Meet Australia

Australia is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent (the world's smallest), the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.The population is 22 million people, with approximately 60% concentrated in and around the mainland state capitals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and is a Commonwealth realm. For at least 40,000 years before European settlement in the late 18th century, Australia was inhabited by indigenous Australians,  who belonged to one or more of the roughly 250 language groups.

Australia’s multicultural population is more than 20 million and includes the Indigenous Australians, better known as Aborigines, as well as settlers from countries all around the world. Immigration is an important feature of Australian society. Since 1945, almost 5.5 million people have come to Australia as new settlers. Immigrants have made major contributions toward shaping modern Australia. People born overseas and their children make up about two-fifths of the total population.

The national language in Australia is English and it is taught in all schools. Australian English has been influenced by British English; that influence is apparent in both spelling and vocabulary. Australian, or “Aussie,” English is unique in pronunciation and expression. The language of Aborigines varies from tribe to tribe and there are multiple languages among them.

Traditional Food

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  Vegemite

  Vegemite is an Australian food paste, made from yeast extract, that is a spread for sandwiches, toast, crumpets and cracker biscuits, and filling for pastries.Vegemite was developed in 1922 by Australian food technologist, Cyril P Callister. It is made from the yeast left-overs of the beer making process, and became one of the positive side effects of the Australian brewing industry of the 1920s.