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Australia Overview

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is the sixth-largest country in the world by area, and the only country to occupy an entire continent. Part of the region of Australasia, it also includes a number of islands, the largest of which is Tasmania. Australia has been inhabited for about 50,000 years, originally by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Eastern Australia was claimed by the British in 1770, and officially settled as a British colony on January 26, 1788. As the population grew and new areas were explored, six self-governing Crown Colonies were established within Australia. On 1 January 1901 the six colonies federated and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. Since federation, Australia has had a stable democratic political system and it remains a Commonwealth Realm that is governed as a parliamentary constitutional monarchy.

Australia's neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Pacific Islands to the north-east, and New Zealand to the south-east. The shortest border distance is between the mainlands of Papua New Guinea and Australia at about 150 kilometres; however, the nearest inhabited island, Boigu Island, is about 5 kilometres from Papua New Guinea. This has led to a complicated border arrangement allowing access for traditional uses of the waterway across the border by Papua New Guinean people and Torres Strait Islanders.

Capital Canberra

Largest city Sydney

Official languages English

Population

• 2004 est. - 20,180,878 (53rd)

• 2001 census - 18,972,350

Currency Australian dollar (AUD)

Time zone

• Summer (DST) various (UTC+8-+10)

Calling code +61

History

The date of the first human habitation of Australia is still a subject of considerable research. There is strong evidence for a presence around 42,000-48,000 years ago, a period of massive ecological change in Australia which is believed to be a result of human action. These first Australians were the remote ancestors of the current Australian Aborigines, and arrived via land bridges and navigation of short sea crossings from present-day south-east Asia. Lieutenant James Cook was the first to claim Terra Australis when in 1770, he claimed the eastern two-thirds of the continent for Britain, despite orders from King George III to first conclude a treaty with the indigenous population. His report to London that Australia was unowned land (see Terra nullius) provided impetus for the establishment of a penal colony there following the loss of the American colonies.

The British Crown Colony of New South Wales began with establishment of a settlement (later to become Sydney) at Port Jackson by Captain Arthur Phillip on January 26, 1788. This date was later to become Australia's national day, Australia Day. Van Diemen's Land (the present day Tasmania) was settled in 1803, becoming a separate colony in 1825. The United Kingdom formally claimed the rest of the continent (present-day Western Australia) in 1829. Separate colonies were created from parts of New South Wales: South Australia in 1836, Victoria in 1851 and Queensland in 1859. The Northern Territory was founded, as part of the Province of South Australia, in 1863. All but Western Australia and South Australia were founded as a penal colonies--however, the former did receive convicts. The transportation of convicts to Australia was phased out between 1840 and 1868. The Indigenous Australian population, estimated at about 350,000 at the time of European settlement, declined steeply for 150 years following settlement due mainly to infectious disease, forced migration, and colonial government policies that by today's understanding constitute genocide. Indigenous Australians were not able to be counted in the census until the 1967 referendum.

Between 1855-1890, the six Crown Colonies each became self-governing colonies operating under British law, managing most of their own affairs however the British government retained control of some matters, notably foreign affairs, defence and international shipping. On 1 January 1901, Federation of the Colonies was achieved after a decade of planning, consultation and voting, and the Commonwealth of Australia was born, as a Dominion of the British Empire. The Australian Capital Territory was formed from New South Wales in 1911 to provide a neutral place for the proposed new federal capital of Canberra (Melbourne was the temporary capital from 1901 to 1929). Australia willingly participated in World War I; the plight of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps at the Battle of Gallipoli is often regarded as the birth of the nation, as the first major military action that the Commonwealth of Australia participated in.

States and territories

Australia consists of six states and several territories. The states are New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), South Australia (SA), Tasmania (TAS), Victoria (VIC) and Western Australia (WA). The two major territories are the Northern Territory (NT) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The ACT also incorporates a separate area within New South Wales known as Jervis Bay Territory, intended as a naval base and sea port for the national capital. Whilst the territories operate similarly to the states, they are constitutionally subject to the Commonwealth Government, and the Commonwealth Parliament can legislate directly in their affairs. By contrast, the powers of the states are protected by the Australian Constitution.

Each of these states, except Queensland, have their own bicameral parliaments. Queensland and the two territories have unicameral parliaments. The lower house is known as the Legislative Assembly (House of Assembly in South Australia and Tasmania) and the upper house the Legislative Council. The head of government in each state and territory is called the Premier and Chief Minister respectively. The states each have a Governor, the Northern Territory an Administrator and in the ACT the Governor-General acts equivalently. The state and territory parliaments have powers to raise revenue from taxes and to legislate on a wide variety of matters. Notably the states and territories of Australia have their own law enforcement agencies and courts and regulate education within their borders.

Australia also has several inhabited external territories: Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and several largely uninhabited external territories: Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Coral Sea Islands Territory, Heard Island and McDonald Islands and the Australian Antarctic Territory.

Geography and climate

The 7,686,850 km² Australian landmass is surrounded by the Indian, Southern and Pacific oceans, and separated from Asia by the Arafura and Timor seas, with total of 25,760 km of coastline. Climate is highly influenced by ocean currents, including the El Niño southern oscillation, which causes periodic drought, and the seasonal tropical low pressure system that produces cyclones in northern Australia.

By far the largest part of Australia is desert or semi-arid - 40% of the land mass is covered by sand dunes. Australia is the driest inhabited continent, the flattest, and has the oldest and least fertile soils. The highest mountain in Australia is Mawson Peak on Heard Island at 2,745 m. At 2,228 m, Mount Kosciuszko on the Great Dividing Range is the highest mountain on the Australian mainland. Only the south-east and south-west corners of the continent have a temperate climate. The northern part of the country has a tropical climate: part is tropical rainforest, part grasslands, and part desert. The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef, lies a short distance off the north-east coast and extends for over 1,200 km. Located in central Australia, Uluru (until 1986 officially known as Ayers Rock) is the second largest monolith in the world (the largest being Mount Augustus in Western Australia).

Flora and fauna

Although most of the continent is semi-arid or desert, Australia nevertheless includes a diverse range of habitats, from alpine heaths to tropical rainforests. Because of the great age and consequent low fertility of the continent, its extremely variable weather patterns, and its long-term geographic isolation, much of Australia's biota is unique and diverse. About 85% of flowering plants, 84% of mammals, more than 45% of birds, and 89% of inshore, temperate-zone fish are endemic. Many of Australia's ecoregions and the species within those regions are threatened by human activities, introduced plant and animal species, land clearing and degradation. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is used at the National level for the identification and protection of threatened species. Numerous protected areas have been created to protect and preserve Australia's unique ecosystems, 64 wetlands are registered under the Ramsar Convention and 16 World Heritage Sites have been established. Australia ranked 13th in the World on the 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index.

Most Australian plant species are evergreen and many are adapted to fire and drought, including the eucalypts and acacias. Australia has a rich variety of endemic legume species that thrive in nutrient-poor soils due to their symbiosis with symbiotic Rhizobia bacteria and symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi. Well-known Australian fauna include the monotremes (the platypus and the echidnas) as well as a host of marsupials, including the koala, kangaroos, wombats and the emu. The dingo was introduced by Austronesian people that traded with Indigenous Australians around 4000 BCE. Many species of plant and animals have become extinct since human settlement, notable among these is the Thylacine.

Culture

Much of Australia's culture has developed from European and more recently American roots, but distinctive Australian features have evolved from the environment, Aboriginal culture, the multicultural population and the influence of Australia's neighbours. Australia has a long history of visual arts, starting with the cave and bark paintings of Aboriginal Australians. From the time of European settlement, a common theme in Australian art has been the Australian landscape, seen in the works of Arthur Streeton, Arthur Boyd and Albert Namatjira amongst others. Australian literature is also influenced by the landscape; the works of writers like Banjo Patterson and Henry Lawson captured the iconic Australian bush. The character of the colonial Australians embodied in early literature resonates with Australia today, egalitarianism, mateship, and anti-authoritarism, are still a part of the national character.

The traditions of indigenous Australians are oral and closely tied to ceremony and the telling of the stories of the Dreamtime. Australian Aboriginal music, dance and art are a visible influence on and within contemporary Australian visual and performing arts. The performing arts are well developed in Australia, with a rich tradition in ballet and theatre; a strong national opera company, Opera Australia, made prominent by the world renowned diva Dame Joan Sutherland; and symphony orchestras in all capital cities. Australian music includes, classical, jazz and all popular music genres.

Australia's film industry has met with critical and commercial successes; most recently the animated short film Harvie Krumpet received an Academy Award. Australia also has strong local television production, particularly children's, lifestyle, soap and drama series, Australian television shows like The Saddle Club, Neighbours, Home and Away and McLeod's Daughters are currently broadcast internationally. Australia has three commercial and two public broadcast television networks, and two pay TV services; each major city has daily newspapers and there are two national daily newspapers, one of which is called The Australian. According to Reporters Without Borders in 2004, Australia is in 41st position on a list of countries ranked by Press Freedom; well behind New Zealand (9th) and United Kingdom (28th). This ranking is primarily due to limited diversity of media ownership.

was developed in Australia and is played at amateur and professional levels.

Australian cuisine has been widely influenced by the immigrant population, European, Asian, Indian, and Middle Eastern food items are prepared in the homes of many Australians. Indigenous Australian foods including kangaroo and a variety of plant foods, often called "bush tucker" remain specialty items. Uniquely Australian foods include the Tim Tam biscuit and the salty yeast spread Vegemite.

Sport is a part of the lifestyle of many Australians. An estimated 3.51 million Australians over the age of 15 (23.5%) participate in organised sporting activities, and 62 per cent of children aged 5-14 participate in organised sport. At the national and international level the following team sports are played: Australian Rules football, baseball, basketball, cricket, hockey, netball, Rugby League, Rugby Union, soccer, and softball. Australia is one of only two countries (the other being Greece) to have participated in every summer Olympic Games of the modern era; Australia hosted the 1956 and 2000 Summer Olympics; Australia has also participated in every Commonwealth Games. Corporate and government sponsorship of many sports and élite athletes is common in Australia. Televised sport is also popular; some of the highest rating television programming includes the summer Olympic Games and the grand finals of local and international football competitions.

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