Facts & Statistics

• Australia is nicknamed the “Land Down Under”. It is a country, a continent and an island.
  
  
• Australia is the world’s smallest continent but the sixth largest country.
• Australia has an area of 7,682,300 square kilometres. Most Australians live on the coast and 75% live in urban areas.
• The population of Australia is about 20,100,000.
  
  
• Australia has the lowest population density in the world with only 2 people per square kilometre.
• Ethnic groups are divided as follows: Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1%.
• Australia’s aboriginal people have inhabited this great land for more than 50,000 years. They are thought to be the world’s oldest known civilization.
• Australia is predominantly a Christian society with about 70% of the population following some form of Christianity.
• Australia has a wide range of climatic zones from the tropical regions of the north, to the dry expanses of the outback to the temperate regions of the south. For this reason, Australia has a tendency to experience many extreme natural disasters such as droughts, cyclone, floods and bushfires.
  
  
• Apart from Antartica, Australia is also the driest continent.
  
  
• About three quarters of inland Australia (called the Outback) is either arid or semi-arid land.
• The capital of Australia is Canberra which is where parliament and the federal government is located.
• Australia consists of six states and two territories. They are listed here below including time zones using GMT as fixed time. Summertime starts on the last Sunday in October and ends on the last Sunday in March:
  
  

State or Territory	Short	Capital	Time Zone	Summer Time
Australian Capital Territory	ACT	Canberra	+ 9.5	+ 11
New South Wales	NSW	Sydney	+10	+ 11
Northern Territory	NT	Darwin	+ 9.5	+ 9.5
Queensland	QLD	Brisbane	+ 10	+ 10
South Australia	SA	Adelaide	+ 9.5	+ 11
Tasmania	TAS	Hobart	+ 10	+ 11
Victoria	VIC	Melbourne	+ 10	+ 11
Western Australia	WA	Perth	+ 8	+ 9

• The highest point of Australia is Mount Kosciusko at 2,229 metres. The lowest point is Lake Eyre at -15 metres.
• The three largest lakes in Australia are found in South Australia: Lake Eyre 9,500km2, Lake Torrens 5,745km2 and Lake Gairdner 4,351km2.
• The three longest rivers in Australia are the Murray River 2,520kms, the Murrumbidgee River 1,575kms and the Darling River 1,390kms.
• Australia has over 7,000 beaches which is more than any other country.
  
  
• Australia is home to the world’s largest monolith called Mount Augustus (named Burringurrah in Aboriginal) in Western Australia.
• Uluru (formerly called Ayres Rock) is a sandstone rock formation and is listed as a World Heritage Site for its natural and man-made features.
  
  
• The Great Barrier Reef (along the north eastern coast of Australia) is one of the natural wonders of the world. It contains thousands of species of plants and animals.
  
  
• Australia has approximately 140 million sheep which account for more than 70% of the world’s wool production.
• Australia has approximately 24 million cattle and is the world’s largest exporter of beef.
• Queen Elizabeth II of the UK is Australia’s head of state. In Australia she is represented by the Governor General, Major General Jeffery.
• Australia’s currency is the Australian Dollar which is approximately equal to 60 Euro cents, 72 US cents and 40 UK pence.
• Australia enjoys a very prosperous capitalist economy. Our per capita GDP puts us in the top twenty countries of the world.
• Australia is rich in natural resources and we are a major exporter of fossil fuels, minerals, metals and agricultural products.
• Australia produces about 95% of the world's opals which are mainly found in South Australia and New South Wales.
• English is the official language of Australia. The English spoken in Australia is similar to English spoken elsewhere in the world. We do however, have some colloquial and slang expressions which are unique to Australia.
• People in Australia are generally informal and greet each other with a handshake, and/or for women a kiss on the cheek.
• The Sydney Opera House was completed in 1973 and is one of the most famous and greatest modern architectural buildings in the world.
  
  
• In 1788 Australia was settled by the British as a convict colony and remained so until the gold rush of 1851 which brought about a whole new wave of immigrants seeking fortune. Independence from Britain came in 1901 and Australia then developed its own constitution. From 1945 till the present, about 6 million immigrants have arrived on the shores of Australia.
• Australia celebrates its national day, Australia Day, on the 26th of January, marking the day when Captain Arthur Philip, commanding a fleet of 11 ships, sailed into Port Jackson Sydney and established a settlement for the British. Sydney is now Australia’s largest city.
• Australia’s flag is the only flag in the world to fly over a whole continent. A small version of the Union Jack sits in the top left corner representing the historical link to Great Britain. The Southern Cross constellation lies in the 2nd and 4th quadrant of the flag and represents this significant navigational feature of the southern hemisphere. In the 3rd quadrant sits the Commonwealth Star (Star of Federation) which has 7 points to denote the 6 states and combined territories of Australia.
  
  
• Australia’s coat of arms is the official emblem of the Australian government and was granted by King George V in 1912. It consists of a shield containing the badges of the six states. Above the shield sits the Commonwealth Star. The shield is supported by a red kangaroo and an emu.
  
  
• Australia has a remarkable diversity of life forms seen nowhere else in the world. Australian plants and animals evolved in isolation from other parts of the world when the supercontinent of Gondwanaland split up about 160 million years ago.
  
  
• Australians love their sport and are top international competitors in many sports such as swimming, cricket, rugby, tennis and hockey to name but a few. It is estimated that well over a quarter of Australians are registered sport participants. Along with participating, Australians love to support their sports and teams at live matches and of course on TV.
• Australians are known for their love of the outdoors. Sport, the beach and barbeques are favourite pastimes that are enjoyed around the country. Appreciation for fine dining, the arts and music are also very much part of the Australian way of life. Our multicultural diversity has strongly influenced our present day culture from celebrating Chinese New Year to the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.