AUSTRALIA

Compiled by O. Zabolotnyi, 2009

Right: Australian flag

Australia, officially called the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the

southern hemisphere comprising the mainland of the world's smallest continent, the
major island of Tasmania, and numerous other islands in the Indian and Pacific
Oceans. Neighboring countries include Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New
Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia to the north-
east and New Zealand to the south-east. The population is just over 21.3 million,
with approximately 60% concentrated in and around the mainland state capitals of
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. The nation's capital city is
Canberra, located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

History
The first Australians were probably ancestors of modern Indigenous Australians;
they may have arrived via land bridges and short sea-crossings from what is now
South-East Asia between 42,000 and 48,000 years ago. Most of these people were
hunter-gatherers.
The name Australia is derived from the Latin Australis,
meaning "Southern". The name Australia was popularized
by the 1814 work A Voyage to Terra Australis by the
navigator Matthew Flinders, the first person known to have
circumnavigated Australia.

Right: Lieutenant
James Cook
The first recorded European sighting of the Australian
mainland was made by the Dutch navigator Willem
Janszoon, who sighted the coast of Cape York Peninsula in
1606. During the 17th century, the Dutch charted the whole of the western and
northern coastlines of what they called New Holland, but they made no attempt at
settlement. In 1770, James Cook sailed along
and mapped the east coast of Australia, which
he named New South Wales and claimed for
Great Britain.

Left: Lieutenant James Cook charted the east

coast of Australia on HM Bark Endeavour. This
replica was built in Fremantle in 1988;
photographed in Cooktown Harbor where Cook
spent seven weeks.

Cook's discoveries prepared the way for establishment of a new penal colony. The
British Crown Colony of New South Wales began a settlement at Port Jackson by

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Captain Arthur Phillip on 26 January 1788. This date was later to become Australia's
national day, Australia Day.
The Indigenous Australian population, estimated at 350,000 at the time of
European settlement, declined steeply for 150 years following settlement, mainly
because of infectious disease combined with forced re-settlement and cultural
disintegration.
A gold rush began in Australia in the early 1850s, and the Eureka Stockade
rebellion against mining license fees in 1854 was an early expression of civil
disobedience. Between 1855 and 1890, the six
colonies individually gained responsible
government, managing most of their own affairs
while remaining part of the British Empire. On 1
January 1901, federation of the colonies was
achieved: the Commonwealth of Australia was
born as a dominion of the British Empire.

Right: The Last Post is played at an ANZAC Day

ceremony in Port Melbourne, Victoria, 25 April
2005. Such ceremonies are held in virtually every
suburb and town in Australia.

Australia willingly participated in World War I. Many Australians regard the defeat of
the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) at Gallipoli as the birth of the
nation—its first major military action. The shock of the UK's defeat in Asia in 1942
and the threat of Japanese invasion caused Australia to turn to the United States as
a new ally and protector. Since 1951, Australia has been a formal military ally of the
US, under the ANZUS treaty. After World War II, Australia encouraged immigration
from Europe; since the 1970s and the abolition of the White Australia policy,
immigration from Asia and elsewhere was also encouraged. As a result, Australia's
demography, culture and self-image have been transformed. The final constitutional
ties between Australia and the UK were severed
with the passing of the Australia Act 1986,
ending any British role in the government of the
Australian States. However, at the 1999
referendum, 54% of Australian voters rejected a
proposal to become a presidential republic.

Politics Right: Australia’s Coat

of Arms features a kangaroo and an
emu.

The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional democracy based on a federal

division of powers. The form of government used in Australia is a constitutional
monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. Queen Elizabeth II is the
Queen of Australia, a role that is distinct from her position as monarch of the other
Commonwealth realms. The Queen is represented by the Governor-General at
federal level and by the Governors at state level. Although the Constitution gives
extensive executive powers to the Governor-General, these are normally exercised
only on the advice of the Prime Minister. The most notable exercise of the Governor-

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General's reserve powers outside the Prime Minister's direction was the dismissal of
the Whitlam Government in the constitutional crisis of 1975.

There are three branches of government:

• The legislature: the Commonwealth Parliament, comprising the Queen, the

Senate, and the House of Representatives; the Queen is represented by the
Governor-General, who by convention acts on the advice of his or her
Ministers.
• The executive: the Federal Executive Council (the Governor-General as
advised by the Executive Councilors); in practice, the councilors are the Prime
Minister and Ministers of State.
• The judiciary: the High Court of Australia and other federal courts. Appeals
from Australian courts to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in the
United Kingdom ceased when the Australia Act was passed in 1986.

Left: Parliament House in Canberra

was opened in 1988

The bicameral Commonwealth Parliament

consists of the Queen, the Senate (the
upper house) of 76 senators, and a House
of Representatives (the lower house) of
150 members. Elections for both
chambers are normally held every three
years, simultaneously; senators have
overlapping six-year terms, since only half
of places in the Senate are put to each
election. The party with majority support
in the House of Representatives forms
government and its leader becomes Prime Minister.

Foreign relations and military

Over recent decades, Australia's foreign relations have been driven by a close
association with the United States through the ANZUS pact, and by a desire to
develop relationships with Asia and the Pacific, particularly through ASEAN and the
Pacific Islands Forum. Australia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, in
which the Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings provide the main forum
for cooperation. A founding member country of the United Nations, Australia also
maintains an international aid program under which some 60 countries receive
assistance.

Right: ADF LAV-25 armored combat

vehicle unit patrols Iraqi countryside
(2005).

Australia's armed forces—the

Australian Defence Force (ADF)—
comprise the Royal Australian Navy
(RAN), the Australian Army, and the
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF),
numbering about 51,000. All
branches of the ADF have been
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involved in UN and regional peacekeeping (most recently in East Timor, the
Solomon Islands, and Sudan), disaster relief, and armed conflict, including the 2003
invasion of Iraq.

Geography, States and Territories

Australia has six states and two

major mainland territories. There
are also lesser territories that are
under the administration of the
federal government. The states are
New South Wales, Queensland,
South Australia, Tasmania,
Victoria, and Western Australia.
The two major mainland territories
are the Northern Territory and the
Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
(see the map on the left).

Australia's landmass of
7,617,930 square kilometres (2,941,300 sq mi) is on the Indo-Australian Plate.
Surrounded by the Indian and Pacific oceans, Australia is separated from Asia by the
Arafura and Timor seas. The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef, lies a
short distance off the north-east coast and extends for
over 2,000 kilometres (1,240 mi). Below right you can
see a satellite image presenting its view from the space.

By far the largest part of Australia is desert or semi-arid

lands commonly known as the outback. Only the south-
east and south-west corners of the continent have a
temperate climate. Most of the population lives along the
temperate south-eastern coastline. The landscapes of the
northern part of the country, with a tropical climate,
consist of rainforest, woodland, grassland, mangrove
swamps, and desert. The climate is significantly
influenced by ocean currents, including the El Niño
southern oscillation, which is correlated with periodic
drought, and the seasonal tropical low pressure system
that produces cyclones in northern Australia.

Uluru, also referred to as Ayers Rock, is a large sandstone rock formation in the
southern part of the Northern Territory, central Australia. Uluru is one of Australia's
most recognizable natural icons. It has many springs, waterholes, rock caves and
ancient paintings. Uluru is listed as a World Heritage Site

The world-
renowned
sandstone
formation
stands 348 m
(1,142 ft) high
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(863 m/2,831 ft above sea level) with most of its bulk below the ground, and
measures 9.4 km (5.8 mi) in circumference. Uluru is notable for appearing to
change color as the different light strikes it at different times of the day and year,
with sunset a particularly remarkable sight when it briefly glows red.

Left: The map shows

climatic zones in Australia.

Animal Life
Although most of Australia is
semi-arid or desert, it
includes a diverse range of
habitats from alpine heaths
to tropical rainforests.
Because of the continent's
great age, its extremely
variable weather, and its
long-term geographic
isolation, most of Australia's
species are unique and
diverse. The federal
Environment Protection and
Biodiversity Conservation
Act 1999 is a legal

framework for the protection of threatened species. Numerous

protected areas have been created under the national
Biodiversity Action Plan to protect and preserve unique
ecosystems.

Right (from top to bottom):

• The koala and the eucalyptus form an iconic Australian

pair.
• Long-beaked echidna
• Blue-winged kookaburra
• Emu
• Wombat
• Dingo

Australian forests often contain a wide variety of eucalyptus

trees and are mostly located in higher rainfall regions. Among
well-known Australian fauna are the unique egg-laying
mammals(the platypus and the echidna); a host of marsupials,
including the kangaroo, the koala, and the wombat; the
saltwater and freshwater crocodiles; and birds such as the emu
and the kookaburra. Australia is home to some of the most
venomous snakes in the world. The dingo was introduced by
Austronesian people who traded with Indigenous Australians
around 3000 B.C. Many plant and animal species became
extinct soon after first human settlement; others have become

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extinct since European settlement, among them the thylacinus (or Tasmanian wolf),
one of the last of whose photos you can see below left.

Each species is unique. Koalas,

so much loved by Australians,
feed on eucalyptus leaves and
seldom drink. Being a nocturnal
animal the koala sleeps in a fork
of a tree most of the day.
The duck-billed platypus (“flat
foot”) is in a class by itself (see the photo below on the left). It
is a toothless, egg-laying, venomous Australian mammal.
Platypuses live for about 12 years. Being 45 – 50 cm long,
they have blackish-brown fur, a flat bill like that of a duck, and
a long flat tail. On their feet they have sharp spurs that can
release poison. Adults may weigh over 2 kg. They lay eggs like
reptiles, but nurse their young feeding them milk. Swimming
underwater they don’t use their eyes or ear, which remained a
mystery until the end of the 20th century. In 1986 it was
discovered that they navigate
using electric signals felt by
special receptors on their bills.
Only one other mammal, the
echidna, also an Australian, has
electro receptors.
The platypus swimming technique is also its own.
Unlike other aquatic animals it pushes through water with front feet. They spend
most of their time hiding in underground burrows, coming out at night to hunt.
While feeding platypuses stay underwater for about a minute gathering prey into
their cheek pouches.
In the catalog of the planet’s most curious creatures, few are
as wondrous as the kangaroo. They raise their young in body
pouches, and outclass most of the animal kingdom in the
long and high jump, boxing and karate. Born the size of a
large bean they can grow taller than a man. An expectant
female can regulate the delivery waiting until all the
conditions for the growth of the young are right.
Grey and red kangaroos are the largest among marsupials.
Their males, called in Australia “boomers”, stand over 2
meters tall and weigh close to 100 kg. These superb animals
can cruise at 27 km/h, accelerating twice the speed if
necessary. While grey kangaroos excel in high jumping, reds
are famous for their long hops. A red kangaroo takes its place
at Australia’s coat of arms.
Nocturnal by nature, they prefer to bed down by day in tall grass or under the shade
of trees. Some kangaroos reach the old age of 20, but the average age is 7 years.

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Demography
Most of the estimated 21.3 million
Australians are descended from
colonial-era settlers and post-
Federation immigrants from Europe,
with almost 90% of the population
being of European descent. For
generations, the vast majority of
both colonial-era settlers and post-
Federation immigrants came almost
exclusively from the British Isles,
and the people of Australia are still
mainly of British or Irish ethnic
origin.

Right: The world-famous Sydney

Opera House serves a well-recognized architectural symbol of Australia.
Australia's population has quadrupled since the end of World War I, spurred by an
ambitious immigration program. Following World War II and through to 2000, almost
5.9 million of the total population settled in the country as new immigrants,
meaning that nearly two out of every seven Australians were born overseas. In
2001, the five largest groups of the 23.1% of Australians who were born overseas
were from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Italy, Vietnam, and China. The
Indigenous population—mainland Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders—was
410,003 (2.2% of the total population) in 2001, a significant increase from the 1976
census, which showed an indigenous population of 115,953. In common with many
other developed countries, Australia is experiencing a demographic shift towards an
older population, with more retirees and fewer people of working age.
English is the national language. Australian English is a major variety of the
language, with its own distinctive accent and vocabulary, but less internal dialectal
variation (apart from small regional pronunciation and lexical variations) than either
British or American English. Grammar and spelling are largely based on those of
British English, some of which have found their way into Standard English.
According to the 2001 census, English is the only language spoken in the home for
around 80% of the population. The next most common languages spoken at home
are Chinese (2.1%), Italian (1.9%), and Greek (1.4%).

Right: Performance of Aboriginal song and dance in the

Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney

Australia has no state religion. In the 2006 census, 64% of

Australians were listed as Christian of any denomination,
including 26% as Roman Catholic and 19% as Anglican. "No
religion" (which includes humanism, atheism, agnosticism,
and rationalism) accounted for 19%; and a further 12%
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declined to answer or did not give a response adequate for interpretation. About 5%
were of non-Christian religions. As in many Western countries, the level of active
participation in church worship is much lower than this; weekly attendance at
church services is about 1.5 million: about 7.5% of the population.

Despite Australian love for nature the population of the country remains chiefly
urban with most of the citizens residing in the temperate climatic zone of the South
East of the continent. Canberra, the capital city, however, is not the largest. With its
population of nearly 390 thousand it ranks
only eighth among the major metropolitan
areas. According to the Australian Bureau
of Statistics estimate of 2007, Sydney is
the champion with 4,336 thousand
citizens. Next comes Melbourne with 3,806
thousand, followed by Brisbane (1,867),
Perth (1,554) and Adelaide (1,158).

Right: The skyline of Melbourne with its

famous Eureka Tower

School attendance is compulsory

throughout Australia, starting at 6 years
and ending at 15 years (16 years in South Australia and Tasmania and 17 years in
Western Australia and Queensland), contributing to an adult literacy rate that is
assumed to be 99%.
Government grants have supported the
establishment of Australia's 38
universities; and although several
private universities have been
established, most of them receive
government funding.

Right: The Royal Exhibition Building in

Melbourne was the first building in
Australia to be listed as a UNESCO
World Heritage Site in 2004.