Australia - Down Under By Josiah William At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Australia, (The Commonwealth of Australia), is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the world's smallest continent and a number of islands in the Southern, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Australia is a federation of six states (New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia) and two territories (the Northern Territory and the Capital Territory, where Canberra is located). Australia has been inhabited for more than 42,000 years by Indigenous Australians.

The eastern half of the continent was claimed by the British in 1770 when James Cook, an English explorer, landed on the world’s smallest continent and claimed it for Britain. In 1788, 11 ships, with more than 700 British convicts, sailed into present-day Sydney and established a settlement in New South Wales. Five further self-governing colonies were set up: Tasmania, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia over the next century. On 1 January 1901, the six colonies federated and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. Canberra is the capital city of Ausralia.

The current national population is around 20.5 million which is concentrated mainly in the large coastal cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. Most of them descended from nineteenth- and twentieth-century immigrants, the majority from Great Britain and Ireland. Mainland Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders — the indigenous population was 410,003 (2.2% of the total population) in 2001. English is the official language and spoken in the home by around 80% of the population. The next most common languages spoken at home are Chinese (2.1%), Italian (1.9%) and Greek (1.4%).

The 2001 census identified that 68% of Australians call themselves Christian: 27% identifying themselves as Roman Catholic and 21% as Anglican. Australians that identify themselves as followers of non-Christian religions number 5%. A total of 16% were categorised as having "No Religion", like the country which itself doesnot have any state religion.

The countries around Australia include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the French dependency of New Caledonia to the northeast, and New Zealand to the southeast.

Australia covers a diverse range of habitats, although most of the land is semi-arid or desert. Australia's biota is unique and diverse as its extremely variable weather and geography are. In Australia about 85% of flowering plants, 84% of mammals, more than 45% of birds, and 89% of in-shore, temperate-zone fish are endemic. To protect and preserve Australia's unique ecosystems numerous protected areas have been created.16 World Heritage Sites have been established throughout the continent.

Most Australian woody plant species are evergreen and many are adapted to fire and drought, like acasias and eucalyptus. Well-known Australian fauna include the platypus and echidna, the kangaroo, koala, wombat; and birds such as the emu, and kookaburra.

The landscape varies from endless sunbaked horizons to dense tropical rainforest to chilly southern beaches. The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef, lies a short distance off the north-east coast and extends for over 2,000 kilometres (1,250 mi). The world's largest monolith, Mount Augustus, is located in Western Australia. Mount Kosciuszko(2,228 metres (7,310 ft)) on the Great Dividing Range is the highest mountain on the Australian mainland, although Mawson Peak on the remote Australian territory of Heard Island is taller at 2,745 metres (9,006 ft). This unique geography and the biodiversity are the best attraction of Australia.

If you plan a Vacation to Australia, Several prepaid calling card and phone card companies are available to call both to and from Australia.

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