Windows Wallpapers > Wallpapers > Australia
Loading ...
Australia is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Neighbouring countries include Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and New Caledonia to the northeast and New Zealand to the southeast.
For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians, who belonged to one or more of roughly 250 language groups. After discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, Australia’s eastern half was claimed by Britain in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales, where formal possession of the land had been taken on 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in subsequent decades; the continent was explored and an additional five self-governing Crown Colonies were established.
On 1 January 1901, the six colonies became a federation and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. Since Federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and is a Commonwealth realm. The population is approximately 22.6 million, with approximately 60 per cent concentrated in and around the mainland state capitals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. The nation’s capital city is Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 57 per cent of Australia’s population live in either Victoria or New South Wales, and approximately 79 per cent live in the eastern states of Australia.
A prosperous developed country, Australia is the world’s thirteenth largest economy and it holds a position 16 in Global Competitiveness Index 2010–2011 rankings made by World Economic Forum. Australia ranks highly in many international comparisons of national performance such as human development, quality of life, health care, life expectancy, public education, economic freedom and the protection of civil liberties and political rights. Australia is a member of the United Nations, G20, Commonwealth of Nations, ANZUS, OECD, APEC, Pacific Islands Forum and the World Trade Organization. Australia is the only country outside Europe in the top ten of the quality-of-life index.
History of Australia
The History of Australia refers to the history of the area and people of Commonwealth of Australia and its preceding Indigenous and colonial societies. Aboriginal Australians are believed to have first arrived on the Australian mainland by boat from the Indonesian archipelago between 40,000 to 60,000 years ago. They established among the longest surviving artistic, musical and spiritual traditions known on earth.
The first uncontested landing in Australia by Europeans was by Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon in 1606. European explorers followed intermittently until, in 1770, James Cook charted the East Coast of Australia for Britain and returned with accounts favouring colonisation at Botany Bay (now in Sydney), New South Wales. A First Fleet of British ships arrived at Sydney in January 1788 to establish a penal colony. Other colonies were established by Britain around the continent and European explorers sent deep into the interior throughout the 19th century. Introduced disease and conflict with the British colonists greatly weakened Indigenous Australia throughout the period.
Gold rushes and agricultural industries brought prosperity and autonomous Parliamentary democracies began to be established throughout the six British colonies from the mid-19th century. The colonies voted by referendum to unite in a Federation in 1901, and modern Australia came into being. Australia fought on the side of Britain in the World Wars and became a long standing ally of the United States when threatened by Imperial Japan during World War II. Trade with Asia increased and a post-war multicultural immigration program received more than 6.5 million migrants from every continent. The population tripled in the six decades to around 21 million in 2010, with people originating from 200 countries sustaining the 14th biggest economy in the world.
Geography of Australia
Australia’s landmass of 7,617,930 square kilometres (2,941,300 sq mi) is on the Indo-Australian Plate. Surrounded by the Indian and Pacific oceans, it is separated from Asia by the Arafura and Timor seas. The world’s smallest continent and sixth largest country by total area,Australia—owing to its size and isolation—is often dubbed the ‘island continent’ and variably considered the world’s largest island.Australia has 34,218 kilometres (21,262 mi) of coastline (excluding all offshore islands) and claims an extensive Exclusive Economic Zone of 8,148,250 square kilometres (3,146,060 sq mi). This exclusive economic zone does not include the Australian Antarctic Territory. Excluding Macquarie Island, Australia lies between latitudes 9° and 44°S, and longitudes 112° and 154°E.
The Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef, lies a short distance off the north-east coast and extends for over 2,000 kilometres (1,240 mi). Mount Augustus, claimed to be the world’s largest monolith, is located in Western Australia. At 2,228 metres (7,310 ft), Mount Kosciuszko on the Great Dividing Range is the highest mountain on the Australian mainland, although Mawson Peak on the remote Australian territory of Heard Island is taller at 2,745 metres (9,006 ft).
Australia is the flattest continent, with the oldest and least fertile soils; desert or semi-arid land commonly known as the outback makes up by far the largest portion of land. The driest inhabited continent, only its south-east and south-west corners have a temperate climate. The population density, 2.8 inhabitants per square kilometre, is among the lowest in the world, although a large proportion of the population lives along the temperate south-eastern coastline.
Eastern Australia is marked by the Great Dividing Range that runs parallel to the coast of Queensland, New South Wales and much of Victoria – although the name is not strictly accurate, as in parts the range consists of low hills and the highlands are typically no more than 1,600 metres (5,249 ft) in height.The coastal uplands and a belt of Brigalow grasslands lie between the coast and the mountains while inland of the dividing range are large areas of grassland. These include the western plains of New South Wales and the Einasleigh Uplands, Barkly Tableland and the Mulga Lands of inland Queensland. The northern point of the east coast is the tropical rainforested Cape York Peninsula.
Map showing the topography of Australia, showing a some elevation in the west and very high elevation in mountains in the southeast
Topographic map of Australia
This is a Sydney Australia Photo
The landscapes of the northern part of the country, the Top End and the Gulf Country behind the Gulf of Carpentaria, with their tropical climate, consist of woodland, grassland and desert.At the northwest corner of the continent is the sandstone cliffs and gorges of The Kimberley and below that the Pilbara while south and inland of these lie more areas of grassland, the Ord Victoria Plain and the Western Australian Mulga shrublands.The heart of the country is the uplands of central Australia while prominent features of the centre and south include the inland Simpson, Tirari and Sturt Stony, Gibson, Great Sandy, Tanami and Great Victoria Deserts with the famous Nullarbor Plain on the southern coast.
This is a Sydney Opera House Photo
The climate of Australia is significantly influenced by ocean currents, including the Indian Ocean Dipole and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, which is correlated with periodic drought, and the seasonal tropical low pressure system that produces cyclones in northern Australia. These factors induce rainfall to vary markedly from year to year. Much of the northern part of the country has a tropical predominantly summer rainfall (monsoon) climate. Just under three quarters of Australia lies within a desert or semi-arid zone The southwest corner of the country has a Mediterranean climate. Much of the southeast (including Tasmania) is temperate.
Economy of Australia
Australia has a market economy with high GDP per capita and low rate of poverty. The Australian dollar is the currency for the nation, including Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru, and Tuvalu. After the 2006 merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange, the Australian Securities Exchange is now the ninth largest in the world.
This is a Victoria Photo
Ranked third in the Index of Economic Freedom (2010),Australia is the world’s thirteenth largest economy and has the ninth highest per capita GDP; higher than that of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Canada, Japan, and the United States. The country was ranked second in the United Nations 2010 Human Development Index and first in Legatum’s 2008 Prosperity Index.All of Australia’s major cities fare well in global comparative liveability surveys;Melbourne reached second place on The Economist’s 2008 World’s Most Livable Cities list, followed by Perth, Adelaide, and Sydney in fourth, seventh and ninth place respectively.Total government debt in Australia is about $190 billion. Australia has amongst the highest house prices and some of the highest household debt levels in the world.
Incoming search terms:
- australia map
- map of australia
- australian map
- australia
- australia maps
- maps of australia
- australia time
- خريطة استراليا
- australia elevation map
- australian maps
- topographical map of australia
- australia elevation
- map of australia with cities
- sydney australia
- Topographic map of australia
- elevation map australia
- australian land
- australian outback map
- WALLPAPERS AUSTRALIA
- topographic maps australia
Tags: Australia, Australia Economy, Australia Geography, Australia History, Australia Landscape, Australia Map, Australia Photo, Australia Photographs, Australia Picture, Australia Wallpaper, Economy of Australia, Geography of Australia, History of Australia, Landscapes of Australia, Map of Australia, Photographs of Australia, Photos of Australia, Pictures of Australia, Wallpapers of Australia
19 comments : “Australia”
Leave a comment
Panorama
Translate
[...] comment »Australia PhotosPhotographer: William BullimoreFor more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Photos Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high quality and [...]
[...] a comment »Australia WallpapersPhotographer: AnonymousFor more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Wallpapers Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high quality and [...]
[...] comment »Australia LandscapesPhotographer: Tim PhillipsFor more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Landscapes Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high quality and [...]
[...] a comment »Australia PicturesPhotographer: Tim PhillipsFor more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Pictures – 2 Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high [...]
[...] a comment »Australia PicturesPhotographer: AkeiiFor more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Pictures – 3 Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high [...]
[...] …Leave a comment »Australia PicturesPhotographer: MljsFor more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Pictures – 4 Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high [...]
[...] a comment »Australia PicturesPhotographer: Pete KempFor more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Pictures – 5 Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high [...]
[...] a comment »Australia PhotosPhotographer: Starman 777For more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Photos – 2 Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high quality [...]
[...] comment »Australia PhotosPhotographer: Chris&SteveFor more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Photos – 3 Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high quality [...]
[...] a comment »Australia PhotosPhotographer: anonymousFor more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Photos – 4 Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high quality [...]
[...] a comment »Australia PhotosPhotographer: Hai Linh TruongFor more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Photos – 5 Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high quality [...]
[...] a comment »Australia WallpapersPhotographer: Tim PhilipsFor more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Wallpapers – 2 Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high [...]
[...] a comment »Australia WallpapersPhotographer: SailorFor more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Wallpapers – 3 Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high [...]
[...] a comment »Australia WallpapersPhotographer: Nic PrinsFor more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Wallpapers – 4 Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high [...]
[...] »Australia WallpapersPhotographer: Hai Linh TruongFor more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Wallpapers – 5 Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high [...]
[...] »Australia BackgroundsPhotographer: Ferrell McColloughFor more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Backgrounds Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high quality and [...]
[...] comment »Australia LandscapesPhotographer: Kevin GibbonsFor more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Landscapes – 2 Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high [...]
[...] »Australia BackgroundsPhotographer: Ferrell Nic PrinsFor more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Backgrounds – 2 Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high [...]
[...] a comment »Australia WallpaperPhotographer: Nic PrinsFor more information visit this link: Australia You are viewing Australia Wallpaper Download our amazing windows wallpapers in high quality and [...]