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General information


Population : 24.7milion people (51st in the World)
Total Area : 7,692,024 km^2 (6th in the World)
Official languages : English
Official currency : Australian dollar(AUD)
Capital : Canberra
Population density : 3.2 people/km^2 (236h in the World)
Top 5 biggest cities : Sydney,Melbourne,Brisbane,Perth,Adelaide

Australia,officially called the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent,the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands.
Australia is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy with Elizabeth II at its apex as the Queen of Australia, a role that is distinct from her position as monarch of the other Commonwealth realms. The Queen is represented in Australia by the Governor-General at the federal level and by the Governors at the state level, who by convention act on the advice of her ministers.Thus, in practice the Governor-General has no actual decision-making or de facto governmental role, and merely acts as a legal figurehead for the actions of the Prime Minister and the Federal Executive Council. The Governor-General does have extraordinary reserve powers which may be exercised outside the Prime Minister's request in rare and limited circumstances, the most notable exercise of which was the dismissal of the Whitlam Government in the constitutional crisis of 1975.

Australia has six states—New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), South Australia (SA), Tasmania (TAS), Victoria (VIC) and Western Australia (WA)—and two major mainland territories—the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory (NT). In most respects these two territories function as states, except that the Commonwealth Parliament has the power to modify or repeal any legislation passed by the territory parliaments.

The Commonwealth Parliament also directly administers the following external territories: Ashmore and Cartier Islands; Australian Antarctic Territory; Christmas Island; Cocos (Keeling) Islands; Coral Sea Islands; Heard Island and McDonald Islands; and Jervis Bay Territory, Norfolk Island, while Macquarie Island and Lord Howe Island are administered by TAS and NSW,respectively.







National sport : Australian football

Rugby league


National animals : Red kangaroo (Macropus rufus)

Emu(Dromaius novaehollandiae)


National plant: Golden wattle(Acacia pycnantha)




National instrument: Didgeridoo





The significance of the 26th of January


The 26th of January commemorates the first arrival of British ships at Port Jackson, New South Wales and the raising of the flag of Great Britain at Sydney Cove by Governor Arthur Phillip in 1788. In present-day Australia, celebrations reflect the diverse society and landscape of the nation and are marked by community and family events, reflections on Australian history, official community awards and citizenship ceremonies welcoming new members of the Australian community.

In contemporary Australia, the holiday is marked by the presentation of the Australian of the Year Awards on Australia Day Eve, announcement of the Australia Day Honours list and addresses from the Governor-General and the Prime Minister. It is an official public holiday in every state and territory of Australia, unless it falls on a weekend, in which case the following Monday becomes a public holiday instead. With community festivals, concerts and citizenship ceremonies, the day is celebrated in large and small communities and cities around the nation. Australia Day has become the biggest annual civic event in Australia.









Dreamtime (also dream time, dream-time) is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his colleague Baldwin Spencer and thereafter popularised by A. P. Elkin, who, however, later revised his views. The Dreaming is used to represent Aboriginal concepts of "time out of time," or "everywhen," during which the land was inhabited by ancestral figures, often of heroic proportions or with supernatural abilities. These figures were often distinct from "gods" as they did not control the material world and were not worshipped, but only revered. The concept of the dreamtime has subsequently become widely adopted beyond its original Australian context and is now part of global popular culture.



The term is based on a rendition of the indigenous (Arandic) word alcheringa, used by the Aranda (Arunta, Arrernte) people of Central Australia, although it has been argued that it is based on a misunderstanding or mistranslation. William Stanner remarke😛 "why the blackfellow thinks of 'dreaming' as the nearest equivalent in English is a puzzle".[1] Some scholars suggest that the word's meaning is closer to "eternal, uncreated."
By the 1980s, "Dreamtime" and "the Dreaming" had acquired their own currency in popular culture, based on idealised or fictionalised conceptions of Australian mythology. Since the 1970s, "Dreaming" and "Dream time" have also returned from academic usage via popular culture and tourism and are now ubiquitous in the English vocabulary of indigenous Australians in a kind of "self-fulfilling academic prophecy".



"Dreaming" is now also used as a term for a system of totemic symbols, so that an indigenous Australian may "own" a specific "Dreaming", such as Kangaroo Dreaming, or Shark Dreaming, or Honey Ant Dreaming, or Badger dreaming or any combination of Dreamings pertinent to their country. This is because in "Dreamtime" an individual's entire ancestry exists as one, culminating in the idea that all worldly knowledge is accumulated through one's ancestors. Many Indigenous Australians also refer to the Creation time as "The Dreaming". The Dreamtime laid down the patterns of life for the Aboriginal people.[8]
Creation is believed to be the work of culture heroes who traveled across a formless land, creating sacred sites and significant places of interest in their travels. In this way, "songlines" (or Yiri in the Warlpiri language) were established, some of which could travel right across Australia, through as many as six to ten different language groupings. The dreaming and travelling trails of the Spirit Beings are the songlines. The signs of the Spirit Beings may be of spiritual essence, physical remains such as petrosomatoglyphs of body impressions or footprints, among natural and elemental simulacra.

"Dreaming" existed before the life of the individual begins, and continues to exist when the life of the individual ends. Both before and after life, it is believed that this spirit-child exists in the Dreaming and is only initiated into life by being born through a mother. The spirit of the child is culturally understood to enter the developing fetus during the fifth month of pregnancy. When the mother felt the child move in the womb for the first time, it was thought that this was the work of the spirit of the land in which the mother then stood. Upon birth, the child is considered to be a special custodian of that part of their country and is taught the stories and songlines of that place. As Wolf (1994: p. 14) states: "A black 'fella' may regard his totem or the place from which his spirit came as his Dreaming. He may also regard tribal law as his Dreaming."
In the Wangga genre, the songs and dances express themes related to death and regeneration. They are performed publicly with the singer composing from their daily lives or while Dreaming of a nyuidj (dead spirit).

Dreaming stories vary throughout Australia, with variations on the same theme. The meaning and significance of particular places and creatures is wedded to their origin in the Dreaming, and certain places have a particular potency or "dreaming." For example, the story of how the sun was made is different in New South Wales and in Western Australia. Stories cover many themes and topics, as there are stories about creation of sacred places, land, people, animals and plants, law and custom. In Perth, the Noongar believe that the Darling Scarp is the body of the Wagyl– a serpent being that meandered over the land creating rivers, waterways and lakes and who created the Swan River.In another example, the Gagudju people of Arnhemland, for which Kakadu National Park is named, believe that the sandstone escarpment that dominates the park's landscape was created in the Dreamtime when Ginga (the crocodile-man) was badly burned during a ceremony and jumped into the water to save himself.










Top 5 visited places by tourists


Great Barrier Reef






One of the top destinations for underwater explorers and scuba divers, the Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest barrier reef system. Located in the Coral Sea off the coast of Australia’s state of Queensland, the Great Barrier Reef encompasses a huge area of more than 2,900 coral reefs and hundreds of islands and cays. Formed by millions of living organisms over a period of millions of years, the Reef is now one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world and of the best places to visit in Australia.

Sydney







Located on Australia’s southeastern coast, Sydney is the capital of New South Wales. A modern city with a long history, Sydney is defined by its scenic harbor. The region’s first inhabitants lived along the harbor’s bank for thousands of years. The harbor was also the landing site for convicts sent to Australia during the 1780s. Today, ferries take visitors for cruises under the famed Sydney Harbor Bridge and past the iconic Sydney Opera House.





Melbourne






The capital of the state of Victoria, Melbourne is Australia’s second most populated city. Located near the southeastern tip of Australia on the large natural bay of Port Phillip, Melbourne is considered the nation’s cultural capital as well as an important port. A well-planned city known for its shopping, fine restaurants and sports venues, Melbourne is the ideal destination for travelers who appreciate the good life.


Alice Springs








Located in the heart of Australia about 1500 km (900 miles) from the nearest major city, Alice Springs is comprised of cavernous gorges, boundless desert landscapes, remote Aboriginal communities and a charming pioneering history. It embodies the hardy outback of the Red Centre, and is a travel hub for sights and hikes in the region, such as Uluru/Ayers Rock, Kata Tjuta (the Olgas) and Kings Canyon. Since the start of the tourist boom in the early eighties, the population has substantially grown to about 28,000.


Thredbo


Thredbo is an alpine village and ski resort in the Snowy Mountains of southeastern Australia. The Kosciuszko Express chairlift provides access to ski runs and offers panoramic mountain views year-round. The Mount Kosciuszko summit walk leads to the top of Australia’s highest peak. Wildflowers dot the mountains of Kosciuszko National Park in spring and summer. The trout-filled Thredbo River winds through the village.






Top 3 locations suggested by the locals



Yarra Valley





The Yarra Valley is the name given to the region surrounding the Yarra River in Victoria, Australia. The river originates approximately 90 kilometres east of the Melbourne central business district and flows towards it and out into Port Phillip Bay. The Yarra Valley is a popular day-trip and tourist area, featuring a range of natural features and agricultural produce, as well as the Lilydale to Warburton Rail Trail.



Northern rivers








Northern Rivers, a region in Australia’s state of New South Wales, is known for its Pacific beaches and fertile valleys around rivers like Clarence and Tweed. Marked by a lighthouse and passed by migratory whales, the Cape Byron Headland Reserve near the town of Byron Bay is Australia’s easternmost point.

Tasmania




Home to just 500,000 people, the island of Tasmania is as intimate as it is beautiful. Its gorgeous capital city, Hobart, is home to one of the world's most intriguing art galleries, while northern Launceston is one of the few cities on the planet to be wrapped around a gorge. Drive anywhere in the island state and you can go from beach-lined coasts to World Heritage-listed mountain areas in just a few hours. Along the way you'll pass welcoming farm-gate producers, cellar doors and restaurants specialising in local produce so fresh it's the envy of the culinary world.









Inventions Australia gave to the world!

*Penicilin!
*by Howard Florey , started 1st clinical trial in 1941.



*Bionic Ear!
*by Graeme Clark in 1978.



*Spray-on skin!
*by Fiona Wood in 1993, good for burning victims skin.



*Black box (Flight recorder)!
*by David Warren in 1958



*Cardiac pacemaker!
*by Mark Lidwill in 1910











Famous people from Australia

AC DC - how other way to put the two brothers, Angus (born 1955) and Malcom (1953-2017) Young in the same category ! AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in Sydney in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. A hard rock/blues rock band, their music has also been called heavy metal, although they refer to themselves as "a rock and roll band, nothing more, nothing less".

(formation born in 1973)

Chris Hemsworth - an Australian actor. He is known for playing Kim Hyde in the Australian TV series Home and Away (2004–2007) and Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe since 2011. Hemsworth has also appeared in the science fiction action film Star Trek (2009), the thriller adventure A Perfect Getaway (2009), the horror comedy The Cabin in the Woods (2012), the dark-fantasy action film Snow White and the Huntsman (2012).
(born 1983)

Geoffrey Rush - is an Australian actor. Rush is amongst the few people who have won the "Triple Crown of Acting": an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Tony Award. He has won one Academy Award for acting (of four nominations), three British Academy Film Awards (of five nominations), two Golden Globe Awards, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. Rush is the founding President of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts and was named the 2012 Australian of the Year. He is also the first actor to win the Academy Award, BAFTA Award, Critics' Choice Movie Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award for a single performance in film for his performance in Shine (1996). Maybe most of you know him as Captain Barbarosa from the Pirates of the Caribbean series.
(born 1951)

Sir Robert Menzies - was an Australian politician who twice served as Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1939 to 1941 and again from 1949 to 1966. He played a central role in the creation of the Liberal Party of Australia, defining its policies and its broad outreach. He is Australia's longest-serving prime minister, serving over 18 years in total.
(1894-1978)

Sir Donald Bradman - ften referred to as "The Don", was an Australian cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsmanof all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 is often cited as the greatest achievement by any sportsman in any major sport.
(1908-2001)








Traditional food


”Damper” bread



Damper is a traditional Australian soda bread, historically prepared by swagmen, drovers, stockmen and other travellers. It consists of a wheat flour based bread, traditionally baked in the coals of a campfire or in a camp oven.

Vegemite



Vegemite is a thick, black Australian food spread made from leftover brewers' yeast extract with various vegetable and spice additives.

Hamburger with beetroot



You can eat burgers all over the world, but nothing is more Australian than slinging a piece of beetroot on top a pattie made with Aussie beef. That soft bun, all-beef pattie and cheese is simply not properly done without the finishing touch of beetroot.

Green chicken curry pie



Put a Thai chicken green curry inside a pie casing and you get the Aussie variant of a green curry.

Chicken and corn soup



There's an abundance of Chinese restaurants dotted throughout every city and town. Chicken and corn soup is a staple of these menus and it's so good, we call it Australian.

Crab sticks



Crab sticks are an indispensable part of the culture, a dish in which processed, pulverized white fish flesh is shaped and cured to resemble crab leg meat.

Steaks

Let’s not forget about the famous stakes from normal animals like cows, chiken , pig towards the delicacy ones like crocodile or kangaroo


Traditional desserts

Fantales



The delectable bite-sized treat is made up of chewy caramel coated in milk chocolate. It's renowned for yellow and blue wrapping scribed with movie trivia, a marketing move that has endeared the treat to DVD groupies and movie goers.


Pavlova



Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. It is a meringue dessert with a crisp crust and soft, light inside, usually topped with fruit and whipped cream.

Cherry Ripe



Australia's oldest chocolate bar is still one of its best-sellers. The Cherry Ripe consists of coconut and cherries smothered in Cadbury's Old Gold dark chocolate.

Vanilla slice



This pastry originated in France, though there it is called mille-feuille, which translates to a "thousand sheets." In English it's a vanilla slice, and Australians claim ownership of the vanilla-custard-filled, multi-layered pastry that's dusted with icing sugar. The slice can come with many flavoring options.


Traditional drinks

All I know is that australians love their BEER !












Interesting facts about Australia


1.It has the world's 3rd largest ocean territory, spanning three oceans and covering around 12 million square kilometres.
2.Vegetation covers nearly 7 million square kilometres or 91 percent of Australia.
3.The largest Greek population in the world beside Athens in Greece can be found in Melbourne Victoria.
4.Most of Australia's exotic flora and fauna cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
5.More than 80 percent of Australians live within 100 kilometres of the coast making Australia one of the world's most urbanised coastal dwelling populations.
6.Over 200 different languages and dialects are spoken in Australia including 45 Indigenous languages. The most common non-English spoken languages are Italian, Greek, Cantonese, Arabic, Vietnamese and Mandarin.
7.The first Australian of the Year award was awarded to Professor Macfarlane Burnet who had won the Nobel Prize in the same year of 1960 for his groundbreaking physiology research.
8.It has 16 world heritage listed sites including historic townships, cities and landscapes.
9.Australia used to be a beer-drinking nation but its quaffing plunged to a 65-year low in 2010-2011 with only 4.23 litres consumed per person.
10.Australia was the second country in the world to give women the right to vote in 1902.






My 5 words when I hear about Australia:
#Kangaroo,#Beaches,#DangerousAnimals,#EverythingCanKillYou,#Surf

What are your 5?





Sorry for the little delay but I have exams nowadays, so was 1 day off.

Special thanks to ronnyJnrJnr and wingfield and a message from the australian comunity:








Waiting for feedback , comments , opinions and if there is anyone that thinks I missed something , I could do something better or just wants to help me with this project , PM me !

Special thanks to Kariky for the spacers !!



Hope you enjoyed and see you next time!

P.S. Article 35/74!






P.S.2. Don't forget to push the flags !