COUNTRY INVENTORY: AUSTRALIA1

Country Inventory: Australia Garcia R Simpson Columbia College April 07, 2011

COUNTRY INVENTORY: AUSTRALIA2 Introduction Australia s formal name is the Commonwealth of Australia and is considered the smallest continent in the world, but is the sixth largest country. It is located between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean. The total area is about7.7 million square kilometers. It is full of diverse geographical features that are very beautiful and intriguing. For instance, you can find snow covered on the peaks of Tasmania and secondly you may also come across large deserts and tropical forests.Australia also has some of the oldest geological features in the world and the oldest known rocks dating more than millions of years ago. It has a diverse range of climate zones that vary from tropical regions in the north througharid expanses of the interior to temperate regions in the south.

COUNTRY INVENTORY: AUSTRALIA3 Australia: Cultural Geography The current cultural scenario in Australia has a perfect blend of Australian Aboriginal Culture and the European influence. The natives of Australia follow their own indigenous cultural traditions and evolved their own arts and crafts before the immigration of the Europeans. Citizens of European nationalities,especially the British, flocked to this rich island during the Australian Gold Rush and as refugees of World War II looking forward to rehabilitation.The Aborigines of Australia were the original inhabitantsbefore the settlement of the Europeans and are believed to be about 450,000 of the population. They possess a rich culture with distinctive mythology, beliefs,rituals, languages and lifestyle. The national language of Australia is English, but is written in a distinct manner that distinguishes it from the English spoken in other countries. It is popularly known as Australian English. For about eighty percent of the population, English is the main form of communication. Settlers even from nonEnglish speaking countries in Australia have adopted the Australian English as their language for communication at home. The second most common language is Chinese due to the large presence of Chinese population. Other languages that are spoken as well are Italian and Greek. Prior to the arrival of European settlers there were around 200-300 Aborigine languages spoken. Australia has also adopted a sign language known as Auslan, which is used by deaf people. Australia has no official state religion and people are free to practice any religion they choose as long they obey the law. They are also free not to have a religion.Australia is a predominantly Christian countrywith around sixty four percent identifying as Christians. However, there are other major religious faiths also practiced which greatly reflect Australias culturally diverse society.Religious freedom is safeguarded by section 116 of the Australian Constitution. Similar to that of the United States, it prohibits the federal government frommaking any law establishing any religion, imposing any religious observance, or prohibiting the free exercise of any religion. Individuals are free to express a diversity of views, as long as they do not incite religious hatred. When it comes to foods, Australia has one of the most diverse cuisines in the world thanks to Asian and European migrant influences.Some traditional foods like fish and chips still remain popular,

COUNTRY INVENTORY: AUSTRALIA4 but it are the wines of Australia that will astound you. Many vineyards cover the land from north to south with the varietals ranging from Coonawarra and Viognier to Shiraz and Grenache. As one of the worlds most efficient agricultural nations, it produces highquality vegetables, fruit and grains, meat, poultry, seafood, and cheeses and other dairy products. In addition, many new industries have been established to accommodate the growing Australian taste for exotic foods, including Asian greens, nashi pears, lychees, olives and herbs. Customs are very important in Australia. For instance, Australians hold certain days each year as special days of national meaning. They may also recognize the day with a holiday for everyone or celebrate the day as a nation with special events. Most states and territories observe some public holidays on the same date. Meanwhile they have others on different dates or have some days that only their state or territory celebrate. In larger cities, most shops, restaurants and public transport continue to operate on public holidays as we do in the United States. In some smaller towns, the shops and restaurants close. Christmas and Easter are two of the main public holidays.There are other events that are not public holidays but still celebrate an aspect of Australia. A couple of events are Australian Citizenship Day on September 17 that celebrates the importance of Australian citizenship and Harmony Day on March 21 whichcelebrates their racial respect and community harmony. If invited to someones home for dinner, it is custom to bring a box of chocolates for the hostess or a good quality bottle of wine. Australia: Physical Geography Australia is for the most part a flat plateau with large desert areas central and west with only a few mountain ranges. A low coastal plain encircles most of the country and much of it is fronted with miles of sandy beaches.The shape of Australia is due largely to tectonic Earth movements and long term changes in sea level and most of its topography is a result of prolonged erosion by wind and water.It lies in the Southern Hemisphere and the seasons occur at different times of the year than in Europe. The summer months are November through March while winter occurs in May and lasts throughout August. Amazingly, the climate is not uniform in every part of the country.Western Australia and Queensland for example,experience almost scorching summers and pleasant chilly winters while Victoria and Tasmania

COUNTRY INVENTORY: AUSTRALIA5 endure extremely cold conditions during the winter months. There is an extreme variation between the pleasant, coastal weather and harsh, inland climatic conditions. The precipitation of Australia is extremely low when compared to other continents and landmasses.The northern parts are more tropical while the south and east enjoy moderate weather. The landform is a low plateau with a fertile plain to the southeastern tip. The lack of high mountain ranges hinders the prospect of a heavy rainfall.Western Australia is made up of the western plateau and on the eastern coast are the Eastern Highlands. The western plateau region is generally flat but you can also find the presence of mountain ranges in the same region as well as big rivers like the Victoria, Murchison and Ashburton rivers. The eastern highlands, known as the Great Diving Range, separates the eastern coastal plain from the rest of Australia and receives the most amount of rainfall. It also has the Great Barrier Reef, which is the world's largest coral reef. The dry and barren desert regions make up most of inland Australia. The resources in Australia involves exploring, extracting, processing and exporting minerals and petroleum. Australia has large quantities of these resources, which it mines, uses domestically and exports to countries around the world. Coal, liquefied natural gas, iron ore, copper, diamonds, zinc and many other minerals provide growth for many neighboring nations.Australia also has the worlds largest resources of recoverable brown coal, lead, rutile, zircon, nickel, tantalum, uranium and zincand ranks second in the world for bauxite, copper, gold, ilmenite and silver. The major markets for Australian mineral and petroleum exports are to Japan, China, the Republic of Korea, India and Singapore.

Australia: Political Geography The form of government established in Australia is a Constitutional Monarchy. Constitutional because the powers and procedures defined by a written constitution, and monarchy because the Head of State is ran by a queen. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state and has been Queen of Australiasince 1973. The Queen is represented federally by a governor general and in each state by a governor. The governor general generally acts on the advice of the prime minister and other ministers but, the governor general has reserve powersincluding the power to dismiss ministers. Australias two self-governing

COUNTRY INVENTORY: AUSTRALIA6 territories have political systems similar to those of the United States andeach territory is headed by a chief minister who is the leader of the party with a majority or a working minority in the territory's legislature. Three political parties dominate the center of the Australian political spectrum. The Liberal partyrepresents the urban business interests. Then the Nationals who represent rural all interests. Third is the Australian Labor party representing workers and trade unions. There are three divisions of Australian government consisting of the legislature which is responsible for debating and voting on new laws, the executive which is responsible for enacting and upholding the laws established and the judiciary which is responsiblefor enforcing those laws. Australia has been an active participant in international affairs since 1901and has fought beside the United States and other Allies in every significant conflict since World War I. It was also one of the founding members of the United Nations and the South Pacific Commission. The country has devoted particular attention to relations between developed and developing nations focusing on the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the island states of the South Pacific.Australia is part of the Asia Pacific partnership on clean development and climate which also includes the United States.Both Australia and United States have ties covering the entire spectrum of international relationsfrom commercial, cultural, and environmental contacts to political and defense cooperation. The country has been active in the Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom agreement and the FivePower Defense arrangementswith Britain and New Zealand to ensure the security of Singapore and Malaysia. Australia also participates in a Trilateral Security Dialogue with the United States and Japan. Australia: The Future In my opinion, I think the future of Australia is forever growing and changing with the times. As shown on the map, ninety percent of the land mass seems to be grasslands and deserts. If there isnt enough precipitation each year I think that percentage may rise over the next thirty years. From reviewing all the information about their natural resources, I believe Australia will become an even more powerfulcountry and may surpass Canadas percentage in the production of oil in years to come. I also

COUNTRY INVENTORY: AUSTRALIA7 think Australia is one of those places that most tend to forget about because of its location. As the years go by it may well become the center of world attention for all that it has to offer to neighboring countries including the United States.

COUNTRY INVENTORY: AUSTRALIA8 References Asia Rooms.(2011). Australia Geography. Retrieved from http://www.asiarooms.com/en/travel-guide/australia/australia-overview/australia-geography.html BBC News. (2011). Australia country profile. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/country_profiles/1250188.stm Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.(2011). Australia s Resources. Retrieved from http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/resources_sector.html Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.(2011). People, Culture and Lifestyle. Retrieved from http://www.dfat.gov.au/facts/people_culture.html Department of Immigration and Citizenship.(2011). Australia Social customs. Living in Australia. Retrieved from http://www.immi.gov.au/living-in-australia/choose-australia/about-australia/au-customs Getis, A., Getis, J., &Fellman, J. D. (2009). Geography of Natural Resources. Introduction to Geography.Mcgraw Hill. (12thed.) 127-155. Kwint Essentials. (2011). Australia: Culture, Customs and Etiquette. Retrieved from http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/australia.html U.S. Department of State. (2011). Background note: Australia. Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs.Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2698.htm