Australia Today

Australia the Country

• Australia 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.

• It remains a part of the Commonwealth realm.• It has a democratic government

(constitutional monarchy).• Queen Elizabeth II is the monarch.• Kevin Rudd is the prime minister.

Australia’s Government

• It 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.

Australia’s People

• 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

• 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 Nations

Australia and the World

• Language – English is the national language.– It is spoken by 80% of the country’s population.

• Religion– Australia 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.• Education

– The adult literacy rate is 99%.– One result of the high literacy

is that Australia enjoys one ofthe highest standards of living!

– Australia’s education is ranked 8th in the world (the United States is 9th).

Australia’s Culture

• Sports– 23.5% 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.

Australia’s Culture