The history, geography, demographics, and government and politics of the Commonwealth of Australia.

1. Australia

2. Background
O Prehistoric settlers set foot on the continent from Southeast Asia at least
40,000 years before the first Europeans commenced exploration in the
17th century.
O No official territorial claims were made until 1770, when Captain James
Cook assumed control of the east coast in the name of Great Britain (all
of Australia was claimed as British territory in 1829 with the
establishment of the colony of Western Australia).
O Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they merged
and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
O The new country took advantage of its natural resources to swiftly
cultivate agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a
significant contribution to the Allied effort in the two world wars.

3. Background (cont.)
O In recent decades, Australia has become a globally competitive,
advanced market economy; this is principally attributed to economic
reforms passed in the 1980s and its location in one of the fastest growing
regions of the world economy.
O Long-standing concerns include an elderly population, pressure on
infrastructure, and conservational matters such as floods, famines, and
forest fires.
O Australia is the driest populated continent on earth, making it especially
exposed to the challenges of climate change.
O Australia is home to 10 percent of the world's biodiversity; a great
number of its vegetation and wildlife are not found elsewhere in the
world.

4. Geography
O Location: Oceania, continent
between the Indian Ocean and the
South Pacific Ocean
O Geographic coordinates: 27 00
S, 133 00 E
O Map references: Oceania
O Area:
O Total: 7,741,220 sq. km
O Land: 7,682,300 sq. km
O Water: 58,920 sq. km
O Note: includes Lord Howe Island and
Macquarie Island
O Country comparison to the
world: 7
O Area – comparative: slightly
smaller than the continental forty-
eight U.S. states

5. Geography (cont.)
O Land boundaries: zero km
O Coastline: 25,760 km
O Maritime claims:
O Territorial sea: twelve nm
O Contiguous zone: twenty-four nm
O Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
O Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
O Climate: mostly dry to semi-dry; moderate in south and east; tropical in
north
O Terrain: mostly low plateau with deserts; bountiful plain in southeast
O Elevation:
O Mean elevation: 330 m
O Elevation extremes: lowest point is Lake Eyre (-15 m); highest point is Mount
Kosciuszko (2,228 m)

6. Lake Eyre

7. Mount Kosciuszko

8. Geography (cont.)
O Natural resources: bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver,
uranium, nickel, tungsten, rare earth elements, mineral sands, lead, zinc,
diamonds, natural gas, petroleum
O Note: Australia is the world's leading net exporter of coal, making up 29% of
global coal exports
O Land use:
O Agricultural land: 53.4% (arable land 6.2%; permanent crops 0.1%;
permanent pasture 47.1%)
O Forest: 19.3%
O Other: 27.3% (2014 est.)
O Irrigated land: 25,500 sq. km (2012)
O Population – distribution: population is mainly located on the edge,
with the largest concentration of people living in the southeast; a minor
population center is situated in and around Perth in the west; of the
States and Territories, New South Wales has, by far, the largest
population; the interior, or "outback", has a very sparse population

9. Geography (cont.)
O Natural hazards: cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires
O Volcanism: volcanic activity on Heard and McDonald Islands
O Environment – current issues: soil erosion from overgrazing,
deforestation, industrial development, urbanization, and poor agricultural
customs; soil salinity increasing due to the use of poor quality water;
desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes endangers the natural
habitat of many distinctive animal and plant species; the Great Barrier
Reef off the northeast coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is
endangered by increased shipping and its reputation as a tourist site;
inadequate natural freshwater resources; famine, overfishing, pollution,
and hostile species are also problems

10. Geography (cont.)
O Environment – international agreements:
O Party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
O Signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
O Geography – note: world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country;
the largest country in Oceania, the largest country wholly in the Southern
Hemisphere, and the largest country without land borders; the only
continent without glaciers; population concentrated along the eastern
and southeastern coasts; the stimulating sea breeze known as the
"Fremantle Doctor" affects the city of Perth on the west coast and is one
of the most regular winds in the world

11. People and Society
O Population: 23,232,413 (July 2017 est.)
O Country comparison to the world: 56
O Nationality:
O Noun: Australian(s)
O Adjective: Australian
O Ethnic groups: English 25.9%, Australian 25.4%, Irish 7.5%, Scottish 6.4%,
Italian 3.3%, German 3.2%, Chinese 3.1%, Indian 1.4%, Greek 1.4%, Dutch
1.2%, other 15.8% (includes Australian aboriginal .5%), unspecified 5.4%
O Note: figures represent self-identified ancestry; more than a third of respondents
reported two ancestries (2011 est.)
O Languages: English 76.8%, Mandarin 1.6%, Italian 1.4%, Arabic 1.3%, Greek
1.2%, Cantonese 1.2%, Vietnamese 1.1%, other 10.4%, unspecified 5% (2011
est.)
O Religious confessions: Protestant 23.1% (Anglican 13.3%, Uniting Church
3.7%, Presbyterian and Reformed 2.3%, Baptist 1.5%, Pentecostal 1.1%,
Lutheran .7%, other Protestant .5%), Roman Catholic 22.6%, other Christian
4.2%, Muslim 2.6%, Buddhist 2.4%, Orthodox 2.3% (Eastern Orthodox 2.1%,
Oriental Orthodox .2%), Hindu 1.9%, other 1.3%, none 30.1%, unspecified
9.6% (2016 est.)

12. Government and Politics
O Official name: Commonwealth of Australia (etymology: the name Australia
has its roots in the Latin australis (the word for “southern”); the Australian
mainland was long known as Terra Australis, or the Southern Land
O Capital: Canberra
O Largest city: Sydney
O Government type: parliamentary democracy (Federal Parliament) under a
constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
O Administrative divisions: six states and two territories (marked with *);
Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*,
Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
O Dependent areas: Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos
(Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands,
Norfolk Island
O Independence: 1 January 1901 (from the United Kingdom)
O National holiday: Australia Day (remembers the onset of the First Fleet of
Australian settlers), 26 January (1788); ANZAC Day (observes the
anniversary of the landing of troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army
Corps during World War I at Gallipoli, Turkey), 25 April (1915)

13. Government and Politics (cont.)
O Constitution:
O History: ratified in a series of referenda from 1898 to 1900, became law 9 July
1900, effective 1 January 1901
O Amendments: recommended by Parliament; passage requires support of a
referendum bill by absolute majority vote in both houses of Parliament, approval
in a referendum by a majority of voters in at least four states and in the
territories, and Royal Assent; proposals that would lessen a state’s
representation in either house or change a state’s borders require that state’s
approval before Royal Assent; modified several times, most recently in 1977
(2017)
O Legal system: common law system based on the English model
O International law organization participation: accepts required ICJ
jurisdiction with uncertainties; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
O Citizenship:
O Citizenship by birth: no
O Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen or
permanent resident of Australia
O Dual citizenship recognized: yes
O Residency requirement for naturalization: four years

14. Government and Politics (cont.)
O Current leaders:
O Monarch: Elizabeth II
O Governor-General: Sir Peter Cosgrove
O Prime Minister: Malcolm Turnbull
O Deputy Prime Minister: Michael McCormack
O Chief Justice: Susan Kiefel
O Senate President: Scott Ryan
O House Speaker: Tony Smith

15. Federal political parties
represented in parliament
O Liberal Party of Australia
O National Party of Australia
O Liberal National Party
(Queensland)
O Country Liberal Party (Northern
Territory)
O Australian Labor Party
O Australian Greens
O Centre Alliance
O Katter’s Australian Party
O Pauline Hanson’s One Nation
O Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party
O Liberal Democratic Party
O Australian Conservatives
O United Australia Party

16. Government and Politics (cont.)
O International organization participation: ADB, ANZUS, APEC, ARF,
ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CD, CP, EAS,
EBRD, EITI (implementing country), FAO, FATF, G-20, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,
ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner),
Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF, SAARC (observer),
SICA (observer), Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNMISS, UNMIT, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU
(NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
O Australian Ambassador to the U.S.: Joseph Benedict Hockey
O U.S. Ambassador to Australia: vacant (James Carouso has been
acting ambassador since September 2016)

17. Government and Politics (cont.)
O Flag description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side
quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant
known as the Commonwealth or Federation Star, representing the
federation of the colonies of Australia in 1901; the star illustrates one
point for each of the six original states and one signifying all of Australia's
internal and external territories; on the fly half is a representation of the
Southern Cross constellation in white with one small, five-pointed star
and four larger, seven-pointed stars
O National symbol(s): Commonwealth Star (seven-pointed Star of
Federation), golden wattle tree; national colors: green, gold
O National anthem:
O Name: “Advance Australia Fair”
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8tswkr25A0)
O Lyrics/music: Peter Dodds McCormick
O Note: adopted 1984; originally written in the late 19th century, but was not used
for all formal events until 1984; as Australia is a Commonwealth country, "God
Save the Queen" is also played at Royal functions, along with the national
anthem (see United Kingdom)

18. References
O https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/as.html
O https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia
O https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_Australia#Federa
l_political_parties_with_parliamentary_representation