Introducing Australia

Introduction

The main idea of the course work: Australia as the world’s smallest continent but is also the sixth largest country in the world.

The topicality of the work: I decided to write about this country, because the animal world of Australia is very interesting. Australia has been called "the land of differences and the continent of contrast". Also the history is interesting too. I think that this country is very beautiful, and you must to know about her all facts. The map helps to you to learn this country. (Appendix 1)

In this paper I will tell some fun facts about Australia. Australia is the world’s smallest continent but is also the sixth largest country in the world. If it is summer here then it's winter there! Australia has some incredibly hot weather and some of the world’s greatest animals and forests. The hottest temperature actually reached 53.1C in 1889. If you want to go to Australia you should learn some of their unusual lingo. Yes, they do speak English but they have their own language for almost everything. Australia is referred to as "The Island Continent".

 To begin with this work let me introduce Australia. The name Australia is derived from the Latin australis, meaning "southern". Legends of an "unknown land of the south" (terra australis incognita) date back to Roman times and were commonplace in medieval geography but were not based on any documented knowledge of the continent.

The name Australia was popularized by Matthew Flinders, who, as early as 1804, pushed for the name to be formally adopted. When preparing his manuscript and charts for his 1814 A Voyage to Terra Australis, he was persuaded by his patron Sir Joseph Banks to use the term Terra Australis as this was the name most familiar to the public.

"Had I permitted myself any innovation on the original term, it would have been to convert it to Australia; as being more agreeable to the ear, and assimilation to the names of the other great portions of the earth." (Sir Joseph Banks, 1814).

This work is devoted to observing the main structural and traditional features of the country. It consists of three parts, introduction, the main part and conclusion. The first part of the work is based on statistics materials and covers such themes as history and geography. The second part is based on the material about cultural life of the country, its traditions and customs, also about the system of government and education in Australia. [21]

The urgency of this work is determined by the feasibility of the material studied and analyzed to be in use and interesting for the students learning foreign languages country study. The material highlights all basic aspects of the country’s life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter I   Introducing Australia

1. The history of Australia

         The first inhabitants of Australia were the Aborigines, who migrated there at least 40,000 years ago from Southeast Asia. There may have been between a half million to a full million Aborigines at the time of European settlement; today there are about 350,000.Dutch, Portuguese and Spanish ships sighted Australia in the 17th century; the Dutch landed at the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1606. In 1616 the territory became known as New Holland. The British arrived in 1688, but it was not until Captain James Cook's voyage in 1770 that Great Britain claimed possession of the vast island, calling it New South Wales. A British penal colony was set up at Port Jackson (what is now Sydney) in 1788, and about 161,000 transported English convicts were settled there until the system was suspended in 1839.

      Free settlers and former prisoners established six colonies: New South Wales (1786), Tasmania (then Van Diemen's Land) (1825), Western Australia (1829), South Australia (1834), Victoria (1851), and Queensland (1859). Various gold rushes attracted settlers, as did the mining of other minerals. Sheep farming and grain soon became important economic enterprises. The six colonies became states and in 1901 federated into the Commonwealth of Australia with a constitution that incorporated British parliamentary and U.S. federal traditions. Australia became known for its liberal legislation: free compulsory education, protected trade unionism with industrial conciliation and arbitration, the secret ballot, women's suffrage, maternity allowances, and sickness and old-age pensions.

     Australia fought alongside Britain in World War I, notably with the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) in the Dardanelles campaign (1915). Participation in World War II brought Australia closer to the United States. Parliamentary power in the second half of the 20th century shifted between three political parties: the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal Party, and the National Party. Australia relaxed its discriminatory immigration laws in the 1960s and 1970s, which favored Northern Europeans. Thereafter, about 40% of its immigrants came from Asia, diversifying a population that was predominantly of English and Irish heritage. [10]

    In March 1996 the opposition Liberal Party–National Party coalition easily won the national elections, removing the Labor Party after 13 years in power. Pressure from the new, conservative One Nation Party threatened to reduce the gains made by Aborigines and to limit immigration. An Aboriginal movement had grown in the 1960s that gained full citizenship and improved education for the country's poorest socioeconomic group.

       In Sept. 1999, Australia led the international peacekeeping force sent to restore order in East Timor after pro-Indonesian militias begun massacring civilians to thwart East Timor's referendum on independence. Australia's relations with East Timor have soured since then over a dispute over oil reserves claimed by both countries. In Nov. 1999, Australia's 11.6 million voters rejected a referendum that would have ended Australia's formal allegiance to the British Crown. The referendum would have replaced the British governor-general with an Australian president chosen by Parliament. Although the vast majority of Australians do not consider themselves monarchists, they rejected the referendum because it did not provide for direct, popular elections but gave Parliament the power to select the president. [15]

        In 2000, Prime Minister Howard instituted a new tax system, lowering income and corporate taxes, and adding sales taxes on goods and services. John Howard won a third term in Nov. 2001, primarily as the result of his tough policy against illegal immigration. It has also brought him considerable criticism: refugees attempting to enter Australia—most of them from Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq, and numbering about 5,000 annually—have been imprisoned in bleak detention camps and subjected to a lengthy immigration process. Asylum-seekers have staged riots and hunger strikes. Howard has also dealt with refugees with the “Pacific solution,” which re-routes boat people from Australian shores to camps in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. In 2004, however, the government began easing its policies on immigration. [4]

      Prime Minister Howard sent 2,000 Australian troops to fight alongside American and British troops in the 2003 Iraq war, despite strong opposition among Australians. There were no Australian casualties. Australia released the Flood report in 2004, an assessment of pre-war intelligence on Iraq, which described the evidence supporting Iraq's possession of WMD as “thin, ambiguous, and incomplete.” But like similar U.S. and UK intelligence reports, it cleared the government of manipulating the intelligence.

     In July 2003, Australia successfully restored order to the Solomon Islands, which had descended into lawlessness during a brutal civil war.

    Australia has been the victim of two significant terrorist attacks in recent years: the 2002 Bali, Indonesia, bombings by a group with ties to al-Qaeda in which 202 died, many of whom were Australian, and the 2004 attack on the Australian embassy in Indonesia, which killed ten.

The Commonwealth of Australia is composed of 6 states and 2 territories: the State of New South Wales with its capital in Sydney, the State of Victoria with its capital in Melbourne, the State of Queen land with its capital in Brisbane, the Sate of Western Australia with its capital in Perth, the State of Tasmania with its capital in Hobart, Australian Capital Territory with its Federal Capital in Canberra, and Northern Territory with its capital in Darwin. [1]

 

 

 

 

1.2 Geographical situation and animal world of Australia

Australia is situated in the south-west of the Pacific Ocean. The area of this country is 7, 7 million square kilometers. The population of the country is about 20 million people. The capital is Canberra. The population of Canberra is about 300 thousand people. Official language is English.  Australia is the largest island in the world and it is the smallest continent.

The Commonwealth of Australia is a self-governing federal state. It has got 6 states: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and 2 internal territories. (Appendix 2).

Australian national flag consists of 5 white stars of the Southern Cross and the white Commonwealth star (the large seven pointed star) on a blue background with a Union Jack in canton. The Southern Cross is the southern Crux, whose four chief stars are in the form of cross.[23]

The flag of Australia is the only one to fly over a whole continent. The small Union Jack represents the historical link with Britain, and 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.

A distinctive Australia flora and fauna is reflected in the country’s coat-of-arms by the symbols of Australia’s endemic animals; kangaroo and emu and twig of wattle (a kind of acacia).

Australia officially adopted green and gold as its national colors in 1984.

The Australia national anthem was adopted in the 1970ties. It is used on the all official and ceremonial occasions. 

Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent (the world's smallest), the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Neighboring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the northeast and New Zealand to the southeast.

Australia is the flattest continent, with the oldest and least fertile soils; desert or semi-arid land commonly known as the outback makes up by far the largest portion of land. The driest inhabited continent, only its south-east and south-west corners have a temperate climate. The population density, 2.8 inhabitants per square kilometer, is among the lowest in the world, although a large proportion of the population lives along the temperate south-eastern coastline.

Australia has several different climatic regions, from warm to subtropical and tropical. There are tropical forests in the north-east because the winds from the sea bring heavy rainfalls, especially in tropical summer. The climate in the west is very dry and more than half of Australia gets very little rain. In the south-west and east the winds bring rain in winter.[22]

The climate of Australia is significantly influenced by ocean currents, including the Indian Ocean Dipole and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, which is correlated with periodic drought, and the seasonal tropical low pressure system that produces cyclones in northern Australia. These factors induce rainfall to vary markedly from year to year. Much of the northern part of the country has a tropical predominantly summer rainfall (monsoon) climate. Just under three quarters of Australia lies within a desert or semi-arid zone. The southwest corner of the state has a Mediterranean climate. Much of the southeast (including Tasmania) is temperate.

The continent of Australia is mostly a great plain with mountains in the east and south-east. The western part of the continent forms a plateau which occupies half of the continent. The Central Lowlands, a great part of which is very dry, lie between the Western Australian plateau and the Eastern Highlands. Through the eastern part of these Central Lowlands run Australia's greatest rivers, the Murray and the Darling. A number of short rivers flow from the Australian Alps and the Blue Mountains into the Pacific Ocean. [5]

 

Animal world of Australia

The tropical forests in the north and north-east are displaced by savanna or grassland. In the south-east and on the sides of the mountains there are forests of eucalyptus and other evergreen trees. There are two hot deserts in the central and western parts of the continent. There are many wild animals in Australia. Some of them, such as the kangaroo, the dingo, or wild dog, and the koala, are not found in any other country of the world. [9]

Australia has been called "the land of differences" and "the continent of contrasts". It certainly is both. There are many ways in which it is different from other countries.

The first things most people think of are the strange native animals. Early in the world's history Australia was separated from the other continents and her animals developed differently. Of these, the strangest of all are the water loving platypus and the echidna. The appearance of the platypus is so unusual that when the skin of one was first sent to England some scientists said that no such animal could possibly exist.

Australia is also the home of the kangaroos.

The koala is a tree-loving, comical-looking animal that lives on the leaves of eucalyptus trees. It will eat nothing more. It usually sleeps during the day.

The dingo, or wild dog, is the only killer among the native animals. You can meet dingoes in many parts of Australia, but most of them now live in mountains or hills. In some places they were a very great danger to sheep and many of them were killed for that reason.

The native birds of Australia are very interesting. The emu, for example, which, with the kangaroo, is represented on the Australian coat-of-arms, is the next-tallest bird in the world after the ostrich.

Up to about 250 millions of years ago the world had just one huge super-continent call Pangaea. Animals and plants were able to move and intermix with one another.

About 200 million years ago this super-continent broke up into two continents (Laurasia and Gondwana).

About 60 million years ago Gondwana broke up into what was to later become South America, Africa, Antarctica, India and Australia.

Since then Australia has been isolated from the rest of the world by vast oceans. The animals and plants which were originally here no longer had contact with animals from other parts of the world. They evolved separately. That is why they are so different. [12]

Native Australian animals

Australia has lots very unusual animals. About 95 percent of the mammals, 70 percent of the birds, 88 percent of the reptiles and 94 percent of the frogs are found nowhere else in the world.

Find out about them here:

• Antechinus

• Long-Nosed Bandicoot

• Bat

• Black Snake (Red-bellied)

• Cassowary

• Cockatoo

• Crocodile (Saltwater)

• Echidna

• Emu

• Frilled Lizard

• Kangaroo

• Koala

• Kookaburra

• Penguin (Fairy)

• Platypus

• Possums:

   o Bushtail

   o Feathertail Glider

   o Leadbeater's

   o Pygmy

   o Ringtail

   o Sugar Glider

• Tawny Frogmouth

• Wallaby

• Wombat

 

 

 

 

Chapter II   General Information about Australia

2.1 The System of government

The Commonwealth of Australia is a self-governing federal state and a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. Formally the head of the state is the King or Queen of England represented by the Governor-General. The Commonwealth of Australia consists of six states and two territories: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, the Federal Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. The Capital Territory is the land around the Federal Capital, Canberra.

The states run such things as education, police, health, railway and roads; the Commonwealth looks after the army, posts and telegraph, relations with other countries.

Australia has a parliament in each state and the Federal, Parliament of the Commonwealth at Canberra. The Federal Parliament consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The federal government of the country is headed by the Prime Minister, usually the leader of the party which has the majority in the House of Representatives. The political parties represented in the parliament are the Australian Labor Party, the liberal Party of Australia and National Agrarian Party.

The Federal Parliament House is built on top of Capitol Hill. It was completed in 1988 and replaces the old parliament house which is located further down the hill. The building was designed to merge into the profile of the hill itself. A stainless steel flag mast 81 meters tall surmounts the building from which flutters the Australian flag (the flag is as big as a double decker bus).

It cost over 800 million dollars to build and is considered to be one of the most attractive parliament buildings anywhere in the world.

The Members Hall is at the very center of the Parliament complex between the House of Representatives and Senate chambers. It has a large skylight canopy through which can be seen the stainless steel flag mast and the Australian flag.

The House of Representatives Chamber can seat up to 240 Members of Parliament.

Currently there are approximately 148 members. They are popularly elected for three year terms. The numbers of members representing each state is proportional to their populations but there must be must be at least five members from each state.

The Senate Chamber can seat 120 Senators.

Currently there are 76 senators. They are popularly elected for 6 year terms. There are 12 senators from each state and two each from each territory.

There are three branches of government, known as the separation of powers:

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.

The executive: the Federal Executive Council (the Governor-General as advised by the Executive Councilors); in practice, the councilors are the Prime Minister and Ministers of State.

The judiciary: the High Court of Australia and other federal courts. Appeals from Australian courts to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in the United Kingdom ceased when the Australia Act of 1986 was passed.

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. Members of the lower house are elected from single-member electoral divisions, commonly known as "electorates" or "seats", 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 twelve senators, and each of the mainland territories (the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory) by two.

There are two major political groups that form government, federally and in the states: the Australian Labor Party, and the Coalition which is a formal grouping of the Liberal Party and its minor partner, the National Party. Independent members and several minor parties—including the Greens and the Australian Democrats—have achieved representation in Australian parliaments, mostly in upper houses. The Labor Party came to office with Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister following the November 2007 election. In June 2010, Julia Gillard became the first female Prime Minister after she defeated Rudd in a party room leadership challenge.

Every Australian parliament (federal, state, and territory) then had a Labor government until September 2008 when the Liberal Party formed a minority government in association with the National Party in Western Australia. From 2005 to 2008 (a result of the 2004 election), the 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. Voting is compulsory for all enrolled citizens 18 years and over, in each state and territory and at the federal level. Enrolment to vote is compulsory in all jurisdictions except South Australia.

Parliament House in Canberra was opened in 1988 replacing the provisional Parliament House building opened in 1927.

 

 

 

 

2.2 Education in Australia

School attendance is compulsory throughout Australia. All children receive 11 years of compulsory education from the age of 6 to 16 (Year 1 to 10), before they can undertake two more years (Years 11 and 12), contributing to an adult literacy rate that is assumed to be 99%. A preparatory year prior to Year 1, although not compulsory, is almost universally undertaken. In the Programme for International Student Assessment, Australia regularly scores among the top five of thirty major developed countries (member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development). Government grants have supported the establishment of Australia's 38 universities; all but one is public. There is a state-based system of vocational training, known as TAFE Institutes, and many trades conduct apprenticeships for training new tradespeople. Approximately 58% of Australians aged from 25 to 64 have vocational or tertiary qualifications, 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.

Studying in Australia offers international students more than academic achievement and a globally recognized qualification. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience through which a student can develop independence, maturity, an understanding of other cultures, and the ability to see issues from different perspectives.

Study in Australia better prepares a student to work in today’s global marketplace.

This is why several foreign companies recruit directly from Australian universities and vocational institutes. Many international organizations and companies employ overseas students with Australian qualifications because their exposure to the outside world gives them greater independence and maturity. With international trade barriers disappearing, great opportunities exist for those with the skills, experience and knowledge to seize them.

In Australia, international students can gain this experience in a safe, friendly environment and at an affordable cost.

IDP Education Australia is Australia’s leading international education and development organization. IDP gives students unbiased, comprehensive information to help them choose the right course, the right institution and the right location for their individual professional and personal needs. IDP is an independent, not-for-profit organization that represents more than 1,000 Australian institutions including universities, TAFE and vocational education institutes, business and special studies colleges, English language colleges, and schools.

IDP has been helping international students for more than 30 years. It has some 70 offices globally with activities in 50 countries. Trained counselors provide support and advice to students in local languages.

There are universities in all major Australian cities and throughout regional areas of the country ranging in size from around 3,000 students to 50,000 students. About 20 percent of students enrolled in Australian universities are from overseas.

The Australian Government ensures the quality of Australian institutions and courses in a number of ways. Institutions must be accredited and courses offered to international students must be approved and listed on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). Qualifications offered to students must fit the Australian Qualifications Framework.

National agencies, including the Australian University Quality Agency and the Australian National Training Authority, monitor Australian education institutions including their teaching, learning, administration and research.

Australian institutions develop the creative, analytical and lateral thinking skills of students, and encourage individuality. The Australian education system also encourages responsibility and maturity in students. Students take an active part in their own education and are expected to supplement classroom studies with independent study in libraries, at home and in teams with other students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.3 Australian Culture

      Most anthropologists will agree that Australian Aboriginal people represent one of the oldest known living cultures on earth.

      Dating back tens of thousands of years before European settlement, Aboriginal people roamed the Australian landscape, living in harmony in a nomadic partnership with nature. Australian Aboriginal people are a diverse group of people, living vastly different lifestyles in each corner of the country. There are up to 700 traditional societies in Australia and over 200 languages.

      Indigenous Australians survived in harsh climatic and environmental conditions which ranged from cold temperate to hot tropical, coping with arid conditions and torrential rains. They have dwelt for many thousands of years in ways that sustained their societies while conserving resources, protecting fragile soils and leaving a light footprint on the environment.

Since 1788, the primary basis of Australian culture has been Anglo-Celtic Western culture. Distinctive Australian cultural features have also arisen from the country's natural environment and Indigenous cultures. Since the middle of the 20th century, Australian culture has been strongly influenced by American popular culture, particularly through television and cinema. Other cultural influences are from neighbouring Asian countries, and through large-scale immigration from non-English-speaking countries.

Australian visual arts are thought to have begun with the cave and bark paintings of its Indigenous peoples. The traditions of Indigenous Australians are largely transmitted orally and are tied to ceremony and the telling of the stories of the Dreamtime. From the time of European settlement, a theme in Australian art has been the Australian landscape, seen for example in the works of Albert Namatjira, Arthur Streeton and others associated with the Heidelberg School, and Arthur Boyd. The country's landscape remains sources of inspiration for Australian modernist artists; it has been depicted in acclaimed works by artists such as Sidney Nolan, Grace Cossington Smith, Fred Williams, Sydney Long, and Clifton Pugh. Australian artists influenced by the modern American and European art include cubist Grace Crowley, surrealist James Gleeson, abstract expressionist Brett Whitely, and pop artist Martin Sharp. The National Gallery of Australia and the various state galleries maintain Australian and overseas collections, from early in the 20th century until the present,

Many of Australia's performing arts companies (see Theatre of Australia and Dance in Australia) receive funding through the federal government's Australia Council. There is a symphony orchestra in each of the states' capital cities, and a national opera company, Opera Australia, which became prominent through the singer Joan Sutherland. Nellie Melba was her famous predecessor. Ballet and dance are represented by The Australian Ballet and various state dance companies. Each state has a publicly funded theatre company.

Performance of Aboriginal song and dance in the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney

The Australian cinema industry began with the 1906 release of the Story of the Kelly Gang, which is regarded as being the world's first feature-length film. The New Wave of Australian cinema in the 1970s brought provocative and successful films, some exploring the nation's colonial past, such as Picnic at Hanging Rock and Breaker Morant. Later hits included Mad Max and Gallipoli. More recent successes included Shine, Rabbit-Proof Fence, and Happy Feet. Australia's diverse landscapes and cities have served as primary locations for many other films, such as The Matrix, Peter Pan, Superman Returns, and Finding Nemo. Recent well-known Australian actors include Judith Anderson, Errol Flynn, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Heath Ledger, Geoffrey Rush, Toni Collette, Naomi Watts, and current joint director of the Sydney Theatre Company, Cate Blanchett.

Australian literature has also been influenced by the landscape; the works of writers such as Banjo Paterson, Henry Lawson, and Dorothea Mackellar captured the experience of the Australian bush. The character of colonial Australia, as represented in early literature, is popular with modern Australians. In 1973, Patrick White was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the only Australian to have achieved this. Colleen McCullough, Thomas Keneally, David Williamson, and David Malouf are also renowned writers.

Australia has two public broadcasters (the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the multicultural Special Broadcasting Service), three commercial television networks, several pay-TV services, and numerous public, non-profit television and radio stations (see Television in Australia and Media of Australia). Each major city has daily newspapers, and there are two national daily newspapers, The Australian and The Australian Financial Review. According to Reporters without Borders in 2008, Australia was in 25th position on a list of 173 countries ranked by press freedom, behind New Zealand (7th) and the United Kingdom (23rd) but ahead of the United States (48th). 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 Fairfax Media.

Australian food traditions have been shaped by those that have settled in Australia. Throughout the majority of Australian history, Australian cuisine was based on traditional British food, brought to the country by the first British settlers. Later, in the 19th and especially 20th century, food began to reflect the influences of Mediterranean and Asian cultures, introduced by many immigrants who arrived in Australia during this period.

Cricket has been an important part of Australia's sporting culture since the 19th Century

Approximately 24% Australians over the age of 15 regularly participate in organized sporting activities in Australia. Australia has strong international teams in cricket, soccer / football, field hockey, netball, rugby league, rugby union, and performs well in cycling, rowing, and swimming. Some of Australia's most successful sportspersons are swimmers Dawn Fraser, Murray Rose, and Ian Thorpe, sprinter Betty Cuthbert, tennis players Rod Laver and Margaret Court, and cricketer Donald Bradman. Nationally, other popular sports include Australian rules football, horse racing, surfing, football (soccer), and motor racing. Australia has participated in every summer Olympic Games of the modern era, and every Commonwealth Games. Australia hosted the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne and the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, and has ranked among the top six medal-takers since 2000. Australia has also hosted the 1938, 1962, 1982, and 2006 Commonwealth Games. 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 highest-rating television programs include sports coverage such as the summer Olympic Games, State of Origin, and the grand finals of the National Rugby League and Australian Football League.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2.4 The Population

  Today there are about fifteen million people in Australia; most of them are of British origin.

At the end of the 18th century there were 300,000 aborigines in the country. There are now only 40,000 full aborigines and 39,000 part aborigines who live mainly in the tropical and desert areas.

Most of the estimated 22 million Australians are descended from colonial-era settlers and post-Federation immigrants from Europe, with almost 90% of the population being of European descent. For generations, the vast majority of immigrants came from the British Isles, and the people of Australia are still mainly of British or Irish ethnic origin. In the 2006 Australian census, the most commonly nominated ancestry was Australian (37.13%), followed by English (31.65%), Irish (9.08%), Scottish (7.56%), Italian (4.29%), German (4.09%), Chinese (3.37%), and Greek (1.84%). [6]

Australia's population has quadrupled since the end of World War I, spurred by an ambitious immigration program. Following World War II and through to 2000, almost 5.9 million of the total population settled in the country as new immigrants, meaning that nearly two out of every seven Australians were born overseas. Most immigrants are skilled, but the immigration quota includes categories for family members and refugees. The Federal Government estimates that cutting immigration from 280,000 to its target of 180,000 will result in a population of 36 million by 2050. In 2001, 23.1% of Australians were born overseas; the five largest immigrant groups were those from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Italy, Vietnam, and China. 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. In 2005–06, more than 131,000 people immigrated to Australia, mainly from Asia and Oceania. The migration target for 2006–07 was 144,000. The total immigration quota for 2008–09 is around 300,000—its highest level since the Immigration Department was created after World War II. The Indigenous population—mainland Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders—was counted at 410,003 (2.2% of the total population) in 2001, a significant increase from 115,953 in the 1976 census. A large number of Indigenous people are not identified in the Census due to undercount and cases where their Indigenous status is not recorded on the form; after adjusting for these factors, the ABS estimated the true figure for 2001 to be around 460,140 (2.4% of the total population). Indigenous Australians experience higher than average rates of imprisonment and unemployment, lower levels of education, and life expectancies for males and females that are 11–17 years lower than those of non-indigenous Australians. Some remote Indigenous communities have been described as having "failed state"-like conditions. In common with many other developed countries, Australia is experiencing a demographic shift towards an older population, with more retirees and fewer people of working age. In 2004, the average age of the civilian population was 38.8 years. A large number of Australians (759,849 for the period 2002–03) live outside their home country. (Appendix 3).[13]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter III   Australia in the world

3.1 Big cities and industries

There are five big cities in Australia: Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth and Brisbane. Each city is the capital of the state in which it is situated. Sydney has about three million inhabitants, Melbourne has about two and a half million, the other cities are much smaller.

Australia is rich in minerals, which are mined l in different parts of the country, especially in Western Australian and in the north-east of the country.

Most of the factories are concentrated in or around the big cities. They produce goods for the motor-car, machine-building, clothing and food industries. Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth are the country's main ports.

Canberra is a city of about 310,000 people located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) approximately 200 kilometers from Sydney. Most of the people in Canberra are employed by the federal government.

Canberra is a very young city. The plans for the city were only drawn up in 1911 and construction didn't commence until 1913.

The grand design for the city was drawn up by a relatively obscure American architect named Walter Burley Griffin. The lake which is a central focus of the city today is named after him.

With its imposing buildings, broad boulevards and uncluttered streetscape (there are no billboards, in Canberra) it lacks the charm and vibrancy of more cosmopolitan cities such as Sydney and Melbourne.

While Australia is one of the most sparsely populated countries of the world, two of its cities, Sydney and Melbourne, rank among the 40 largest in the world. The density of population, though rising, is still only five persons per square mile; only Canada has a comparably low figure. However, the population is increasing more rapidly than in most Western countries. Between 1946 and 1970 immigration alone added some 2,500,000 people, and natural increase surpassed this figure.

Sydney,  «The Queen City of the South». Largest city and port of Australia, capital of New South Wales, on the Pacific Ocean, situated on the shores of Port Jackson (Sydney Harbor) and at the mouth of the Parramatta River.

The first white settlement in Australia was founded at Sydney in 1788 near what is now Circular Quay. Captain Arthur Phillip first sailed to Botany Bay, 12 mi. (19 km.) south of Sydney. However, judging this an unsuitable size for settlement, he soon moved to the better harbor at Port Jackson. Named after Lord Sydney, the British home secretary, the settlement was originally a penal colony comprising about 250 soldiers and 770 convicts who were set to work clearing land for cultivation. In 1793 the first shipload of free immigrants arrived, and shortly thereafter the introduction of merino sheep launched the highly profitable wool industry of the interior. The discovery of coal in the Hunter Valley to the north and of gold in the interior attracted more immigrants. Gradually the settlement at Sydney evolved into a modern industrial metropolis.

Sydney is the chief commercial and industrial center not only of New South Wales, hut of all Australia. Its harbor, one of the best natural harbors of the world, is protected by projecting promontories or heads. Captain Cook Graving Dock at Potts Point, the largest of three dry docks, can accommodate the largest vessels afloat. Shipping and storage operations along the 14 mi. (22, 5 km.) of commercial waterfront employ much of Sydney's labor force. There are many banks, insurance companies, and a stock exchange. The city's wool market handles much of the wool produced in New South Wales, Australia's leading wool-producing state.

Main rail lines and coastal shipping facilities connect Sydney with Brisbane, Melbourne, and other harbor cities. Several domestic airlines operate to Australian centers, and at Kingsford Smith Airport at Mascot, 5 mi. (8 km.) south; flights are scheduled to and from the major cities of the world.

Sydney's manufacturing activities are particularly notable for their wide variety. There are slaughter-houses, canneries, wool-scouring works, flour-mills, sugar refineries, tanneries, dairy plants, breweries, textile and clothing mills, saw-mills, railway workshops, oil refineries, and automobile assembly plants. Still other factories manufacture chemicals, light metal and electric products, plastics, rubber, and paper. Cockatoo Island on Port Jackson is a naval shipbuilding and repair center.

In addition to being the commercial focus of Australia and New South Wales, Sydney is a principal center of government and culture. The seat of the state government is located there, as well as several federal agencies and the consulates of many nations.

The Sydney area is famous for its sandy beaches around which several resort suburbs have grown, attracting tourists for swimming and surf-boarding. Water sports and yachting are also regular events on the bay of Port Jackson. Manly, on (he peninsula that forms North Head at the harbor entrance, has a beach on the Tasman Sea and another facing the protected waters of Port Jackson. Bondi and Coogee on the Tasman Sea, south of the heads, and Cronulla on Port Hacking, 21 mi. (34   km.)    South   of   Sydney,   are   other   popular   beach   resorts. [8]

Melbourne, second largest city of Australia and capital, largest city,  and chief port of Victoria, on the north bank of the Yarra River near its mouth on Hobson's Bay, northern arm of Port Phillip Bay. From its original nucleus around waterfalls of the Yarra, the city and its several suburbs have spread across the plain.

Melbourne comprises the city proper and numerous metropolitan suburbs (which are integral parts of the urban area), including Fitzroy, Foots Cray, Richmond, Emerald Hill, Brighton, St. Kilda, Collingwood, and Parham.

Shipping companies line the major port facilities, located in the city proper and at Port Melbourne and Williamstown, each a short distance to the southwest on Hobson's Bay. As the financial center of Victoria, Melbourne has numerous banks and insurance companies. Melbourne's rich agricultural and pastoral hinterland supplies wool, meat, dairy products, fruit, and wheat for shipment' to world ports, and wool auctions are regular features of the city's commerce. There is variety of industries found along the waterfront, on the estuary of the Yarra, and in the outlying suburbs — producing for both domestic use and export. It ranges from processing agricultural produce to manufacturing aircraft and electric appliances. The first all-Australian automobiles were manufactured in the industrial suburb of Fishermen's Bend. Among the city's light manufactures, woolens, hosiery, boots, shoes, and cigarettes are especially important.

The commercial core of Melbourne lies north of the Yarra; Flinders, Collins, Bourke, and Lonsdale streets, the major east-west thoroughfares, parallel the river. These and other streets were named after figures in Australia's history. Because of the series of large department stores along Bourke Street, it is called the "Golden Mile". Elizabeth and Swanston streets are the principal north-south thoroughfares, the latter becoming St. Kilda Road south of the Yarra. East of the business district is an area of parks encompassing sports grounds and the Botanical Gardens.

Melbourne, the cultural focus of Victoria, has long been a leading center for scientific research and has often been a base for Antarctic exploration. Among its many research institutes and societies are the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, the Royal Australian College of Surgeons, and the Australian Institute of International Affairs. The University of Melbourne, founded in 1853, is in the northern part of the city; Monash University, opened in 1961, is in a suburb to the east; La Trobe University, in the suburb of Bandore, was opened in 1967. Melbourne has a large public library, a National Gallery, a National Museum, and a Museum of Applied Science. The city supports a symphony orchestra. Performances by visiting musicians and actors from all over the world reach a peak during the annual Moomba Festival in March. The Melbourne Cup, held annually at Flemington Race Course, is Australia's leading horseracing event. In 1956 Melbourne was the site of the Olympic Games. The city was named Melbourne in 1837 in honor of Lord Melbourne, then Prime Minister of Great Britain. The discovery of gold in the highlands to the north in 1851, bringing new importance to Melbourne and its port, occasioned the formation of the state of Victoria. It was the seat of federal government from 1901 to 1927, when the government was transferred to Canberra; several government agencies and buildings still   remain   in   the city,   including a   branch of the Royal Mint.

Brisbane, capital and largest city of Queensland, located on the Pacific coast, in the southeastern corner of the state. The city lies on the estuary of the Brisbane River, 13 mi. (21 km.) from its mouth on Morton Bay. Brisbane is the leading port in Queensland and serves a large agricultural and pastoral hinterland which produces beef cattle, sheep, dairy products, wheat, sugar cane, and tropical fruits. Principal agricultural exports are wool, meat, butter, and wheat. Manufacturing industries include meat packing, sugar refining, flour milling and brewing. There are also automobile assembly plants, shipyards, engineering works, and factories for the production of building materials, paper and miscellaneous industrial goods.

The function of Brisbane as a port and marketing center is enhanced by the railway systems which extend north and south along the east coast of Australia and inland to the rich agricultural regions of south-central Queensland and the Darling Downs. The city is well served by highways and airlines. Passenger vessels as well   as cargo ships make regular stops at the port.

The Brisbane City Council administers one of the largest municipal areas in the world. It is spread over hills on both sides of the winding Brisbane River, which has been dredged to allow ships to reach port facilities in the heart of the city.

North of the river is the main business district. The principal thoroughfares are Queen and Adelaide streets. South of the commercial core, in a bend of the river, Parliament House and the Technical College stand adjacent to the Botanical Gardens. Nearby are the Public Library of Queensland and several government buildings. A museum and an art gallery are located near Victoria Park north of the business district. At St. Lucia, southwest of the city, is the University of Queensland.

The abundant sunshine and mild temperatures during the winter months have helped make Brisbane a leading Australian tourist center. Sandy beaches along Morton Bay have been developed as bathing resorts. Among the best-known are Sand gate, Wynnum, and Manly.

The site of modern Brisbane was discovered in 1824 by Lt. John Oxley, surveyor-general of New South Wales. Subsequently a penal colony with the name Edinglassie grew up on the site. The name was officially changed in 1838 to Brisbane, after the Governor of New South Wales, Sir Thomas Brisbane.

Adelaide, capital and largest city of the state of South Australia. Situated on a narrow coastal plain between the east shore of the Gulf of St. Vincent and the Mount Lofty Ranges, Adelaide is the trade and financial center for a rich agricultural and grazing hinterland. Wool, meat, citrus fruits, wines, olives, and vegetables are produced in the region. Much of the produce from the irrigated lands of the lower Murray River Valley is marketed through Adelaide. The Barossa Valley to the northeast is one of Australia's leading wine-producing areas.

The city is an industrial center of increasing importance, with factories for automobile assembly and the manufacture of cotton and woolen textiles, agricultural machinery, furniture, and chemicals. Other manufacturing activities include sugar refining, flour milling, and the processing of fruits and vegetables.

Port Adelaide, about 5 mi. northeast of Adelaide, is the principal port of South Australia. Railroads connect Adelaide with other target cities on the Australian continent; a narrow-gauge line runs to Alice Springs in the heart of the Northern Territory. Adelaide is served by several airlines.

The first permanent settlement in South Australia was established at Adelaide in 1836, two years after the official creation of the colony. The city was named for Queen Adelaide, wife of William IV of Great Britain.

Now it is a very attractive city, largely because of the planning done by its surveyor, William Light. The southern section of the city is occupied by the principal business district, with King William   Street   as   the broad   main   artery.   Along   the   northern margin of this area lies Northern Territory, the cultural center of South Australia. Here are the University of Adelaide (founded 1847), the Public Library of South Australia, and a museum of natural history, an art gallery, botanical gardens, and government buildings. The Torrens River flows beside the botanical gardens, separating downtown Adelaide from the main residential area to (he north. The river has been dammed to form Lake Torrens, a source of municipal water as well as a scenic asset. Glenelg, a few miles south, is a popular beach resort. Summer homes, as well as permanent residences, have been built on the slopes of the Mount Lofty Ranges, behind the city to the east.

Perth, capital and largest city of Western Australia on the Swan River estuary, 12 mi. (19 km.) northeast of its mouth at the port of Fremantle. With the port, it is the financial and trade center for a vast hinterland producing gold, wool, meat, wheat, and fruit.

Industries include food processing and the manufacture of textiles, cement, fertilizers, metal ware, and furniture. Besides the Trans-Astra Man Railway connecting Perth with the eastern states, there are rail connections with several other centers of Western Australia.

The commercial core of Perth lies north of a portion of the Swan estuary called Perth Water. A bridge and a causeway connect it with suburbs south of the estuary. Public buildings include Parliament House, Government House, a branch of the Royal Mint, and the State Library. The University of Western Australia (estab. 1911) is in the suburbs of Ned lands, southwest of the city center. Perth has an art gallery, a state museum, and such research institutes as the Royal Society of Western Australia, Australian Institute of Agricultural Science, Astronomical State Observatory, and a branch of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.