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Most
people harbour a particular image of Australia, such as the
Opera House or blood-red Uluru (Ayers Rock). Yet these famous
icons do scant justice to the richness of Australia's natural
treasures and its cultural diversity. Australia offers a wealth
of travel experiences, from the vastness and drama of the
outback, to the spectacle of the Great Barrier Reef and its
islands, the cosmopolitanism of Sydney and arguably some of
the best beaches in the world. Visitors expecting to see an
opera in Sydney one night and meet Crocodile Dundee the next
will have to re-think their grasp of geography in this huge
country. It is this sheer vastness, and the friction between
the ancient land steeped in Aboriginal lore and the New World
cultures being heaped upon it, which gives Australia much
of its character.
Full
country name: Commonwealth of Australia
Area: 7,682,300 sq km
Population: 19.5 million
Capital city: Canberra (pop: 313,000)
People: 94% European descent, 4% Asian, 1.5% Aboriginal
Languages: English, Aboriginal languages (plus numerous other
European, Arabic and Asian languages)
Religion: 75% Christian, 1% Muslim, 1% Buddhist, 0.5% Jewish
Government: Independent member of the British Commonwealth
Prime Minister: John Howard
Governor-General: Dr Peter Hollingworth
GDP:
US$418 billion
GDP per head: US$22,000
Annual growth: 4%
Inflation: 2%
Major products/industries: Minerals, oil, coal, gold, wool,
cereals, meat, tourism.
Major trading partners: Japan, ASEAN, South Korea, China,
New Zealand, US and the EU.
Australia
Flight from UK
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