Australia in Brief

Capital : Canberra

Official language : English

Climate : Huge central desert, surrounded by semi-desert zone. Far north always hot, with heavy summer rains. East coast moist, with warm temperatures in north, but with cool winters in south. Extreme southwest and Adelaide area with hot, dry summers; mild, moist winters. In general, Australia has a warm, dry climate. But the climate differs from one part of the country to another. Australia lies south of the equator, and so its seasons are opposite those in the Northern Hemisphere.

The southern part of the continent has four distinct seasons. Winter, the wettest and coolest season in Australia, lasts from June through August. Summer, which is the hottest and driest season, lasts from December through February.

Population : 2003 estimate - 20,000,000

Money : Basic unit - Australian Dollar

Main trading partners : Japan, United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, Germany.

Education : Children must attend school from age 6 to 15. However, they may start school before the age of 6, and most start at age 5. About three-fourths of Australian students attend state schools. The rest attend Roman Catholic or other independent schools.

Universities in Australia provide education in all faculties and rank as one of the leading Education providers.