ER | Info on Australia

Capital: Canberra, located in the ACT (Australian Capital Territory).

Land Mass: At 7,617,930 square km, Australia is the world's 6th largest country.

Population: Australia's population is (December 2000) 19.2 million.

States and Territories: Australia has 6 states and 2 territories, the population of each as well as their capital cities are shown below:
New South Wales: 6.5 million (Sydney);
Victoria: 4.8 million (Melbourne);
Queensland: 3.6 million (Brisbane);
South Australia: 1.5 million(Adelaide);
Western Australia: 1.9 million (Perth);
Tasmania: 470,000 (Hobart);
Northern Territory: 196,000 (Darwin);
ACT - Australian Capital Territory: 312,000 (Canberra);

Main Cities:
Australia's largest cities are:
1. Sydney ( 4.6 million )
2. Melbourne ( 3.2 million )
3. Brisbane ( 1.5 million )
4. Perth ( 1.2 million )
5. Adelaide (1.1 million)
6. Canberra (304,000)
7. Hobart (193,500)

Climate
The island continent of Australia features a wide range of climatic zones, from the tropical regions of the north, through the arid expanses of the interior, to the temperate regions of the south. Widely known as 'The Dry Continent', the land mass is relatively arid, with 80% having a median rainfall less than 600 mm per year and 50% less than 300 mm (the average is 450 mm). Seasonal fluctuations can be large, with temperatures ranging from above 50 degrees C to well below zero. However, extreme minimum temperatures are not as low as those recorded in other continents, due to Australia's relatively low latitude, the lack of high mountains to induce orographic cooling (which is in the order of -0.6 degrees C/100 m increase in elevation) and because of the large expanse of relatively warm surrounding oceans. The climate here can vary greatly but we aren't generally subject to extremes of weather due to a lack of physical features and the remote location in proportion to other land masses. Our climate ranges from tropical (monsoonal) in the north to temperate in the south. About 40 percent of Australia is in the tropical region and essentially has only two seasons, a hot wet season and a warm dry season. More than two thirds of Australia is covered by desert which accounts for most of the population settling on the more temperate coastal areas.

Time Zones
Australia has three time zones. The easternmost, in Newfoundland, is eleven hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The other time zones are the South Australia, and farthest west, in Western Australia, which is eight hours ahead of GMT.

National Emblem
The golden wattle, Acacia pycnantha Benth, was proclaimed the official national floral emblem in August 1988.

Currency
The Australian dollar is divided into 100 cents. In Jul 2003, 1A$ = 0.65 US$

Political System
Australia is federal state with a democratic parliament. The Parliament of Australia, in Canberra, consists of the Lower House and the Upper House or Senate. On average, members of Parliament are elected every three years.

Urban and Rural Population
Most of Australia's population is concentrated in two widely separated coastal regions. By far the largest of these, in terms of area and population, lies in the south-east and east. The smaller of the two regions is in the south-west of the continent. In both coastal regions the population is concentrated in urban centres, particularly the State and Territory capital cities. Half the area of the continent contains only 0.3% of the population, and the most densely populated 1% of the continent contains 84% of the population.

Living Standards
Australians generally enjoy a high standard of living on par with that of most major cities of Europe and the U.S. Indeed, Melbourne has been named the world most Liveable City.

An informality and pioneering spirit strikes some people as being somewhat like the Americans while our social and economic preoccupations and attitude seem more like the British. Australia has its own distinctive style and culture.

Australia offers the highest quality of life in the world - it is the place where you want to live and work (World Competitiveness Yearbook 2002, executive opinion survey). We have comparatively low-cost and high-standard accommodation, commuting is easy and safe, education and health systems are second to none in the region, and our great physical environment and lifestyle is the envy of the rest of the world. In fact, Australia’s living costs are lower than most other countries, including the US, UK, Europe , Hong Kong, Singapore and Canada. Australia consistently rates in the top three destinations for travellers, so it’s not surprising that business finds the same benefits. Your family deserves the best - Australia.

Health Care and Social Security
All Australians enjoy free access to health care, with the exception of dental services. Most people over 65 and social aid recipients receive the majority of their prescription drugs free of charge. Australia's extensive social security network include old age pension, family allowance, unemployment insurance and welfare.

Languages
English is the official language of Australia, and Australia's federal institutions must reflect this. However, many Australians have a mother tongue other than English (Italian, Greek, Yugoslav, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian & South Asian languages).

Aboriginal Peoples
In the last 20 years, changing social attitudes, political developments, improved statistical coverage, and a broader definition of Indigenous origin have all contributed to the increased likelihood of people identifying as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander origin. This is reflected in the large increases in the number of people who are identified as Indigenous in each Census, increases in excess of those which can be attributed to natural increase in the Indigenous population. If there is no future change in Indigenous identification, the Indigenous population is projected to be 469,000 in 2006. On the other hand, if the change in propensity to identify as Indigenous between the 1991 and 1996 Censuses continues then the Indigenous population is projected to reach 649,000 in 2006 - an increase of over 50% over the 1996 estimate.

Immigration Policy
Australia opened its doors to immigration from all over the world in the early 20th century. In 1971, the multicultural policy of the Government of Australia was adopted, reflecting the multicultural character of Australia.

Education The educational system varies from state to state and includes seven years of elementary school (1-7), three years of secondary school (8-10), two years of high school (11-12), and three or four years at the university undergraduate level. Schooling is compulsory for students in most states and territories until the age of fifteen. Although students are able to leave at that time, most students do not leave until they complete their Year 10 qualification, with many students continuing on to complete their Year 12 studies. The Australian Education System is divided broadly into five areas:

• Preschool
• Primary School
• Secondary/High School/Secondary Colleges
• Career and Vocational Training
• University or other tertiary institutions

Sports
The most popular sports in Australia include swimming, cricket, Aussie Rules football, tennis, basketball and golf. Aussie football, hockey, cricket, tennis and basketball are the favourite spectator sports. Australia are world-leaders in swimming events.

Popular sports and physical activities:
In 1998-99 participation by adults in activities organised by clubs or associations was highest in aerobics/fitness, golf, tennis, netball and lawn bowls. However when non-organised participation is included, the activities which attracted the most participants were walking (3.1 million people), swimming (2.1 million), aerobics/fitness (1.5 million), golf (1.3 million) and tennis (1.1 million) (table 12.33). For men, the most popular activities were golf and walking; for women, walking and swimming had the most participants. The most popular sports or physical activities varied with age. In the 18-24 year age group, swimming had the most participants (406,600), followed by aerobics/fitness (383,300) and walking (354,300). For people aged 45 years and over, walking (1,443,700) and swimming (579,000) had the most participants, followed closely by golf (558,400).

Natural Resources
Australia's principal natural resources are iron ore, oil (petroleum), gold, coal, uranium, along with wheat and dairy products.