The world australia is derived from Latin australis, meaning "southern".
The country has been referred to colloquially as Oz since the early 20th century.
Australia is officially the Commonwealth of Australia.
Australia is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian Continent the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.Australia is the world's smallest continent and 6th largest country in the world by land area.
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The country has been referred to colloquially as Oz since the early 20th century.
Australia is officially the Commonwealth of Australia.
Australia is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian Continent the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.Australia is the world's smallest continent and 6th largest country in the world by land area.
History
The first inhabitants of Australia were the Aborigines, who migrated there at least 40,000 years ago from Southeast Asia.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 which later become states and in 1901 federated into the Commonwealth of Australia. In the 2006 Australian census, the most commonly nominated ancestry was Australian (37.13%), followed by English (32%), IrishScottish (8%), Italian (4%), German (4%), Chinese (3%), and Greek (2%).
Most of the estimated 22 million(as per 2011 population estimate) Australians are descended from colonial-era settlers and post-Federation immigrants from Europe.Nearly three quarters of Australians live in metropolitan cities and coastal areas.Fewer than 15% of Australians live in rural areas.
States and Territories
Australia has 6 States namely -
Australia has 2 major mainland territories—the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
Each state and the 2 major mainland territory has its own parliament—unicameral in the Northern Territory, the ACT, and Queensland, and bicameral in the other states.
Main Cities
(1) Sydney(NSW) - is the largest and most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales.The three commercial television networks (Seven, Nine, Ten), as well as the government national broadcast services (ABC and SBS) are headquartered in Sydney.Sydney is home to some of Australia's most prominent educational institutions.The University of Sydney, established in 1850, is Australia's oldest university.
University of Sydney
(2) Melboune (Victoria) - is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia.
The Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne is the 1st building in Australia to be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004
Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
The first ever official cricket Test match was played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March 1877 and the Melbourne Cricket Ground is the largest cricket ground in the world.
It is the tenth largest stadium in the world and holds the world record for the highest light towers at any sporting venue.On 30 January 2009, the MCG was named as one of the seven wonders of the sporting world
An aerial view of the Melbourne Cricket Ground
(3) Brisbane (Queensland) - is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane is named after the river on which it sits which, in turn, was named after Sir Thomas Brisbane, the Governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825.
(4) Perth ( WA) - is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia.
The Round House built in 1830 is the oldest remaining building on mainland Western Australia.
(5) Adelaide (SA) - Capital of Australia and most populous city of the Australian state of South Australia and is the fifth-largest city in Australia.Road transport in Adelaide has historically been comparatively easier than many of the other Australian cities, with a well-defined city layout and wide multiple-lane roads from the beginning of its development. Historically, Adelaide was known as a "twenty-minute city", with commuters having been able to travel from metropolitan outskirts to the city proper in roughly 20 minutes.
Adelaide at night, viewed from Mount Lofty
Language
Australia has no official language.
However,English is the only language spoken by 79% of the population.
Australia has a sign language known as Auslan, which is the main language of about 5,500 deaf people
Religion
In the 2006 census, 64% of Australians listed themselves as Christian, including 26% as Roman Catholic and 19% as Anglican. About 19% of the population cited "No religion" (which includes humanism, atheism, agnosticism, and rationalism)
Australian Flag
The koala and the eucalyptus form an iconic Australian pair
The Super Pit gold mine in Kalgoorlie
Sydney Opera House
Panoramic view of Melbourne
The Houghton Highway is a 2.74 km (1.7 mi) reinforced concrete viaduct, shortening the road distance between the cities of Redcliffe and Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. It is one of the longest bridges in the country
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