Destination Australia

Background

Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name of Great Britain. Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during the 1990s, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef.

Note: world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; the invigorating tropical sea breeze known as the "Fremantle Doctor" affects the city of Perth on the west coast, and is one of the most consistent winds in the world

Area

• Total: 7,686,850 sq km
• Land: 7,617,930 sq km
• Water: 68,920 sq km
• Note: Includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island

Area - comparative

• Slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states

Coastline

• 25,760 km

Climate

• Generally arid to semiarid temperate in South and East. Topical in the North

Terrain

• Mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast

Population

• 20,264,082 (July 2006 est.)

Capital

• Canberra

Nationality

• noun: Australian(s)
• adjective: Australian

Languages

• English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census)

Local Weather

Quick Metric Conversions

Search Home4Swap for Home Exchanges in Australia!

Return to Home Exchange Destinations Index