Terrain

The country's terrain is mostly dominated by plateaus, still mountain ranges run from north to south along the east coast, reaching their highest point in Mount Kosciusko (2,228 m). A desert-like plateau that rises into barren, rolling hills near the west coast, occupies the western half of the continent. It includes the Great Victoria Desert to the south and the Great Sandy Desert to the north. The Great Barrier Reef, extending about 2,000 km, lies along the northeast coast. The rivers Burdekin, Fitzroy and Hunter drain the narrow but rich coastal plains in the country's east and south and run to the Great Barrier Reef.

Climate

Australia's climatic conditions are characterized by warmth, little rain and sunshine while intense cold winters are uncommon. Still, the continent may be divided into several climatic zones, an arid and semiarid interior, the north, which experiences monsoons and the sub-humid to humid east. Australia can experience hurricanes and cyclones on both coasts mainly on the northeast and northwest while droughts are also common.

Fauna/Flora

Australia has many (more than 20,000) distinctive forms of plant life, notably species of giant eucalyptus and shrubs in coastal areas and oak, ash, cedar, floss-silk tree and beech in humid areas. There are also hundreds of endemic animal species, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibia and fish. Some animal species only endemic in Australia include the kangaroo, the koala, the flying opossum, the wombat, bandicoots, Tasmanian Devil, the platypus and the echinda.

History/Politics

The first inhabitants of Australia were the Aborigines, who migrated there at least 40,000 years ago from Southeast Asia. Dutch seafarer William Jansz discovered Australia for Europe in 1606, however, first settlement, then by the British, would start as late as the 18th century. A British penal colony was set up at Port Jackson, now Sydney, in 1778, and about 160,000 transported English convicts were settled there until the system was suspended in 1839.

Free settlers established six colonies, which would develop into states. Economic expansions of the Australian colonies lead to expropriation of Aboriginal land, segregation and armed conflict between settlers and Aborigines over winning back their land. The states federated into the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.

Australia fought alongside Britain in World War I deploying 300,000 soldiers, and this was also the time when Australian national pride developed. Australian soldiers participated in World War II to protect Great Britain and the country's territory was used for American military operations in the Pacific region.

Close relations between the United States of America and Australia lead to the signing of a military assistance agreement and Australian involvement in the Korean and Vietnam wars. The 1970s saw Aborigines organise civil rights movements through which they tried to regain their rights. They finally gained their civil rights after a referendum in 1967 and regained partial territorial rights in 1990. Queen Elisabeth II has been Australia's head of government since 1952 represented by a generally elected Governor-General.

Economy

Up to 1940, Australia's economy was mainly based on agriculture, since that time manufacturing became an ever-more important sector. Still, Australia remains an important producer and exporter of agricultural products like wool, meat and livestock. Additionally, the country exports raw materials like aluminium, mineral sand, coal and iron.

Past years have seen the services sector grow, which contributes a share of more than 70 % to the Gross National Product and employs more than 70 % of the country's workforce. Unemployment averaged 6.1% in the 2001-2002 period, with the inflation rate at 2.8 %.

Culture

Aboriginal rock carvings and paintings date back at least 30,000 years and can be seen as the first pieces of art to be found in Australia. European settlers began to produce distinctively Australian art forms towards the end of the 19th century. Australia's mid-20th century artists gained worldwide acclaim (Sidney Nolan, Arthur Boyd, Patrick White) and its modern practitioners have excelled in painting (Brett Whiteley, Fred Williams) and literature (Peter Carey, Thomas Keneally). Modern Aboriginal art has undergone a revival in the last decade as Aboriginal artists have explored ways to preserve their ancient values.