Geographically
the sixth-largest country in the world,
Australia is a continent unlike any other.
Drifting away from the ancient “mother
continent”, many species of plants
and animals were locked in this gigantic
sanctuary and survive nowhere else on
earth. The continent itself is like a
giant island, with a large desert in the
middle and a green fringe that goes around
the outside.
Humans have been living in Australia for
over 50000 years. These were not Europeans,
but an Aboriginal people (i.e. Australian
Aborigines) whose history is now only
legend. Australian Aborigines are famous
for existing in harmony with the wilderness.
It is speculated that they arrived via
land bridges or dangerous sea crossings,
but no one knows for sure.
Europeans didn’t discover Australia
until the 17th century. These intrepid
explorers included the Dutch, the Portuguese,
and the Spanish. These people didn’t
stay for long though, although they did
establish trade routes to the north.
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It
wasn’t until the English decided
they needed a place to store their prisoners
that Australia was officially colonized.
The British Crown Colony of “New
South Wales” was officially started
on January 26, 1788. Soon surrounding
islands like Tasmania and New Zealand
were settled as well.
On 1 January 1901Australia became a fully
independent federation, gaining full independence
from its motherland. Australia eventually
gained a reputation as a “working
man's paradise” and as a laboratory
for social reform, hosting the world's
first secret ballot and first national
Labor Party government. But it wasn’t
until the passing of the Australia Act
in 1986 that the separation was 100% complete.
Today Australia is a “constitutional
monarchy”, with all of its ties
to Britain being purely ceremonial.
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