Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia comprises an entire continent and its outlying islands, totaling six states and two territories. To give a sense of the sheer size of this country, consider that its largest state, Western Australia, is about the same size as all of Western Europe!
More than 20 million people call Australia home, but the vast majority of those people live in the country’s 10 largest cities and along the eastern and south-eastern seaboards. The peoples of Australia hail from a varied background and contribute greatly to its multicultural lifestyle. Whether it is the Aboriginal people, or its Western settlers, the culture and heritage of Australia is a unique mixture of old tradition and modern life. Before the arrival of European settlers, Australia was home to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, each with their own languages, lifestyles, and social systems that reflected a connection between man and nature. Europeans were first recorded on the continent in the early 1600s when Dutch explorers charted Queensland. These men were later followed by explorers from Spain and England. It was the British Crown that made the largest exploration of Australia when it sent Captain James Cook to chart and claim the entire east coast of Australia for Great Britain.
Afterward, the country was used as a penal colony for Britain, sending its convicts, and later, its immigrant-citizens to Sydney Harbor.
Australia is perhaps most well-known for its unique and abundant wildlife, including the kangaroo, koala, platypus, and emu. Plus, the dry climate of Australia makes its grazing lands ideal for the booming sheep and cattle industry.
And, like its varied flora and fauna, Australia’s cultural heritage has something to offer everyone, ranging from sporting events to international cuisine, and from modern theater performances to traditional ceremonial festivals.
