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australia Essay example

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*Geography* Australia is the sixth largest country in the world. It lies in the Southern Hemisphere between 11° and 44° south latitude and 113° and 154° east longitude. The entire area of land is about the same size as the continental United States, or about one and a half times the size of Europe. The mainland of Australia has an area of 2,967,909 square miles. The country is divided into six states: Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia. The geological activity that created the country’s mountains, plains, and rivers ceased millions of years ago. Earthquakes are very rare and the last volcanic eruption occurred more than 5,000 years ago. The highest mountain in Australia, Mount …show more content…

The majority of these people are of Caucasian descent, although there are many other ethnic groups. There is no dominant religion in Australia. As of July 2002, 26.1% are Anglican, 26% are Roman Catholic, 24.3% are another Christian religion, and 11% are non-Christian. The most used language of Australia is English, however, there are a variety of other native languages that are still used today. *Government*      Australia’s form of government has been described as a constitutional monarchy, in which the queen of England is the nominal head of state. In the federal government, power rests with the elected political party that holds the majority in the House of Representatives. The leader is the prime minister. The Senate consists of 76 members who are elected every six years. The House of Representatives has 147 members and they face elections every three years. Any laws that involve changes to the Constitution must be decided by a referendum in which the country’s citizens are called to vote on whether or not they want such changes to take place.      In the regional government, each of Australia’s states is administered by a parliament, which consists of a legislative council, and a legislative assembly. The premier is the leader of the political party dominating the legislative assembly. Each state runs its own schools and hospitals, administers its own laws, and has its own police force.

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