Australia Today:
Australia is a stable, democratic society with a skilled workforce and a strong, competitive economy. With a population of 20 million, Australia is the only nation to govern an entire continent and is the sixth largest country in the world in land area. Australia’s multicultural society includes its Indigenous peoples and migrants from some 200 countries.
Although Australia is an English-speaking country, more than 4.1 million of its people speak a second language. Australia offers the familiarity of a Western business culture with a workforce capable of operating in both Asian and Western business environments – Australia has the widest range of native Asian language skills in the region
Australia is a tolerant and inclusive society, a nation built by people from many different backgrounds – Vietnam, China, Greece and the UK are among the top 10 countries that Australians have migrated from.
Despite the vast size of the continent however, the majority of Australians live on the coast and in major cities – around 75 per cent of Australia’s population lives in urban areas.
Australia has a area of 7.69 million square kilometers and is worlds largest island but smallest continent. It has a vast land mass which runs about 3700 kilometers from north to south and 4000 kilometers from east to west. Area wise, Australia is the 6th largest country after Russia, Canada, China, USA, and Brazil. It is about twice the size of European Union. Its coastline is surrounded by three oceans and covers about 12 million square kilometers.
States and territories
This vast continent is run and governed by three levels of government – the federal Australian Government, the state governments of all six states and local government authorities.
Over 80 per cent of Australian population lives within the 100 kilometres of the coast line and Australia is regarded has having one of the most urban coastal population in the world.
The ACT is about 300 Km south of Sydney. Canberra which is the capital of the country is located in ACT. It is home to many government institutions like Australian Parliament, the High Court of Australia, the National Museum of Australia, the National Library and the Australian War National Library, the National Museum of Australia and the Australian War Memorial.
Climate in ACT
Summer days across the ACT range from warm to hot, and the temperatures can go up to 40ºC. Winter days are cool and sometimes sunny, and often start with early morning frost and fog.
Winter nights are around 0ºC during July. Canberra gets a lot of sunshine and receives an annual average rainfall of 630mm.
NSW is the oldest state of Australia with Sydney as its capital, which is the also the most populous and the largest Australian city. The Harbour Bridge and Opera House are national icons, and Sydney Airport is the country’s major international airport.
Climate in NSW
Summer temperatures are averaged at around 25°C but can reach up to 40°C with high humidity between October and March. The night temperature rarely drops below 10ºC
Winters are cool rather than cold. Winter is moderate by northern hemisphere standards, with many days with temperatures in the 20s, though some days can also be damp and chilly. Winter nights are likely to be cold, with an average temperatures of 6ºC
VIC is the smallest mainland states in area but is the second most populated states of Australia. Melbourne is the capital of Victoria and is the second largest city of Australia. VIC is famous for its sporting events like Melbourne Cup – Australia’s premier horse race, The Australian Open – tennis , Australian Grand Prix – Car Racing .
Climate in VIC
Melbourne’s climate has an unfortunate reputation: wet, windy, unpredictable and liable to extremes – very hot or very cold and often both on the same day! Melbourne has a mild, temperate climate with four distinct seasons.
· Summer: December to February
Temperatures: from 21°C to 34°C, average 28°C
· Autumn: March to May
Temperatures: from 11°C to 19°C, average 17°C
· Winter: June to August
Temperatures: from -1°C to 12°C, average 8°C
· Spring: September to November
Temperatures: from 10°C to 20°C, average 17°
QLD is the second largest state of Australia and covers tropical rainforests in the far north of the state and more temperate areas in the south east of the state. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the major attractions along with the great sunny beaches. Brisbane is the capital of the state.
Climate in QLD
Northern Queensland seasons are more a likely to be hot and wet OR cool and dry as there is less of summer and winter. November/December to April/May is the wetter, hotter half of the year; this is also the season for cyclones.
Queensland doesn’t really experience ‘cold weather’. Temperatures in Brisbane, in the south of the state, rarely drop below 20°C and, while it doesn’t suffer the high humidity that can be found in northern regions of the state, the climate is still most pleasant in winter (June to August).
SA is called as the ‘Festival State’ of Australia with over 500 festivals taking place every year. This state is also the wine producing state in Australia which has about 13 wine regions and is a hub for Australian food and wines. The state capital is Adelaide.
Climate in S.A
Summer
Summers are hot but the true heat waves are usually short and periods of cooler weather always provide welcome relief. . Heat is the major climatic extreme, with daily maximums around 38°C common in the outback from October to April. Adelaide can also get very hot in summer with an average temperature of 29°C
Winter
Winter is mild. Now and then the temperature falls to freezing point, but this usually happens at night. The average winter temperature is around 15°C.
WA is the largest state in Australia. The east of the state is mostly desert while to the west the state is bound by about 13000 kilometres of the world’s most immaculate coastline. About three-quarters of the state’s population lives in Perth, the capital.
Climate in W.A
Summer: The summer months are hot with an average temperature of 29°C during the day and 17°C at night. Some days around New Year’s have been known to rise to and above 40°C. Perth experiences a very low rate of humidity.
Winter: The winter months in Perth are from June to August and are mild, with an average temperature of 18°C during the day, and 9°C at night. The wettest
TAS is the smallest state in Australia and is separated by Bass Strait. It has beautiful landscapes and is one of the favourite tourist destinations for local and international tourists. Hobart is the capital of the state.
Climate in TAS
Tasmania (and Hobart) has four distinct seasons, although storms can bring wintry conditions at any time of year.
Summer the days are generally warm rather than hot, while the nights are mild. Conditions are usually good up until March, when temperatures drop. The average summer day temperature is a comfortable 21°C
Autumn is generally characterized by cool, sunny days and occasional frosty nights.
Winter is wet, cold and stormy, particularly in the west. Snow lies on the higher peaks but is usually only deep enough for the state’s two ski resorts to operate occasionally. Winter’s average day temperature is a mild 12°C
Spring is windy and storms still sweep the island, but in between the sun shines and gradually warmth returns.
NT is has a population of nearly 200,000 and is twice as large as France. Darwin on the northern coast is the capital of the state and Alice Springs is the main inland town of the state. Uluru–Kata Tjuta and Kakadu national parks are the famous attractions of the state
Climate in N.T
The climate is tropical with dry months from May to September and the wet season from December to March. Temperatures range from 25°C – 33°C in summer and 20°C -30°C in winter.
