Transcript Australia in a Nutshell

…the land down under
Where in the world is Australia?
• Island southeast of
Asia
• Pacific Ocean on the
east.
• Indian Ocean on the
west.
• Southern Hemisphere.
• Australia is a
continent and a
country.
If you were to travel east of
Australia, what continent would
you first come across?
Australia’s Climate
Mostly arid
to semiarid
 Temperate
in the south
and east
 Tropical in
north
Australia’s Outback
• Australia is famous
for its "outback," the
remote lands of the
interior.
• The desert outback
covers most of the
interior.
• It is too hot, dry and
barren to support
many people
Land Use and Natural Resources
• Land Use: 6.15% of the
land is arable.
• Natural Resources:
bauxite, coal,
diamonds, natural gas,
petroleum
• note: Australia is the
world's largest exporter of
coal (29%).
Where do most people live in Australia?
Population
concentrated
along the eastern
and southeastern
coasts (the urban
rim).
90% of
Australians live
within 100 miles of
the ocean
Why do so few people live
in Australia’s interior?
Cultural Characteristics
Language: English
Religion: Roman Catholic
Literacy Rate: 99%
What does Australia’s literacy rate tell you
about its standard of living?
Economy
• Currency: Australian dollar
• Australia has a strong booming economy with a GDP of
819 billion and a GDP per Capita of $38,100
• A mixed economy, Australia has one of the freest
economies in the world.
• Starting a business takes only two days, compared to
the world average of 38.
• One in every 12 adults own his or her own business.
• China is Australia’s major trading partner.
How does Australia’s location impact its trade with China?
Why is Australia the world leader
in entrepreneurs?
• Abundant raw materials
• Highly educated
workforce
• Few rules to restrict
business.
• Easy to start a business
• Laws protect
entrepreneurs and their
property.
Human
Capital
Natural
Resources
Capital
Investments
Trade
In Australia voluntary trade is encouraged,
therefore there are very few trade barriers
in the country.
Commonwealth of Australia
Australia is a federal parliamentary democracy.
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System: Federal
Type: Parliamentary Democracy
Constitutional Monarchy
Executive Head (head of government): Prime Minister
Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II
Capital: Canberra
Australia is comprised of 6 state and two territories.
How is Australia’s government similar to
Canada’s government?
40,000 years ago, during the Ice Age, people from Southeast Asia
traveled to Australia either by land or canoe.
Several thousand years later when the Ice Age was over, ocean levels
rose, and these people were cut off from the rest of the world.
When Cook “discovered” Australia there were about 300,000 Aborigines
living in the continent.
Will history repeat itself?
Origin and Culture of the Aborigines
• Arrived from Southeast
Asia and occupied
Australia for at least
40,000 years.
• Hunters and gatherers.
• Settled, mostly along
coasts and rivers.
• Created some of the
earliest rock art ,as well
as the first boomerangs.
Origin and Culture of the Aborigines
Religion (Dreamtime)
– Focuses on the relationship of
people to nature
– They believe that powerful
spirits created the land and the
role of humans is to care for it
• Did not have a written language.
• The Aborigines kept their history
by telling stories that were passed
down from generation to generation.
European Exploration
• In 1770, English
Captain James
Cook claimed the
Australian east
coast for England.
• Named the area
New South Wales.
Reasons for British Colonization
• A place for prisoners
• A good location to base its navy in the
South Pacific (WWII).
• Opportunities to trade with Asia, and the
Americas.
A Colony for Prisoners
• The American Revolution resulted in
independence of the American
colonies from Great Britain.
• After Great Britain lost colonies in
North America, it began to look for
other locations for prisoners
• Australia was a good choice.
• From 1788-1823, the colony of New
South Wales officially became a
penal colony.
Settlement
• After 1868, Britain stopped sending convicts.
• More British settlers began immigrating to
Australia.
• By 1861 the European population was over 1
million.
Settlement
• Many of the Europeans
were farmers.
• Wool becomes a major
part of the economy after
ranchers discovered that
Australian sheep
produced a fine wool
• Discovery of gold in 1851
led to a new rush of
settlers
Impact of European Colonization on the
Aborigines
•
European settlements expansion
force Aborigines to leave their
land.
•
European diseases such as small
pox kill large number of
Aborigines.
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Many Aborigines killed when they
tried to protect their land.
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Weapons such as guns gave the
colonists a major advantage in
fights.
•
European ranchers used surviving
Aboriginal population to work in
their ranches as stockmen and
domestic workers.
Independence and After…
• 1901: Australia granted independence. The six
colonies join to form the Commonwealth of Australia.
It has a democratic government. Britain's royalty has
only a ceremonial role.
• 1962: Aboriginal people given the right to vote.
• 1967: Aboriginal people recognized as citizens.
• 2008:The Australian parliament formally apologizes
for past wrongs committed against the Aboriginal
people.
LEARNING CHECK
What do the countries in light green have in
common when it comes to the organization of
their governments?
The kangaroo, one of Australia’s most iconic
animals is unique to Australia. Why?
Why was Australia used as a penal colony
by the British?
As an entrepreneur why would you like to
invest in Australia?
Australia’s People
• It is a multicultural country.
• Australia is a country of immigrants.
– 90% of Australians are of British or Irish descent
(mostly convict).
– Since the abolishment of the White Australia
policy of the 1970s, immigration from Asia and
elsewhere has been encouraged.
• As a result, Australia’s demography, culture,
and self-image have been transformed.
• Also, a large number of Australians live
outside their home country.
Australia’s Aborigines
• Aborigines suffer from higher rates of
imprisonment and unemployment.
• Aborigines suffer from lower levels of
education.
• Life expectancies for males and females is
17 years lower than those on nonindigenous Australians. Why?...
Australia and the World
• Australia’s foreign relations are driven by a
close relationship with the United States,
its status as a British commonwealth, and
its proximity to Asia.
• It is a founding member of the United
Nations.
Australia’s Culture
• Language
– English is the national language.
– It is spoken by 80% of the country’s population.
• Religion
– Australia has no state religion.
– 64% of Australians list Christianity as their religion (26% of that
are Roman Catholic).
– Surveys have found Australia to be one of the least devout
nations in the developed world.
• Education
– The adult literacy rate is 99%.
– One result of the high literacy
is that Australia enjoys one of
the highest standards of living!
– Australia’s education is ranked 8th
in the world (the United States is 9th).
Australia’s Culture
• Sports
– 23.5% of Australians over the age of 15 regularly
participate in organized sports.
– Australia has strong international teams in cricket, field
hockey, rugby, cycling, rowing, sailing, and swimming.
• Famous Australian swimmers include
Dawn Frasier and Ian Thorpe.
– Australia has participated in every
summer Olympic Games since 1896.
• It hosted the 1856 Summer Olympics in
Melbourne.
• It hosted the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
• It has ranked in the top 6 medal-takers since
2000.