| The Commonwealth of Australia (Latin: Australis - "Southern") is the sixth state in the world with respect to the size of its territory. Australia consists of the Australian continent and islands, the largest of them being Tasmania.
East Australia was declared as a territory of Great Britain in 1770 and the first colony was formed on January, 26, 1788. As the population grew, six self-governing colonies were formed on the territory of Australia.
On January, 1, 1901, all the six colonies formed a federation. From that time onwards, Australia preserves a stable democratic political system.
The name "Australia" occurs from the Latin. australis, which means “Southern”. Legends about the “Unknown southern land” (Latin: terra australis incognita) were known from the Roman periods and were commonplace in medieval geography, however, were not based on any real knowledge. From 1638, Dutchmen used this term for all newly-explored southern lands.
The name "Australia" became popular after the publication of “A Voyage to Terra Australis” by navigator Mathew Flinders. The Governor of New South Wales Mr. Lachlan Macquarie used this name in correspondences with England. In 1817, he recommended, that the name be officially adopted. In 1824, the British admiralty finally approved the name of the continent as “Australia”.
Australia consists of six states and several territories.
States:
New South Wales (NSW); Queensland (QLD); Southern Australia (SA); Tasmania (TAS); Victoria (VIC) ; Western Australia (WA).
Two major mainland territories - Northern territory (NT) and Australian Capital Territory (ACT); The federal government controls a separate area “Jervis Bay Territory” near the southeast coast, which is a naval base and sea port for the national capital.
In many respects, the status of the territories is similar to the status of the states with an exception that the Federal Parliament can override any legislation of a Territory Parliament.
Each state and mainland territory has its parliament (unicameral in Queensland and territories, bicameral in other states). The head of the government in the individual states is called a “Premier”, and the head of Australia is called the "Prime Minister". The Queen is represented in the states by Governors.
Australia has several inhabited external territories: Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, Cocos Island and some uninhabited territories: Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Coral sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Island and the Australian Antarctic Territory (one third of Antarctica). The sovereignty of Australia over the Territory of Antarctica is not recognized by Russia and many other countries.
Geographical data:
Australia is a continent in the Southern hemisphere with an area of more than 7 million square kilometers. The East coast of Australia is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean; Northern, Western and Southern coasts are surrounded by the Indian Ocean. Large islands such as New Guinea and Tasmania are located near Australia. The Great Barrier Reef is situated along the northeast coast of Australia.
Flora and fauna:
Though most of the continent is covered by semi-arid deserts, various types of landscapes ranging from Alpine meadows to tropical jungles are found in Australia. Approximately 85% of plants, 84% of mammals, 45% of birds, 89% of fresh-water fishes are endemic.
Australian fauna includes the platypus and echidna, various marsupials including the koala, kangaroo, wombats and birds such as the emu, cockatoo and kookaburra. The Dingo was brought by Indonesians, who traded with the native Australians from 4000 B.C. Many plants and animals, including huge marsupials, became extinct with the settlement of aborigines; others (for example, the Tasmanian Tiger) became extinct with the advent of Europeans.
As of July, 1 2007, the census of Australia constituted 20,001,546 people;
The majority of the population of Australia are the descendants of immigrants of the 19th and 20th centuries. The majority of these immigrants migrated from Great Britain and Ireland.
Since the First World War, the population of the country increased by 4 times thanks to an ambitious immigration program.
English is the national language (a special variant, popularly known as Australian English).
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Australia Day was widely celebrated past Saturday (January 26) in the "land down under". It is a national holiday which marks the anniversary of the establishment of the first British colony on the continent of Australia. Indigenous Australians call this holiday "The Invasion Day".
