"ऑस्ट्रेलिया": अवतरणों में अंतर
Content deleted Content added
Information taken from http://www.abc.net.au/ra/australia/hd/ |
No edit summary |
||
पंक्ति 9:
आस्ट्रेलिया एक स्वतंत्र पश्चिमी [[प्रजातंत्र]] है जिसकी जनसंख्या २ [[करोड़]] है । आस्ट्रेलियाई सरकार [[स्वतंत्र प्रजातंत्र]] की परम्परा पर आधारित है जो अपने नागरिकों को [[वार्तालाप करने की आज़ादी]] एवं [[समूह बनाने की स्वतंत्रता]] प्रदान करती है। आस्ट्रेलियाई सरकार देश में [[धार्मिक सहनशीलता]] के प्रचलन के लिए वचनबद्ध है।
[[कनाडा]], [[न्यूज़ीलैंड]] और अन्य कई पूर्व ब्रिटिश [[उपनिवेश|उपनिवेशों]] की तरह आस्ट्रेलिया भी एक [[संविधानिक राजतंत्र]] है जिसकी अध्यक्षता [[ब्रिटेन]] की महारानी [[ऐलिज़ाबेथ द्वितीय]] अपने प्रतिनिधि [[गर्वनर-जनरल]] के माध्यम से करती
The '''Commonwealth of Australia''' is the sixth-largest country in the world (geographically), the only one to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of [[Australasia]]. Australia includes the island of [[Tasmania]], which is an [[Australian States and Territories|Australian State]]. Its neighbouring countries include [[New Zealand]] to the southeast; and [[Indonesia]], [[Papua New Guinea]] and [[East Timor]] to its north. The name 'Australia' comes from the [[Latin language|Latin]] phrase ''terra australis incognita'' ("unknown southern land", see [[Terra Australis]]). The word "Australia" is pronounced by locals as either <tt>@"streIlI@</tt> or <tt>@"streIj@</tt> ([[SAMPA]]), əˈstɹeɪlɪə or əˈstɹeɪjə ([[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]).
<!--
new infobox template with parameters (as used in Belgium and Netherlands)
commented-out for the moment, still some bugs in the templating system
{{Infobox_Countries|the=|
fullname =Commonwealth of Australia|
motto =None (formerly Advance Australia)|
official_languages =[[English]]|
capital =[[Canberra]]|
capitalscoordinates=|
largestcity =[[Sydney]]|
headofcountry =[[Governor-General of Australia]]|
currentheadofcountry =[[Michael Jeffery]]|
headofstate =[[Queen of Australia]]|
currentheadofstate =[[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom]]|
headofgovernment =[[Prime Minister of Australia]]|
currentheadofgovernment =[[John Howard]]|
arearank=6th|
areamagnitude=1_E12|
area=7,686,850|
areawater=|
population_as_of=2004|
populationrank=53rd|
population=20,180,878|
populationdensity=3|
independenceevents=-[[Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act]]<br />- [[Statute of Westminster 1931]]<br />- [[Australia Act]]|
independencedates=From the [[United Kingdom]]:<br />[[1 January]] [[1901]]<br />[[December 11]] [[1931]]<br />[[3 March]] [[1986]]|
currency=[[Australian dollar]]|
currencycode=AUD|
timezone=+8 to +11|
DST=+9 to +12|
nationalanthem=Advance Australia Fair|
cctld=au|
callingcode=61|
footnote=|
GDP_as_of=2002|
GDPrank=16th|
GDP=525.5 billion USD|
GDPpercapita=26,631.88 USD
}}
-->
{| style="margin: 0 0 1em 1em;" border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="right" width="300px"
|+ <font size="+1">Commonwealth of Australia</font>
|-
| style="background:#efefef;" align="center" colspan=2 |
{| border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"
|-
| align="center" width="140px" | [[image:Australia flag large.png|125px|Flag of Australia]]
| align="center" width="140px" | [[Image:Australia_coa.png|Coat of arms]]
|-
| align="center" width="140px" | ([[Flag of Australia|In Detail]])
| align="center" width="140px" | ([[Coat of Arms of Australia|In Detail]])
|}
|-
| align="center" colspan=2 style="border-bottom:3px solid gray; font-size:smaller"|''National [[motto]]: None''
|-
| align=center colspan=2 | [[image:LocationAustralia.png]]
|-
| [[Official language]]
| [[English language|English]]
|-
| [[Capital]]
| [[Canberra]]
|-
| Largest [[City]]
| [[Sydney]]
|-
| [[Queen of Australia|Monarch]]
| [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II]]
|-
| [[Governor-General of Australia|Governor-General]]
| [[Michael Jeffery]]
|-
| [[Prime Minister of Australia|Prime Minister]]
| [[John Howard]]
|-
| [[Area]]<br /> - Total <br /> - % water
| [[List of countries by area|Ranked 6th]] <br /> [[1 E12 m²|7,686,850 km²]] <br /> 1%
|-
| [[Population]]
- Total ([[As of 2004|2004]])
<br /> - [[Density]]
| [[List of countries by population|Ranked 53rd]]
20,180,878
<br /> 3/km²
|-
|[[Gross Domestic Product|GDP]]
- Total ([[As of 2002|2002]])
<br /> - GDP/head
| [[List_of_economies_by_GDP|Ranked 13th]]
$525.5 billion
<br />$26,631.88
|-
| [[Independence]]<br />- [[Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act|Constitution Act]]<br />- [[Statute of Westminster 1931|Statute of Westminster]]<br />- [[Australia Act]]
|
From the [[United Kingdom|UK]]:<br />[[1 January]] [[1901]]<br />[[December 11]] [[1931]]<br />[[3 March]] [[1986]]
|-
| [[Currency]]
| [[Australian dollar]]
|-
| [[Time zone]]
| [[UTC]] +8 to +11
|-
| [[National anthem]]
| [[Advance Australia Fair]]
|-
| [[Top-level domain|Internet TLD]]
| .au
|-
| [[List of country calling codes|Calling Code]]
| 61
|}
== History ==
''Main article:'' [[History of Australia]]
The exact date of the first human habitation of Australia is still a subject of considerable research. There is strong scientific evidence for a presence around 50,000 years ago, a period of massive ecological upheaval in Australia which is believed to be consistent with human colonisation. However, there is some speculation about considerably earlier arrivals, even as far as 100,000 or more years ago. These first Australians were the remote ancestors of the current [[Australian Aborigine]]s, and arrived via land bridges and navigation of significant sea crossings from present-day [[Southeast Asia]].
The land was not discovered by [[Europe]]ans until the [[17th century]], when it was sighted and visited by several expeditions: The [[Netherlands|Dutch]] explorer [[Willem Jansz]] ([[1606]]), the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] explorer [[Luis Vaez de Torres]] in [[Spain|Spanish]] service ([[1607]]), and the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] explorers [[Jan Carstensz]] ([[1623]]), [[Dirk Hartog]] and [[Abel Tasman]] ([[1642]]). The Dutch called the continent '''[[New Holland]]'''. The island of [[Tasmania]] Tasman named [[Anthony van Diemen| Anthoonij van Diemenslandt]].
The first English explorers were [[Willem Dampier]] on the west coast of the continent in [[1688]], and [[James Cook]], who in [[1770]] claimed the eastern two-thirds of the continent for [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Britain]], despite orders from King [[George III]] to first conclude a treaty with the indigenous population. His report to London that Australia was uninhabited provided impetus for the establishment of a penal colony there following the loss of the American colonies.
The British [[Crown Colony]] of [[New South Wales]] began by the establishment of a settlement (later to become [[Sydney]]) in Port Jackson by Captain [[Arthur Phillip]] on [[January 26]], [[1788]]. The date of arrival of the First Fleet was later to become the date of Australia's national day, [[Australia Day]].
[[Van Diemen's Land]] (i.e. the present day [[Tasmania]]) was settled in [[1803]], and became a separate colony in 1825. The rest of the continent, what is now [[Western Australia]], was formally claimed by the [[United Kingdom]] in [[1829]]. Following the spread of British settlement, separate Colonies were created from parts of New South Wales: [[South Australia]] in [[1836]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] in [[1851]] and [[Queensland]] in [[1859]]. The [[Northern Territory]] was founded, as part of the Colony of South Australia, in [[1863]].
During the period of [[1855]]-[[1890]], the six [[Crown Colony|Crown Colonies]] each successively became [[self-governing colony|self-governing colonies]], which managed most of their own affairs. British law was adopted in each colony at the time of the granting of responsible government, and was subsequently modified by the individual legislatures. The [[British government]] retained control of some matters, especially [[foreign affairs]], [[defence]], international [[shipping]]. Despite its heavily rural based economy Australia remained significantly urbanised, centred particularly around the cities of [[Melbourne]] and [[Sydney]]. In the 1880s 'Marvellous Melbourne' was the second largest city in the [[British Empire]]. Australia also gained a reputation as a 'working man's paradise' and as a laboratory for social reform, with the world's first [[secret ballot]] and first national [[Australian Labor Party|Labor Party]] government.
On [[1 January]] [[1901]], [[federation]] of the Colonies was completed after a 10 year gestation period, and the [[Commonwealth of Australia]] was born, as a [[dominion]] of the [[British Empire]]. The [[Australian Capital Territory]] was separated from New South Wales in [[1911]], to provide a neutral place for the proposed new federal capital of [[Canberra]] (the initial capital having been [[Melbourne]]). Although Australia had become independent, the [[British government]] retained some powers over Australia until the [[Statute of Westminster 1931|Statute of Westminster]] in 1931, and the authority of the [[United Kingdom|British]] Parliament was not completely severed until [[1986]]. Indigenous Australians were generally denied both citizenship and the vote until the Constitution was altered by referendum in 1967.
Australia is a [[constitutional monarchy]], with [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II]] reigning as 'Queen of Australia'. In [[1999]], a referendum was held on the question of [[Australian Constitutional History|constitutional change]] to a [[republic]], with an appointed [[President of Australia|President]] replacing the Queen as [[head of state]], but this was rejected. Various surveys held before and since the referendum suggest that the majority of Australians favour some form of republic, and hence many people ascribe the negative result of the referendum to dissatisfaction with the particular republican model that was proposed. A further discussion of this issue can be found in the topic [[Australian republicanism]].
==Government==
The ''Commonwealth of Australia'' is a [[constitutional monarchy]]: the [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen]] of Australia is considered to be the [[head of state]], although that term is found nowhere in the Constitution or the law. The Queen is represented by the [[Governor-General of Australia|Governor-General]]. Under the [[Australian Constitution]] the role of the [[monarch]] is almost entirely ceremonial. Although the constitution gives significant [[executive branch|executive power]] to the Governor-General, these powers are almost never used directly, and are usually delegated to the [[cabinet (government)|Cabinet]], whose members are chosen by the governing party or by the [[Australian Prime Ministers|Prime Minister]] alone, from amongst the current members of the parliament.
Government is undertaken by three inter-connected arms of government:
*Legislature - [[Parliament of Australia|Commonwealth Parliament]]
*Executive - the Executive Council (Governor-General, Prime Minister and senior Cabinet Ministers) and Ministers and their Departments
*Judiciary - [[High Court of Australia]] and subsidiary Federal courts.
The '''Separation of Powers''' is the principle whereby the three arms of government undertake their activities separate from the others:
*the Legislature makes the laws, and supervises the activities of the other two arms with a view to changing the laws when appropriate;
*the Executive enacts the laws;
*the Judiciary interprets the laws, using as a basis the laws as enacted and explanatory statements made in the Legislature during the enactment;
*the other arms cannot influence the Judiciary.
The legal basis for the nation changed with the passage of the [[Australia Act]] [[1986]], and associated legislation in the parliament of the [[United Kingdom]]. Until the passage of this Act, Australian cases could be referred to the highest courts of the UK and even to the [[Privy Council]] for final appeal. With this act of parliament, Australian law was made unequivocally the law in the nation, and the [[High Court of Australia]] was confirmed as the single highest court of appeal. The theoretical possibility of the British Parliament enacting laws to override the Australian Constitution was also removed.[http://scaleplus.law.gov.au/html/pasteact/1/973/pdf/AustraliaAct86.pdf (Act:pdf)]
==Politics==
''Main article:'' [[Politics of Australia]]
Australia has a bicameral federal Parliament, comprising a [[Australian Senate|Senate]] (or upper house) with 76 Senators, and a [[Australian House of Representatives|House of Representatives]] (or lower house) with 150 Members. Members of the lower house are elected on a population basis from single-member constituencies, known technically as 'divisions' but more commonly, as 'electorates' or 'seats'. The more populous the state, the more members it will have in the House of Representatives. There is a minimum of 5 members for each state. In the Senate, each state regardless of population is represented by twelve Senators, and each mainland territory by two. Elections for both chambers are held every three years, usually with only one half of the Senate being eligible for re-election, as the Senators have overlapping terms of six years each. The government is formed in the lower house, and the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives is the Prime Minister. On only one short-lived occasion has a Senator become Prime Minister.
An exception to the [[constitutional convention]]s occurred on [[11 November]], [[1975]], when Governor-General Sir [[John Kerr]] [[Australian constitutional crisis of 1975|dismissed]] the Prime Minister, [[Gough Whitlam]]. This remains the single most controversial event in Australian political history.
== States and Territories==
''Main article:'' [[Australian States and Territories]]
[[Image:Austmap.png|thumb|200px|Map of Australia with main cities]]
Australia is divided into six states and several territories. The states are [[New South Wales]], [[Queensland]], [[South Australia]], [[Tasmania]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] and [[Western Australia]]. The two major territories are the [[Northern Territory]] (NT) and the [[Australian Capital Territory]] (ACT). The ACT also incorporates a separate area within New South Wales known as [[Jervis Bay Territory]] which serves as a naval base and sea port for the national capital.
Australia also has several inhabitated external territories ([[Norfolk Island]], [[Christmas Island]], [[Cocos Islands|Cocos (Keeling) Islands]]) and several largely uninhabited external territories: [[Coral Sea Islands Territory]], [[Heard Island and McDonald Islands]] and the [[Australian Antarctic Territory]].
The [[Australian Capital Territory]] was created at the chosen site of the capital city [[Canberra]]. Canberra was founded as a compromise between the two largest cities, [[Melbourne]] and [[Sydney]]. The name 'Canberra' is derived from the indigenous [[Australian Aboriginal languages|Ngunnawal]] language, which is loosely translated into English as "meeting place".
== Geography ==
''Main article:'' [[Geography of Australia]]
[[Image:Australia_satellite_plane.jpg|thumb|200px|A satellite composite image of Australia]]
By far the largest part of Australia is [[desert]] or [[semi-arid]] — 40% of the land mass is covered by [[sand dune]]s. Only the south-east and south-west corners have a temperate climate and moderately fertile soil. The northern part of the country has a tropical climate: part is tropical [[rainforest]]s, part grasslands, and part desert. The [[Great Barrier Reef]], the world's largest [[coral]] [[reef]], lies a short distance off the north-east coast and extends for over 1,200 kilometres. [[Uluru]] (until 1986 known as [[Ayers Rock]]), is the second largest [[monolith]] in the world and is located in central Australia (the largest being [[Mount Augustus National Park|Mount Augustus]] in [[Western Australia]]).
== Flora and fauna == [[Image:Clim_map_kpngrp.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Climate map of Australia]]
''Main articles:'' [[Australian fauna]], [[Australian flora]]
Although most of the continent is [[desert]] or [[semi-arid]], Australia nevertheless includes a diverse range of habitats, from alpine heaths to tropical rainforests. Because of the great age of the continent, its very variable weather patterns, and its long-term geographic isolation, much of Australia's biota is unique.
''See also:''
* [[List of Australian birds]]
== Economy ==
''Main article:'' [[Economy of Australia]]
Australia's [[economic development]] was slow at first and based on the export of [[wool]]. This all changed with the discovery of [[gold]] in [[1851]] and [[mining]] has, overall, been the most important sector of the Australian economy. By the late [[20th century]], Australia had a prosperous Western-style mixed economy, with a per capita [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] on par with the four dominant Western European economies. In recent years, the Australian economy has been resilient in the face of global economic downturn, with steady growth. Rising output in the domestic economy has been offsetting the global slump, and business and consumer confidence remains robust. Australia's emphasis on reforms is another key factor behind the economy's strength. In the [[1980s]], the Labor Party, led by Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Treasurer Paul Keating, played a crucial role in modernizing Australia's economy.
Since 1996, the [[Coalition (Australia)|Coalition]] government, led by Prime Minister [[John Howard]], has continued to implement microeconomic reform policies. Some have claimed that the deregulation of the labour market during this period has resulted in a needed flexibility in the labour force. Others have criticised these deregulations as having a negative impact on workers on wages, safety and health grounds. Legislation introduced during this period sough to reduce [[trade union|union]] involement and power, and has preferred to emphasise enterprise bargaining (a tendency towards wage bargaining). Also during this period, the Coalition government deregulated numerous other industries, including the telecommunications sector, and privatised many of the pre-existing natural monopolies.
Since the recession "Australia had to have" (P. Keating) in the early 1990s, the Australian economy has not suffered a recession or "trough" in the [[business cycle]] in 11 years. Even the downturn of the early [[2000s]] did not affect its consistent [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] growth.
Many raw materials (including resources postulated to exist but yet to be discovered) remain mostly unexploited. Australia is often referred to by economists as the "world's farm", but despite this emphasis on the agriculture sector, in recent years the Australian government has been focusing on the [[tourism]], [[education]] and technology markets.
== Demographics ==
''Main article:'' [[Demographics of Australia]]
Most of the Australian population descends from 19th and 20th century immigrants, most from [[Great Britain]] and [[Ireland]] to begin with, but from other sources in later years. Although Australia was founded as a [[penal colony]], the transportation of British convicts to Australian colonies was gradually phased out between [[1840]] and [[1868]]. During the "[[gold rush]]" of the late [[19th century]], the convicts and their descendants were rapidly overshadowed by hundreds of thousands of free [[settler]]s from many different countries: for example, in the 1850s about two per cent of the combined populations of Britain and Ireland emigrated to New South Wales and Victoria.
By the late [[20th century]] many inhabitants were of [[Greece|Greek]], [[Italy|Italian]] or [[Asia]]n descent. The [[indigenous]] population, the [[Australian Aborigine]]s and [[Torres Strait|Torres Strait Islanders]], make up 2.2% of the population, according to the 2001 Census. In common with many other developed countries, Australia is currently experiencing a demographic shift towards an older population, with more people retiring and fewer people of working age.
Similarly, a large number of Australian citizens (850,000 as of 2004) live outside of their home country. This number (almost 5%) represents a higher per capita percentage of overseas residents than many other countries including the United States. This phenomenon was, until recently, given little attention by the Australian government and media, but the term [[Australian Diaspora]] has now joined the Australian vocabulary.
Because of the aging population, Australia maintains one of the most active immigration programs in the world, absorbing tens of thousands of immigrants from all over the world every year. Most permanent resident visas are granted on the basis of professional skills or family associations.
[[New Zealand]]ers are granted ''Special Category Visas'' on arrival in Australia, which allow them to remain in Australia to live or work indefinitely. However, New Zealand citizens are excluded from government subsidised tertiary education or other advantages granted to Australian citizens and permanent residents. Until [[2001]], New Zealanders were entitled to [[unemployment benefit]]s in Australia on arrival in the country, but now they may only claim these after two years, as is the norm for permanent residents of other nationalities.
[[English language|English]] is the main official and spoken language in Australia, although some of the surviving Aboriginal communities maintain their native languages, and a considerable number of first and sometimes second-generation migrants are bilingual.
Although the nation is broadly secular and few are church-goers, three-quarters of Australians are nominally Christian, mostly [[Catholic Church in Australia|Catholic]] or [[Anglican Church|Anglican]]. A diverse range of other religions are practised.
== Culture ==
''Main article:'' [[Culture of Australia]]
Much of Australia's culture is derived from European and more recently American roots, but distinctive Australian features have evolved from the environment, [[Australian Aborigine|aboriginal]] culture, and the influence of Australia's neighbours. The vigor and originality of the arts in Australia—films, opera, music, painting, theater, dance, and crafts—are achieving international recognition.
Australia has had a significant school of [[painting]] since the early days of
European settlement, and Australians with international reputations include [[Sidney Nolan]], [[Russell Drysdale]], and [[Arthur Boyd]]—not to mention the prized work of many Aboriginal artists.
There are excellent art galleries (even in surprisingly small towns); a rich tradition in ballet, enlivened by the legacy of [[Dame Margot Fonteyn]] and [[Robert Helpmann|Sir Robert Helpmann]]; a strong national opera company based in Sydney; and symphony orchestras in all capital cities, in particular the [[Melbourne Symphony Orchestra|Melbourne]] and [[Sydney Symphony Orchestra|Sydney symphony orchestras]].
Writers who have achieved world recognition include [[Thomas Keneally]], [[Les Murray]], [[Colleen McCullough]], [[Nevil Shute]], [[Morris West]], [[Jill Ker Conway]], [[Booker Prize]] winner [[Peter Carey]] and [[Nobel Prize]] winner [[Patrick White]].
In the popular music sphere band and musicians (some notable examples include the [[1960s]] successes of [[The Easybeats]] and the folk-pop group [[The Seekers]], through the heavy rock of [[AC/DC]], and the slick pop of [[INXS]] and more recently [[Savage Garden]]) have had considerable international success,
== Media ==
Australia has a highly concentrated ownership of media companies. Newspapers are dominated by two companies, [[News Corporation]] and [[John Fairfax Holdings]]. News Corporation publishes the only daily national newspaper, ''[[The Australian]]'', as well as a daily newspaper in every capital city except Perth. Its holdings include ''[[The Daily Telegraph (Australia)|The Daily Telegraph]]'' (Sydney), ''[[Herald Sun]]'' (Melbourne), ''[[The Courier-Mail]]'' (Brisbane) and ''[[Adelaide Advertiser|The Advertiser]]'' (Adelaide). News Corporation was founded in [[Adelaide]] and its first newspaper was ''[[The News (Adelaide)|The News]]'' which was later merged with The Advertiser. John Fairfax Holdings owns ''[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]'', ''[[The Age]]'' (Melbourne) and the most prominent financial newspaper, ''[[Australian Financial Review|The Australian Financial Review]]''. Rural and regional media is dominated by [[Rural Press Limited]], with significant holdings in all States and Territories. Titles include ''[[Canberra Times|The Canberra Times]]'' as well as ''[[The Land|The Land]]'' (New South Wales), ''[[Queensland Country Life|Queensland Country Life]]'', ''[[Stock & Land|Stock and Land]]'' (Victoria), ''[[Stock Journal|Stock Journal]]'' (South Australia) and ''[[Farm Weekly|Farm Weekly]]'' (Western Australia). Rural Press also has significant holdings in New Zealand and the United States.
Australia has three major commercial television networks, the [[Nine Network]], [[Seven Network]] and the [[Ten Network]]. It also has two government broadcasters, the [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] (ABC and colloquially Channel 2) and the [[Special Broadcasting Service]] (SBS).
According to [[Reporters Without Borders]] in 2004, Australia is in 41st position on a list of countries ranked by Press Freedom; well behind [[New Zealand]] (9th) and [[United Kingdom]] (28th).
== Related topics ==
''Main article:'' [[List of Australia-related topics]]
{| align="center" id="toc" cellspacing="0"
|- bgcolor="#ccccff"
| colspan="2" align="center" | '''[[List of Australia-related topics|Topics in Australia]]'''
|-
! align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | [[History of Australia | History]]
| align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | <small>[[Timeline of Australian history | Timeline]] ([[Eureka Stockade]] | [[Constitutional history of Australia|Constitutional history]]) | [[Foreign relations of Australia | Foreign relations]] | [[Stamps and postal history of Australia|Postal history]]</small>
|-
! align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | [[Geography of Australia|Geography]]
| align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | <small>[[List of cities in Australia|Cities]] | [[List of islands of Australia|Islands]] | [[List of mountains in Australia|Mountains]] | [[List of regions in Australia|Regions]] | [[Protected areas of Australia|Protected areas]] | [[List of rivers of Australia|Rivers]] | [[Ecoregions of Australia|Ecoregions]]
|- align="center"
! align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | [[Politics of Australia | Politics]]
| align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | <small>[[Australian Constitution | Constitution]] | [[List of political parties in Australia | Political parties]] ([[Liberal Party of Australia| Liberal]], [[Australian Labor Party | Labor]], [[National Party of Australia|National]], [[Australian Democrats|Democrats]]) | [[Elections in Australia | Elections]] | [[Australian States and Territories | States and Territories]] | [[Republicanism in Australia|Republicanism]] | [[Military of Australia|Military]]</small>
|- align="center"
! align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | [[Culture of Australia|Culture]]
|align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | <small> [[Australian English]] | [[Art of Australia|Art]] | [[Cinema of Australia |Cinema]] | [[Australian cuisine|Cuisine]] | [[Australian literature|Literature]] | [[Music of Australia|Music]] | [[Public holidays in Australia|Public holidays]] | [[Television in Australia|Television]] ([[Special Broadcasting Service|SBS]], [[Australian Broadcasting Corporation|ABC]])
|- align="center"
|align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | Other
| align="left" style="vertical-align: top;" | <small>[[List of Australians]] | [[Communications in Australia]] | [[Transportation in Australia]] | [[List of Australian Awards]] | [[Australian of the Year|Australian of the Year Award]] | [[Australia's Big Things]] | [[List of Australian companies]] | [[RACA]]
|}
== International rankings ==
* [[Human Development Index]] - 3rd place
* [[Reporters Without Borders]] - 41st place
* [http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/rankorder/2004rank.html GDP per capita] - 14th place
* [http://www.ciesin.columbia.edu/indicators/ESI/rank.html Environmental Sustainability Index 2002] Rank 16 out of all countries
== External links ==
* [http://www.australia.gov.au/ Australian Government Information and Services]
* [http://dmoz.org/Regional/Oceania/Australia/ Open Directory Project: Australia]
* [http://www.virtualaustralia.com/australia/photos/ Australian Photos]
* [http://www.austemb.org/history.htm Australian History] — from the Washington Embassy
* [http://www.australia.com Australian Tourist Commission]
* [http://www.ausmag.net Backpacking in Australia] Insider information about backpacking in Australia
* [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/as.html CIA - The World Factbook — Australia] - [[CIA]]'s Factbook on Australia
* [http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/nof/emigrants/ emigration from Britain to Australia] Interactive real story of Nineteenth century
* [http://www.synaptic.bc.ca/gallery/lcatntoc.htm#Australi Gallery of Australia Photographs] Attractions primarily in [[Queensland]] and the [[Northern Territory]]
* [http://www.csu.edu.au/australia Guide to Australia] Provides essential information about Australia
* [http://www.travelconsumer.com/countries/australia.htm Travel guide to Australia]
* [http://gutenberg.net.au/dictbiog/00-dict-biogIndex.html Dictionary of Australian Biography, 1949 edition]
{{Continent}}
{{Pacific_Islands}}
[[Category:Oceanic countries]]
[[Category:Australia]]
[[Category:Monarchies]]
[[Category:Continents]]
[[zh-min-nan:Ò-tāi-lī-a]]
[[bg:Австралия]]
[[cy:Awstralia]]
[[da:Australien]]
[[de:Australien]]
[[et:Austraalia]]
[[el:Αυστραλία]]
[[es:Australia]]
[[eo:Aŭstralio]]
[[fr:Australie]]
[[ga:An Astráil]]
[[ko:오스트레일리아]]
[[hi:ऑस्ट्रेलिया]]
[[id:Australia]]
[[it:Australia]]
[[he:אוסטרליה]]
[[kw:Ostrali]]
[[la:Australia]]
[[lb:Australien]]
[[lt:Australija]]
[[hu:Ausztrália]]
[[ms:Australia]]
[[nl:Australië (land)]]
[[ja:オーストラリア]]
[[no:Australia]]
[[nds:Australien]]
[[pl:Australia]]
[[pt:Austrália]]
[[ro:Australia]]
[[ru:Австралия]]
[[simple:Australia]]
[[sl:Avstralija]]
[[sr:Аустралија]]
[[fi:Australia]]
[[sv:Australien]]
[[th:ประเทศออสเตรเลีย]]
[[tpi:Ostrelia]]
[[uk:Австралія]]
[[zh:澳大利亚]]
आस्ट्रेलिया का [[राजनैतिक ढांचा]] तथा इसकी कानून एवं शिक्षा संबंधी संस्थाएँ ब्रिटिश एवं अमरीकी आदर्शों पर आधारित हैं। आस्ट्रेलिया का [[संविधान]] [[संघीय सरकार]] को [[सुरक्षा]], [[विदेशी काम-काज]] [[व्यापार]] एवं [[वाणिज्य]], [[कर]], [[बहिः शुल्क]] एवं [[उत्पादन शुल्क़]] [[निवृत्ति वेतन]], [[आप्रवासन]] और [[डाक]] जैसे महत्वपूर्ण विभागों में पूर्ण रूप से कार्य एवं फैसले करने का अधिकार देता है । इन विभागों से अतिरिक्त अधिकार देश के सभी राज्यों को पूर्णतः दिए गए हैं।
संघीय सरकार
| |||