Author Topic: Australia - Preview (Read 2191 times)

TheStig · « **on:** April 03, 2010, 07:12:27 PM »

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of 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

The nation's capital city is Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory.

Australia is a prosperous developed country, with a multicultural society. It 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. Australian cities rank among the world's highest in terms of cultural offerings and quality of life. It is a member of the United Nations, G20,

Commonwealth of Nations, OECD, ANZUS, APEC, South Pacific Forum and the World Trade Organization.

The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional democracy based on a federal division of powers. The form of government used in Australia is a

constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of Australia, a role that is distinct from her position as

monarch of the other Commonwealth realms. The Queen is represented by the Governor-General at federal level and by the Governors at state level.

Australia has six states—New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia—and two major mainland territories—the

Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

Melbourne