英语国家概况澳大利亚简介

Australia,GeographyandHistoryGovernmentandSociety,GeographyLocationandSize,AustralialiesintheSouthernHemisphere,betweentheIndianOceanandthePacificcountryissurroundedbyseaonallsides:thePacificOceanontheeast,theIndianOceanonthewest,theArafuraSeaonthenorthandtheSouthernIndianOceanonthesouth.Itistheonlynationtogovernanentirecontinentanitsoutlyingislands.Withatotalareaofnearly7.7millionsquarekilometers,Australiaisthesixthlargestcountrytheworld,afterRussia,Canada,China,theU.S.andBrazil.,GeographicalRegions,Broadlyspeaking,Australiacanbedividedintothreegeographicalregions:theEasternHighlands,theCentralLowlandsandWesternPlateau.ThehighestpointofelevationinAustralia,MountKosciuszko,whichrisestosome2,228metersabovesealevel,islocatedhere.ThereismorerainfallontheeasterncoastalplainthananywhereelseinAustralia.RainfallisheavyinnorthernandsouthwesternAustralia,butthecentralregioniscoveredwithdesert.,ClimateandMajorCities,JanuaryandFebruaryarethehottestsummermonths,whileJuneandJulyarethecoldestwintermonths.Australiaiswidelyknownas“theDryContinent”duetoitslowrainfall.Thearidity(干旱)ofAustraliastemsfromitsproximitytotheequator.Overtwo-thirdsoftheAustraliapopulationliveinthebigcities.ThemajorurbancentersofAustraliaincludeCanberra(堪培拉)，Sydney,Melbourne(墨尔本),Brisbane(布里斯班)，Perth(珀斯)，Adelaide(阿德莱德)andDarwin(达尔文).CanberraisthecapitalcityofAustraliaandislocatedintheAustraliaCapitalTerritory.SydneyisthecapitalcityofNewSouthWalesandisAustraliaslargestandoldestcity.,History,BeforetheWesternersfoundAustralia,onlyAustralianaborigineslivedthere.Inthe16thcentury,theEuropeansbegantoexploreAustralia.In1606,theSpanishnavigatorLuisVaesdeTorresfoundtheplace,buthedidntexploreitfurther.Inthesameyear,aDutchmanWilliamarrivedinthecontinent.Thenin1770,theEnglishnavigatorCaptainJamesCookdiscoveredtheeasterncastleofAustraliaandnameditNewSouthWales.Soon,heclaimedthatthecontinentbelongedtoEngland.In1779,JosephBanksanaturalistonCooksboatadvisedtheEnglishgovernmentapprovedofhissuggestion.In1787,afleetconsistingofelevenvesselsarrivedinNewSouthWales.Onthesevessels,therewere750prisonersTothesepeople,NewSouthWaleswasanawfulplacewithtorridnessanddesolation.Butfortunately,theysurvivedandturnedAustraliaintoaproductiveandprosperousplace.Theyalsocreatedanewculturewhichisthebasisofthelegend”hardworkofAustralia”.,Government,Australiaisconstitutionalmonarchywithafederaldivisionofpowers.ItusesaparliamentarysystemofgovernmentwithQueenElizabethatitsapexastheQueenofAustralia,arolethatisdistinctfromherpositionasmonarchoftheotherCommonwealthrealms.TheQueenresidesintheUnitedKingdom,andsheisrepresentedbyherviceroysinAustralia(theGovernor-GeneralatthefederallevelandbytheGovernorsatthestatelevel),whobyconventionactontheadviceofherministers.SupremeexecutiveauthorityisvestedbytheConstitutionofAustraliainthesovereign,butthepowertoexerciseitisconferredbytheConstitutionspecificallyontheGovernor-General.ThemostnotableexercisetodateoftheGovernor-GeneralsreservepoweroutsidethePrimeMinistersrequestwasthedismissaloftheWhitlamGovernmentintheconstitutionalcrisisof1975,Thefederalgovernmentisseparatedintothreebranches:Thelegislature:thebicameralParliament,definedinsection1oftheconstitutionascomprisingtheQueen(representedbytheGovernor-General),theSenate,andtheHouseofRepresentatives;Theexecutive:theFederalExecutiveCouncil,inpracticetheGovernor-GeneralasadvisedbythePrimeMinisterandMinistersofState;Thejudiciary:theHighCourtofAustraliaandotherfederalcourts,whosejudgesareappointedbytheGovernor-GeneralonadviceoftheCouncil.,People,Economy,Education,Society,People,MostAustraliansareofBritishandIrishancestryandthemajorityliveinurbanareas.ThepopulationhasmorethandoubledsinceWorldWar,spurredbyanambitiouspost-warimmigrationprogram.ThepopulationofAustraliaisabout22.9milion.Theindigenouspopulation,theAustraliaAborigines,estimated300,000atthetimeoftheEuropeanarrival,numbered517,000in2006.Thoughstillmoreruralthanthegeneralpopulationhasbecomemoreurbanized,withone-thirdofthemlivinginmajorcities.Australiaisthemostsparselypopulatedoftheinhabitedcontinents.Intermsoflandmass,Australiaisthesixthlargestnationintheworld.However,itranks53rdintermsofpupolation,withanoverallpopulationdensityofabout3peoplepersquarekilometer.,Economy,AustraliahasaprosperousWestern-stylecapitalisteconomy.Thenationshigheconomicperformancestemsfromeffectiveeconomicmanagementandongoingstructuralreform.Australiaisself-sufficientinfood;theraisingofsheepandtheproductionofgrainhavelongbeenthecountrysmajoroccupations.Meanwhile,Australiaisalsoahighlyindustrializedcountry.Australiaseconomydependslargelyonforeigntrade.Itschiefexportcommoditiesaremetals,minerals,wool,beef,mutton,cerealsandmanufacturedproducts.Theleadingimportsaremachinery,transportationandtelecommunicationsequipment,computersandofficemachines,chemicalsandpetroleumproducts.,Education,Australiahasawell-developededucationalsystemwithaveryhighrateofparticipationandsecondarycompletion.EducationinAustraliaisprimarilytheresponsibilityofthestates.TheAustralianeducationalsystemisdividedbroadlyintofiveareas:preschool,primaryschool,secondary/highschool,vocationaltraininginstitutions,anduniversityandothertertiaryinstitutions.Thesystemofteachingandschooldisciplineisdifferencefromthatofmanyothercountries.Lessimportanceisplacedonoutwarddisciplineandmemorizing.Ontheco