AussieWebs.com: Your Australian Directory Guide

Australia: the country and its people

A brief introduction

Australia is the largest island continent in the world, and home to over 18 million people. Despite being so large, much of Australia is desert and scrub (sometimes known as "the outback").

Most Australians live on the coastal fringes, and despite the stereotypical image of the "outback Aussie", most Australians reside in urban and city environments in the large capital cities such as: Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Hobart and Darwin.

With a rich Aboriginal history dating back over 40,000 years, Australia was subject to British colonialism over 200 years ago, initially as a locale to relocate convicts from the British empire. However today Australia is a bustling modern western country, with loads of natural resources and a thriving modern economy focused on business, trade, tourism and more.

Although still part of the Commonwealth, and therefore the British Queen is still head of state, Australia has increasingly looked to the United States and Asia as those it has its closet relationships with.

Trade with Japan & China has meant that Asia is Australia's key to future growth and prosperity in the 21st century.

Culture, Arts & Music

Despite its "outback" image, Australia is renowned for its rich artistic and cultural heritage.

Many famous musicians, actors and artist hail from Australia, one only needs to look at Hollywood to see just how Australians have made their mark on the entertainment industry! Hollywood heavyweights such as Russell Crowe, Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman, Kate Blanchett and many more all made their humble beginnings in Australian film.

Musically Australia was the birth place of acts such as AC/DC, the Bee Gees, Kylie Minouge and many more!