Australia
Australia is a huge island. Much of it is hot dry desert. Most people live on the east coast where there is more rain.
The Commonwealth of Australia is the smallest, least populated continent.
It is also the only nation which occupies an entire continent. Australia presents innumerable variations and contrasts in climate, landscape, vegetation and animal life. Scenery ranges from tropical jungles to snow-capped alpine peaks and there are harshly hostile gibber (stony) deserts and jagged mountain ranges which contrast with sweeping plains covered with rich pastures. Particularly Australian are the tall gum trees (eucalypts) and the scented, golden wattles (acacias); kangaroos, dingoes, the koala and the platypus are typical of the unique wildlife.
Although the outback (the flat plains and plateaus which characterize the Australian landscape) forms so large a part of the island continent, comparatively few modern Australians live in the interior.
Most live in the coastal cities, industrial centers and inland towns. Their way of life is the ultimate contrast to that of the original Australians, the Aboriginals, who have lived on the continent for more than 30,000 years.
Comparing the size Australia with other countries
Comparative size of Australia with... Europe
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Comparative size of Australia with... America
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Australia is geologically ancient; the country historically young. Its late discovery and settlement are due mainly to its comparative isolation from the rest of the world. Located entirely in the southern hemisphere and encompassed by the Indian and Pacific oceans, Australia did not initially attract European attention. There were several reasons for this, not the least being the influence of prevailing winds on sailing ships and also because the first mariners to land on Australian shores did so in places which were arid, inhospitable, and apparently lacking in any material assets such as spices, gold and silver, which is what the Spaniards, Portuguese, Dutch and British sought in earlier times.
Consequently, after Cook discovered the east coast, the earliest use that the British Government could see for this isolated land was as a convict settlement to replace those lost during the War of Independence (Revolutionary War) in America.
However, the colony developed rapidly, due to the perspicacity of some of its original settlers who introduced merino sheep and later planted large areas of wheat. The discovery of gold and other minerals attracted large numbers of immigrants who, after the alluvial deposits had been exhausted, remained in the country to pursue their original occupations.
By the late-19th century, Australia was an important exporter of pastoral and agricultural produce and minerals, and was increasing its imports of manufactured goods. In modern Australia, this economic tradition is changing rapidly. With a second great era of mineral discovery and exploitation, the export of raw materials remains a vital factor in Australia's attempt to maintain a favorable trade balance. However, since the 1950s Australia's exports of manufactured goods have greatly increased.
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