1. Capital: Canberra
Surface area: 7,692,024 sq. km
Population: 22.5 million (2011)
Main language: English
Currency: Australian dollar (AUD)
National day: 26 January
Time Difference: PST+5 Hours
International students: 426,748 (2011)
International Calling Code: 61
Literacy Rate: 99%
Overseas visitors: 5,875,000 (2011)
Political System : Parliamentary
Australia-General Facts
2. Australia – Down Under
• Australia is in the Southern
Hemisphere.
• Almost same size as the USA
• 2 x size of India
• 32 x size of UK
• Smallest and flattest continent
• Largest Island in the world
• 6th British colony.
• Most people speak English but there are over 150 aboriginal languages.
• 2.5% of the population are Aboriginal and the rest are migrants and
descendants of migrants from about 200 countries since the first
European settlement in 1778
• Religion is freedom of choice - 61.1% Christian
3. • Australia is home to one of the world’s oldest living
cultures. Aboriginal peoples arrived at least 50,000 years,
and Torres Strait Islander people 10,000 years, before
European settlement.
• Discovered by the Dutch in the early 1600’s.
• Captain James Cook discovered Australia in 1770. He
landed south of present day Sydney in New South Wales.
• The First Fleet came on 26th Jan 1788 in Sydney Cove
with Convicts and free settlers. Britain 1st used the
country as a penal colony and a total of 160,000 people
came to Australia as convicts.
• In 1851 gold was discovered about 300 km west of
Sydney. People rushed to the gold fields to find their
fortunes. This attracted robbers called bushrangers.
• Finally in 1901 that the whole of Australia came under 1
constitution.
HISTORY
4. Aboriginal People
• Aboriginal people have
lived in Australia for thousands
of years.
• They are the original people
of the land.
• Aboriginal means native.
• They play clapping sticks and
men play the didgeridoo.
• Art has been found on cave
walls in the outback of the
Northern Territory.
5. Australia – States and Territories
States Capital
NSW SYDNEY
VIC MELBOURNE
QLD BRISBANE
WA PERTH
SA ADELAIDE
TAS HOBART
Territories Capital
ACT CANBERRA
NT DARWIN
MAP /States
6. Climate
• Bikini in Dec; Winter coats in June
• Mainly temperate
• Warm and Humid (tropical) – Qld/NT/Northern WA
• Snows only in Thredbo/Kosciusko and Victorian Alps
8. Political System
The Queen
Executive Council
Parliament Heads
of Public Service
Departments
Ministers
Cabinet
Governor
General
Government
Departments
House of
Representatives
(148 electorates)
The Senate
(78 state/territory)
V
O
T
E
R
S
Head of State
Prime Minister
Head of Government
And Cabinet
Upper House
Lower House
Federal Parliament
Appointed by
Governor General
On advice of PM
Department of Foreign Affairs and
Trade
Prime minister-
Malcolm Bligh Turnbull
9. Relations Australiaforeign countries
• Australia‘s foreign relations driven by close associations
with the UNITED –STATES
• Australia has a strong desire to develop relationships with
Asia and the Pacific
• Australia is also a member of the Commonwealth of
Nations.
• Australia has pursued the cause of international trade
liberation. Australia is a founding member of the United
Nations
10. The currency is the Australian dollar.
1 Australian Dollar equals -47.85 Indian Rupee
Resources
Australia is rich in mineral resources,
notably bauxite, coal, diamonds, gold, iron
ore, mineral sands, natural gas, nickel,
petroleum, and uranium.
Readily cultivable farmland is at a premium
because much of the land is desert.
11. Education and Health Care
-School is Compulsory from ages 5-16 years old.
-16-17 required to attend school or participate in some
kind of vocational training.
-Australia is among one of the most expensive places
to attend University.
-Australia has the fourth highest life expectancy in the
world after Iceland, Japan and Hong Kong. Life expectancy
in Australia in 2010 was 79.5 years for males and 84.0
years for females.
12. Cities- Sydney
Sydney Opera House
Sydney Harbour
Bridge
• Sydney is the largest city in Australia.
• It has many famous buildings and structures.
• It is built on a Harbour like Wellington and Auckland.
• Over 3.5 million people live in Sydney.
13. Cities - Brisbane
• Brisbane is Australia’s
fastest growing cities.
• It is famous for its stunning
beaches.
• Lots of people visit for the
theme parks.
• Over 1.1 million people live
in Brisbane.
14. Cities - Canberra
• Canberra is Australia’s
capital city.
• It is in the Australian
Capital Territory.
16. The Outback
• The centre of Australia is called the outback.
• The dirt is bright red.
• It is very very hot.
• Ayre’s Rock or Uluru
is a very famous
place for the Aboriginal
people and visitors.
20. Sports are a
very big part
of Australian
Culture.
surfing
swimming
cricket
Australian
Football
Tennis
Rugby
Notas del editor
The Commonwealth constitution is sometimes called a Washminster system because it combines elements of the Washington (US) and Westminster (UK) systems of government.
From the United States came (1) the federal system with powers divided between central and State governments, (2) a court to settle disputes over their jurisdictions and (3) the structure of the federal legislature, a House of Representatives to represent the people and a Senate to represent the States. From the United Kingdom came responsible government, the practice of ministers being members of parliament and having to obtain majority support from the lower house.
