 Australia
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Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name of Great Britain. Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. Australia consists of six states, two major mainland territories, and other minor territories.
Australia occupies the whole of the island continent of the same name and lies between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Although the country's land mass is half as big again as that of Europe, most of Australia is empty. The population is centred predominantly in the South Eastern coastal cities of Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide while the interior of the country - the Outback - is comprised of sparsely populated semi-desert and tropical wetlands.
AREA: 7,682m sq km
CLIMATE: Generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north.
POPULATION: 20.2 million (July 2006 est.)
RELIGIONS: Catholic 26.4%, Anglican 20.5%, other Christian 20.5%, Buddhist 1.9%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 12.7%, none 15.3% (2001 Census).
LANGUAGES: English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census).
GOVERNMENT TYPE: Parlementary Constitutional Monarchy
CAPITAL: Canberra
CURRENCY: Australian Dollars
NATIONAL HOLIDAY: Australia Day, 26 January (1788)
GDP PER CAPITA (purchasing power parity): $31,600 (2005 est.)
France = $29,600 (2005 est.)
USA = $41,600 (2005 est.)
China = $6,800 (2005 est.)
Bresil = $8,300 (2005 est.)
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