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Most people harbour a particular image of Australia,
such as the Opera House or Ayers Rock, yet these famous icons do scant
justice to the richness of Australia's natural treasures and its cultural
diversity. Australia offers a wealth of travel experiences, from the
drama of the outback and the spectacle of the Great Barrier Reef to
the cosmopolitanism of Sydney and arguably the best beaches in the
world. Australia is an enormous country, and visitors expecting to
see an opera in Sydney one night and meet Crocodile Dundee the next
will have to re-think their grasp of geography. It is this sheer vastness,
and the friction between the ancient land steeped in Aboriginal lore
and the New World culture being heaped upon it, which gives Australia
much of its character.
Facts at a Glance
Full country name: Commonwealth of Australia
Population: 18,090,000 (growth rate 1.4%)
Capital city: Canberra (pop: 311,000)
People: 94% European descent, 4% Asian, 1.5%, Aboriginal
Languages: English, Aboriginal languages (plus Italian, Greek and
numerous other European and Asian languages)
Religion: 75% Christian, 1% Muslim, 1% Buddhist, 0.5% Jewish
Government: Independent member of the British Commonwealth
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