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Roughly the same size as the U.S.A., the island continent of Australia is a diverse land with a wide variety of landscapes. These include deserts in the interior, hills and mountains, tropical rainforests, and densely-populated coastal strips with long beaches and coral reefs off the shoreline. Isolated from other continents, Australia has an abundance of unique plant and animal life. Animals most associated with Australia are Kangaroos and Koalas, but there are many more native to Australia such as the Emu, Dingo and Platypus.

Modern Australia is a little more than two hundred years old, but its indigenous history stretches back thousands of years. Australia's original inhabitants are called Aborigines.

The British founded the first settlement and named it Sydney in 1788. Many of the first settlers were convicts, sent from the overcrowded jails in England to the new penal colony of Australia. Free settlers arrived in increasing numbers, particularly after the discovery of gold in the mid-19th century. Today 99% of the population are of European or Asian descent.

Australia is best known overseas for its personality exports: Crocodile Dundee, Steve Erwin the Crocodile Hunter, and The Wiggles.

FACTS

• Full name: Commonwealth of Australia
• Population: 20.6 million (official estimate, 2006)
• Capital: Canberra
• Area: 7.7 million sq km (2.9 million sq miles)
• Major language: English
• Major religion: Christianity
• Life expectancy: 78 years (men), 83 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 1 Australian dollar = 100 cents
• Main exports: Ores and metals; wool, food and live animals; fuels, transport machinery and equipment
• GNI per capita: US $32,220 (World Bank, 2006)
• Internet domain: .au
• International dialling code: +61

(Information on Australia is from the BBC News: Country Profiles website. Visit the site for further information on Australia)

Australia in size comparison to the United States

- 19 Jan 2012

• Carver Snr's 2011 4th Qtr Newsletter [more]
• Carver Snr's 2011 3rd Qtr Newsletter [more]
• Richard & Andrea's Dec Newsletter [more]
• Andrea's Family News [more]
• Youth Department comes alive! [more]
• Home Missionary goes to Daru [more]
• Bible School Teacher Training [more]
• Mt. Wilhelm Climb and Crusade [more]
• PNG gets new Missionaries! [more]
• Creation of a Print Room! [more]

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