The Lucky Country is a nickname for Australia. Although its origin is a negative reference in a 1964 book written by Donald Horne. It has since become a favorable reference.
Australia is pretty unique. It is a continent as well as a country. It is a country without borders with another country, pretty much like an island country but Australia is way way bigger. Australia is the world’s 6th largest country in size. Australia is relatively new country on an ancient continent. The continent is so aged most of the land has already turned into dessert. Australia is also the driest continent.
Australia is a migrant country. The indigenous people have inhabited Australia for tens of thousands of years. The European settlers came to Australia in the 15th century. Since then, its population grows as more and more migrants arriving ever since. As of 2020, Australia has over 25 million people calling it home.
Australia has six states and three territories. The six states are New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia. The three territories are Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Jervis Bay Territory and Northern Territory. Jervis Bay Territory is a small town in Sydney’s south coast and administered by ACT.
Australia has national health care system, Medicare, provides low cost or no cost health care for its people. GP visit is generally free of charge through bulk-billing. Most prescription drugs are subsidized by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. After all, Australia has one of the best medical system.
Most people in Australia live in big cities. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane are the top 3 cities. The other big cities are mainly the state or territory capitals, like Perth, Adelaide, Darwin and Hobart. Australia is a major food and minerals exporter
In the past, most migrants were attracted to the two biggest cities, Sydney and Melbourne. The federal government has altered the migration policy to encourage migrants to settle in the rural area. Sometimes, the rural area is not rural at all. Like Adelaide and Gold Coast, they are metro area with affordable housing, though they are not as vibrant as Sydney and Melbourne.
The major natural disasters Australia have are bush fire, cyclones, heat wave and dust storm. Compared with life threatening disasters like earthquakes, twister, volcanic eruption, Australia is considered pretty safe from natural disasters. The cyclones in Australia mainly affects the north, which is pretty sparsely populated..
Australia’s climate ranges from tropical in the north to temperate in the south. The central dessert is very dry and hot. South Australia and Western Australia has Mediterranean climate. There is no severe winter. In general, the climate and weather is quite pleasant throughout the year.