Australia

Sparsely populated Australia is the only country on the planet which occupies an entire continent. Most of the 18 million Australians live near the coast and about 40% of the country live in Sydney (3.7 million) and Melbourne (3.2 million).

Fifty thousand years ago groups of Southeast Asians immigrated to the continent and settled among it vast desert plains and resource-rich coasts. In 1770, British Captain James Cook claimed the entire continent for the British Empire and continued on his fated journey. The independence of the thirteen American colonies led the British to begin colonizing the Australia in 1788 as a penal colony (the American colony of Georgia had previously served that purpose for England). Transportation of prisoners ended in 1868 and non-incarcerated emigrants began settling "down-under." To reach Australia from Europe, one had to travel along the African coast to the Cape of Good Hope and east across the Indian Ocean to reach the second-driest continent they would call home (Antarctica's the driest).

As European colonization continued and the mental image of Australia as a penal colony began to fade, the major coastal settlements became seven independent colonies. Sydney was the focus of New South Wales, Brisbane of Queensland, Darwin of the Northern Territory, Perth of Western Australia, Adelaide of South Australia, Melbourne of Victoria, and Hobart was the focus of the island territory of Tasmania. By 1861 the straight-line boundaries between the colonies that we know today in Australia were established. The boundaries were much easier to establish than was the nation of Australia. It took over forty years of discussion for the seven territories merged to become the Commonwealth of Australia on January 1, 1901. In the development of the federal state the major cities of Sydney and Melbourne fought over which would become the national capital. The "Australian Capital Territory" was created in New South Wales (the home of Sydney) as the site of a new capital – Canberra. Melbourne served as the capital until the building of Canberra was completed in 1927.

As a modern state, Australia is a supplier of raw material to other Pacific Rim countries and an importer of finished manufactured products. Australia, approximately the size of the 48 continental United States, is becoming oriented to the Pacific Rim they adjoin. Japan is Australia's leading trade partner and thousands of children learn Japanese in Australian schools.

The future of Australia is promising as they continue to become tied to the rapidly growing nations of the Pacific Rim. During the late 80's and early 90's the economy was almost stagnant but trade and production has increased. Sydney's hosting of the 2000 Olympic Games will allow the entire country to bask in the world spotlight. It should prove to be an exciting moment in the history of the commonwealth.

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