AUSTRALIAMore about Australia Information about travelling to AustraliaAustralia is located in Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean |
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Facts about Australia
General info about Australia
Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name of Great Britain. Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during the 1990s, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s. Long-term concerns include climate-change issues such as the depletion of the ozone layer and more frequent droughts, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef.
Languages spoken English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census) What about drugs? Tasmania is one of the world's major suppliers of licit opiate products; government maintains strict controls over areas of opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate; major consumer of cocaine and amphetamines Ethnic division white 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1% HIV/AIDS prevalence rate 0.1% (2003 est.) Climate generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north Resources bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum
note: Australia is the world's largest net exporter of coal accounting for 29% of global coal exports Economy Australia has an enviable, strong economy with a per capita GDP on par with the four dominant West European economies. Emphasis on reforms, low inflation, a housing market boom, and growing ties with China have been key factors over the course of the economy's 17 solid years of expansion. Robust business and consumer confidence and high export prices for raw materials and agricultural products fueled the economy in recent years, particularly in mining states. Drought, robust import demand, and a strong currency pushed the trade deficit up however, while infrastructure bottlenecks and a tight labor market constrained growth in export volumes and stoked inflation through mid-2008. The unwinding of the yen-based carry trade in late 2008 has contributed to a weakening of the Australian dollar. Tight global liquidity has challenged Australia's banking sector, which relies heavily on international wholesale markets for funding. The economy remains relatively healthy despite falling export commodity prices. The government plans to counter slowing growth in 2009 with fiscal stimulus efforts. Environment soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and its popularity as a tourist site; limited natural fresh water resources Cities in Australiaadelaide albany albury alice springs alyangula ararat armidale atherton australind ayr bairnsdale ballarat ballina batemans bay benalla bendigo biloela blackwater bongaree bowen bowral brisbane broken hill broome buderim bunbury bundaberg burnie burpengary busselton byron bay caboolture cairns caloundra canberra carnarvon casino castlemaine cessnock charters towers clifton springs coffs harbour colac collie coolum beach cooma cootamundra corowa cowra craigieburn cranbourne crib point dalby darwin deception bay deniliquin devonport dubbo emerald esperance forbes gatton gawler geelong geraldton gladstone gold coast goulburn grafton griffith gunnedah gympie hamilton hastings healesville hobart horsham ingham innisfail inverell katherine kempsey kiama kingaroy kununurra kurri kurri kwinana kyabram lakes entrance lara launceston leeton leopold lismore lithgow mackay mandurah maningrida mareeba maryborough medowie melbourne melton mildura mittagong morayfield moree morwell moss vale mount barker mount gambier mount isa mudgee murray bridge murwillumbah muswellbrook nambour nambucca heads narrabri nelson bay nerang new norfolk newcastle nhulunbuy northam orange pakenham palmerston parkes perth port augusta port hedland port keats port lincoln port macquarie port pirie portland queanbeyan raymond terrace rockhampton roebourne roma sale sawtell singleton somerville stawell sunbury swan hill sydney tamworth taree tennant creek toowoomba torquay townsville traralgon tumut ulladulla ulverstone victor harbor victoria point wagga wagga wangaratta warragul warrnambool warwick wellington whyalla wodonga wollongong wonthaggi yeppoon young |
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The Cheers Travel World / Australia travel