- You are here:
- Home
- › Travel & living abroad
- › Travel advice by country
- › Country profiles
- › Asia and Oceania
- › Australia
Asia and Oceania
Australia |
|
|
Last updated: 19 December 2011 |
Country information
Area: 7,682m sq km
Population: 22.7 million
Capital city: Canberra
People: 98% of the population are of European or Asian descent
Languages: Mainly English with some other European, indigenous and Asian languages
Religion(s): Majority Christian with Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim and other minorities; in the 2006 Census, 18.7% of the population defined themselves as having “no religion”. Freedom of religion is guaranteed by the constitution.
Currency: Australian Dollar (A$)
Major political parties: The main national political parties are the Australian Labor Party (ALP), Liberal Party, National Party, and the Australian Greens. The Liberal and National Parties are in coalition at the national level, and in most states; in Queensland, they merged in 1998 to form the Liberal National Party, while in the Northern Territory they merged in 1975 to form the Country Liberal Party.
Government: The Australian Constitution of 1901 established a federal system of government. Under this system, powers are distributed between a federal government (the Commonwealth) and the six States. Two Territories - the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory - have more limited powers; there are also a number of offshore territories, of which the most significant are Norfolk Island and the Australian Antarctic Territory. The Parliament is at the heart of the Australian government. The Parliament consists of The Queen (represented by the Governor-General) and two Houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Australia is thus a constitutional monarchy, a federation and a parliamentary democracy.
Head of State: Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II
Governor-General: HE Ms Quentin Bryce AC became the 25th Governor General on 5th September 2008.
Prime Minister: The Hon Julia Gillard MP (Leader Australian Labor Party)
Foreign Minister: The Hon Kevin Rudd MP
Membership of international groups/organisations: The United Nations (UN), the Commonwealth, the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC), Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), theASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), East Asia Summit(EAS), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the Group of 20 (G20), the Major Economies Forum (MEF).
