Australia

Infobox country

native_name = Australia
conventional_long_name = Commonwealth of Australia
common_name = Australia
image_flag = Flag of Australia.svg
image_coat = Australian Coat of Arms.png
image_map = Australia (orthographic projection).svg
map_width = 220px
national_anthem = ''Advance Australia Fair''
official_languages = None
languages_type = National language
languages = English
(de facto)
capital = Canberra
largest_city = Sydney
government_type = Federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy
leader_title1 = Monarch
leader_title2 = Governor-General
leader_title3 = Prime Minister
leader_name1 = Queen Elizabeth II
leader_name2 = Quentin Bryce
leader_name3 = Julia Gillard
area_rank = 6th
area_magnitude = 1 E12
area_km2 = 7617930
percent_water =
population_estimate =
population_estimate_year =
population_estimate_rank = 53rd
population_census = 19,855,288
population_census_year = 2006
population_density_km2 = 2.833
population_density_rank = 232nd
sovereignty_type = Independence
sovereignty_note = from the United Kingdom
established_event1 = Constitution
established_event2 = Statute of Westminster
established_event3 = Statute of Westminster Adoption Act
established_event4 = Australia Act
established_date1 = 1 January 1901
established_date2 = 11 December 1931
established_date3 = 9 October 1942 (with effect from 3 September 1939)
established_date4 = 3 March 1986
currency = Australian dollar
currency_code = AUD
time_zone = various
utc_offset = +8 to +10.5
time_zone_DST = various
utc_offset_DST = +8 to +11.5
demonym = Australian, Aussie
drives_on = left
cctld = .au
calling_code = +61
ISO_3166-1_alpha2 = AU
ISO_3166-1_alpha3 = AUS
ISO_3166-1_numeric = 036
sport_code = AUS
vehicle_code = AUS
GDP_PPP_year = 2009
GDP_PPP = $851.170 billion
GDP_PPP_rank =
GDP_PPP_per_capita = $38,910
GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank =
GDP_nominal = $1.193 trillion
GDP_nominal_rank =
GDP_nominal_year = 2010
GDP_nominal_per_capita = $53,862
GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank =
HDI_year = 2007
HDI = 0.970
HDI_rank = 2nd
HDI_category = very high
Australia''' (, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the northeast and New Zealand to the southeast. For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of the roughly 250 language groups. Australia's eastern half was claimed by Britain in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales, founded on 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in the following years; the continent was explored and an additional five largely self-governing Crown Colonies were established during the 19th century. On 1 January 1901, the six colonies became a federation and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. Since Federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and is a Commonwealth realm. The population is 22 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, in the Australian Capital Territory. A prosperous developed country, Australia is the world's thirteenth largest economy. Australia ranks highly in many international comparisons of national performance such as human development, quality of life, health care, life expectancy, public education, economic freedom and the protection of civil liberties and political rights. Australia is a member of the United Nations, G20, Commonwealth of Nations, ANZUS, OECD, APEC, Pacific Islands Forum and the World Trade Organization.

Etymology

Pronounced

IPA|[əˈstɹæɪljə, -liə]
in Australian English,

the name ''Australia'' is derived from the Latin ''australis'', meaning "southern". The country has been referred to colloquially as ''Oz'' since the early 20th century. Legends of an "unknown land of the south" (''terra australis incognita'') date back to Roman times and were commonplace in medieval geography, but were not based on any documented knowledge of the continent. The first recorded use of the word ''Australia'' in English was in 1625, in "A note of Australia del Espíritu Santo, written by Master Hakluyt" and published by Samuel Purchas in ''Hakluytus Posthumus''. The Dutch adjectival form ''Australische'' was used by Dutch East India Company officials in Batavia to refer to the newly discovered land to the south in 1638. ''Australia'' was used in a 1693 translation of ''Les Aventures de Jacques Sadeur dans la Découverte et le Voyage de la Terre Australe'', a 1676 French novel by Gabriel de Foigny, under the pen-name Jacques Sadeur. The name ''Australia'' was popularised by Matthew Flinders, who pushed for the name to be formally adopted as early as 1804. When preparing his manuscript and charts for his 1814 ''A Voyage to Terra Australis'', he was persuaded by his patron, Sir Joseph Banks, to use the term ''Terra Australis'' as this was the name most familiar to the public. Flinders did so, but allowed himself the footnote:

quote|"Had I permitted myself any innovation on the original term, it would have been to convert it to Australia; as being more agreeable to the ear, and an assimilation to the names of the other great portions of the earth."

History

in Cooktown Harbour Human habitation of Australia is estimated to have begun between 42,000 and 48,000 years ago, The first recorded European sighting of the Australian mainland and the first recorded European landfall on the Australian continent were attributed to the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon, who sighted the coast of Cape York Peninsula on an unknown date in early 1606; he made landfall on 26 February at the Pennefather River on the western shore of Cape York, near the modern town of Weipa. Separate colonies were carved from parts of New South Wales: South Australia in 1836, Victoria in 1851, and Queensland in 1859. A campaign by the settlers of New South Wales led to the end of convict transportation to that colony; the last convict ship arrived in 1848.

Cite web |year=1988 |url=http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs%40.nsf/0/A890E87A9AB97424CA2569DE0025C18B?Open |title=1998 Special Article - The State of New South Wales - Timeline of History

|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics
s; behind them on an incline are ruins, including walls and watchtowers of light-coloured stone and brick, what appear to be the foundations of walls, and grassed areas. To the right lie the outer walls of a large rectangular four-storey building dotted with regularly spaced windows. Forested land rises gently to a peak several kilometres back from the shore.|Port Arthur, Tasmania was Australia's largest gaol for transported convicts. The indigenous population, estimated at 350,000 at the time of European settlement, A gold rush began in Australia in the early 1850s, and international shipping. is played at an ANZAC Day ceremony in Port Melbourne, Victoria. Similar ceremonies are held in most suburbs and towns. On 1 January 1901, federation of the colonies was achieved after a decade of planning, consultation, and voting. Britain's Statute of Westminster 1931 formally ended most of the constitutional links between Australia and the UK. Australia adopted it in 1942,

Politics

was opened in 1988, replacing the provisional Parliament House building opened in 1927. Australia is a constitutional monarchy with a federal division of powers. It uses a parliamentary system of government with Queen Elizabeth II at its apex as the Queen of Australia, a role that is distinct from her position as monarch of the other Commonwealth realms. As the Queen resides in the United Kingdom, the executive powers vested in her by the Constitution are normally exercised by her viceroys in Australia (the Governor-General at the federal level and by the Governors at the state level), The federal government is separated into three branches:
The legislature: the bicameral Parliament, comprising the Queen (represented by the Governor-General), the Senate, and the House of Representatives;
The executive: the Federal Executive Council, in practice the Governor-General as advised by the Prime Minister and Ministers of State;
The judiciary: the High Court of Australia and other federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the Governor-General on advice of the Council. In the Senate (the upper house), there are 76 senators: twelve each from the states and two each from the mainland territories (the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory). Elections for both chambers are normally held every three years, simultaneously; senators have overlapping six-year terms except for those from the territories, whose terms are not fixed but are tied to the electoral cycle for the lower house; thus only 40 of the 76 places in the Senate are put to each election unless the cycle is interrupted by a double dissolution. of the Governor-General of Australia. Australia's electoral system uses preferential voting for all lower house elections with the exception of Tasmania and the ACT, which, along with the Senate and most state upper houses, combine it with proportional representation in a system known as the single transferable vote. Voting is compulsory for all enrolled citizens 18 years and over in every jurisdiction, There are two major political groups that usually form government, federally and in the states: the Australian Labor Party, and the Coalition which is a formal grouping of the Liberal Party and its minor partner, the National Party. Independent members and several minor parties—including the Greens and the Australian Democrats—have achieved representation in Australian parliaments, mostly in upper houses. Following a partyroom leadership challenge, Julia Gillard became the first female Prime Minister in June 2010. The last federal election was held on 21 August 2010. The result is not yet finalised but appears likely to lead to a hung parliament.

States and territories

Australia has six states—New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia—and two major mainland territories—the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). In most respects these two territories function as states, but the Commonwealth Parliament can override any legislation of their parliaments. By contrast, federal legislation overrides state legislation only in areas that are set out in Section 51 of the Australian Constitution; state parliaments retain all residual legislative powers, including those over schools, state police, the state judiciary, roads, public transport, and local government, since these do not fall under the provisions listed in Section 51. Each state and major mainland territory has its own parliament—unicameral in the Northern Territory, the ACT, and Queensland, and bicameral in the other states. The states are sovereign entities, although subject to certain powers of the Commonwealth as defined by the Constitution. The lower houses are known as the Legislative Assembly (the House of Assembly in South Australia and Tasmania); the upper houses are known as the Legislative Council. The head of the government in each state is the Premier, and in each territory the Chief Minister. The Queen is represented in each state by a Governor; and in the Northern Territory, the Administrator. The federal parliament directly administers the following territories:
Jervis Bay Territory, a naval base and sea port for the national capital in land that was formerly part of New South Wales
Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands
Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Coral Sea Islands
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Australian Antarctic Territory Norfolk Island is also technically an external territory; however, under the Norfolk Island Act 1979 it has been granted more autonomy and is governed locally by its own legislative assembly. The Queen is represented by an Administrator, currently Owen Walsh.

Foreign relations and military

soldiers conducting a foot patrol during a joint training exercise with U.S. forces in Shoalwater Bay (2007). 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. In 2005 Australia secured an inaugural seat at the East Asia Summit following its accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. Australia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, in which the Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings provide the main forum for cooperation. Australia has pursued the cause of international trade liberalisation. Along with New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, and Singapore, Australia is party to the Five Power Defence Arrangements, a regional defence agreement. A founding member country of the United Nations, Australia is strongly committed to multilateralism, 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), in total numbering 80,561 personnel (including 55,068 regulars and 25,493 reservists). Day-to-day force operations are under the command of the Chief, while broader administration and the formulation of defence policy is undertaken by the Minister and Department of Defence. In the 2010–11 budget, defence spending was A$25.7 billion,

Geography and climate

. Australia's landmass of The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef, Australia is the flattest continent, Eastern Australia is marked by the Great Dividing Range that runs parallel to the coast of Queensland, New South Wales and much of Victoria – although the name is not strictly accurate, as in parts the range consists of low hills and the highlands are typically no more than in height. The landscapes of the northern part of the country, the Top End and the Gulf Country behind the Gulf of Carpentaria, with their tropical climate, consist of woodland, grassland and desert. The climate of Australia is significantly influenced by ocean currents, including the Indian Ocean Dipole and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, which is correlated with periodic drought, and the seasonal tropical low pressure system that produces cyclones in northern Australia. Much of the southeast (including Tasmania) is temperate.

Environment

and the ''eucalyptus'' form an iconic Australian pair Although most of Australia is semi-arid or desert, it includes a diverse range of habitats from alpine heaths to tropical rainforests, and is recognised as a megadiverse country. Because of the continent's great age, extremely variable weather patterns, and 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 in-shore, temperate-zone fish are endemic. Australian forests are mostly made up of evergreen species, particularly eucalyptus trees in the less arid regions, Wattles replace them in drier regions and deserts as the most dominant species. Many of Australia's ecoregions, and the species within those regions, are threatened by human activities and introduced plant and animal species. Numerous protected areas have been created under the National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia's Biological Diversity to protect and preserve unique ecosystems;

cite web|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/publications/strategy/index.html |title=National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia's Biological Diversity |publisher=Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts

date=2010-01-21 |accessdate=2010-06-14
Climate change has become an increasing concern in Australia in recent years,

Economy

gold mine in Kalgoorlie, Australia's largest open cut mine. Australia has a free-market economy with high GDP per capita and low rate of poverty. The Australian dollar is the currency for the nation, including Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru, and Tuvalu. After the 2006 merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange, the Australian Securities Exchange is now the ninth largest in the world. Ranked third in the Index of Economic Freedom (2010),

cite web|url=http://www.heritage.org/index/Country/Australia|title=

Australia|publisher=2010 Index of Economic Freedom|accessdate=30 March 2010
Australia is the world's thirteenth largest economy and has the eleventh highest per capita GDP; higher than that of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada and Japan, and on par with that of the United States. The country was ranked second in the United Nations 2009 Human Development Index, first in Legatum's 2008 Prosperity Index, and sixth in ''The Economist'' worldwide Quality-of-Life Index for 2005. An emphasis on exporting commodities rather than manufactured goods has underpinned a significant increase in Australia's terms of trade since the start of the century, due to rising commodity prices. Australia has a balance of payments that is more than 7% of GDP negative, and has had persistently large current account deficits for more than 50 years. The Hawke Government floated the Australian dollar in 1983 and partially deregulated the financial system. In January 2007, there were 10,033,480 people employed, with an unemployment rate of 4.6%.

Demography

_ Most of the estimated 22 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 immigrants came from the British Isles, and the people of Australia are still mainly of British or Irish ethnic origin. In the 2006 Australian census, the most commonly nominated ancestry was Australian (37.13%), Australia's population has quadrupled since the end of World War I, In 2001, 23.1% of Australians were born overseas; the five largest immigrant groups were those from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Italy, Vietnam, and China. The Indigenous population—mainland Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders—was counted at 410,003 (2.2% of the total population) in 2001, a significant increase from 115,953 in the 1976 census.

cite web|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Previousproducts/1301.0Feature%20Article52004?opendocument&tabname=Summary&prodno=1301.0&issue=2004&num=&view=|title=1301.0 – Year Book Australia, 2004

date=27 February 2004|accessdate=24 April 2009|publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics
A large number of Indigenous people are not identified in the Census due to undercount and cases where their Indigenous status is not recorded on the form; after adjusting for these factors, the ABS estimated the true figure for 2001 to be around 460,140 (2.4% of the total population). Indigenous Australians experience higher than average rates of imprisonment and unemployment, lower levels of education, and life expectancies for males and females that are 11–17 years lower than those of non-indigenous Australians. 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. In 2004, the average age of the civilian population was 38.8 years. live outside their home country.

Language

is a wine-producing region in South Australia. Fewer than 15% of Australians live in rural areas. Although Australia has no official language, English is so entrenched that it has become the de facto national language. a considerable proportion of first- and second-generation migrants are bilingual. Between 200 and 300 Indigenous Australian languages are thought to have existed at the time of first European contact, of which only about 70 have survived. Many of these are exclusively spoken by older people; only 18 Indigenous languages are still spoken by all age groups.

Religion

Australia has no state religion. In the 2006 census, 64% of Australians listed themselves as Christian, including 26% as Roman Catholic and 19% as Anglican. About 19% of the population cited "No religion" (which includes humanism, atheism, agnosticism, and rationalism), which was the fastest-growing group from 2001 to 2006, and a further 12% did not answer (the question is optional) or did not give a response adequate for interpretation. The second-largest religion in Australia is Buddhism (2.1%), followed by Islam (1.7%), Hinduism (0.8%), and Judaism (0.5%). Overall, fewer than 6% of Australians identify with non-Christian religions. Religion does not play a central role in the lives of much of the population.

Education

School attendance is compulsory throughout Australia. All children receive 11 years of compulsory education from the age of 6 to 16 (Year 1 to 10),

Health

Life expectancy in Australia is relatively high, with figures of 78.7 years for males and 83.5 years for females born in 2006. Australia introduced universal health care, known as Medibank, in 1975.

Culture

in Melbourne was the first building in Australia to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004 Since 1788, the primary basis of Australian culture has been Anglo-Celtic Western culture.

Art

artist Arthur Streeton. Australian visual arts are thought to have begun with the cave and bark paintings of its Indigenous peoples. The traditions of Indigenous Australians are largely transmitted orally and are tied to ceremony and the telling Dreamtime stories. The country's landscape remains a source of inspiration for Australian modernist artists; it has been depicted in acclaimed works by the likes of Sidney Nolan,

Performing arts

Many of Australia's performing arts companies receive funding through the federal government's Australia Council. in Sydney

Media

The Australian cinema industry began with the 1906 release of ''The Story of the Kelly Gang'', which is regarded as being the world's first feature-length film, Thanks to initiatives by the Gorton and Whitlam federal governments, the New Wave of Australian cinema of the 1970s brought provocative and successful films, some exploring the nation's colonial past, such as ''Picnic at Hanging Rock'' and ''Breaker Morant'', Australian literature has also been influenced by the landscape; the works of writers such as Banjo Paterson, Henry Lawson, and Dorothea Mackellar captured the experience of the Australian bush. Australia has two public broadcasters (the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the multicultural Special Broadcasting Service), three commercial television networks, several pay-TV services,

Cuisine

Australia's food traditions have been largely shaped by its inhabitants. For most of Australian history, the cuisine was based on traditional Indigenous bushfood using native berries, fruit, fish, kangaroo and even insects such as the witchetty grub.

Sport

has been an important part of Australia's sporting culture since the 19th century. Around 24% Australians over the age of 15 regularly participate in organised sporting activities in Australia. Swimming is the strongest of these sports; Australia is the second-most prolific medal winner in the sport in Olympic history.

cite news|title=Swimming's big splash

url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics_2004/swimming/history/3477381.stm|publisher=BBC Sports|date=5 July 2004|accessdate=8 November 2006

cite news|title=Phelps causes biggest splash

url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics_2004/swimming/3587554.stm|publisher=BBC Sports|date=21 August 2004|accessdate=19 November 2006
Some of Australia's most successful sportspersons are swimmers Dawn Fraser, Murray Rose, Shane Gould and Ian Thorpe; sprinter Betty Cuthbert; Nationally, other popular sports include Australian rules football, horse racing, surfing, soccer, and motor racing. Australia has participated in every summer Olympics of the modern era, and has ranked among the top six medal-takers since 2000.

cite web |

url=http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/57a31759b55dc970ca2568a1002477b6/be9f47591541e29eca256ef40004f25a!OpenDocument |title=ABS medal tally: Australia finishes third |publisher=Australian Bureau of Statistics |date=30 August 2004 |accessdate=25 January 2008
Australia has also hosted the 1938, 1962, 1982, and 2006 Commonwealth Games.

International rankings

See also

Continental union

Notes

References

columns-list|3|

Bibliography

Denoon, Donald, et al. (2000). ''A History of Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific''. Oxford: Blackwell. ISBN 0631179623.
Hughes, Robert (1986). ''The Fatal Shore: The Epic of Australia's Founding''. Knopf. ISBN 0394506685.

''Emily Kngwarreye – Paintings'' (no editor given) (1996). North Ryde NSW: Craftsman House / G + B Arts International. ISBN 90-5703-681-9.



Macintyre, Stuart (2000). ''A Concise History of Australia''. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521623596.
McCulloch, Alan; Susan McCulloch, Emily McCulloch Childs (2006). ''The new McCulloch's encyclopedia of Australian art''. Fitzroy, VIC: Aus Art Editions in association with The Miegunyah Press. ISBN 0-522-85317-X.
Powell JM (1988). ''An Historical Geography of Modern Australia: The Restive Fringe''. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521256194.
Robinson GM, Loughran RJ, and Tranter PJ (2000) ''Australia and New Zealand: economy, society and environment''. London: Arnold; NY: OUP; 0340720336 paper 0-340720328 hard).

External links

About Australia from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade website
Governments of Australia website (federal, states and territories)
Australian Government website
Parliament of Australia: Who's Who (includes head of state)
Parliament of Australia: ministry list
Australian Bureau of Statistics
Community organisations portal
Cultural Institutions
Tourism Australia


Australia at ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''

Template group

title = Articles Related to Australia
list =

Template group

title = Geographic locale
list = Geographic coordinate system|Lat. and Long. (Canberra)

Australia