Australia is an island continent located between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy with Queen Elizabeth II as head of state. Australia has a diverse, multicultural population and a strong market economy focused on entrepreneurship. It maintains close international relationships and a high standard of living.

1. Australia Today

2. Australia the CountryAustralia is officially named the Commonwealth of Australia.Australia, the country, is made up of the continent mainland, the island Tasmania, and numerous other islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.Neighboring countries include Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, and New Zealand.

3. It remains a part of the Commonwealth realm.It has a parliamentary democracy Kevin Rudd is the prime minister.It is a constitutional monarchyQueen Elizabeth II is the monarchIt has a federal system with statesCitizens must be 18 to vote.Australia’s Government

4. Australia’s EconomyAustralia is a world leader in entrepreneurship.One (1) in twelve (12) adults owns his own business.Laws in Australia are good for businesses because they protect entrepreneurs & their property, make it easy to start a business, and have few rules to restrict businesses.Entrepreneurs are good for Australia.Businesses keep economy moving & provide jobs for workers.Australia has a market economy!

5. Australia’s PeopleIt is a multicultural country.Australia is a country of immigrants.90% of Australians are of British or Irish descent (mostly convict).Since the abolishment of the White Australia policy of the 1970s, immigration from Asia and elsewhere has been encouraged.As a result, Australia’s demography, culture, and self-image have been transformed.Also, a large number of Australians live outside their home country.

6. Aborigines suffer from higher rates of imprisonment and unemployment.Aborigines suffer from lower levels of education.Life expectancies for males and females is 17 years lower than those on non-indigenous Australians.Australia’s Aborigines

7. Australia’s foreign relations are driven by a close relationship with the United States, its status as a British commonwealth, and its proximity to Asia.It is a founding member of the United NationsAustralia and the World

8. Australia’s CultureLanguage English is the national language.It is spoken by 80% of the country’s population.ReligionAustralia has no state religion.64% of Australians list Christianity as their religion (26% of that are Roman Catholic).Surveys have found Australia to be one of the least devout nations in the developed world.EducationThe adult literacy rate is 99%.One result of the high literacy is that Australia enjoys one of the highest standards of living!Australia’s education is ranked 8thin the world (the United States is 9th).

9. Australia’s CultureSports23.5% of Australians over the age of 15 regularly participate in organized sports.Australia has strong international teams in cricket, field hockey, rugby, cycling, rowing, sailing, and swimming.Famous Australian swimmers include Dawn Frasier and Ian Thorpe.Australia has participated in every summer Olympic Games since 1896.It hosted the 1856 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.It hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.It has ranked in the top 6 medal-takers since 2000.