Australia is surrounded by the Indian Ocean. It is composed of mostly low plateau with deserts. There are fertile plains in the southeast.
People who live in Australia are called Australians, which is also the adjective used for items from this country. English is the most-spoken language in Australia at 78,5%. Chinese (2.5%), Italian (1.6%), Greek (1.3%), Arabic (1.2%) and Vietnamese (1%) are also spoken. Most of the population is Protestant (27.4%), followed closely by Catholic (25.8%). Eastern Orthodox (2.7%), other forms of Christianity (7.9%), Buddhism (2.1%), and Islam (1.7%) are also practiced.
The country's official name is the Commonwealth of Australia. The capital is Canberra, and the country is composed of 6 states and 2 territories. The Constitution was written in July 1900 and took effect in January 1901. It can be found here through Constitution Finder. The current leaders of Australia are Governor Gen. Quentin Alice Louise Bryce and Prime Minister Julia Eileen Gillard. Information about the current leaders of Australia's government can be found here. The currency is Australian dollar (abbreviated AUD), which stands at 1.0902 AUD per USD as of 2010.
All of this information was gathered from the CIA World Factbook. For more information, check out these resources...
Australia Government Site
Australia, CIA World Factbook
Background Note: Australia, U.S. Department of State
Australia 2010 Country Report on Human Rights Practices, U.S. Department of State.
You can also check out the Country Studies tab on our Fed Docs libguide here for more resources on all of the countries.
Sonnet Ireland
Head of Federal Documents
Reference & Instruction Librarian
Subject Specialist: Legal Research, Political Science
Urban and Transportation Studies, Engineering
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