Australia is a culturally diverse, racially tolerant society that welcomes and offers opportunity to those who wish to settle there. From the vast landscape, 7000 beaches and the exotic flora and fauna to the cosmopolitan cities, Australia is a beautiful and varied place of contrasts, and a vital destination for business development and growth in the 21st Century. Boasting world standard universities, education, and a health system that receives considerable government funding, Australia enjoys economic and political stability, and a legal system based in Common Law.

Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have an enormously diverse and complex culture that traces its roots back at least 40,000 years. Since British settlement in Australia in 1788, Aboriginal people have suffered systematic and discriminatory measures. Only recently has the Australian government begun to deal with elements of its discriminatory history with legislation including the Native Title Act, which theoretically can return crown land to their rightful Aboriginal owners. However, legal proceedings have shown the limitations of such legislation.

Since 1945, nearly 5.6 million people from over 160 countries migrated under the Department of Immigration & Multicultural & Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) Migration Program, and have come to call Australia home. Approximately 1 in 4 Australian residents are born outside Australia enhancing the existing multicultural population. Between July 2006 and June 2007, the Australian government issued 167,930 immigration visas - the largest number of immigration visas issued to date.

MAP

Full country name: Commonwealth of Australia

Federation of States and Territories: January 1 1901

Population of Australia according to its states ( as at February 2011)

New South Wales pop: 7.2 million Capital City – Sydney pop: 4.7 million

Victoria pop: 5.5 million Capital City - Melbourne pop: 4.4 million

South Australia pop: 1.644 million Capital City - Adelaide pop: 1.32 million

Queensland pop: 4.5 million Capital City -Brisbane pop: 2.3 million

Western Australia pop: 2.3 million Capital City - Perth pop: 1.83 million

Tasmania pop: 507,000 Capital City - Hobart pop: 225,000

Territories

Australian Capital Territory 359,000 Capital City – Canberra pop: 354,000

Northern Territory pop: 230,000 Capital City Darwin pop: 127,000

Area: 7,682,300 sq km
Population: 22.56 million (February 2011)
Capital city: Canberra (pop: 354,000)
People: European descent - 94%, Asian - 4%, Aboriginal - 1.5%
Languages: English, secondary languages: various Aboriginal, European, and Asian languages
Currency: Australian Dollar ($A) $A 1 = $ U.S. 1 (as at February 2011)
Religion: Christian - 75%, Muslim - 1%, Buddhist - 1%, Jewish - 0.5%
Government: Independent member of the British Commonwealth
Prime Minister: Ms. Julia Gillard
Head of State: Governor-General Designate (British Queen’s representative): Ms. Quentin Bryce
Army: Voluntary – The Royal Australian Army consists of professional soldiers only
Weekend: 2 days – Saturday, Sunday
Major Industries: Minerals, oil, coal, gold, wool, cereals, meat, tourism

AUSTRALIA