About Australia
It is the 6th largest country in the world, occupying an entire continent of some 7.6 million square kilometres. It has the world's 3rd largest ocean territory, spanning three oceans and covering around 12 million square kilometres. Vegetation covers nearly 7 million square kilometres or 91 percent of Australia. Most of Australia's exotic flora and fauna cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
The only nation-continent of 20 million people in the world. More than 80 percent of Australians live within 100 kilometres of the coast making Australia one of the world's most urbanised coastal dwelling populations. Over 200 different languages and dialects are spoken in Australia including 45 Indigenous languages. The most common non-English spoken languages are Italian, Greek, Cantonese, Arabic, Vietnamese and Mandarin.
Today's Australia is very multicultural with Indigenous peoples and migrants from some 200 countries. It has 16 world heritage listed sites including historic townships, cities and landscapes. Australia was the second country in the world to give women the right to vote in 1902. Surprisingly Australia is the most obese country in the world as of 2012 with a 26 percent obesity rate despite being a sport loving nation.
- The hold of the old White Australia Policy was broken by Gough Whitlam's Labor Government which adopted a broader approach to citizenship and opening migration to Asia and the Middle East.
- Australian TV networks love cooking shows, airing one after another upon viewership success of My Kitchen Rules and MasterChef.
- Canberra was selected as the capital because Sydney and Melbourne could not stop arguing which city should be the capital of Australia.
- Melbourne topped 140 rivals to be crowned the world's most liveable city 2 years in a row since 2011.
- The only place in the world where you can still find the lung fish which is a living fossil from the Triassic period 350 million years ago.
The sports capital of the world has 70 percent of its total population participating at least once a week in a particular recreational activity or sport. 80 percent of Australians believe Australia has a strong culture and identity characterised by being down to earth, mateship, honesty, sports and multiculturalism based on research organised by the Australia Day Council of NSW in 2008.