preview

Cultural Analysis of Australia

Better Essays

Geography Australia is both the smallest and oldest continent in the world, and it is the only country that is also a continent. [1] It is an island located between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific, just south of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. At 2,941,299 square miles, Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world and only about 150,000 square miles (about the size of Montana) smaller than the continental United States. Its interior land is a flat and sparsely populated desert, but as you move outward the climate changes to grassland, subtropical, tropical, and even temperate in the southeastern region. [1] While more than 70% of Australia is arid, the rest includes a variety of rich environments including flood plains, …show more content…

Figure 2 – Australian population concentrations by region. Growth Every state had population growth between 2001 and 2011. Queensland recorded the largest growth (845,200 people), while Western Australia recorded the fastest growth (24%). The Northern Territory had the smallest growth, increasing by 33,600 people, while Tasmania and South Australia had the slowest growth (both 8.4%). [6] A key contributor to change in the distribution of Australia's population is internal migration. During 2009-2010, 331,400 people moved from one state or territory to another. This is an 8% drop from the same period one year earlier (359,900). [6] In 2009-2010, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania all recorded net interstate migration gains, while New South Wales, South Australia, Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory had net interstate migration losses. Queensland has recorded positive net interstate migration for more than 30 years; in contrast, New South Wales has had net losses every year since 1978. However, any losses due to net interstate migration in 2009 were offset by growth due to natural increase (births minus deaths) and net overseas migration. [7] Age Distribution The life expectancy in Australia is among the highest in the world at 79.7 years. Over the past century life expectance has increased by 24 years. Below is the age structure for the country: [8] 0–14 years: 18.9% 15–64 years: 67.5% 65 years and over:

Get Access