National Flag:
Blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant known as the Commonwealth or Federation Star, representing the federation of the colonies of Australia in 1901; the star depicts one point for each of the six original states and one representing all of Australia’s internal and external territories; on the fly half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four larger, seven-pointed stars.
Capital: Canberra
English 78.5%, Chinese 2.5%, Italian 1.6%, Greek 1.3%, Arabic 1.2%, Vietnamese 1%, other 8.2%, unspecified 5.7% (2006 Census).
Currency: Australian Dollar
Main Industries:
Mining (coal, gold, bauxite, copper), engineering, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, electronics, steel.
Did You Know?
- Many Australians address other people, even strangers, as ‘mate’.
- The word ‘Matilda’ in the well-known Australian song , ‘Waltzing Matilda’ refers to a rolled up greatcoat or bedroll (which gave warmth like a womans body) used by a swagman, an intenerant labourer, in Australia.
- The ‘boomerang’ (boomer) is associated with the Australian Aborigines as a hunting tool. It is usually a flat piece of wood or other material, which has two or more angled arms or wings. Small boomerangs can return to one but this depends on the spin more than the force, and takes some practice.
- The ‘didgeridoo’ is a wooden wind instrument of Aboriginal origin. It can be over 1,3m in length.
- Kangaroos and Wallabies (smaller than the kangaroo) are marsupials. Indigenous to this part of the world, these are the only known animals to have a pouch into which the baby kangaroo (joey) is born after about 5 weeks gestation with only its forelimbs partially developed. It crawls up its mothers belly into the pouch where it attaches itself to a teat and usually stays there for approximately nine months.
