Population (1994):
17,500,000
Density:
6 per square mile (2.3 per sq km)
Percent of World Population:
0.3 percent
Main Language:
English (English is the base language spoken but Australia
does have a lot of people who speak other languages in it
too. There is also a lot of slang used too which
adds to
the individuality of the country)
Currency unit: 1 Australian Dollar = 100 Cents
Elevation:
Highest Point:
Mt. Kosciusko, 7,310 feet (2,228 meters)
Lowest Point:
Lake Eyre, 52 feet (16 meters) below sea level
Coast Line:
22,827 statute miles (36,700 km), including Tasmania
Northernmost Point:
Cape York
Southernmost Point:
Southeast Cape
Easternmost Point:
Cape Byron
Westernmost Point:
Steep Point
Political Divisions: 6 states plus 2 territories
National Holiday: January 26, Australia Day
National Anthem: Advance Australia Fair (The opening line reads: "Australians all let us rejoice...")
Australia, a continent
in the southern hemisphere and also an independent country whose full official
name is Commonwealth of Australia. It lies between the Indian Ocean on
the northwest, west, and south and the Pacific Ocean on the north and east.
The Malay Archipelago and New Guinea are to the north of Australia; New
Zealand is about 1,200 miles (1,930 km) to the southeast across the Tasman
Sea. Australia is 6,000 miles (9,660 km) from the United States and 11,000
miles (17,700 km) from Great Britain (see Map 1).
Because it is wholly within the southern hemisphere, it is sometimes known
as "the land down under."
Although the Australian
continent is one of the world's oldest land areas, it has long been cut
off from other continental landmasses, and many unique animals, such as
the kangaroo, the koala, and the platypus, are found there. Australia was
not discovered by Europeans until the early 17th century, and the origins
of the modern Australian nation date only from the first British settlement
in 1788.
The country is the
world's leading exporter of wool and mutton and is a major exporter of
beef and wheat. Its resources in important minerals are vast. Australia
is also a highly industrialized country. Large deposits of coal and iron
have become the basis for an iron and steel industry, while an expanding
economy provides a large domestic market for a wide range of goods and
services.
Australia stretches
1,959 miles (3,153 km) from north to south and 2,489 miles (4,005 km) from
east to west, from 10°41´ to 43°39´ south latitude
and 113°9´ to 153°39´ east longitude. It is the smallest
of the continents, with a total area, including the island of Tasmania,
of 2,966,155 square miles (7,682,300 sq km), slightly less than that of
the contiguous United States. The 22,827-mile (36,700-km) coastline is
indented in the north by the Gulf of Carpentaria and in the south by the
Great Australian Bight. The mainland is separated from Tasmania, on the
southeast, by the 150-mile (240-km)-wide Bass Strait and from New Guinea,
on the northeast, by the 90-mile (145-km)-wide Torres Strait.
Australia consists
of six states -- New South Wales, 309,500 square miles (801,600 sq
km) in area; Victoria, 87,877 square miles (227,600 sq km); Queensland,
666,876 square miles (1,727,200 sq km); South Australia, 379,925 square
miles (984,000 sq km); Western Australia, 975,101 square miles (2,525,500
sq km); and Tasmania, 26,178 square miles (67,800 sq km) -- and two
territories, the Northern Territory, 519,771 square miles (1,346,200 sq
km); and the Australian Capital Territory, 927 square miles (2,400 sq km),
the latter of which is the seat of the federal government. The Cocos
Islands became an integral part of Australia in 1984. Dependencies include
Norfolk and Christmas islands, Heard and McDonald islands, and the Coral
Sea Islands Territory. Australia owned southeastern New Guinea
(the Territory of Papua) and administered northeastern New Guinea and the
nearby islands (the UN Trust Territory of New Guinea) until 1975, when
the two areas became the independent country Papua New Guinea. Australia's
claims in Antarctica total 2,363,000 square miles (6,120,000 sq km).
This page was made by Lady Kittara.
Most of the links on this page are still in this process of being made.
The site is still under serious construction so bear with me please.
I am trying my hardest to get this all up as soon as possible for everyone's
viewing pleasure. But as usual it takes time and much work. Keep checking
back from time to time for expansions and upgrades. Again thank you for your
patience and a special thanx to all those who helped me with this page
(the language help and all). I love you all. This site was last
updated on Tuesday 21st July 1998.