Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia (English: Commonwealth of Australia) is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the Australian mainland and numerous islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, which Tasmania is the largest. Australia is located northwest of New Zealand and south ofIndonesia , East Timor and Papua New Guinea . The country has an area of 7,687,808.6 square kilometers and is the sixth largest country in the world by area. Of the approximately 22 million inhabitants, the majority live in and around the major cities such as Sydney , Melbourne , Brisbane , Perth and Adelaide . The capital is Canberra.

Australia, which takes its name from the supposed continent terra australis incognita ("unknown southern land"), was already tens of thousands of years inhabited for it would be discovered by Europeans. After Willem Jansz Australia in 1606, the first European to discover it took until 1770 for the east coast was taken by the British in possession, that the island initially as a penal colony used. From 1650 to 1817 was called the continent New Holland, only the names Arnhem Land , New Zealand andTasmania still recall the Dutch voyages of discovery in this area. New South Wales was in 1788 the first colony in the 19th century was followed by five other colonies, the predecessors of the current Australian states. On 1 January 1901, the six colonies joined together into one federation and was - although not completely - independent from the United Kingdom . Australia takes its sovereignty to the so-called colony settled principle that states that the country was peacefully colonized.

The present Australia is a federal parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy with Queen as Head of State Elizabeth II, represented in Australia by the Governor-General. International Australia is a member of the United Nations, the G20 , the Commonwealth of Nations , the OECD and the WTO .

Content
[ hide ]
 * 1 History
 * 2 Administrative divisions
 * 3 Geography
 * 3.1 Physical characteristics
 * 3.2 Cities
 * 3.3 Flora and fauna
 * 3.4 Climate
 * 4 Politics
 * 5 Economics
 * 6 Sights
 * 7 Religion
 * 7.1 Catholics
 * 8 Culture
 * 8.1 Art
 * 8.2 Media
 * 8.3 Kitchen
 * 8.4 Sport
 * 9 See also
 * 10 External links
 * 10.1 Sources
 * 10.2 Footnotes

History [ edit ]
James Cook reached the first European to Australia's east coast

About 50,000 years ago the first people came to Australia, the Aborigines . Since that time the sea level was much lower, there were natural bridge from Asia to Australia allowing people probably only have to go a little bit to reach Australia. When the earth warmed up later, the ice began to melt and sea levels rose, Australia was an island.

In the year 150 was the first on Australia written by the Greeks. They called the land " Terra Australis ".

Willem Jansz discovered his Duyfken Australia became the first European in 1606, when he passed the Cape York Peninsula feed in northern Australia. The western side of Australia was later repeatedly visited by Dutch and other Europeans, but New York is not developed into a colony. In 1770 discovered the English explorer James Cook Australia's east coast. The area was New South Wales called and was used as a penal colony for British prisoners. Later, the country was also popular among free citizens. In 1849 there was the first gold found in Australia and then the population grew rapidly.

In 1901, Australia adopted a federal constitution and became a self-governing part ( dominion ) of the British Empire . Australian troops took part in both world wars. During the Second World War fought Australian units include in Ambon, Egypt, Crete and the Pacific.

Melbourne was the first capital, but in 1911 the government held a competition for the design of a new capital. The winning design by American architect Walter Burley Griffin was conducted from 1913, and in 1927 it was thus created Canberra the new capital.

Administrative divisions [ edit ]
Australia consists of six states, two territories and one federal territory (the Australian Capital Territory), also covers the 9 external territories. In addition, the Australian Commonwealth occupies 9 external territories. These are but two, all controlled by the Australian parliament. Christmas Island since 1992, partly driven by Western Australia, partly independent from the Australian parliament. Macquarie Island since 1978 officially territory of Tasmania .

Physical characteristics [ edit ]
Relief Map of Australia

Australia, the smallest continent and some also considered the largest island in the north by the Timor Sea, the Arafura Sea , the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Torres Straitbounded in the east by the Coral Sea and the Tasman Sea and south by the Bass Strait and the Great Australian Bight . The Indian Ocean located south and west of Australia.The country has a total coastline of 25 760 km.

About three quarters of Australia consists of desert . Only in the northeast, there are rainforests, which further south often subtropical or tropical his. In the arid, hot within countries besides deserts also steppe - and savannah-like areas, scrublands .

Australia is the lowest, flattest continent . A large part of the wilderness area is located just above the sea level, with the West Central Lowlands and the Western Plateau. On the east coast are mountain ranges and is also the highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko, with a height of 2228 meters. Other famous mountains and rocks are: Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), Mount Augustus, the Devils Marbles and Wave Rock .

Thanks to the dry climate has Australia rivers, many of which part of the year are completely dry. The country has two major rivers that contain water throughout the year: theMurray and the Darling . There are also lakes in the country such as Lake Eyre, the Torre Grease and Gairdnermeer usually are dry. Large bays, the Great Australian Bight ,Gulf of Carpentaria and the Spencer Gulf .

[Cities edit ]
The ten largest urban areas (urban centers) of Australia were, according to the 2013 census: [5]

Flora and fauna [ edit ]
A koala

In the rainforest, most species occur. In the arid, hot within countries are many species. In the domestic scrublands life include the kangaroos . A large part of the Australian fauna, and that is particularly true for the marsupials, is unique. These are an example of adaptive radiation and still quite primitive. Presumably, had the Australian marsupials ever but a limited number of ancestors. Also exist in Australia Megapode hatching their eggs in heaps decaying plant material and check its temperature ( thermometer birds );Once the chicks are born, they leave that to their fate.

Australia is regularly ravaged by forest fires . The leaves of the Eucalyptus tree does not perish, and wait for fire to be incinerated. Drought and strong winds make for a rapid spread of the fire. While it is dangerous for the civilized world, the fires are a necessary part of the renewal of the forest. The seed pods of Eucalyptus have high heat needed to spring open. The charred mother tree usually runs out again.

[Climate edit ]
The seasons in Australia are opposite to those of the Northern Hemisphere. Spring lasts from September to November, summer from December to February, autumn from March to May and winter from June to August. Australia has for the most part a subtropical climate in the far north is a tropical climate.

From October to late November, the 'early storm season. December and January is the 'early monsoon', sometimes very wet. The late monsoon falls in February and March, with very heavy rainfall. The 'late season storm' of April and May has severe storms. In June and July, the climate is very pleasant. Hot and dry it in August. In the rainy season coming regularly for severe storms, average about five per year. Average here is about 1470 mm of precipitation.

Central Australia has a true desert climate . In summer, temperatures can be very high. In the winter it may at night quite cool. Here is less than 250 mm of rainfall per year and the dry season lasts more than eight months.

Northern New South Wales and southern Queensland have a subtropical climate with year-round pleasant weather, although it can be quite hot in summer. Large cities such as Sydney , Perth and Adelaide have aMediterranean climate with warm summers and mild winters.

Victoria and Tasmania in the south have a temperate climate. In winter it can be quite cold with snowfall in the higher areas. The rest of the year is sunny and warm with occasional heatwaves in Victoria.

[Politics edit ]
Six former British colonies , New South Wales , Tasmania , Queensland , Victoria , South Australia and Western Australia were in a federal state united. Each state has its own government , judiciary , constitution andgovernment with its own elected prime minister . Federal, the Australian Senate and the Australian House of Representatives that the Australian Parliament forms.

The British royal family

Head of government is the Prime Minister of Australia . The Commonwealth also has two self-governing territories: the Australian Capital Territory (the area of the federal capital Canberra ) and the Northern Territory in Darwin as its capital. To the Commonwealth includes: Jervis Bay Territory to the Australian east coast, Christmas Island in theIndian Ocean , Norfolk in the Pacific and Heard and McDonald Islands in the Southern Ocean .

The Commonwealth of Australia is next to a federal parliamentary democracy, a parliamentary (constitutional) kingdom with the Head of State Elizabeth II of Australia with the title Queen of Australia. The heir to the throne of the nation's Crown Prince Charles . In every state of the head of state is represented by a governor and the federal government by the Governor General . The head of state in the commonwealth represented by the Governor-General of Australia, who is appointed by the Crown on the advice of the Australian Prime Minister . Although most tasks are performed by the Governor General and urban governors there are some that the head of state were to carry through personal presence. In a referendum in 1999 it was declared that the people of Australia a transition to a republic rejected.

Economy [ edit ]
Opencast mining in the Super Pit gold mine in Kalgoorlie

Australia has a free market economy, which is dominated by the service sector. This covers 68% of Australia's gross domestic product . The agricultural and mining products (together 10% of GDP) are together responsible for 57% of exports from Australia.

The Australian economy is measured by measures of economic freedom, one of the most laissez-faire capitalist economies in the world. The gross domestic product of Australia's terms of purchasing power parity slightly higher than that of the United Kingdom, Germany and France . In the Human Development Index of the United Nations in 2009 the country was on the second place.

[Sights edit ]

 * Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park with Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kata Tjuta (The Olgas)
 * Kakadu National Park
 * Willandra Lakes Region
 * Great Barrier Reef

[Religion edit ]
The census of 2001 and 2006 brought the following results [1] :

Catholics [ edit ]
Among the Christians are Catholics in terms of number of Australia's largest community of faith. Of Australians went almost 4% in 2006 to a Catholic church during the weekend. Although the absolute number of Catholics increased in the last 5 years (mainly through immigration), the relative number of Catholics decreased, from 26.6% in 2001 to 25.8% in 2006.

The number of church visitors dropped from 864,000 in 1996 to 763 276 in 2001 and to 708 618 in 2006. A decrease in the number of church visitors by almost 20% in 10 years. [6]

Culture [ edit ]
The Royal Exhibition Building inMelbourne in 2004, was the first building in Australia that was included on the UNESCO World Heritage Site .[7]

Since 1788, the basis of Australian culture has been strongly influenced by Anglo-Celtic Western culture . [8] [9] A number of notable cultural features have also arisen from Australia's natural environment and from indigenous cultures. [10] [ 11] Since the mid-20th century, the American culture that strongly influenced Australia, particularly through television and film. [12] Other cultural influences come from neighboring Asian countries, and through large-scale immigration from non-English speaking countries. [12] [13]

Arts [ Edit ]
Bailed up by Tom Roberts shows robbing a carriage by bushrangers .

Of Australian art is supposed that started with the cave paintings , petroglyphs and body painting of the indigenous peoples. The traditions of Indigenous Australians are largely transmitted orally, through ceremony and the telling of Dreamtime stories . [14] From the beginning of European colonization is an important theme in Australian art the natural landscape, [10] for example, be seen in the works of Albert Namatjira , [15] Arthur Streeton and others associated with the Heidelberg School [10] and Arthur Boyd . [16]

The landscape is a constant source of inspiration for Australian modernist artists. It is depicted in acclaimed works by Sidney Nolan , [17]Fred Williams , [18] Sydney Long , [19] and Clifton Pugh . [20]

Performance of Aboriginal song and dance in the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney

The Australian literature has also been influenced by the landscape. The works of writers such as Banjo Paterson , Henry Lawson, andDorothea Mackellar captured the experience of the Australian bush . [21] The character of the national colonial past of the country, as shown in the early literature, is popular with modern Australians. [ 10] In 1973, Patrick White, the first Australian who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature , [22] [23] Australian winners of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction are Peter Carey and Thomas Keneally . [24] David Williamson , David Malouf and J. M. Coetzee, who only recently became an Australian citizen, are also known writers,[25] and Les Murray is regarded as "one of the most important poets of his generation." [26]

Media [ edit ]
The Australian film industry began with the release in 1906 release of The Story of the Kelly Gang, which is regarded as the world's first feature film . [27] Both the Australian feature film production and distribution of British films dropped dramatically after the First World War as American studios and distributors monopolized the film industry. [28] By the 1930s, about 95 percent of Australia showed films produced in Hollywood . By the late 1950s keeps the film production in Australia in fact exist and are no longer fully Australian feature films made ​​in the decade between 1959 and 1969. [29]

Australia has two public broadcasters (the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the multicultural Special Broadcasting Service ), three commercial television networks, several pay-TV services, and numerous public, non-profit television and radio stations. Every major city has at least one daily newspaper, and there are two national daily newspapers, The Australian and The Australian Financial Review

[Kitchen edit ]
The Pavlova is eaten in Australia since the 20th century.

The food of Indigenous Australians was largely influenced by the environment in which they lived. Most tribes lived a simple hunter-gatherer diet . They hunted local game and fish and collected native plants and fruit. The general term for native Australian flora and fauna used as a source of food is bush tucker . [30] [31] The first settlers introduced dishes on the continent [32], which is largely determined what is now considered typical Australian to eat. Since the beginning of the 20th century, food in Australia increasingly influenced by immigrants from various countries, particularly from Southern European and Asian cultures. [32] [33] The Australian wine is produced in 60 different production areas totaling approximately 160,000 acres. They are mainly in the southern, cooler parts of the country. The wine regions in each of these states produce different varieties and styles that take advantage of local climates and soil types. The predominant wine varieties are Shiraz , Cabernet Sauvignon , Chardonnay , Merlot , Semillon , Pinot Noir ,Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc . [34] [35] [36] [37] [38]

[Sports edit ]
Cricket is an important part of sports culture of Australia since the 19th century. [39]

About 24 percent of Australians over the age of 15 regularly participates in organized sporting activities in Australia. [40] Australia has strong international teams in cricket ,hockey , netball , rugby league and rugby union . In each of these sports are they the past 25 years at least twice Olympic and world champion in both men and women (as appropriate). [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] Australia is also strong in track cycling , rowing and swimming and ends consistently in the top five medal winners at Olympic or World Championship level since 2000. [49] [50] [51] Swimming is the strongest of these sports. Australia is the second-most prolific medal winner in the sport in Olympic history. [52] [53][54]

See also [ edit ]
Minister of Australia]]
 * The continent of Australia
 * Aborigines
 * APEC
 * Economy of Australia
 * Flag of Australia
 * Flags of Australia
 * [[List of Ministerial
 * Colony settled principle (principle of peaceful colonization)