Information about Australia

The Commonwealth of Australia is the sixth largest country in the world and the largest country in Oceania. Australia itself is the smallest continent on earth, and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan call it Australia. New Zealand is in the southeast, Papua New Guinea, West Papua and East Timor are in the north, and Indonesia is in the northwest of Australia. The word "Australia" comes from the Latin "terra australis incognita" ("Unknown Southern Continent").

There are many natural landscapes in Australia, including charming tropical rain forests, dry and barren deserts known as the "Red Center", snow-capped peaks, pastures infested with sheep and charming beaches, as well as the famous natural heritage Great Barrier Reef and WuLu Lu Ridge (formerly known as Ayers Ridge).

history

Australia had human footprints 50,000 years ago. Today, the ancestors of Australian aborigines migrated to Australia from Southeast Asia at that time. From the17th century, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and France arrived here, especially at the end of17th century, after the British entered Australia, the 50,000-year occupation of this continent by Australian aborigines came to an end. 1770 Britain claims sovereignty over Australia.1788 65438+1On October 26th, the first group of immigrants led by arthur phillip, a British navigator, settled in Sydney, where the British flag was raised, and Australia officially became a British colony. After that, Australia once became a British exile. 185 1 After the discovery of gold mines, the number of free immigrants surged. By the end of 19, Britain had established six colonies in Australia.

190 1 year 1 month 1 day, Australia's colonies were changed to states, forming the Commonwealth of Australia and becoming a federation or dominion within the British Empire. Australia is a constitutional monarchy country, and the "Australian monarch" is the head of state. According to Australian law, the British monarch is the Australian monarch. 193 1 year, Australia gained independence in domestic and foreign affairs and became an independent country of the Commonwealth. 1986, Queen Elizabeth II signed the Australia Relations Act in Australia, which stipulated that the Supreme Court of Australia had the power of final adjudication, and British laws were no longer valid for Australia. Whether Australia held a referendum in 1999 and replaced the Queen with the * * * system, the final result was negative.

geography

Australia is located in the southern hemisphere, which consists of the Australian mainland (the only continent in Oceania) and Tasmania. It occupies most of Oceania, bordering the Coral Sea and tasman sea in the Pacific Ocean in the east, and facing the Indian Ocean and its marginal waters in the north, west and south. It faces Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Caledonia and New Zealand across the sea.

Although the mainland is surrounded by water, deserts and semi-deserts account for 70% of the country's area. The whole country is divided into three areas: the eastern mountainous area, the central plain and the western plateau. There is the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef in the world, on the northeast coast.

Located between the South Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, it consists of islands such as the Australian mainland and Tasmania. Australia is surrounded by the sea, bordering New Zealand with tasman sea in the southeast, and facing East Timor, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea with Timor Sea and Torres Strait in the north. It covers an area of 7.692 million square kilometers. It accounts for the vast majority of Oceania. The coastline is 36,735 kilometers long. Although surrounded by water, deserts and semi-deserts account for 70% of the country's area. The whole country is divided into three areas: the eastern mountainous area, the central plain and the western plateau. The highest mountain in China, Kosciusko, is 2230 meters high, and the longest river, Melbourne River, is 3490 miles long. Lake Eyre in the middle is the lowest point in Australia, with an elevation of12m. On the east coast, there is the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef in the world. The north is tropical, and most of it belongs to temperate zone. The annual average temperature in the north is 27℃, and that in the south is 65438 04℃. The inland areas are dry and lack of rain, with annual precipitation less than 200mm, and the eastern mountainous areas are 500- 1200mm.

Drinking water in Australia mainly depends on natural precipitation and other ways. The government strictly prohibits the use of groundwater resources, because it believes that once it is exploited, it is difficult to repair it. Australia's water supply mainly depends on dam storage. At present, major cities in Australia are generally short of water. Therefore, many cities have promulgated many laws and regulations on water restriction. Australia is also one of the driest continents in the world.

politics

The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional monarchy, with the Queen of England as the head of state and the Governor-General as the representative of the Queen. But in fact, the monarch is symbolic. The executive power is controlled by the elected cabinet, and the Prime Minister is the leader of the cabinet. The Prime Minister is usually the majority leader in the House of Representatives.

The Federal Parliament consists of two houses: the House of Representatives (150 seats) and the Senate (76 seats). The two houses hold general elections every three years.

Australian political parties

Australian liberal party.

Australian Labor Party (ALP).

Australian Democratic Party

Unity party

Australia's Green Party

A national party is also translated as a "single national party"

Australian national party.

Administrative area

Australia is divided into six states and two territories. These six states are:

Western Australia: Governor Biddy

Queensland

South Australia

New South Wales

Victoria

Tasmania

These two regions are:

Capital region

upstate

The capital region is located in the selected capital Canberra region. Canberra is a compromise choice for the capital city after the dispute between Melbourne and Sydney.

economy

Australia has a prosperous western-style mixed economy, and its per capita GDP is equivalent to that of the four major European economies. Recently, however, under the influence of the global economic slowdown, the Australian economy has returned to the level of steady growth.

Human population

The ancestors of most Australians were immigrants from Britain in the19th century or 20th century, but more people came from many different countries, many of whom came from Greece, Italy or some Asian countries. The earliest aborigines in Australia account for less than 1% of the total population. Like many developed countries, Australia has an aging population.

English is the common language of Australia, but some original ethnic groups have kept their own languages, and some immigrants' second generation often speak their own mother tongue and English. Australia is basically a secular country, and few people go to church, but about three quarters of the population are Christians, mainly Catholics or Anglicans.