Introduction
Flag:Flag of Australia
* Flag of Australia
Map/Still
The country of Australia is located on the smallest of the world's seven continents. It is known for its beautiful, desert landscapes, its deep and clear blue seas, and its unique wildlife. The capital of Australia is Canberra.
Geography
Australia is the only nation that takes up a whole continent. That makes it one of the largest countries in the world. The continent, however, is the smallest in the world. Australia has an area of about 3 million square miles (7.7 million square kilometers). That makes it slightly smaller than the continental United States. The island continent is located to the south of Asia. To the west is the Indian Ocean. To the east is the Pacific Ocean. More than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) to the southeast is New Zealand.
Photograph:The Murray River flows through southeastern Australia.
* The Murray River flows through southeastern Australia.
For the most part, Australia is flat and very dry. The only continent that receives less precipitation is Antarctica. The country's major rivers are the Darling and the Murray, which run through the southeastern territories. Because of the dry conditions, most Australians live along the coasts. The central region of the country, called the Outback, or “Bush,” is home to very few people.
Australia has three basic geographic regions. The western part of the country is a vast plateau. It makes up more than half of the continent. Several deserts, including the Great Victoria Desert, cover its parched surface.
The eastern part of the country is a highland. It gradually rises up to low-lying mountains along the coasts. The Great Dividing Range runs along the northeastern coast. The most southeastern corner of Australia consists of the Australian Alps, Australia's highest mountains. Mount Kosciusko, Australia's tallest mountain, stands 7,310 feet (2,228 meters) above sea level. Because this region receives more rainfall, the rolling hills and mountains are sometimes covered in forests. Sandwiched between the plateau and the highlands is a lowland area that constitutes the third region.
Several islands, including Tasmania off the southeast coast, are included in Australia. Along most of the northeastern coast of Australia is a the world's largest ocean reef, the Great Barrier Reef.
Plants and animals
Australia's plant life is varied. The rain forests of the northeastern part of the country are home to a variety of ancient flowering plants, palms, and laurels. Woodlands and forests cover eastern Australia's more temperate zones. Eucalyptus trees in particular are common in the highlands of the south and along the edges of the deserts. The vast Outback region is covered mainly with desert shrubs and grasses.
The country is home to an amazing variety of animal life unique to Australia. Rare species include the emu and doglike creatures known as dingoes. There are only three species of mammals that lay eggs in the world. Australia is the home of all three. The most famous is the platypus.
Many of the marsupials of the world are found in Australia. The country's most famous marsupials are kangaroos. Others include the koala, the wombat, and the wallaby.
Many crocodiles, lizards, snakes, turtles, and tortoises are found in Australia. The country's birds include honeyeaters, cockatoos, and some species of parrots. In the oceans and seas around Australia's coasts are found a tremendous variety of sea mammals, fish, and sharks.
People and culture
People from all over the world live in Australia. As in the United States, most of the country's people are descendants of settlers from Europe. Many came from the British Empire. However, in the 19th and 20th centuries, settlers also came from other parts of Europe.
Australia welcomed white settlers from Europe, but it did not welcome other racial groups. In 1901, when Australia became an independent country, it made racial discrimination an official policy. It said that nonwhite immigrants could not enter the country. The policy did not change until 1973. Since then, many nonwhites have immigrated to Australia.
A small percent of the population is made up of native Aboriginals. The Aboriginals had lived on the continent for thousands of years before the Europeans came in about 1788. Historians estimate that when the Europeans arrived there were at least 300,000 Aboriginals. However, the European settlement was violent, and many Aboriginals were killed off. Until very recently, laws limited Aboriginal actions and rights. Such laws have changed, but the Aboriginals and the government still have not agreed on all issues.
About 70 percent of Australia's citizens belong to some type of Christian church. Other religious groups include Buddhists and Muslims. Almost 17 percent of the population does not belong to any organized religion.
About 85 percent of all Australians live in cities. Five major cities have a population of more than 1 million: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide.
Economy
Australia is a prosperous country with a balanced economy. The average income is about the same as in many of the more prosperous European countries. Australia has rich deposits of natural resources. These resources make up more than 50 percent of the country's exports. The largest employers are in trade and the service industries.
Agriculture is an important part of Australia's economy. Major food crops grown include wheat, barley, sugarcane, grapes, potatoes, rice, apples, and other fruits. Livestock are also important, particularly sheep. Australia is home to some 120 million sheep. They are raised mainly for their wool. Australia has been one of the world's major wool producers for many years. Other livestock include cattle, poultry, and pigs.
Manufacturing, mining, and construction make up about 25 percent of the Australian economy. Important manufactured goods include food products, transport equipment, metal products, machinery, and textiles. Mining is also important in Australia. Its mines produce such things as iron, bauxite, zinc, lead, copper, tin, and gold. Australia also has large reserves of oil, coal, and natural gas.
History
Early history
Australia was originally inhabited by various groups of Aboriginals. They came from somewhere in Asia and have been in Australia for at least 40,000 years.
As the Portuguese and Spanish explored the oceans of the world in the late 16th century they may have landed on Australia. During the 17th century the Dutch sent two expeditions to explore the coasts. In 1644, the Dutch named the continent New Holland, but they did not establish settlements.
In 1770, the British captain James Cook landed near what is now Sydney and claimed the land for Britain. He named it New South Wales. Others later explored the continent further, including Matthew Flinders, who suggested the name Australia.
Settlement
In 1788 the first settlement was established, in New South Wales. The settlement was in part a penal colony, or a place where convicted criminals were sent to live. Prisoners in the penal colony worked to clear land and establish the towns and farms. Britain established several other colonies, but few people lived in Australia until 1851. The discovery of gold in that year drew thousands of new immigrants to Australia.
The flood of settlers caused many problems for the Aboriginals as European settlers pushed the Aboriginals off of their land. The Aboriginals suffered other hardships as well. Many died of such diseases as smallpox, measles, and influenza. The Aboriginals tried to fight the settlers, but after many years of struggle they were nearly wiped out completely.
Independence
As the 19th century ended, some Australians began to say that Australia should become an independent country rather than being part of the United Kingdom. In 1901 Australia's colonies joined together to create a nation and declared themselves independent of Britain. Australia's white settlers controlled the early governments. They took over large areas of land. They also tried to cut Australia off from the rest of the world. To do so, they wrote laws stating that no nonwhites could come into the country.
World wars
Although Australia had gained its independence, it still maintained ties with Britain. When World War I began, many Australians fought alongside soldiers of the British Army. Of the 330,000 Australians who fought in that war, about 60,000 were killed in battle. Many died during the battle of Gallipoli in 1915. Because so many died there, this battle is considered one of the most important events in Australian history.
Despite its heavy losses in World War I, Australia once again supported Britain when World War II began in 1939. Some 30,000 Australian soldiers died of war-related causes in that war, and in 1942 Japanese planes bombed several Australian cities.
Recent events
Australia quickly recovered from the hard times of World War II. When the war ended, the population grew rapidly. Many immigrants came from war-torn Europe. In the 1970s, Australia slowly focused less on Europe and more on its nearby neighbors in Asia. In 1973, the country opened the country to nonwhite immigration. Asian immigrants began to enter Australia. Over the next 30 years, trade increased between Australia and Asian countries.
Australia also slowly worked to cut its ties with the United Kingdom. When it gained independence the country became part of the Commonwealth, a group of former colonies of Great Britain. The British monarch is still technically the head of state in Australia. In 1999 Australians voted on a proposal to change that. The proposal did not succeed, but many Australians continue to support this major change to its constitution. Population (2001 estimate), 19,358,000.
