Australia Travel & Tourism Guide
Demographics of Australia
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Nearly three quarters of Australians live in metropolitan cities and coastal areas. The beach is an integral part of the Australian identity.
Most of the estimated 21.7 million Australians are descended from colonial-era settlers and post-Federation immigrants from Europe, with almost 90% of the population being of European descent. For generations, the vast majority of both colonial-era settlers and post-Federation immigrants came almost exclusively from the British Isles, and the people of Australia are still mainly of British or Irish ethnic origin.
Australia's population has quadrupled since the end of World War I, spurred by an ambitious immigration program. Following World War II and through to 2000, almost 5.9 million of the total population settled in the country as new immigrants, meaning that nearly two out of every seven Australians were born overseas. Most immigrants are skilled, but the immigration quota includes categories for family members and refugees. In 2001, the five largest groups of the 23.1% of Australians who were born overseas were from the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Italy, Vietnam, and China. Following the abolition of the White Australia policy in 1973, numerous government initiatives have been established to encourage and promote racial harmony based on a policy of multiculturalism. In 2005–06, more than 131,000 people emigrated to Australia, mainly from Asia and Oceania. The migration target for 2006–07 was 144,000. The total immigration quota for 2008–09 is around 300,000—its highest level since the Immigration Department was created after World War II.
The Indigenous population—mainland Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders—was counted at 410,003 (2.2% of the total population) in 2001, a significant increase from the 1976 census, which counted an indigenous population of 115,953. A large number of Indigenous people are not identified in the Census due to undercount and cases where their Indigenous status is not recorded on the form; after adjusting for these factors, the ABS estimated the true figure for 2001 to be approximately 460,140 (2.4% of the total population). Indigenous Australians suffer from higher rates of imprisonment and unemployment, lower levels of education, and life expectancies for males and females that are 11–17 years lower than those of non-indigenous Australians. Some remote Indigenous communities have been described as having "failed state"-like conditions.
In common with many other developed countries, Australia is experiencing a demographic shift towards an older population, with more retirees and fewer people of working age. In 2004, the average age of the civilian population was 38.8 years. A large number of Australians (759,849 for the period 2002–03) live outside their home country.
English is the national language. Australian English is a major variety of the language, with its own distinctive accent and vocabulary (some of which has found its way into other varieties of English), but less internal dialectal variation (apart from small regional pronunciation and lexical variations) than either British or American English. Grammar and spelling are largely based on those of British English. According to the 2001 census, English is the only language spoken in the home for around 80% of the population. The next most common languages spoken at home are Chinese (2.1%), Italian (1.9%), and Greek (1.4%). A considerable proportion of first- and second-generation migrants are bilingual. It is believed that there were between 200 and 300 Australian Aboriginal languages at the time of first European contact. Only about 70 of these languages have survived, and all but 20 of these are now endangered. An indigenous language remains the main language for about 50,000 (0.25%) people. Australia has a sign language known as Auslan, which is the main language of about 6,500 deaf people.
Australia has no state religion. In the 2006 census, 64% of Australians were listed as Christian of any denomination, including 26% as Roman Catholic and 19% as Anglican. "No religion" (which includes humanism, atheism, agnosticism, and rationalism) accounted for 19%; and a further 12% declined to answer or did not give a response adequate for interpretation. The fastest-growing and second largest religion in Australia is Buddhism, followed by Hinduism and Islam. Overall less than 6% of Australians identify with non-Christian religions. Surveys have found Australia to be one of the least devout nations in the developed world, with religion not described as an important part in many Australians' lives. As in many Western countries, the level of active participation in church worship is low and in decline; weekly attendance at church services in 2004 was about 1.5 million: about 7.5% of the population.
School attendance is compulsory throughout Australia. In Most Australian States at 5–6 years of age all children receive 11 years (10 years in South Australia and Tasmania) of compulsory education, then can move on to complete two more years (years 11 and 12), contributing to an adult literacy rate that is assumed to be 99%. The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), currently ranks Australia's education as the eighth best in the world, significantly higher than the average world ranking among the thirty OECD countries. Government grants have supported the establishment of Australia's 38 universities; and although several private universities have been established, the majority receive government funding. There is a state-based system of vocational training, higher than colleges, known as TAFE Institutes, and many trades conduct apprenticeships for training new tradespeople. Approximately 58% of Australians aged from 25 to 64 have vocational or tertiary qualifications, and the tertiary graduation rate of 49% is the highest among OECD countries. The ratio of international to local students in tertiary education in Australia is the highest in the OECD countries.
Source : Wikipedia Encyclopedia
Australia Travel & Tourism Guides
Adelaide, Australia
Adelaide Glenelg, Australia
Airlie Beach, Australia
Albury, Australia
Alice Springs, Australia
Ayers Rock, Australia
Barossa Valley, Australia
Bedarra Island, Australia
Brampton Island, Australia
Brisbane, Australia
Broome, Australia
Bundaberg, Australia
Byron Bay, Australia
Cairns, Australia
Caloundra, Australia
Canberra, Australia
Cape Tribulation, Australia
Coffs Harbour New, Australia
Cooinda, Australia
Coolum Beach, Australia
Cradle Mountain, Australia
Darwin, Australia
Day Dream Island, Australia
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Dunkin Island, Australia
Fraser Island, Australia
Gold Coast, Australia
Hamilton Island, Australia
Hayman Island, Australia
Heron Island, Australia
Hervey Bay, Australia
Hobart, Australia
Jabiru, Australia
Kakadu, Australia
Katoomba, Australia
Kings Canyon, Australia
Launceston, Australia
Leura, Australia
Lizard Island, Australia
Long Island, Australia
Mackay, Australia
Magnetic Island, Australia
Melbourne, Australia
Melbourne Airport, Australia
Mossman, Australia
Nelson Bay, Australia |
New Castle, Australia
Noosa, Australia
Palm Cove, Australia
Perth, Australia
Perth Scarborough, Australia
Phillip Island, Australia
Pokolbin, Australia
Port Douglas, Australia
Port Macquarie, Australia
Rockhampton, Australia
South Molle Beach, Australia
Sydney, Australia
Sydney Airport, Australia
Sydney Bondi Beach Travel, Australia
Sydney Coogee, Australia
Sydney Manly, Australia
Sydney North-Sydney Travel, Australia
Terrigal, Australia
Townsville, Australia
Yeppoon, Australia |
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