Australia in brief

Australia is an independent Western democracy with a population of more than 20 million. It is one of the worlds most urbanised countries, with about 70 per cent of the population living in the 10 largest cities. Most of the population is concentrated along the eastern seaboard and the south-eastern corner of the continent.

Australias lifestyle reflects its mainly Western origins, but Australia is also a multicultural society which has been enriched by over six million settlers from almost 200 nations. Four out of ten Australians are migrants or the first-generation children of migrants, half of them from non-English speaking backgrounds.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people totalled 410 003 at the last census, nearly 2.2 per cent of the population. Two thirds of the indigenous people live in towns and cities. Many others live in rural and remote areas, and some still have a broadly traditional way of life. It is generally thought that Aboriginal people began living on the continent 50 000 to 60 000 years ago, and some authorities believe their occupation may date back 100 000 years.

Australia is the only nation to occupy an entire continent. Its land mass of nearly 7.7 million km2 is the flattest and (after Antarctica) driest of continents, yet it has extremes of climate and topography. There are rainforests and vast plains in the north, snowfields in the south east, desert in the centre and fertile croplands in the east, south and south west. About one third of the country lies in the tropics. Australia has a coastline of 36 735km. TheOutbackis the vast, remote, arid area ofAustralia; the term colloquially can refer to any lands outside the mainurban areas. The term the outback is generally used to refer to locations that are comparatively more remote than those areas named the bush, which is a wooded area, intermediate between ashrublandand aforest, generally of dry and mostlygrassless.Isolation of the Australian island-continent for 55 million years created a sanctuary for the flora and fauna. Marsupials were saved from competition with more highly developed mammals. Birds unique to Australia also survived, and distinctive trees and plants developed. Australias best-known animals are the kangaroo, koala, platypus and spiny anteater. Of more than 700 bird species listed in Australia, 400 - including the large, flightless emu - are found nowhere else. Australia has 20 000 species of plants, including living fossils such as the cycad palm and the grass tree, and brilliant wildflowers such as the waratah, Sturts desert pea, the flowering cones of banksia trees, and the red and green kangaroo paw. The continent has 700 species of acacia, which Australians call wattle, and 1200 species in the Myrtaceae family which includes eucalypts or gum trees.

Australias national anthem, Advance Australia Fair, is a revised version of a late 19th-century patriotic song. It was declared the national anthem in April 1984, replacing God Save the Queen, which was designated the royal anthem. In the same year, Australia officially adopted green and gold as its national colours. However, Waltzing Matilda, acountryfolk song and Australia's most widely knownbush ballad, has been referred to as "the unofficial national anthem of Australia"Australias official language is English, by common usage rather than law. Australian English does not differ significantly from other forms of English, although some colloquial and slang expressions are unique.

The flag of Australia is the only one to fly over a whole continent. The small Union Jack represents the historical link with Britain, the large seven-pointed star represents the six States and the Territories, and the small stars form the Southern Cross - a prominent feature of the southern hemisphere night sky.

Australias coat of arms - the official emblem of the Australian Government - was granted by King George V in 1912. The arms consist of a shield containing the badges of the six States. The supporters are native Australian fauna - a kangaroo and an emu. A yellow-flowered native plant, wattle, also appears in the design.

Australias national day, Australia Day, on 26 January, marks the date in 1788 when Captain Arthur Phillip, of the British Royal Navy, commanding a fleet of 11 ships, sailed into Port Jackson (Sydney Cove). Phillip formally took possession of the eastern part of the continent for England and established a settlement, now Australias largest city, Sydney.

Air travel and the great variety of Australias attractions are combining to bring more international tourists to Australia every year. Overseas tourists are drawn by Australias sunshine, sandy beaches, the vast outback, rainforests, the Great Barrier Reef, unique flora and fauna, the Gold Coast of Queensland, and the attractions of the cities, Australias friendly, multicultural society, and the safe and welcoming environment. Tourism is one of Australias largest and fastest-growing industries. In 2002, 4.8 million international tourists visited Australia, a quarter of them from Japan and another quarter from other countries of East Asia.Australia is popularly known as Down Under, acolloquialismwhich either refers toAustraliaandNew Zealand, or Australia alone. The term comes from the fact that these countries are located in thesouthern hemisphere, 'below' many other countries on the globeLiving in Australia

Facts you should know

Australia offers virtually year-round sunshine and a relaxed way of life.

In terms of land mass, Australia is enormous. At 7.68 million square kilometres, its comparable in size to the whole of Western Europe or the USA, but its population is less than 20 million. Theres a reason for this: much of the interior of the country is harsh, uninhabitable desert, so the vast majority of people live within 20 kilometres of the coast. The population is most densely concentrated in the south-eastern corner where Sydney and Melbourne are situated. Other major cities are Adelaide on the south coast, Brisbane on the east, and the isolated city of Perth, on the west coast.

Politics and economyAustralias government is a democratic one, headed by the Prime Minister Julia Gillard (Australian Labour Party), in office since 2010. A federal state system, Australia still recognises the British monarch as sovereign, although today this is a relatively symbolic gesture. The Australian economy has taken a battering in recent years with its tourist industry badly affected by the SARS epidemic and its business sector hard hit by the collapse of several major companies. Yet the economy has remained stable, supported by residential and commercial construction. Australia is a moderately safe country, but drug-related burglaries are a problem in the cities, although violent crime is rare, and it is generally safe to walk in the cities late at night.

ClimateThe climate varies significantly, from tropical in the north to temperate in the south. Most places are agreeably sunny for much of the year. Sydney, Melbourne and Perth all have hot and sometimes humid summers. Adelaide has a milder climate and is popular with British immigrants for this reason. In Darwin and the top end, the seasons are restricted to hot and wet, or hot and dry.

EducationAustralia has one of the highest standards of education in the world, with about 80 per cent of school students going on to higher education. Forty-two per cent of the working-age population has a university degree, diploma or trade qualification. Generally children start school at about five years old and, by law, have to remain in education until 15 years old. Primary education usually lasts six or seven years, and secondary education begins in Year 7 and ends in Year 12, with a Senior Certificate of Secondary Education (the precise name varies between states). Roughly equivalent to A levels, this covers a broad base of subjects and is a mix of classroom studies, written assessments and exams.

HealthcareAustralia has an advanced public healthcare system called Medicare. British nationals, and people from many other countries, are automatically covered under reciprocal agreements, so its not strictly necessary to purchase private health insurance, although it is available. Medicare is funded by the Medicare levy, a 1.5 per cent income tax.

LifestyleThe relaxed beach and barbie lifestyle is what attracts many people to Australia, and once immigrants have settled in, its easy for them to while away the weekends relaxing with friends. Its a very active country offering many outdoor pursuits. Hiking through the wilderness, or going bush, is popular, as are watersports, such as sailing and scuba diving. Surfing is for many a way of life. Australians are fanatical about their sports, particularly cricket, rugby league and Australian football.

Food and drinkAlthough Australia doesnt have much of a cuisine it can call its own, the multicultural influx means that there are restaurants catering for every taste in even the smallest towns. Eating out is cheap and relaxed. Most restaurants allow you to bring your own alcohol known as BYO and the corkage charge, when levied, is normally less than a dollar. Australian wine has really made its mark internationally in the past decade or so. There are many wine-growing areas in southern and eastern Australia, which provide ideal growing climates. Prices for wine start at just a few dollars a bottle from the local bottle shops.

Expat communitiesOf course, a big draw for British and Irish migrants is the fact that English is the native tongue, thanks to Australias British colonial history. But modern Australia is a multicultural place with more than a quarter of the population fluent in a second language. Its an easy society into which to integrate (the majority of Australians are a mere generation or two removed from their European roots), and although pommie-bashing, Australian slang term for attacks on the English, is a popular pastime, its usually good-natured.