OFFICIAL NAME:

Commonwealth of Australia

Government

Type: Democratic, federal-state system recognizing British monarch as sovereign.
Constitution: Passed by the British Parliament on July 9, 1900.
Independence (federation): January 1, 1901.

Geography

Area: 7.7 million sq. km. (3 million sq. mi.)
Cities: Capital--Canberra (pop. 323,000).
Other cities--Sydney (4.3 million), Melbourne (3.6 million), Brisbane (1.8 million), Perth (1.5 million), Adelaide (1.1 million), Darwin (114,000), Hobart (48,808).
Terrain: Varied, but generally low-lying.
Climate: Relatively dry and subject to drought, ranging from temperate in the south to tropical in the far north.

People

Nationality: Noun and adjective--Australian(s).
Population (2007 est.): 21 million.
Annual population growth rate: 1.3%.
Ethnic groups: European 92%, Asian 6%, Aboriginal 2%.
Religions (2006): Catholic 26%, Anglican 19%, other Christian 9%, other non-Christian 5%, no religion 19% and not stated 12%.
Languages: English.
Education: Years compulsory--to age 15 in all states except Tasmania, where it is 16. Literacy--over 99%.
Health: Infant mortality rate--4.63/1,000. Life expectancy--males 78 yrs., females 83 yrs.
Work force (10.4 million): Agriculture--3.0%; mining--4.9%; manufacturing--10.3%; services--72.4%; public administration and defense--3.8%.


Australia's aboriginal inhabitants, a hunting-gathering people generally referred to today as Aboriginals and Torres Straits Islanders, arrived more than 40,000 years ago. Although their technical culture remained static--depending on wood, bone, and stone tools and weapons--their spiritual and social life was highly complex. Most spoke several languages, and confederacies sometimes linked widely scattered tribal groups. Aboriginal population density ranged from one person per square mile along the coasts to one person per 35 square miles in the arid interior. When Capt. James Cook claimed Australia for Great Britain in 1770, the native population may have numbered 300,000 in as many as 500 tribes speaking many different languages. The aboriginal population currently numbers 455,031, representing about 2.3% of the population. Since the end of World War II, the government and the public have made efforts to be more responsive to aboriginal rights and needs.

Australia's biggest attraction is its natural beauty. The landscape varies from endless sunbaked horizons to dense tropical rainforest to chilly southern beaches. Scattered along the coasts, its cities blend a European enthusiasm for art and food with a laid-back love of sport and the outdoors.

Visitors expecting to see an opera in Sydney one night and meet Crocodile Dundee the next will have to re-think their grasp of geography in this huge country. It is this sheer vastness that gives Australia - and its diverse population - much of its character.

When To Go

Any time is a good time to be in Australia. Summer (December to February) can get uncomfortably hot but it's great beach weather. Up north, the summer wet season is very, very humid and the sea is swarming with box jellyfish. Winter (June to August) offers skiing in NSW, Victoria and sometimes Tasmania. In spring and autumn the weather is mild.


source: wikipedia.org, lonelyplanet.com, about.com