| :Australian English began diverging from British English shortly after the foundation of the Australian penal colony of New South Wales (NSW) in 1788. British convicts sent there, including Cockneys from London, came mostly from large English cities. They were joined by free settlers, military personnel and administrators, often with their families. However, a large part of the convict body were Irish (at least 25% directly from Ireland, plus others indirectly via Britain) and other non-English speaking Welsh and Scots, or at least, not from the South/South East of Britain. English was not spoken, or was poorly spoken, by a large part of the convict population, and the dominant English input was that of Cockney South-East England.
In 1827 Peter Cunningham, in his book Two Years in New South Wales, reported that native-born white Australians of the time – known as "currency lads and lasses" spoke with a distinctive accent and vocabulary, with a strong Cockney influence. The transportation of convicts to Australia ended in 1868, but immigration of free settlers from Britain, Ireland and elsewhere continued.
Legends of an unknown land of the south( terra australis incognita) date back to the Roman Empire, there was common mention of this unknown land in medieval geography, but no documented visitation was available. In 1521 Spaniards were among the first to sail the Pacific ocean, of course it is also suggested that Pacific islanders navigated the Pacific much earlier, ie. Tahitian settlements in the Hawaiian Isles. Dutch Traders are known to have set up a base on the west coast of Australia in the early 1600 , as well as holdings in the neighboring Indonesian isles. The first mention of the word Australia in English was in 1625, in "A note of Australia del Espiritu Santo, written by Master Hakluyt, published by Samuel Purchas.
Finally , than Lieutenant Cook, master of the HM Bark Endeavour , mapped the coast of what he branded New South Wales, claiming the area of Sydney for the Crown of England. This discovery than opened the way to for the British colonization, the Crown established a new penal colony to ban Irish rebels and criminals. The British Crown Colony of New South Wales began a settlement at Port Jackson by Captain Arthur Phillip on 26 January,1788. This date later became Australia's National day.
Van Diemens Land, now known as Tasmania ( Tassie), was settled in 1803, it than became a separate colony in 1825.In subsequent years the United Kingdom claimed the rest of Australian Territory.
It is estimated that there were 350,000 Aboriginals in Australia at the time of European settlement, their numbers declined rapidly as European illnesses such as small pox , decimated the Indigenous population An identical faith suffered by many Indigenous peoples in Africa and North/South America. Captain Cooks visit to the Sandwich Isles ( Hawaii), spread small pox and killed over 35,000 Hawaiians.
Officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the mainland of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous other islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Neighboring countries include Indonesia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea to the north, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia to the north-east, and New Zealand to the south-east.
For around 40,000 years before European settlement commenced in the late 18th century, the Australian mainland and Tasmania were inhabited by around 250 individual nations of indigenous Australians. After sporadic visits by fishermen from the immediate north, and European discovery by Dutch explorers in 1606, the eastern half of Australia was claimed by the British in 1770 and initially settled through penal transportation to the colony of New South Wales, founded on 26 January 1788. The population grew steadily in the following years; the continent was explored, and during the 19th century another five largely self-governing Crown Colonies were established.
On 1 January 1901, the six colonies became a federation, and the Commonwealth of Australia was formed. Since Federation, Australia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system and remains a Commonwealth realm. The population is just over 21.7 million, with approximately 60% concentrated in and around the mainland state capitals of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. The nation's capital city is Canberra, located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
Present day Australia:
Technologically advanced and industrialized, Australia is a prosperous multicultural country and has good results in many international comparisons of national performance such as health care, life expectancy, quality-of-life, human development, public education, economic freedom, and the protection of civil liberties and political rights. Australia is mineral rich and has an active Mining Industry with some of the worlds largest Mines.
Today's Commonwealth of Australia
The National Anthem: Advance Australia Fair, replaced the British Anthem when Australia became independent in 1901, Australia remained a member of the British Commonwealth, as most other former Colonies of Britain.
The Australian Capital is Canberra, the largest city is Sydney, other large cities are Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
Like the USA, Australia has no official language,, the National language is English, Australian English is interspersed with Aussie vocabulary, having its traces through centuries of new Immigration. Not unlike US and also Canadian English.
This rich mix of population is based on the following Ethnic groups 29.01% Australian, 0.45% Australian Aboriginal, 50.79% European, 5.17% Asian, 8.25% Other, 6.33% Unstated and quite a few Canadians' and US Immigrants, as well as South African European Trans Migrants
Australians are also referred to as Aussie's (colloquial), both men and women are referred to as Aussie's, in everyday Aussie , woman are also referred to as "Sheila's, also the land of OZZ. Persons of lower social standing are also referred to as "Okkers."
Government Federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, see Government of Australia
- Monarch Queen Elizabeth II , Governor-General Quentin Bryce, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd
Independence from the United Kingdom
- Constitution 1 January 1901, Statute of Westminster 11 December 1931 Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 9 October 1942 (with effect from 3 September 1939) , Australia Act 3 March 1986
Area : Total 7,686,850 km2 or 2,967,909 sq mi, Water (%) 0.897, Population 2009 estimate 21,714,000, 2006 census 19,855,288, Density 2.833/km2 ,7.3/sq mi, GDP (PPP) 2007 estimate ,Total $762.887 billion (Per capita $36,225) GDP (nominal) 2008 estimate , Total $1,069 billion,Per capita $50,150 (DFAT)
HDI (2008) ▲ 0.965 (hig, Currency Australian dollar (AUD), Time zone various N3 (UTC+8 to +10.5)
Summer (DST) variousN3 (UTC+9 to +11.5) Aussies, Drive on the left ,Internet TLD .au , National Calling code 61 |
