1. AUSTRALIA
…the land down under

2. Aborigines Today… 300,000 live in Australia today
In the 1960s, policies were changed to be in favor of Aborigines
Can hold a seat in Parliament
Can have their own schools which teach their culture, language, and art
Live modern lives, some are teachers, lawyers, mechanics, nurses and politicians

3. Australia Today…
1986: Australia Act -- all legal ties with the British Empire were severed
Today, Australia is a parliamentary democracy (constitutional monarchy) with Elizabeth II as queen
1999: 55% of voters rejected the idea of becoming an independent republic. Basically, they prefer parliamentary over presidential democracy.

4. Let’s Review!
GEOGRAPHY

5. 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.
Who would be it’s largest trading partners?
If you were to travel east of Australia, what continent would you first come across?

6. Australia’s Climate Mostly arid to semiarid
Temperate in the south and east (mild)
Tropical in north

7. 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

8. 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%).

9. 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?

10. Cultural Characteristics
Language: English
Religion: Roman Catholic
Literacy Rate: 99%
What does Australia’s literacy rate tell you about its standard of living?

11. ECONOMY

12. 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?

13. Why is Australia the world leader in entrepreneurs?
Abundant raw materials
Highly educated workforce/ human capital
Few rules to restrict business.
Easy to start a business
Laws protect entrepreneurs and their property.
Human Capital
Natural Resources
Capital Investments

14. Trade
In Australia voluntary trade is encouraged, therefore there are very few trade barriers in the country.

15. GOVERNMENT

16. Commonwealth of Australia
Australia is a federal parliamentary democracy.
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?

17. HISTORY

18. Will history repeat itself?
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 500,000 Aborigines living in the continent.
Will history repeat itself?

19. 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.

20. 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.

22. European Exploration
In 1770, English Captain James Cook claimed the Australian east coast for England.
Named the area New South Wales.

23. 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.
Imperialistic Attitude

24. 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 , the colony of New South Wales officially became a penal colony.

25. Settlement After 1868, Britain stopped sending convicts.
More British settlers began immigrating to Australia.
By 1861 the European population was over 1 million.

26. 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

27. 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.
Many Aborigines killed when they tried to protect their land.
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.

28. 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.

29. LEARNING CHECK
What do the countries in light green have in common when it comes to the organization of their governments?

30. The kangaroo, one of Australia’s most iconic animals is unique to Australia. Why?

31. Why was Australia used as a penal colony by the British?

32. As an entrepreneur why would you like to invest in Australia?
What is Australia like today?

33. 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.

34. 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 non-indigenous Australians. Why?...

35. 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.

36. Australia’s Culture Language Religion Education
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).

37. 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.