Living in Australia

Although large, Australia has the smallest population (25,615,840 as at March 2020) compared with the other top five largest nations – Russia, Canada, China, the United States of America and Brazil. Australia as a nation governs an entire continent. The mainland is the largest island and the smallest continent on Earth. It lies between ten degrees and 39 degrees latitude South. The highest point on the mainland, Mount Kosciuszko, is only 2228 metres. Apart from Antarctica, Australia is the driest continent. Its interior has one of the lowest rainfalls in the world and about three quarters of the land is arid or semi–arid.

The Australian federation consists of six States and two Territories – New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory. Most inland borders follow lines of longitude and latitude. The largest state, Western Australia, is about the same size as Western Europe. The currency in Australia is the Australian dollar, which is comprised of 100 cents. Coins come in denominations of $1 and $2 (these coins are gold in colour) and 50, 20, ten and five cents (silver in colour). The notes come in denominations of $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100. Australia has unique life forms not seen elsewhere the world. Australian plants and animals evolved in isolation from other parts of the world. Over the past 45 million years, Australia has moved away from Antarctica towards the equator and become warmer and more arid. About 35 million years ago, eucalypts began to displace the dense forests of the cool, damp Tertiary Period. The marsupials native to Australia have a different chromosome structure than mammals in other parts of the world. Typically, they suckle their young in a pouch. As the world climate warmed and glaciers melted, oceans gradually rose to their current level and the land bridges to New Guinea and Tasmania were cut. Corals colonised a flooded coastal plain, forming Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef.

LIVING IN SYDNEY

The gateway to Australia, Sydney is renowned as a dynamic and cosmopolitan city, combining excellent business and education facilities with great leisure opportunities. Australia’s oldest and largest city is set on one of the world’s most stunning harbours, fringed by easy-to-reach, sandy beaches. Sydney Harbour separates the city into north and south, with harbourside villages, beachside suburbs and inner city areas full of life and their own distinctive character.