Land area: 2,941,283 sq mi (7,617,931 sq km); total area: 2,967,909 sq mi (7,686,850 sq km)

Population (2006): 20,264,082 (growth rate: 0.9%); birth rate: 12.1/1000; infant mortality rate: 4.6/1000; life expectancy: 80.5; density per sq mi: 7

Capital City: Canberra

Monetary unit: Australian dollar

Languages: English, native languages

Ethnicity/race: Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal (353,000) and other 1%

Religions: Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%

Like the USA and Canada, Australia is a federation of states with power shared between state and federal governments.

Australia has a very dramatic landscape and 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.

Eastern Australia has large areas of grasslands, used primarily for sheep and cattle ranches. Australia also has some mountainous areas and plateaus scattered throughout the country. The Blue Mountains, on the south-eastern end of Australia, get their name from the blue haze caused by oil droplets given off from the eucalyptus trees. One of the outback’s Australian attractions, is the Ayers Rock, which was also known as Uluru. Uluru was named Ayers Rock by a European explorer William Christie Gosse. The rock shifts it's colors as the day progresses.

Austraila also have some of the most exotic coral beach islands. The Great Barrier Reef stretches along the coast of Queensland. It is the world's largest coral reef and is over 2000km long overall.

Australia is very much a multi-cultural nation, having enjoyed waves of immigration starting with the Australian Aboriginals 40,000 years ago, followed by the English 200 years ago. Since World War II, Australia has received millions of migrants, with the population roughly tripling over a period of fifty years. However, although Australia is similar in size to the continental USA, its population is still only around 18 million and is heavily concentrated in the major coastal cities.

Much of the Australian life-style revolves around the outdoors and sport. Australians like to relax actively by bush-walking, skiing, surfing, sailing, swimming, or any other activity that takes them into the sun and open air. Whilst keen watchers of a wide variety of sports, Australians also like to be active participants, and continue to take part in organized and social sport throughout their lives.

Australian architectural styles have been basically exotic and unoriginal. Until recent times building styles were only slightly modified by climate, materials and skills. There was no architectural style or tradition to influence the ideas and knowledge that the British settlers brought with them when settling in Australia from 1788. During the nineteenth century, Australian architects were inspired by developments in England. In the twentieth century, American and International influences dominated.

Famous landmarks include the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which is one of the longest one-bow bridges in the world with a length of 1 150m. The bridge is just 66 cm shorter than the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Over 200 000 cars cross the bridge per day. Sydney is also home to one of the most iconic landmarks in the world, the Sydney Opera House.