comparatively large investment in social infrastructure,
including education, training, health and transport.
The Australian workforce has seen many improvements over the last decade, leading to the surge
in productivity in the 1990s. The complex and centralised award based industrial relations system
has given way to a more decentralised one with many employees working under workplace
agreements tailored to meet enterprise needs.
Australia is the sixth largest nation in the world and has the smallest population of them such as
Russia, Canada, China, the United States of America and Brazil. Australia as a nation governs an
entire continent. The mainland is the largest island and the smallest continent on Earth. It lies
between 10° and 39° South latitude. The highest point on the mainland, Mount Kosciuszko and is
only 2228 metres. Apart from Antarctica, Australia is the driest continent. Its interior has one of
the lowest rainfalls in the world and about three-quarters of the land is arid or semi-arid. Its
fertile areas are well-watered, however, and these are used very effectively to help feed the
world. Sheep and cattle graze in the dry countryside. The Australian federation consists of six
States and two Territories.
Most inland borders follow lines of longitude and latitude. The largest State, Western Australia, is
about the same size as Western Europe.
Australia has a unique life forms not seen elsewhere the world. Australian plants and animals
evolved in isolation from other parts of the world. Over the past 45 million years, Australia has
moved away from Antarctica towards the equator and become warmer and more arid. About 35
million years ago, eucalypts began to displace the dense forests of the cool, damp Tertiary era.
The marsupials native to Australia have a different chromosome structure than mammals in other
parts of the world. Typically, they suckle their young in a pouch. As the world climate warmed and
glaciers melted, oceans gradually rose to their current level and the land bridges to New Guinea
and Tasmania were cut. Corals colonised a flooded coastal plain, forming the Great Barrier Reef of
Queensland.
Australia’s land icon, the kangaroo, marsupials seem to have appeared about 15 million years
ago. They vary enormously in size and adaptation. A species of tropical kangaroo lives in trees,
but most kangaroos are tough, efficient users of dry bush.
More than 60,000 years before the arrival of European settlers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples inhabited most areas of the Australian European settlement in 1788. There were
an estimated 300,000 Indigenous Australians living on the continent. It is a fact that asian and
Oceanic explorers and traders had contact with Indigenous Australian people long before the
European expansion into the eastern hemisphere.
After the American Civil War of Independence, Britain looked to establish new penal settlements
to replace the north Atlantic colonies. The First Fleet of 11 ships with 1500 aboard, half of them
convicts, arrived at Botany Bay in January 1788. Sydney grew from that first British penal
settlement. Transportation of British convicts to New South Wales ceased in 1840, but continued
to Western Australia until 1868. About 160 000 convicts arrived over 80 years. That compares
with free settler arrivals as high as 50 000 a year.
During the 1850s, settlement was boosted by gold rushes. Scarcity of labour, the vastness of the
bush, and new wealth based on farming, mining and trade all contributed to the development of
uniquely Australian social institutions and sensibilities.
In 1901 the Australian colonies federated to become the Commonwealth of Australia. As in
Canada, the British monarch remains the monarch of Australia, which is now an independent,
democratic nation with a tradition of religious tolerance and free speech.
Australia, a mixing pot of races and nations
Australia is culturally diverse society that includes its Indigenous peoples and settlers from
countries all around the world. Immigration is an important feature of Australian society. Since
1945, over six million people from 200 countries have come to Australia as new settlers. Migrants
have made a major contribution to shaping modern Australia. People born overseas make up
almost one quarter of the total population.
The federal government sets immigration intake numbers on a yearly basis. Australia's immigration
policies are non-discriminatory and all applicants to migrate must meet the same selection criteria.
Australia’s Economy
Australia has had one of the most outstanding economies of the world in recent years. As a high-
growth, low-inflation, low interest rate economy, it is more vibrant than ever before. There is an
efficient government sector, a flexible labour market and a very competitive business sector. With
its abundant physical resources, Australia has enjoyed a high standard of living since the
nineteenth century. It has made a comparatively large investment in social infrastructure,
including education, training, health and transport.
The Australian workforce has seen many improvements over the last decade, leading to the surge
in productivity in the 1990s. The complex and centralised award based industrial relations system
has given way to a more decentralised one with many employees working under workplace
agreements tailored to meet enterprise needs.
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