Travel to
Australia:
Australia tourist information with details about travel to and around the country. Where
to stay and what to see is made easier with insider tips and hand-selected Australia
links, by dedicated editors and visitors to TravelNotes.org - The Online Guide to Travel.
The capital of Australia is Canberra.
Buy
a Map of Australia.
The flag of Australia is blue with the flag of the UK in the upper
hoist-side quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant, known
as the Commonwealth or Federation Star.
Representing the federation of the colonies of Australia in 1901, the
star depicts one point for each of the six original states and one representing all of
Australia's internal and external territories.
On the fly half is a representation of the Southern Cross
constellation, in white, with one small five-pointed star and four larger, seven-pointed
stars.
Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia
about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century.
No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James
Cook took possession in the name of Great Britain.
Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they
federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901.
The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly
develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the
British effort in World Wars I and II.
In recent decades, Australia has transformed itself into an
internationally competitive, advanced market economy.
Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the
ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great
Barrier Reef.
Administrative Divisions
2 territories:
Australian Capital Territory; Northern Territory.
6 states:
New South Wales; Queensland; South Australia; Tasmania; Victoria;
Western Australia.
Dependent Areas
Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands,
Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island, Macquarie Island.
Independence
1st January, 1901 (federation of UK colonies).
National Holiday
Australia Day: 26th January.
|
