The People

Australia’s original inhabitants, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, have been living in Australia for at least 40 000 years and possibly up to 60 000 years.
The rest of Australia’s people are migrants or descendants of migrants who have come from nearly 200
countries since the start of European settlement of Australia in 1788.
In 1945, Australia’s population was about seven million people. Since then, more than 6.5 million migrants,
including around 675 000 refugees, have settled in Australia.
Today, Australia has a population of 21 million people, of which 43 per cent were either born overseas
or have one parent who was born overseas.
Australians of all religious, racial, ethnic and social backgrounds live together in peace.

The Climate in Australia

Australia is one of the driest countries in the world. Much of the interior is flat, barren and sparsely populated. Yet much of northern Australia has a tropical climate. Parts of Queensland, the north of Western Australia and the Northern Territory experience monsoon–type rainfalls during the wet season from January to March. In fact, Australia is so large that it experiences most climatic conditions, ranging from snow and frost to heat waves. The coldest areas are in Tasmania and the alpine areas in the south–east highlands of mainland Australia. The hottest areas are in the central west of the continent. Australia’s seasons are the opposite of those of the northern hemisphere. Summer is from December to February, autumn is from March to May, winter is from June to August and spring is from September to November. July has the coldest average temperature. Average daytime temperatures are between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius (50 and 68 degrees F) in most of southern Australia, and in the high 20s or low 30s degrees Celsius (70s and 80s F) in the northern tropics. Temperatures below freezing are rare near the coast but many inland areas experience light overnight frosts in winter. In alpine areas, temperatures regularly fall below 0 degrees Celsius (32 F) and snow lies above 1500 metres elevation for several months a year. January and February are the hottest months in southern Australia, whereas in the tropics November and December are hottest. Average daytime temperatures are more than 30 degrees Celsius (80s or 90s F) in most inland areas, and reach near 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) in parts of Western Australia. They are cooler (20s C/70s or 80s F) near southern coasts, in highland areas and in Tasmania.

Source: <The Department of Immigration and Citizenship publication: Life in Australia

The Australian Economy

Australia has a strong market–based economy that is open, flexible and competitive. It has a stable and
modern institutional structure that provides certainty to businesses and a welcoming environment for international investment.
Australia is also a major regional finance centre with reliable domestic and international transport systems,
world–class information and telecommunication technology, a multilingual and highly skilled workforce and a
system of regulation. The Australian Stock Exchange is the world’s eighth largest listed exchange measured
by market capitalisation.
Australia is a significant world trader, with its two–way trade in goods and services valued at more than
$400 billion – about 1 per cent of total world trade. Japan is Australia’s largest trading partner, followed by
China, the United States, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Korea.