| Commonwealth of Australia | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Anthem: Advance Australia Fair | ||||||
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| Capital | Canberra | |||||
| Largest city | Sydney | |||||
| Official languages | English (de facto ) | |||||
| Demonym | Australian, Aussie | |||||
| Government | Parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, see Government of Australia | |||||
| - | Monarch | Queen Elizabeth II | ||||
| - | Governor-General | Michael Jeffery | ||||
| - | Prime Minister | Kevin Rudd | ||||
| Independence | from the United Kingdom | |||||
| - | Constitution | 1 January 1901 | ||||
| - | Statute of Westminster | 11 December 1931 (commenced 3 September 1939) | ||||
| - | Australia Act | 3 March 1986 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 7,741,220 km² (6th) 2,988,888 sq mi | ||||
| - | Water (%) | 1 | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| - | 2008 estimate | 21,310,000[1] (53rd) | ||||
| - | 2006 census | 19,855,288 | ||||
| - | Density | 2. The flag of Australia was chosen in 1901 from entries in a worldwide design competition held following Federation. The Coat of Arms of Australia (formally known as Commonwealth Coat of Arms) is the official symbol of Australia. A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history traditions and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation's " Advance Australia Fair " is the official National anthem of Australia. Canberra ( is the capital city of Australia With a population of over 340000 it is Australia's largest inland City. Current Demographic data Much of the data that follows has been derived from the CIA World Factbook and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, through Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 An official language is a Language that is given a special legal status in a particular Country, State, or other territory English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a People or the inhabitants of a place Aussie is an Autonym in Australian slang for Australian ' In Australia and New Zealand the word is only; however in the United For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is This article describes the federal government of Australia See Australian governments for other jurisdictions TalkCommonewalth realm.-->The monarchy For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia of the monarch of Australia (currently Elizabeth II Queen of Australia) Major General Philip Michael Jeffery AC, CVO, MC (born 12 December[[ 937]] was the 24th Governor-General of Australia The Prime Minister of Australia is the Head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General. Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957 is the 26th and current Prime Minister of Australia and federal leader of the Centre-left Australian Labor Independence is the Self-government of a Nation, Country, or State by its residents and population or some portion thereof generally exercising The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Constitution of Australia is the law under which the Australian Commonwealth Government operates New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The Statute of Westminster 1931 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (22 & 23 Geo Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942 is an Act of the Australian Parliament that formally adopted the Statute of Westminster 1931, an Act of Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Australia Act 1986 is the name given to a pair of two separate but related pieces of legislation one an Act of the Parliament of Australia (No Events 1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England 1575 - Indian Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. To help compare Orders of magnitude of different surface Areas here is a list of areas between 1 million km² and 10 million km² This is a list of the countries of the world sorted by total area. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. In Mathematics, a percentage is a way of expressing a number as a Fraction of 100 ( per cent meaning "per hundred" In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology List of countries by population in 2005|List of countries by population in 1907This is a list of countries ordered according to Population. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 6/km² (224th) 6. List of countries and dependencies by Population density in inhabitants/km² 7/sq mi | ||||
| GDP (PPP) | 2007 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | US$718. The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. 4 billion (IMF) (17th) | ||||
| - | Per capita | US$34,359 (IMF) (14th) | ||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2008 estimate | |||||
| - | Total | US$1046. There are three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP (the value of all final goods and services produced within a nation Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product (GDP at Purchasing power parity (PPP Per capita 8 billion (13th) | ||||
| - | Per capita | US$49,271 (DFAT) (16th) | ||||
| HDI (2007) | ▬ 0. PLEASE NO RANDOM FIGURES THERE ARE NO FIGURES BASED ON NATIONAL STATISTICS IN THIS ARTICLE Per capita is a Latin phrase meaning for each head with Per meaning 'through' or 'by' This article includes three lists of Countries of the world sorted by their Gross domestic product Per capita at Nominal values, the The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP 962 (high) (3rd) | |||||
| Currency | Australian dollar (AUD) | |||||
| Time zone | various (UTC+8 to +10. This is a list of countries by Human Development Index as included in the United Nations Development Program 's Human Development Report 2007 A currency is a unit of exchange, facilitating the transfer of Goods and/or services It is one form of Money, where money is The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the Currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas ISO 4217 is the International standard describing three-letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established Standard time was introduced into Australia in the 1890s when all colonies adopted standard times 5) | |||||
| - | Summer (DST) | various (UTC+9 to +11. Daylight saving time ( DST Standard time was introduced into Australia in the 1890s when all colonies adopted standard times 5) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .au | |||||
| Calling code | +61 | |||||
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 a number of other islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. A country This is a list of country calling codes defined by ITU-T recommendation E In Political geography and International politics, a country is a Political division of a geographical entity Southern Hemisphere is the half of a Planet that is South of the Equator —the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' A continent is one of several large Landmasses on Earth. They are generally identified by Convention rather than any strict criteria with seven regions Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name It is located south of the eastern side of the Continent, being separated from it by Bass Australia has 8222 islands within its maritime borders The largest islands are Tasmania 68332 km² Melville Island 5786 km² Kangaroo Island, 4416 The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The neighbouring countries are 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 Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. East Timor, also known as Timor-Leste (officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste) is a country in Southeast Asia. Papua New Guinea (or ˈpæpjuːə in Tok Pisin: Papua Niugini) officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands Vanuatu, officially the Republic of Vanuatu ( French: République de Vanuatu, Bislama: Ripablik blong Vanuatu) is an Island For the former North American fur-trading district see New Caledonia (Canada, and for the Scottish colony in Panama see Darien scheme. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Australia is the only country that is also a continent.
The Australian mainland has been inhabited for more than 42,000 years by indigenous Australians. Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. [2] After sporadic visits by fishermen from the north and then European discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606,[3] the eastern half of Australia was later claimed by the British in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales, commencing on 26 January 1788. The Dutch people ( Dutch:) are the dominant Ethnic group of the Netherlands. The Kingdom of Great Britain, also known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain, was a State in northwest Europe, in existence from 1707 to 1800 Transportation or penal transportation refers to the deporting of Convicted Criminals to a Penal colony, for example by France Events 1340 - King Edward III of England is declared King of France. Year 1788 ( MDCCLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap As the population grew and new areas were explored, another five largely self-governing Crown Colonies were established during the 19th century. Self-governance is an abstract concept that refers to several scales of Organization. The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories that are under the Sovereignty of the United Kingdom, but which do not form part of the United Kingdom
On 1 January 1901, the six colonies became a federation, and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Since federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and remains a Commonwealth realm. The term "liberal" in "liberal democracy" does not imply that the government of such a democracy must follow the political ideology of A Commonwealth realm is any one of 16 sovereign states within the Commonwealth of Nations that each have Elizabeth II as their respective Monarch The capital city is Canberra, located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Canberra ( is the capital city of Australia With a population of over 340000 it is Australia's largest inland City. } The Australian Capital Territory (ACT is the Capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory The population is just over 21. 3 million, with approximately 60% of the population concentrated in and around the mainland state capitals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 Brisbane ( is the state capital of Queensland. Brisbane is the third most populous city in Australia and the most populous city of Queensland Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. Adelaide is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia, and is the fifth largest city in Australia with a
Contents |
Etymology
The name "Australia" is derived from the Latin Australis, meaning "Southern". This list covers English language country names with their etymologies. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. 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. Terra Australis ( Latin, "land of the south" was a theorized continent appearing on European maps from the 15th to the 18th century In 1521 Spaniards were among the first Europeans to sail the Pacific. The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The first use of the word "Australia" in English was in 1625—the words "A note of Australia del Espiritu Santo, written by Master Hakluyt", published by Samuel Purchas in Hakluytus Posthumus. Samuel Purchas (1575? - 1626 was an English travel writer a near-contemporary of Richard Hakluyt. [4] It is said that the name Australia originally came from the Spanish man Pedro Fernández de Quirós whose travels around the southern seas brought him close to the lands he named “Australia del Espiritu Santo” in honour of the House of Austria which, at the time, governed the Spanish Empire. The Dutch adjectival form Australische was used by Dutch officials in Batavia to refer to the newly discovered land to the south in 1638. The Dutch East India Company ( Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC in old-spelling Dutch, literally "United East Indian Jakarta (also DKI Jakarta) is the Capital and largest city of Indonesia. "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. Gabriel de Foigny ( ca 1630-1692 is the author of an important Utopia, La Terre Australe connue, 1676 [5] Alexander Dalrymple then used it in An Historical Collection of Voyages and Discoveries in the South Pacific Ocean (1771), to refer to the entire South Pacific region. Alexander Dalrymple ( July 24, 1737 &ndash June 19, 1808) was a Scottish Geographer and the first Hydrographer In 1793, George Shaw and Sir James Smith published Zoology and Botany of New Holland, in which they wrote of "the vast island, or rather continent, of Australia, Australasia or New Holland. George Shaw ( December 10, 1751 - July 22, 1813) was an English Botanist and Zoologist. Sir James Edward Smith ( December 2, 1759 &ndash March 17, 1828) was an English botanist and founder of the New Holland is a historic name for the Island Continent of Australia. "
The name "Australia" was popularised by the 1814 work A Voyage to Terra Australis by the navigator Matthew Flinders, the first recorded person to circumnavigate Australia. Captain Matthew Flinders, RN (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814 was one of the most successful navigators and cartographers of his age Though its title reflected the British Admiralty's usage, Flinders used the word "Australia" in his book and as it was widely read it gave the term general currency. The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. Governor Lachlan Macquarie of New South Wales subsequently used the word in his dispatches to England, and on 12 December 1817 recommended to the Colonial Office that it be officially adopted. Major-General Lachlan Macquarie CB (31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824 Scottish Gaelic spelling Lachlan MacGuaire) British military officer Events 627 - Battle of Nineveh: A Byzantine army under Emperor Heraclius defeats Emperor Khosrau II 's Persian Year 1817 ( MDCCCXVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common [6] In 1824, the Admiralty agreed that the continent should be known officially as "Australia".
The word "Australia" in Australian English is pronounced /əˈstɹæɪljə, -liːə, -jə/. Australian English ( AuE, AusE, en-AU) is the form of the English language used in Australia. Australian English is a non-rhotic variety of English spoken by most native-born Australians
History
The first human habitation of Australia is estimated to have occurred between 42,000 and 48,000 years ago. The written history of Australia began when Dutch explorers first sighted the country in the 17th century [7] These first Australians were possibly the ancestors of the current Indigenous Australians; they may have arrived via land bridges and short sea-crossings from present-day South-East Asia. A land bridge, in Biogeography, is an Isthmus or other land connection between otherwise separate areas which allows Animals and Plants Most of these people were hunter-gatherers, with a complex oral culture and spiritual values based on reverence for the land and a belief in the Dreamtime. A hunter-gatherer society is one whose primary subsistence method involves the direct procurement of edible plants and animals from the wild Foraging and Hunting Oral tradition, oral culture and oral lore is a way for a society to transmit history, literature, law and other Knowledges The traditions and lore of Australia's indigenous peoples belongs to what may be the oldest continuous culture on Earth (circa 50000 years The Torres Strait Islanders, ethnically Melanesian, inhabited the Torres Strait Islands and parts of far-north Queensland; their cultural practices were and remain distinct from those of the Aborigines. Torres Strait Islanders are the indigenous people of the Torres Strait Islands, part of Queensland, Australia. Melanesia (from Greek: μέλας black, νῆσος island) means "islands of the black-skinned people" The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small Islands which lie in Torres Strait, the waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent
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. Not to be confused with Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638 a contemporary Dutch cartographer Willem Janszoon (c This article is about the peninsula located in the Australian state of Queensland; it should not be confused with either Yorke Peninsula in South Australia During the 17th century, the Dutch charted the whole of the western and northern coastlines of what they called New Holland, but made no attempt at settlement. New Holland is a historic name for the Island Continent of Australia. In 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast of Australia, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Great Britain. Captain James Cook FRS RN ( – 14 February 1779) was an English Explorer, Navigator and The expedition's discoveries provided impetus for the establishment of a penal colony there. A penal colony is a Settlement used to detain Prisoners and generally use them for Penal labour in an economically underdeveloped part of the state's
The British Crown Colony of New South Wales started with the establishment of a settlement at Port Jackson by Captain Arthur Phillip on 26 January 1788. The British Overseas Territories are fourteen territories that are under the Sovereignty of the United Kingdom, but which do not form part of the United Kingdom Port Jackson, containing Sydney Harbour, is the natural harbour of Sydney Australia Admiral Arthur Phillip RN (11 October 1738 &ndash 31 August 1814 was a British naval Admiraland colonial administrator Events 1340 - King Edward III of England is declared King of France. Year 1788 ( MDCCLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap This date was later to become Australia's national day, Australia Day. The National Day is a designated date on which celebrations mark the Nationhood of a Nation or non-sovereign Country. Van Diemen's Land, now known as Tasmania, was settled in 1803 and became a separate colony in 1825. Van Diemen's Land was the original name used by Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name It is located south of the eastern side of the Continent, being separated from it by Bass The United Kingdom formally claimed the western part of Australia in 1829. Separate colonies were created from parts of New South Wales: South Australia in 1836, Victoria in 1851, and Queensland in 1859. South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent The Northern Territory (NT) was founded in 1911 when it was excised from South Australia. The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the center of the mainland continent as well as the central northern regions South Australia was founded as a "free province"—that is, it was never a penal colony. Victoria and Western Australia were also founded "free", but later accepted transported convicts. [8] The transportation of convicts to the colony of New South Wales ceased in 1848 after a campaign by the settlers. During the late 18th and 19th centuries large numbers of Convicts were transported to the various Australian penal colonies by the British government [9]
The Indigenous Australian population, estimated at 350,000 at the time of European settlement,[10] declined steeply for 150 years following settlement, mainly because of infectious disease combined with forced re-settlement and cultural disintegration. Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. An infectious disease is a clinically evident Disease resulting from the presence of Pathogenic microbial agents including Pathogenic viruses Pathogenic [11] The removal of children from their families, which some historians and Indigenous Australians have argued could be considered to constitute genocide by some definitions,[12] may have contributed to the decline in the indigenous population. The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1948 and came into effect in January 1951 Such interpretations of Aboriginal history are disputed by some commentators as being exaggerated or fabricated for political or ideological reasons. [13] This debate is known within Australia as the History Wars. The History wars are an ongoing public debate in Australia over the interpretation of the history of the European colonisation of Australia and its impact on Following the 1967 referendum, the Federal government gained the power to implement policies and make laws with respect to Aborigines. The referendum of 27 May 1967 approved two amendments to the Australian constitution relating to Indigenous Australians. Traditional ownership of land—native title—was not recognised until 1992, when the High Court case Mabo v Queensland (No 2) overturned the notion of Australia as terra nullius (lit. Native title is a concept in the Law of Australia that recognises in certain cases there was and is a continued beneficial legal interest in land held by local Indigenous The High Court of Australia is the final court of appeal in Australia the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. Mabo v Queensland (No 2 (commonly known as Mabo) was a landmark Australian court case which was decided by the High Court Terra nullius ( English pronunciation ˈtɛrə nəˈlaɪəs Latin pronunciation ˈtɛrːa nʊlːˈiʊs is a Latin expression deriving from "land of none" or "empty land") at the time of European occupation.
A gold rush began in Australia in the early 1850s, and the Eureka Stockade rebellion against mining licence fees in 1854 was an early expression of civil disobedience. A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers into the area of a dramatic discovery of commercial quantities of Gold. The Eureka Stockade was the setting of a gold miners' Revolt in 1854 near Ballarat, Victoria, Australia against the officials supervising the Civil disobedience is the active refusal to obey certain Laws demands and commands of a Government, or of an occupying power, without resorting to physical Between 1855 and 1890, the six colonies individually gained responsible government, managing most of their own affairs while remaining part of the British Empire. Responsible government is a conception of a System of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. The Colonial Office in London 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. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting The federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South The Commonwealth of Australia was born as a Dominion of the British Empire. A dominion, often Dominion, refers to one of a group of autonomous polities under sovereign authority within the British Empire and The British Empire was the largest empire in history and for over a century was the foremost global power. The Federal Capital Territory (later renamed the Australian Capital Territory) was formed from a part of New South Wales in 1911 to provide a location for the proposed new federal capital of Canberra (Melbourne was the temporary seat of government from 1901 to 1927 while Canberra was being constructed). } The Australian Capital Territory (ACT is the Capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory } The Australian Capital Territory (ACT is the Capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory The Northern Territory was transferred from the control of the South Australian government to the Commonwealth in 1911. Australia willingly participated in World War I. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All [14] 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 Kokoda Track Campaign is regarded by many as an analogous nation-defining event during World War II. This article concerns the World War II military campaign For more general information see the Kokoda Track article World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including
The Statute of Westminster 1931 formally ended most of the constitutional links between Australia and the United Kingdom when Australia adopted it in 1942. The Statute of Westminster 1931 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (22 & 23 Geo The Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942 is an Act of the Australian Parliament that formally adopted the Statute of Westminster 1931, an Act of The shock of the United Kingdom'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. The Empire of Japan ( {{unicode|Kyūjitai}}: ja 大日本帝國 Shinjitai: ja 大日本帝国 pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku An invasion is a military offensive consisting of all or large parts of the Armed forces of one geopolitical entity aggressively entering territory The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Since 1951, Australia has been a formal military ally of the US under the auspices of the ANZUS treaty. The Australia New Zealand United States Security Treaty ( ANZUS or ANZUS Treaty) is the Military alliance which binds Australia and After World War II, Australia encouraged immigration from Europe; since the 1970s and the abolition of the White Australia policy, immigration from Asia and other non-European parts of the world was also encouraged. Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term The White Australia policy is a term used to describe a collection of historical policies that intentionally restricted non-white Immigration to Australia from As a result, Australia's demography, culture and self-image have been radically transformed. The final constitutional ties between Australia and the UK were severed in 1986 with the passing of the Australia Act 1986, ending any British role in the government of the Australian States, and ending judicial appeals to the UK Privy Council. The Australia Act 1986 is the name given to a pair of two separate but related pieces of legislation one an Act of the Parliament of Australia (No A privy council is a body that advises the Head of state of a nation on how to exercise their executive authority, typically but not always in the context of a [15] In 1999, Australian voters rejected by a majority of 54% a move to become a republic with a president appointed by two-thirds vote of both houses of the Australian Parliament. To alter the Australian constitution an Act of the Australian Parliament must occur as well as a referendum receiving not only a majority of votes across the country, but also a majority of votes in a majority of the six Australian states. The referendum of 1999 not only did not receive a majority of votes across the country, it also did not win one of the six Australian states. [16] [17] Since the election of the Whitlam Government in 1972, there has been an increasing focus on the expansion of ties with other Pacific Rim nations while maintaining close ties with Australia's traditional allies and trading partners. Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC (born 11 July 1916 known as Gough Whitlam (ˈɡɒf goff is an Australian former politician and 21st The Pacific Rim refers to the countries and cities located around the edge of the Pacific Ocean.
Politics
The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional democracy based on a federal division of powers. History In ancient times history of India Greece, and Rome had governments similar to constitutional democracies Political federalism is a Political philosophy in which a group of members are bound together (Latin foedus, covenant) with a governing The form of government used in Australia is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of Australia, a role that is distinct from her position as monarch of the other Commonwealth realms. For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II TalkCommonewalth realm.-->The monarchy A Commonwealth realm is any one of 16 sovereign states within the Commonwealth of Nations that each have Elizabeth II as their respective Monarch The Queen is represented by the Governor-General at federal level and by the Governors at state level. The Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia is the representative in Australia of the monarch of Australia (currently Elizabeth II Queen of Australia) Although the Constitution gives extensive executive powers to the Governor-General, these are normally exercised only on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Constitution of Australia is the law under which the Australian Commonwealth Government operates In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. The Prime Minister of Australia is the Head of government of the Commonwealth of Australia, holding office on commission from the Governor-General. The most notable exercise of the Governor-General's reserve powers outside the Prime Minister's direction was the dismissal of the Whitlam Government in the constitutional crisis of 1975. In a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of Government, a reserve power is a power that may be exercised by the Head of state without the [18]
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. Separation of powers, a term ascribed to French Enlightenment Political philosopher Baron de Montesquieu, is a model for the Governance The Parliament of Australia or Commonwealth Parliament is the legislative branch of government of Australia.
- The executive: the Federal Executive Council (the Governor-General as advised by the Executive Councillors); in practice, the councillors are the Prime Minister and Ministers of State. The Federal Executive Council is the formal body holding executive authority under the Constitution of Australia.
- The judiciary: the High Court of Australia and other federal courts. The High Court of Australia is the final court of appeal in Australia the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. There are two streams within the hierarchy of Australian Courts the federal stream and the state and territory stream 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. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom, established by the Judicial Committee Act 1833 The Australia Act 1986 is the name given to a pair of two separate but related pieces of legislation one an Act of the Parliament of Australia (No
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. In Government, bicameralism (bi + Latin la ''camera'' chamber is the practice of having two legislative or Parliamentary chambers Thus a bicameral The Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. The House of Representatives is one of the two houses (chambers of the Parliament of Australia; it is the Lower house, the Upper house being the Senate Members of the lower house are elected from single-member constituencies, commonly known as "electorates" or "seats". Seats in the House of Representatives are allocated to states on the basis of population, with each original state guaranteed a minimum of five seats. In the Senate, each state is represented by 12 senators, and each of the territories (the ACT and the NT) by two. Elections for both chambers are held every three years; senators have overlapping six-year terms, and only half of the seats are put to each election unless the cycle is interrupted by a double dissolution. This article deals with elections to the Australian Parliament. The party with majority support in the House of Representatives forms government and its leader becomes Prime Minister.
There are two major political groups that form government: the Australian Labor Party, and the Coalition which is a grouping of two parties: the Liberal Party and its minor partner, the National Party. The Coalition in Australian politics refers to a pragmatic grouping of Centre-right parties that has existed in the form of a coalition agreement since 1922 The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party. The National Party of Australia is an Australian political party. Independent members and several minor parties—including the Greens and the Australian Democrats—have achieved representation in Australian parliaments, mostly in upper houses. The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is a Green Australian political party. The Australian Democrats is an Australian Political party espousing a centrist or Social liberal ideology Since 3 December 2007, shortly after the 2007 election, the Labor Party led by the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has been in power in Canberra, and the party is now in power in every parliament in the country. Events 1800 - War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden, French Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Federal elections for the Parliament of Australia were held on Saturday 24 November 2007 after a 6-week campaign in which 13 Kevin Michael Rudd (born 21 September 1957 is the 26th and current Prime Minister of Australia and federal leader of the Centre-left Australian Labor In the 2004 election, the previous governing Coalition led by John Howard won control of the Senate—the first time in more than 20 years that a party (or a coalition) has done so while in government. Federal elections were held in Australia on 9 October, 2004. All 150 seats in the House of Representatives and 40 seats in the 76-member See also Howard Government John Winston Howard AC (born 26 July 1939 was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia from 11 March Voting is compulsory for all enrolled citizens 18 years and over, in each state and territory and at the federal level. Compulsory voting requires electors to Vote in Elections or attend a polling place on voting day Enrolment to vote is compulsory in all jurisdictions except South Australia. [19]
States and territories
Australia has six states, two major mainland territories, and other minor territories. The Commonwealth of Australia is made up of 8 states and territories controlled under a federal system of government The states are New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia. Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern corner of the mainland continent South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name It is located south of the eastern side of the Continent, being separated from it by Bass Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. The two major mainland territories are the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the center of the mainland continent as well as the central northern regions } The Australian Capital Territory (ACT is the Capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory In most respects, the territories function like the states, but the Commonwealth Parliament can override any legislation of their parliaments. By contrast, federal legislation only overrides state legislation in certain areas that are set out in Section 51 of the Constitution; state parliaments retain all residual legislative powers, including powers over hospitals, education, police, the judiciary, roads, public transport, and local government. Section 51 of the Australian Constitution grants legislative powers to the Australian (Commonwealth Parliament. The Constitution of Australia is the law under which the Australian Commonwealth Government operates
Each state and territory has its own legislature: unicameral in the Northern Territory, the ACT, and Queensland, and bicameral in the remaining states. The Parliaments of the Australian states and territories are legislative bodies within the federal framework of the Commonwealth of Australia. Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or Parliamentary chamber In Government, bicameralism (bi + Latin la ''camera'' chamber is the practice of having two legislative or Parliamentary chambers Thus a bicameral The lower house is known as the Legislative Assembly (House of Assembly in South Australia and Tasmania) and the upper house is known as the Legislative Council. A lower house is one of two chambers of a Bicameral Legislature, the other chamber being the Upper house. Legislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a Legislature, or to one of its chambers. House of Assembly is a name given to the Legislature or Lower house of a Bicameral legislature in some countries often at Subnational level An upper house is one of two chambers of a Bicameral Legislature, the other chamber being the Lower house. A Legislative Council is the name given to the legislatures or one of the chambers of the legislature of many nations and colonies The head of the government in each state is the Premier, and in each territory the Chief Minister. This article focuses on the cases where the Head of Government is a separate office from the Head of State The Premiers of the Australian states are the de facto heads of the executive governments in the six states of the Commonwealth of Australia. A Chief Minister is the elected Head of government of a sub-national (e The Queen is represented in each state by a Governor; an Administrator in the Northern Territory and the Australian Governor-General in the ACT, have analogous roles. The Governors of the Australian states are the representatives in the six states of Australia of Australia's monarch Queen Elizabeth II. In accordance with the provisions of the Northern Territory (Self-Government Act 1978 ( Cth), the Northern Territory received self-government in 1979 under its own
Australia also has several minor territories; the federal government administers a separate area within New South Wales, the Jervis Bay Territory, as a naval base and sea port for the national capital. The Jervis Bay Territory is a territory of the Commonwealth of Australia. In addition Australia has the following, inhabited, external territories: Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and several largely uninhabited external territories: Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, and the Australian Antarctic Territory. Norfolk Island ( Norfuk: Norfuk Ailen) is a small inhabited island in the Pacific Ocean located between Australia, New Zealand The Territory of Christmas Island is a small territory of Australia located in the Indian Ocean, 2600 kilometres (1600 mi northwest of The Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands are two groups of small low-lying uninhabited tropical Islands in the Indian Ocean situated on the edge of the The Coral Sea Islands Territory includes a group of small and mostly uninhabited tropical islands and reefs in the Coral Sea, northeast of Queensland, Australia Heard Island and McDonald Islands (abbreviated as HIMI are barren islands located in the Southern Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to The Australian Antarctic Territory ( AAT) is the part of Antarctica claimed by Australia and is the largest territory of Antarctica claimed by any nation
Foreign relations and the 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. The foreign relations of Australia have spanned from the country's time as Dominion and later Realm of the British Empire to become steadfastly allied with The Australian Defence Force (ADF is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia The Australian War Memorial is Australia 's national memorial to the members of all its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated The foreign relations of Australia have spanned from the country's time as Dominion and later Realm of the British Empire to become steadfastly allied with The Australia New Zealand United States Security Treaty ( ANZUS or ANZUS Treaty) is the Military alliance which binds Australia and The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly referred to as ASEAN, ˈɑːsiːɑːn AH-see-ahn in English (the Official language The Pacific Islands Forum is an inter-governmental Organization which aims to enhance cooperation between the independent countries of the Pacific In 2005 Australia secured an inaugural seat at the East Asia Summit following its accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. The East Asia Summit (EAS is a forum held annually by leaders of 16 countries in the East Asian region Australia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, in which the Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings provide the main forum for cooperation. The leaders of the nations with membership in the Commonwealth of Nations (formerly the British Commonwealth are collectively known as the Commonwealth Heads of Government. Australia has energetically pursued the cause of international trade liberalisation. Australia led the formation of the Cairns Group and APEC. The Cairns Group is an interest group of 19 agricultural exporting countries composed of Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada It is a member of the OECD and the WTO. There are several major bilateral free trade agreements Australia has pursued, most recently the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement and Closer Economic Relations with New Zealand. The Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA is a Preferential trade agreement between Australia and the United States modelled on the Closer Economic Relations ( CER) is a Free trade agreement between the governments of New Zealand and Australia. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island A founding member country of the United Nations, Australia also maintains an international aid program under which some 60 countries receive assistance. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The 2005–06 budget provides A$2. 5 bn for development assistance;[20] as a percentage of GDP, this contribution is less than that of the UN Millennium Development Goals.
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. The Australian Defence Force (ADF is the military organisation responsible for the defence of Australia The Royal Australian Navy ( RAN) is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. The Australian Army is Australia's military land force It is part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF along with the Royal Australian Navy and the The Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF) is the Air Force branch of the Australian Defence Force. [21] All branches of the ADF have been 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. Sudan (officially the Republic of Sudan) ( السودان al-Sūdān is a country in northeastern Africa. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia The government appoints the Chief of the Defence Force from one of the armed services; the current Chief of the Defence Force is Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston. Chief of the Defence Force (CDF is the most senior appointment in the Australian Defence Force (ADF. Air Chief Marshal Allan Grant "Angus" Houston AC, AFC is the Chief of the Australian Defence Force, as of 4 July 2005 In the 2006–07 budget, defence spending is A$22 bn. [22] While the Governor-General is the Commander-in-Chief of the Australian Defence Force, he or she does not play an active part in the ADF's command structure and the elected Australian Government controls the ADF. [23]
Geography and environment
Australia's 7,617,930 square kilometres (2,941,299 sq. mi) landmass[24] is on the Indo-Australian Plate. The Indo-Australian Plate is a major Tectonic plate that includes the continent of Australia and surrounding Ocean, and extends northwest to include the Surrounded by the Indian and Pacific oceans, Australia is separated from Asia by the Arafura and Timor seas. The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth 's Oceanic divisions The Arafura Sea is west of the Pacific Ocean overlying the Continental shelf between Australia and New Guinea. The Timor Sea (Laut Timor Portuguese: Mar Timor) is a sea bounded to the north by the island of Timor, to the east by the Arafura Sea, Australia has 34,218 kilometres (21,262 mi) of coastline (excluding all offshore islands)[25] and claims an extensive exclusive economic zone of 8,148,250 square kilometres (3,146,057 sq. Under the law of the sea, an Exclusive Economic Zone ( EEZ) is a seazone over which a State has special rights over the exploration and use of marine mi). This exclusive economic zone does not include the Australian Antarctic Territory. The Australian Antarctic Territory ( AAT) is the part of Antarctica claimed by Australia and is the largest territory of Antarctica claimed by any nation
The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef,[26] lies a short distance off the north-east coast and extends for over 2,000 kilometres (1,250 mi). The Great Barrier Reef is the largest Coral reef system in the world composed of over 2900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for 2600 kilometres (1600 mi Mount Augustus, claimed to be the world's largest monolith,[27] is located in Western Australia. Mount Augustus National Park is located 852 km north of Perth, 490 km by road east of Carnarvon and 390 km northwest of Meekatharra, Western A monolith is a geological feature such as a Mountain, consisting of a single massive stone or rock or a single piece of rock placed as or within a monument At 2,228 metres (7,310 ft), Mount Kosciuszko on the Great Dividing Range is the highest mountain on the Australian mainland, although Mawson Peak on the remote Australian territory of Heard Island is taller at 2,745 metres (9,006 ft). Mount Kosciuszko is a Mountain located in the Snowy Mountains in Kosciuszko National Park. The Great Dividing Range, also known as the Eastern Highlands, is Australia 's most substantial Mountain range. Mawson Peak is a peak on Heard Island, an Australian territory in the Southern Ocean. Heard Island and McDonald Islands (abbreviated as HIMI are barren islands located in the Southern Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Madagascar to
By far the largest part of Australia is desert or semi-arid lands commonly known as the outback. Deserts cover a large portion of the land in Australia. Most of the deserts lie in the central and north-western part of the country Outback or the Outback refers to remote arid areas of Australia, although the term colloquially can refer to any lands outside of the main Urban areas Australia is the flattest continent, with the oldest and least fertile soils, and is the driest inhabited continent. 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. El Niño-Southern Oscillation ( ENSO; commonly referred to as simply El Niño) is a global coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon Drought in Australia is defined as rainfall over a three month period being in the lowest Decile of what has been recorded for that region in the past [28]
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. A desert is a Landscape or region that receives very little precipitation. Rainforests are Forests characterized by high Rainfall with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm (68-78 inches The megadiverse countries are a group of countries that harbor the majority of the earth's species and are therefore considered extremely Biodiverse. Because of the continent's great age (and consequent low levels of fertility), its extremely variable weather patterns, and its long-term geographic isolation, much of Australia's biota is unique and diverse. Biota is the total collection of Organisms of a geographic region or a time period from local geographic scales and instantaneous temporal scales all the way up to whole-planet Biodiversity is the variation of Life forms within a given Ecosystem, Biome or for the entire Earth. About 85% of flowering plants, 84% of mammals, more than 45% of birds, and 89% of in-shore, temperate-zone fish are endemic. This list is based on the Birds Australia list September 2003 ( PDF, free registration required Endemism is the Ecological state of being unique to a place Endemic species are not naturally found elsewhere [29] Australia has the greatest number of reptiles of any country, with 755 species. [30] Many of Australia's ecoregions, and the species within those regions, are threatened by human activities and introduced plant and animal species. Invasive species are a serious threat to the native Biodiversity of Australia and are an ongoing cost to Australian agriculture. 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; 64 wetlands are registered under the Ramsar Convention, and 16 World Heritage Sites have been established. Protected areas of Australia include Commonwealth and off-shore Protected areas managed by the Australian government as well as protected areas within each of the six states This article is about a conservation biology topic For other uses of BAP see BAP (disambiguation. The Ramsar Convention is an international Treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of Wetlands i A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex Australia was ranked 13th in the world on the 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index. The Environmental Sustainability Index (ESI is a composite index tracking 21 elements of Environmental sustainability covering natural resource endowments past and [31] Australian forests often contain a wide variety of eucalyptus trees, and are mostly located in higher rainfall regions. Australia has many forests of importance due to significant features despite being one of the driest continents
Most Australian woody plant species are evergreen and many are adapted to fire and drought, including many eucalypts and acacias. Eucalypts are woody plants belonging to three closely related genera Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Angophora. Acacia is a Genus of Shrubs and Trees belonging to the Subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first Australia has a rich variety of endemic legume species that thrive in nutrient-poor soils because of their symbiosis with Rhizobia bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi. A legume is a Plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae or a Fruit of these specific plants Rhizobia (from the Greek words rhiza = root and bios = Life are Soil bacteria that fix Nitrogen ( Diazotrophy A mycorrhiza (Greek for fungus roots coined by Frank 1885 typically seen in the plural forms mycorrhizae or mycorrhizas) is a symbiotic (occasionally Among well-known Australian fauna are the monotremes (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. The Monotremes (from the Greek monos 'single' + trema 'hole' referring to the Cloaca) are Mammals that lay eggs ( Prototheria) instead The Platypus ( Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi- aquatic Mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Echidnas (ɨˈkɪdnə also known as spiny anteaters, are four extant Mammal species belonging to the Tachyglossidae family of the Marsupials are an Infraclass of Mammals characterized by a distinctive pouch (called the marsupium) in which females carry their young through A kangaroo is a Marsupial from the family Macropodidae (macropods meaning 'large foot' The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus is a thickset Arboreal Marsupial herbivore native to Australia, and the only extant The saltwater or estuarine crocodile ( Crocodylus porosus) is the largest of all living Crocodilians and Reptiles It is found in suitable The freshwater crocodile ( Crocodylus johnsoni) also known as the Australian freshwater crocodile, Johnston's crocodile or colloquially as freshie The Emu ( Dromaius novaehollandiae, is the largest Bird native to Australia and the only extant member of the Genus Kookaburras (genus Dacelo) (or Cookaburras are large to very large (total length 28-42 cm/11-17 in terrestrial Kingfishers native Australia is home to the largest number of venomous snakes in the world. A snake is an elongate Reptile of the suborder Serpentes Like all reptiles snakes are covered in scales. [32] The dingo was introduced by Austronesian people who traded with Indigenous Australians around 3000 BCE. Description Appearance Adult dingoes are typically 48–58 cm (19–23 inches tall at the shoulders and weigh on average 23–32 kgs (50–70 pounds though specimens [33] Many plant and animal species became extinct soon after first human settlement, including the Australian megafauna; others have become extinct since European settlement, among them the Thylacine. Australian megafauna is a term used to describe a number of comparatively large Animal Species in Australia, often defined as species with body The Thylacine (ˈθaɪləsaɪn -iːn ( Thylacinus cynocephalus Latin wolf-headed pouched dog was the largest known carnivorous Marsupial of modern [34]
Economy
Australia has a prosperous, Western-style mixed economy, with a per capita GDP slightly higher than that of the UK, Germany, and France in terms of purchasing power parity. Throughout this article the unqualified term "dollar" and the $ symbol refer to the Australian dollar. The Fimiston Open Pit colloquially known as the Super Pit, ( is Australia's largest open cut gold mine. Open-pit mining, also known as opencast mining and open-cut mining and strip mining, refers to a method of extracting rock or Minerals The term Western world, the West or the Occident ( Latin: occidens -sunset -west as distinct from the Orient) can have multiple meanings A mixed economy is an Economic system that incorporates aspects of more than one economic system The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The purchasing power parity ( PPP) theory uses the long-term equilibrium Exchange rate of two currencies to equalize their Purchasing power. The country was ranked third in the United Nations' 2007 Human Development Index and sixth in The Economist worldwide quality-of-life index 2005. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The Human Development Index ( HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of Life expectancy, Literacy, Educational attainment, and GDP The Economist is an English-language weekly news and International affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd and edited in London The absence of an export-oriented manufacturing industry has been considered a key weakness of the Australian economy. More recently, rising prices for Australia's commodity exports and increasing tourism have made this criticism less relevant. Nevertheless, Australia has the world's fourth largest current account deficit in absolute terms (in relative terms it is more than 7% of GDP). In Economics, the current account is one of the two primary components of the Balance of payments, the other being the Capital account. This is considered problematic by some economists, especially as it has coincided with the high terms of trade and low interest rates that make the cost of servicing the foreign debt low. [35]
The Hawke Government started the process of economic reform by floating the Australian dollar in 1983, and partially deregulating the financial system. Robert James Lee (Bob Hawke, AC (born 9 December 1929 was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia and longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister Floating rate may also refer to a Floating interest rate applied to a Loan or other lending product The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the Currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas [36] The Howard government continued the process of microeconomic reform, including a partial deregulation of the labour market and the privatisation of state-owned businesses, most notably in the telecommunications industry. The Workplace Relations Act 1996 as amended by the Workplace Relations Amendment Act 2005, or WorkChoices, which came into effect in March 2006, was the most Communications in Australia is dominated by the Telecommunications provider Telstra. [37] The indirect tax system was substantially reformed in July 2000 with the introduction of a 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST), which has slightly reduced the heavy reliance on personal and company income tax that characterises Australia's tax system. The GST (Goods and Services Tax is a Value added tax of 10% on most goods and services transactions in Australia.
At January 2007, there were 10,033,480 people employed, with an unemployment rate of 4. 6%. [38] Over the past decade, inflation has typically been 2–3% and the base interest rate 5–6%. The service sector of the economy, including tourism, education and financial services, constitutes 69% of GDP. [39] Agriculture and natural resources constitute 3% and 5% of GDP but contribute substantially to export performance. Agriculture in Australia is a major Industry. 402000 people are employed in Agriculture and agriculture related services and agriculture accounts for approximately Export performance is the relative success or failure of the efforts of a firm or Nation to sell domestically- produced goods and services Australia's largest export markets include Japan, China, the US, South Korea and New Zealand. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island [40]
Demography
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 3,765,400 | ||
| 1910 | 4,525,100 | 20. 2% | |
| 1920 | 5,411,000 | 19. 6% | |
| 1930 | 6,501,000 | 20. 1% | |
| 1940 | 7,078,000 | 8. 9% | |
| 1950 | 8,307,000 | 17. 4% | |
| 1960 | 10,392,000 | 25. 1% | |
| 1970 | 12,663,000 | 21. 9% | |
| 1980 | 14,726,000 | 16. 3% | |
| 1990 | 17,169,000 | 16. 6% | |
| 2000 | 19,169,000 | 11. 6% | |
| Est. 2008 | 21,197,569 | 10. 6% | |
| http://populstat.info/Oceania/australc.htm | |||
Most of the estimated 21. Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 3 million Australians are descended from colonial-era settlers and post-Federation immigrants from Europe, with almost 90 percent of the population being of European descent. The European peoples are the various Nations and Ethnic groups of Europe. 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. The British Isles (Irish variously Na hOileáin Bhriotanacha, Oileáin Iarthair Eorpa, Éire agus an Bhreatain Mhór; Ellanyn Goaldagh Eileanan British people, or Britons, are the native inhabitants of Great Britain and their descendants or citizens of the United Kingdom, of the The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate
Australia's population has quadrupled since the end of World War I,[41] spurred by an ambitious immigration program. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Immigration to Australian continent is estimated to have begun around 50000 years ago when the ancestors of Australian Aborigines arrived on the continent via the islands of Following World War II and through to 2000, almost 5. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including 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. [42] Most immigrants are skilled,[43] but the immigration quota includes categories for family members and refugees. According to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, a refugee is a person who owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race [43] 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. Anglo-Celtic Australian is an Ethnic or cultural category used to describe Australians with British and/or Irish ancestral origins New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island Italian Australians are one of the largest Ethnic groups in Australia. A Vietnamese Australian is an Australian either born in Vietnam or is an Australian descendant of the former A Chinese Australian is an Australian of Chinese heritage In the 2006 Australian Census, 669890 Australian residents (or 3 [40][44] Following the abolition of the White Australia policy in 1973, numerous government initiatives have been established to encourage and promote racial harmony based on a policy of multiculturalism. The White Australia policy is a term used to describe a collection of historical policies that intentionally restricted non-white Immigration to Australia from The term multiculturalism generally refers to a state of racial, cultural and ethnic diversity within the Demographics of a specified [45] In 2005–06, more than 131,000 people emigrated to Australia, mainly from Asia and Oceania. [46] Migration target for 2006–07 was 144,000. [47]
The Indigenous population—mainland Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders—was 410,003 (2. Indigenous Australians are descendants of the first known human inhabitants of the Australian continent and its nearby islands. The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small Islands which lie in Torres Strait, the waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape 2% of the total population) in 2001, a significant increase from the 1976 census, which showed an indigenous population of 115,953. Indigenous Australians suffer from higher rates of imprisonment and unemployment, lower levels of education, and life expectancies for males and females that are 17 years lower than those of non-indigenous Australians. [40]
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. A large number of Australians (759,849 for the period 2002–03[48]) live outside their home country.
English is the national language;[49] Australian English has its own distinctive accent and vocabulary. Australian English ( AuE, AusE, en-AU) is the form of the English language used in Australia. According to the 2001 census, English is the only language spoken in the home for around 80% of the population. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The next most common languages spoken at home are Chinese (2. 1%), Italian (1. 9%), and Greek (1. 4%). A considerable proportion of first- and second-generation migrants are bilingual. It is believed that there were between 200 and 300 Australian Aboriginal languages at the time of first European contact. Only about 70 of these languages have survived and all but 20 of these are now endangered. An endangered language is a Language that it is at risk of falling out of use generally because it has few surviving speakers An indigenous language remains the main language for about 50,000 (0. 25%) people. Australia has a sign language known as Auslan, which is the main language of about 6,500 deaf people. A sign language (also signed language) is a Language which instead of acoustically conveyed Sound patterns uses visually transmitted sign patterns Auslan is the Sign language of the Australian Deaf community.
Australia has no state religion. A state religion (also called an official religion, established church or state church) is a religious body or Creed officially In the 2006 census, 64% of Australians were listed as Christian of any denomination, including 26% as Roman Catholic and 19% as Anglican. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings See also Catholic Church, Christianity in Australia The Catholic Church in Australia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual See also Anglicanism The Anglican Communion is an international association of national Anglican churches 19% were listed as "No Religion" (which includes humanism, atheism, agnosticism, and rationalism); and a further 12% declined to answer or did not give a response adequate for interpretation. In 1971 the instruction 'if no religion write none' was introduced Secular humanism is a humanist philosophy that upholds Reason, Ethics and Justice, and specifically rejects the Supernatural Atheism Agnosticism ( Greek: α- a-, without + γνώσις gnōsis, knowledge after Gnosticism) is the philosophical view that the In Epistemology and in its broadest sense rationalism is "any view appealing to Reason as a source of knowledge or justification" (Lacey 286 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. [50]
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%. The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD, currently ranks Australia's education as the 8th best in the world: a significantly better ranking than the OECD average. [51] Government grants have supported the establishment of Australia's 38 universities and although several private universities have been established, the majority receive government funding. There is a state-based system of vocational training, higher than colleges, known as TAFE Institutes, and many trades conduct apprenticeships for training new tradespeople. Technical and Further Education or TAFE (pronounced) institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational tertiary education courses in Australia Approximately 58% of Australians between the ages of 25 and 64 have vocational or tertiary qualifications,[40] and the tertiary graduation rate of 49% is the highest among OECD countries. The ratio of international to local students in tertiary education in Australia is the highest in the OECD countries. [52]
Culture
Since 1788, the primary basis of Australian culture has been Anglo-Celtic, although distinctive Australian features soon arose from the country's unique environment and the pre-existing indigenous culture. Anglo-Celtic is a macro-cultural term used to collectively describe the cultures native to the British Isles / Anglo-Celtic Isles and the significant Diasporas This is an article about a class of people as identified and defined within Australian law Over the past 50 years, Australian culture has been strongly influenced by American popular culture (particularly television and cinema), large-scale immigration from non-English-speaking countries and Australia's Asian neighbours. The vigour and originality of the arts in Australia—literature, cinema, opera, music, painting, theatre, dance, and crafts—have achieved international recognition.
Australian visual arts have a long history, starting with the cave and bark paintings of its indigenous peoples. Cave paintings are Paintings on Cave walls and ceilings and the term is used especially for those dating to Prehistoric times From the time of European settlement, a common theme in Australian art has been the Australian landscape, seen for example in the works of Arthur Streeton, Arthur Boyd, and Albert Namatjira. The Art of Australia refers to both Australian Aboriginal art and Post Colonial art Sir Arthur Ernest Streeton (8 April 1867 &ndash 1 September 1943 was an Australian landscape painter Arthur Merric Bloomfield Boyd AC OBE (20 July 1920 – 24 April 1999 was a member of the prominent Boyd artistic dynasty in Australia with many relatives Albert Namatjira (28 July 1902 &ndash 8 August 1959 born Elea Namatjira, was one of Australia 's most acclaimed Visual artists He was a Western The traditions of indigenous Australians are largely transmitted orally and are closely tied to ceremony and the telling of the stories of the Dreamtime. The traditions and lore of Australia's indigenous peoples belongs to what may be the oldest continuous culture on Earth (circa 50000 years Australian Aboriginal music, dance, and art have a palpable influence on contemporary Australian visual and performing arts. Indigenous Australian music includes the music of Australian aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders who are collectively called Indigenous Australians; it incorporates Indigenous Australian art is art produced by Indigenous Australians, covering works that pre-date European colonization as well as Contemporary art The National Gallery of Australia and the various state art galleries have strong collections of Australian and overseas artworks and are highly attended by Australians. The National Gallery of Australia is the premier art gallery and museum in Australia, holding over 120000 works of Art. Australia has an active tradition of music, ballet, and theatre; many of its performing arts companies receive public funding through the federal government's Australia Council. The Australia Council, informally known as the Australia Council for the Arts, is the official Arts council of the Government of Australia. There is a symphony orchestra in each state's capital city, and a national opera company, Opera Australia, first made prominent by the renowned diva Dame Joan Sutherland. An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string brass woodwind sections and possibly a percussion section as well Opera Australia which is based in Sydney, is Australia 's major Opera company WikipediaWikiProject Opera#Infoboxes --> Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE (born 7 November 1926 Dame Nellie Melba was her great predecessor. WikipediaWikiProject Opera#Infoboxes --> Dame Nellie Melba GBE (19 May 1861 &ndash 23 February 1931 born Helen Porter Australian music includes classical, jazz, and many popular genres. The music of Australia ranges across a broad spectrum of styles and genres Ballet and dance are also represented across the nation by The Australian Ballet and various state dance companies. The Australian Ballet was founded in 1962 and had its first performance at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney Sir Robert Helpmann featured as a great Australian dancer and has been followed by numerous others including the current artistic director of the Australian Ballet, David McAllister. Sir Robert Murray Helpmann CBE (9 April 1909 – 28 September 1986 was an Australian dancer actor director and Choreographer. David Graeme McAllister AM (born 25 November 1963 is a former Australian Ballet dancer and current artistic director of The Australian Ballet. Each state has a publicly funded theatre company. Australia has produced many great actors including Nicole Kidman and the current joint director of the Sydney Theatre Company, Cate Blanchett. The Sydney Theatre Company ( STC) is one of Australia 's most well-known and notable theatre companies operating from The Wharf Theatre near Catherine Élise "Cate" Blanchett (born 14 May 1969 is an Academy Award -winning Australian Actress and Stage director.
Australian literature has also been influenced by the landscape; the works of writers such as Banjo Paterson and Henry Lawson captured the experience of the Australian bush. Australian literature began soon after the settlement of the country by Europeans Common themes include indigenous and settler identity alienation exile and relationship Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson (17 February 1864 – 5 February 1941 was a famous Australian Bush poet, journalist and author Henry Lawson (17 June 1867 – 2 September 1922 was an Australian writer and poet The bush is a term used for rural possibly lawless undeveloped land or country areas in many places such as Australia, New Zealand, Sub-Saharan Africa The character of colonial Australia, as embodied in early literature, resonates with modern Australia and its perceived emphasis on egalitarianism, mateship, and a perceived anti-authoritarianism. Egalitarianism (derived from the French word égal, meaning equal) is a political doctrine that holds that all people should be treated as equals and have In 1973, Patrick White was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the only Australian to have achieved this; he is recognised as one of the great English-language writers of the 20th century. Patrick Victor Martindale White (28 May 1912 — 30 September 1990 was an Australian author who was widely regarded as a major English-language novelist of the 20th century The Nobel Prize in Literature (Nobelpriset i litteratur is awarded annually since 1901 to an author from any country who has in the words from the will of Alfred Colleen McCullough David Williamson and David Malouf are also writers of great renown. Colleen McCullough AO (born 1 June 1937 is an internationally acclaimed Australian author David Keith Williamson AO (born 19 February 1942 is one of Australia's most well-known playwrights David George Joseph Malouf (born 20 March 1934) is an acclaimed Australian writer Australian English is a major variety of the language; its grammar and spelling are largely based on those of British English, overlaid with a rich vernacular of unique lexical items and phrases, some of which have found their way into standard English. Australian English ( AuE, AusE, en-AU) is the form of the English language used in Australia. Australian English has much less internal dialectal variation than either British or American English although pronunciation of words and word usage can vary from region to region.
Australia has two public broadcasters (the ABC and the multicultural SBS), three commercial television networks, several pay-TV services, and numerous public, non-profit television and radio stations. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly abbreviated to the 'ABC' is Australia's national public broadcaster. The Special Broadcasting Service (SBS is one of two government-funded Australian Public broadcasting radio and television networks, the other being the A television network is a distribution network for Television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many Television stations Australia's film industry has achieved many critical and commercial successes. The cinema of Australia has a long history and has produced many internationally-recognised films actors and filmmakers Each major city has daily newspapers, and there are two national daily newspapers, The Australian and The Australian Financial Review. The Australian, also referred to as The Oz, is a Broadsheet Newspaper published in Australia Monday through Saturday each The Australian Financial Review is the leading Business Newspaper in Australia which is published daily from Monday to Saturday in a Tabloid According to Reporters Without Borders in 2007, Australia was in 28th position on a list of countries ranked by press freedom, behind New Zealand (15th) and the United Kingdom (24th) but ahead of the United States (48th). Freedom Constitutional or statutory protections pertaining to freedom of the press This low ranking is primarily because of the limited diversity of commercial media ownership in Australia; in particular, most Australian print media are under the control of News Corporation and John Fairfax Holdings. Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of Literature or Information &ndash the activity of making information available for public view News Corporation (often abbreviated to News Corp) (,,) is one of the world's largest media conglomerate companies by Market capitalisation Fairfax Media Limited, is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies
Sport plays an important part in Australian culture, assisted by a climate that favours outdoor activities; 23. 5% Australians over the age of 15 regularly participate in organised sporting activities. [40] At an international level, Australia has strong teams in cricket, hockey, netball, rugby league, and rugby union, and it performs well in cycling, rowing, and swimming. Cricket is a bat-and-ball team Sport that originated in England and is now played in more than 100 countries Field hockey is a Team sport in which players attempt to score goals by hitting the Ball across the pitch with a stick Netball is a non-contact team Sport similar to and derived from Basketball. History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short Nationally, other popular sports include Australian rules football, horse racing, soccer, and motor racing. Australian (rules football, or simply known as football, footy or Aussie rules, is a Team sport played between two teams of 18 players Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Australia has participated in every summer Olympic Games of the modern era, and every Commonwealth Games. The Commonwealth Games is a multinational Multi-sport event. Held every four years it involves the elite athletes of the Commonwealth of Nations. Australia hosted the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne and the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, and has ranked among the top five medal-takers since 2000. The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne Melbourne ( is the second most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 3 "I am proud and happy to proclaim that you have presented to the world the best Olympic Games ever Sydney (ˈsɪdniː is the most populous city in Australia, with a Metropolitan area population of approximately 4 Australia has also hosted the 1938, 1962, 1982, and 2006 Commonwealth Games. The 1938 British Empire Games was the third British Empire Games, the Commonwealth Games being the modern-day equivalent The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games were held in Perth, Western Australia, Australia from 22 November-1 December 1962 The 1982 Commonwealth Games were held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia from 30 September&mdash9 October 1982 The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006 Other major international events held in Australia include the Grand Slam Australian Open tennis tournament, international cricket matches, and the Formula One Australian Grand Prix. The four Grand Slam tournaments are the most important Tennis events of the year The Australian Open is one of the four Grand Slam Tennis Tournaments held each year The Australian Grand Prix is a Formula One race that is part of the annual Formula One championship season Viewing televised sport is popular; the highest-rating television programs include the summer Olympic Games and the grand finals of local and international football (various codes) competitions. A Grand Final is a predominantly Australian sporting term used to describe a final that decides a league champion [54]
See also
Notes
- ^ Australia also has a royal anthem, "God Save the Queen (or King)", which is played in the presence of a member of the Royal Family when they are in Australia. A royal anthem is a patriotic song much like a National anthem but specifically praising or praying for a Monarch or royal dynasty "God Save the Queen", or "God Save the King", is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms It is the National A royal family is the extended family of a monarch. Generally the head of a royal family is a king or queen regnant In all other appropriate contexts, the national anthem of Australia, "Advance Australia Fair", is played. A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history traditions and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation's " Advance Australia Fair " is the official National anthem of Australia. [55]
- ^ English does not have de jure official status. [56]
- ^ There are minor variations from these three time zones, see Time in Australia. Standard time was introduced into Australia in the 1890s when all colonies adopted standard times
- ^ Australia describes the body of water south of its mainland as the Southern Ocean, rather than the Indian Ocean as defined by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). The Southern Ocean, also known as the Great Southern Ocean, the Antarctic Ocean and the South Polar Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO was originally established in 1921 as the International Hydrographic Bureau (IHB In 2000, a vote of IHO member nations defined the term "Southern Ocean" as applying only to the waters between Antarctica and 60 degrees south latitude.
- ^ The Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942 received royal assent on 9 October 1942 but Section 3 of the Act backdated the effective date of adoption to 3 September 1939 which was the beginning of World War II. The Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942 is an Act of the Australian Parliament that formally adopted the Statute of Westminster 1931, an Act of Events 768 - Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned Kings of The Franks. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius Year 1939 ( MCMXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including
References
- ^ Official Population Clock
- ^ Both Australian Aborigines and Europeans Rooted in Africa - 50,000 years ago
- ^ MacKnight, CC (1976). The Voyage to Marege: Macassan Trepangers in Northern Australia. Melbourne University Press
- ^ Purchas, vol. iv, p. 1422–32, 1625. This appears to be variation of the original Spanish "Austrialia" [sic]. [1] A copy at the Library of Congress can be read online [2]
- ^ Sidney J. Baker, The Australian Language, second edition, 1966.
- ^ Weekend Australian, 30-31 December 2000, p. 16
- ^ Gillespie, R. (2002). Dating the first Australians. Radiocarbon 44:455–72; Dating the First Australians. Ingenta. Retrieved on 2008-03-18. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 37 - The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius ' will and proclaims Caligula emperor
- ^ Convict Records Public Record office of Victoria; State Records Office of Western Australia
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics 1998 Special Article - The State of New South Wales
- ^ Smith, L. (1980), The Aboriginal Population of Australia, Australian National University Press, Canberra
- ^ Smallpox Through History
- ^ Tatz, Colin (1999). The Australian National University, commonly abbreviated to ANU, is a public Research university situated in Canberra, Australia. Genocide in Australia. AIATSIS Research Discussion Papers No 8. Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies. The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS is an independent Australian Government Statutory authority. Archived from the original on 2005-08-08. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1220 - Sweden is defeated by Estonian tribes in the Battle of Lihula. Retrieved on 2007-09-13. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 509 BC - The Temple of Jupiter on Rome 's Capitoline Hill is dedicated on the ides of September
- ^ Windschuttle, K. (2001). The Fabrication of Aboriginal History, The New Criterion Vol. Origin The New Criterion was founded in 1982 by The New York Times art critic Hilton Kramer. 20, No. 1, September 20. Events 451 - The Battle of Chalons takes place in North Eastern France.
- ^ Bean, C. Ed. (1941). Volume I - The Story of Anzac: the first phase, First World War Official Histories, Eleventh Edition.
- ^ Australia Act text [3]
- ^ Australian Electoral Commission (2000). 1999 Referendum Reports and Statistics, accessed 28 July 2007
- ^ Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act
- ^ Parliamentary Library (1997). Events 1540 - Thomas Cromwell is executed at the order of Henry VIII of England on charges of Treason. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Reserve Powers of the Governor-General
- ^ What happens if I do not vote?. Voting Australia - Frequently Asked Questions. Australian Electoral Commission. The Australian Electoral Commission, or the AEC is the federal government agency in charge of organising and supervising federal elections and referendums Retrieved on 2008-01-08. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 871 - Battle of Ashdown - Ethelred of Wessex defeats a Danish invasion army
- ^ Australian Government. (2005). Budget 2005–2006
- ^ Nation Master [4]
- ^ Australian Department of Defence (2006). Portfolio Budget Statements 2006–07.Page 19.
- ^ Khosa, Raspal (2004). Australian Defence Almanac 2004–05. Canberra: Australian Strategic Policy Institute, p. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI is an Australian Government -funded Think tank which was established in 2001 4.
- ^ Australia's Size Compared. Geoscience Australia. Retrieved on 2007-05-19. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1535 - French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships 110 men and
- ^ State of the Environment 2006. Department of the Environment and Water Resources. Retrieved on 2007-05-19. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1535 - French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships 110 men and
- ^ UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1980). Protected Areas and World Heritage - Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Department of the Environment and Heritage. The Department of the Environment Water Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA formerly the Department of the Environment and Water Resources (DEWR is a department of the Australian Retrieved on 2007-05-19. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1535 - French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships 110 men and
- ^ Mount Augustus. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved on 2007-05-19. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1535 - French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships 110 men and
- ^ No more drought: it's a "permanent dry"; Australia's epic drought: The situation is grim.
- ^ About Biodiversity. Department of the Environment and Heritage. Archived from the original on 2007-02-05. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1576 - Henry of Navarre converts to Roman Catholicism in order to ensure his right to the throne of France. Retrieved on 2007-09-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated
- ^ http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/468283.html
- ^ 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index (pg.112). Yale University. Retrieved on 2007-05-20. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 325 - The First Council of Nicaea &ndash the first Ecumenical Council of the Christian Church is held
- ^ Sinha, Kounteya (25 Jul 2006), “No more the land of snake charmers...”, The Times of India, <http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1803026.cms>
- ^ Savolainen, P. et al. 2004. A detailed picture of the origin of the Australian dingo, obtained from the study of mitochondrial DNA. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 101:12387–12390 PMID
- ^ Additional Thylacine Topics: Persecution. The Thylacine Museum (2006). Retrieved on 27 November 2006. ; National Threatened Species Day. Department of the Environment and Heritage, Australian Government (2006). Retrieved on 21 November 2006.
- ^ Colebach, T. We're on a long and slippery slide to disaster, March 2, 2005, The Age
- ^ Macfarlane, I. Events 986 - Louis V becomes King of the Franks. 1127 - Assassination of Charles the Good Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. J. (1998). Australian Monetary Policy in the Last Quarter of the Twentieth Century. Reserve Bank of Australia Bulletin, October
- ^ Parham, D. (2002). Microeconomic reforms and the revival in Australia’s growth in productivity and living standards. Conference of Economists, Adelaide, 1 October
- ^ Australian Bureau of Statistics. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Labour Force Australia. Cat#6202. 0
- ^ Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2003). Advancing the National Interest, Appendix 1
- ^ a b c d e Australian Bureau of Statistics. Year Book Australia 2005
- ^ 3105.0.65.001 - Australian Historical Population Statistics, 2006 (XLS). In Computing, Microsoft Excel (full name Microsoft Office Excel) consists of a proprietary Spreadsheet -application written and distributed Australian Bureau of Statistics (2006-05-23). The Australian Bureau of Statistics ( ABS) is Australia 's national statistical agency. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1430 - Siege of Compiègne: Joan of Arc is captured by the Burgundians while leading an army to relieve Compiègne Retrieved on 2007-09-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated “Australian population: (1919) 5,080,912; (2006) 20,209,993”
- ^ Background note: Australia. US Department of State. Retrieved on 2007-05-19. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1535 - French explorer Jacques Cartier sets sail on his second voyage to North America with three ships 110 men and
- ^ a b Australian Immigration Fact Sheet 20. Migration Program Planning Levels
- ^ Australian Population: Ethnic Origins
- ^ The Evolution of Australia's Multicultural Policy. Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (2005). Archived from the original on 2006-02-19. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 197 - Roman Emperor Septimius Severus defeats usurper Clodius Albinus in the Battle of Lugdunum Retrieved on 2007-09-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated
- ^ Settler numbers on the rise
- ^ Inflow of foreign-born population by country of birth, by year; Australian Immigration Fact Sheet 20. Migration Programme Planning Levels
- ^ Parliament of Australia, Senate (2005). Inquiry into Australian Expatriates
- ^ Pluralist Nations: Pluralist Language Policies?. Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (1995). Archived from the original on 2005-07-17. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians Retrieved on 2007-09-18. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 96 - Nerva is proclaimed Roman Emperor after Domitian is assassinated
- ^ NCLS releases latest estimates of church attendance, National Church Life Survey, Media release, 28 February 2004
- ^ http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/42/8/39700724.pdf
- ^ Education at Glance 2005 by OECD: Percentage of foreign students in tertiary education. Events 202 BC - coronation ceremony of Liu Bang as Emperor Gaozu of Han takes place initiating four centuries of the Han Dynasty 's rule "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "
- ^ 3218.0 - Regional Population Growth, Australia, 2006-07. Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008-03-31). The Australian Bureau of Statistics ( ABS) is Australia 's national statistical agency. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 307 - After divorcing his wife Minervina, Constantine marries Fausta, the daughter of the retired Roman Emperor Retrieved on 2008-06-06. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year
- ^ Australian Film Commission. What are Australians Watching?, Free-to-Air, 1999–2004 TV
- ^ It's an Honour - Symbols - Australian National Anthem and DFAT - "The Australian National Anthem"; (2002 (updated 2005)) "National Symbols", Parliamentary Handbook of the Commonwealth of Australia, 29th Edition. Retrieved on 2007-06-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins
- ^ Department of Immigration and Citizenship
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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.
- Macintyre, Stuart (2000). A Concise History of Australia. Cambridge, U. K. : Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521623596.
- Powell, J. M. (1988). An Historical Geography of Modern Australia: The Restive Fringe. Cambridge, U. K. : Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521256194.
External links
Wikimedia Atlas of Australia- Australia at WikiMapia
- About Australia from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
- Australia entry at The World Factbook
- Governments of Australia Entry Point (Federal, State & Territory)
- Australian Government Entry Portal
- Australian Bureau of Statistics
- Community organisations portal
- Cultural Institutions
- Tourism Australia
- Australia travel guide from Wikitravel
- Australia at the Open Directory Project
WikiMapia is an online Map and Satellite imaging resource that combines Google Maps with a Wiki system allowing users to add information The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ( DFAT) is a department of the Commonwealth Government charged with advancing the interests of Australia and Wikitravel is a Web -based project "to create a free, complete up-to-date and reliable worldwide travel guide. The Open Directory Project ( ODP) also known as dmoz (from directory
Dictionary
Australia
-proper noun
- A country in Oceania. Official name: Commonwealth of Australia.
- The continent of Australia-New Guinea. The Commonwealth of Australia covers a number of remote outlying island territories which are not considered part of the continent. Many consider the Commonwealth of Australia to cover the entire continent. However New Guinea and the intervening islands are also on the Australian tectonic plate and are thus geologically considered part of the continent.
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