Translated from Latin, Australia means “southern” land. Since the Roman Empire, myths about an unknown “southern land” have been circulating, but then they have not yet been confirmed. Australia is the sixth largest country on Earth and the only country that occupies an entire continent. To date, the entire territory of Australia is divided into six states and two territories. Every year, the continent attracts thousands of tourists due to its mild climate and a large number of diverse natural areas. There are sheer cliffs for rock climbing, ski resorts, sunny beaches and much more. In addition, a distinctive feature of Australia is its richest flora and fauna, which includes many rare and unique animals that are protected by nature reserves and national parks. It is the unique landscape

Geography of Australia

Australia, in addition to the mainland itself, includes many islands, among which it is worth highlighting: Cocos Islands, Tasmania Island, Christmas Island, etc. The Pacific Seas (Arafur, Tasmanovo, Coral and Timor) wash the country from the north and east. The western and southern parts of the continent are washed by the Indian Ocean. Close to the continent are such large islands as Tasmania and New Guinea. A distinctive feature of the country is the largest coral reef on earth, which stretches for 2,000 kilometers along the east coast. The length of the coastline of the country is about 60 thousand km, of which only 35,800 km is the length of the mainland, and the rest is the coastline of the adjacent islands.

Area

According to Simplyyellowpages, the area of Australia is 7,692,024 km².

Population

Today, the country’s population is 22,696,309 people.

Currency

The national currency of the country is the Australian dollar (AUD)

Language

Most of the population speaks English.

Visa

A visitor visa allows you to enter Australia for tourism purposes, or to visit your friends and relatives. Its validity period is 12 months.

Climate

Australia is the hottest country in the southern hemisphere. The north of the country has a subequatorial climate with high temperatures; the climate of the central part is desert-tropical; the southwest is located on the subtropical climate belt with prevailing winter precipitation. The east coast of the continent has a hot tropical climate where most of the precipitation falls in the summer. In January the temperature is +20 – +30 °C, in July – +12 – +15 °C. Precipitation decreases from east to west. The climate of the continent is greatly influenced by sea currents, which can cause seasonal droughts and lower atmospheric pressure.

Transport

Australia has a well-developed bus transport. Local city buses operate from 5.00 to 23.00. Payment in public transport is made using special cards. In addition, in large cities there are special tourist buses that operate from 9.30 to 17.00. If necessary, you can catch a taxi on the street or order by phone, the fare is relatively low. In addition to the usual taxi, there is a water taxi. In Australia, rail transport is underdeveloped, and therefore, train tickets are quite expensive. Well-developed air routes allow you to get by plane to the most remote resort islands in the shortest possible time.

Currency exchange

The national currency is the Australian dollar, the exchange rate for April 2011 is 1 $ = 1.068 Australian dollars.

Electricity

220V/50Hz (American and European sockets)

Religion

To date, Australia does not have an official state religion. The 2006 census showed that over 64% of the local population identified themselves as Christian, including 26% of Catholics and 19% of Anglicans. The second largest religion in Australia is Buddhism, which has 2.1% of the total population, Islam covers 1.7% of the population, and Hinduism – 0.8%.

Security

Due to the fact that Australians have developed law and public order, tourists can feel safe. This country is one of the countries with the lowest crime rate. For serious calls, the police always come in several groups. All public services respond quickly to signals for help. Fires can be called the main safety problems in Australia, but they occur only in certain seasons and do not affect large cities.