Australia: Country overview

Geography

• Full country name: Commonwealth of Australia.
• Population: 21,766,711 (The World Factbook, July 2011). 
• Border countries: none. 
• Climate: varies greatly - large areas of desert, tropical, sub-tropical and temperate climes. 
• Terrain: varies greatly - desert, tropical rainforest, coast and bush.
• Natural hazards: certain areas of Australia can be dangerous due to extreme weather, natural conditions and hazards including bushfires, cyclones, earthquakes, floods, deadly plants and animals.

Living in Australia

• Cost of living: differs between major cities and regional centres, and relative cost will depend on exchange rates. If you are living in state capitals and earning Australian dollars, you will find rent, entertainment and food to be similar to living in most UK and European cities, although Sydney has overtaken London in Mercer ’s 2011 cost of living list, which ranks the most expensive cities in the world for expats to live in. The Earth Costs  forum is a useful website, as people list their cost of living in Australian cities and regional centres.  
• Utilities: tap water is clean and safe to drink. Electricity is 240V AC. There are many companies offering water, gas, electricity and telecommunication services. 
• Internet domain: .au
• Health: healthcare in Australia is of a similar standard to the UK and is both public (through Medicare) and private (health insurance). UK visitors are able to access limited subsidised health services from Medicare Australia .
• Laws and customs: the legal age for consumption of alcohol and the sale of tobacco is 18, smoking is banned in most indoor and some outdoor public spaces, littering is illegal and fines and penalties apply for the possession of illicit drugs. Same-sex marriage is illegal, although same-sex couples in a de facto relationship have most of the rights of married couples. However, Australia does not have a national registered partnership or civil union scheme although civil partnerships are performed in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

Economy and finance

• Currency: Australian Dollar (AUD or A$).
• Type of economy: western-style, capitalist economy.
• Health of economy: Australia had one of the strongest economies in the world, experiencing two decades of growth until 2008. The global economic crisis dramatically reversed the economic growth associated with the mining boom period between 2003 and 2008. The government has responded to the crisis with the Nation Building - Economic Stimulus Plan (Australia) .
• Unemployment rate: prior to the global economic crisis, Australia experienced a sustained period of low unemployment rates. Its impact on the resources sector in particular led to an increase in unemployment to 5.8% in June 2009. Unemployment was at 5.3% in August 2011 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011).
• Main exports: coal, iron ore and concentrates, education services, gold, personal travel services (excluding education), crude petroleum, natural gas, aluminium and aluminium ores (including alumina), professional technical and other business services.

Culture

• People: the 2006 census revealed the most common ancestry as Australian (37.13%) followed by English (31.65%), Irish (9.08%), Scottish (7.56%), Italian (4.29%), German (4.09%), Chinese (3.37%) and Greek (1.84%).
• Major religion: Christianity. 
• History: see BBC Timeline: Australia .
• Local etiquette: Australia is a friendly and informal society based on social equality, respect and fairness. You will need to sign the Australian Values Statement on your visa application, which identifies the key aspects of Australian society and culture; see Australian Government: Department of Immigration and Citizenship .

Politics

• Type of government: a federal parliamentary democracy and Commonwealth realm with three levels of government - the Australian government (federal), state and territory government and local government (councils).  
• Major political parties: The Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the Coalition (the Liberal Party and the National Party).

Travel advice

Find the latest travel advice and a traveller’s checklist on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)  website.