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From that time to the arrival of the first European explorers, convicts, free settlers and more recent immigrants, Australia has survived depressions, wars and political scandals; created dynamic cities and legends of 'the bush' and the 'Aussie battler'; provided new beginnings for people from all over the world; and experienced a decline and gradual re-emergence of its Indigenous culture.
In the last half-century the less-acknowledged layers of Australian culture and history have begun to achieve wider recognition, in particular through art, literature and cinema; as a result, the iconic 'battler' has become less relevant. Migrants have brought their own stories, cultures and myths to combine with those of the colonial Australians. There's also a long-overdue acknowledgement that Australian Aborigines are fundamental to a true definition of the country's culture today.
The 'Great Australian Dream' of owning a house, which began in the prosperous 1950s, is ongoing and has resulted in massive suburbanisation in Australian towns and cities, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne. Australian architecture today does not really have a distinctive style, and overseas trends often dominate large projects. In many cases the most interesting ‘modern’ buildings are in fact recycled Victorian or other era buildings. There are some exceptions though, the notable ones being the Convention Centre at Sydney’s Darling Harbour, the Melbourne Museum, and the Cultural Centre at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in central Australia, which was designed in consultation with the park’s traditional owners. Melbourne’s Federation Square complex, with its sharp geometric shapes, represents challenging modern architecture in the heart of the city.
The economy's current good health is evidenced by a relatively high Australian dollar, increased trade with China and some record-breaking profits for local businesses. This has been accompanied by low inflation and unemployment figures. On the downside, though, the country's trade deficit has increased to $20 billion, average household debt is soaring and the price of real estate in many urban centres is increasingly unaffordable.
Inspite of its size and dependence on the rural populous Australia is one of the most developed and urbanized countries in the world. Australia has experience the strongest employment growth of any OCED nation. The Australian government with its long-term planning and increased job opportunities has considerably brought down the unemployment level. Work is split up sector wise. The various sectors under which employment is sought in Australia are the Chemicals and Plastic industry, Electrical and Electronics industry, Information and Technology Industry, Agricultural and Rural Farming, Processed Foods, Manufacturing, Small Business and the services sector. However those applying for work in Australia usually are experts in fields wherein expertise is not easily found within Australia.
Around 62% of all employed workforce are engaged in Manufacturing, Wholesale & Retail Trade, Construction and Communication Services.
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Around 82% of all employed workforce are wage & salary earners, self-employed. |
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Around 79% of employed persons work full time. |
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Students can take up holiday jobs, campus jobs and part time jobs for financial self-support. Normally a student is not permitted to work more than 20 hrs per week while the course is in session. |
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| Information Highlights |
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| Capital |
Canberra |
| Government |
Federal Parliamentary Monarchy |
| Head of Government |
Prime Minister |
| Area(approx) |
2,967,207 sq miles |
| Currency |
A$ 1.57=1 US$ |
| Religion |
Christianity, Roman Catholics, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism |
| Languages |
English & aboriginal languages |
| Climate |
The Climate ranges from tropical Monsoon in the North, to cool temperate in the South. Nearly a third of the Continent lies in the tropics an the rest in the temperate zones. Much of the central part is Semi-arid. |
| Australian Embassy in India |
High Commission for Australia
1/50-G, Shatipath, Chanakyapuri
New Delhi-110021
Tel: 6888223, 6885637, 6872035
Telex: 031-82001
91-11-6885088 |
| Indian Embassy in Australia |
High Commission of India,
3-5, Moonah Place, Yarralumla
Canberra, ACT-2600, Australia
Tel:00-616-2-2733999, 2733774
Fax:00-616-2-2733328 |
| Amazing Facts |
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Dry Lakes: Many of Australia's vast desert lakes contain no water. For example Lake Eyre fills with water rarely and was completely dry for a century until 1950 A.D. |
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The Great Barrier Reef one of Australia's greatest assets is a magnificent reef which runs along the entire coast of Queensland. Considered one of the world's natural wonders, it is the most extensive reef system and the biggest structure made by living organisms on earth. In the north, the reef is virtually continuous and is located only 50km from the shore. In the south, individual reefs are more common, in some places up to 300km(190mi) offshore. |
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| Australia is as wide as the distance from Kuala Lumpur to Taipei and as long as the distance from Singapore to Manila. |
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| Don't Miss This |
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Ayers Rock (Uluru) is a site of deep cultural significance to the local Anangu Aboriginals and the most famous icon of the Australian outback. The 3.6km (2.2mi) long rock rises to a towering height of 348m (1141ft) from the pancake-flat surrounding scrub, smack in the middle of the country. It is especially impressive at dawn and sunset when the red rock spectacularly changes hue. There are walks around the base of the rock which pass caves, rock art and sacred Aboriginal sites. |
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The Sydney Opera House located on the shores of the harbour is a world famous architechtural landmark. |
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In 1770 A.D. the English explorer James Cook dropped anchor in Botany Bay, south of what is today known as the city of Sydney. |
| The dinosaur footprints at Gantheaume Point in Broome, has a distinctly Asian feel, partly because of its history as a pearling centre and partly because Perth, the state capital, is twice as far away as Indonesia.
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