Fun fact: The name Australia is derived from the Latin Terra Australis, which means “southern land.” When Europeans first began visiting and mapping Australia in the 17th century, the name Terra Australis was naturally applied to the new territories. Until the early 19th century, Australia was best known as, “New Holland”; a name first applied by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1644. The name Terra Australis is still used occasionally in scientific texts.
The people of Australia are called “Australian,” “Aussie,” or “Ozzie.” Aussie is Australian slang for Australia, which is both used as an adjective and a noun. It is used defensively by some Australians as a term of identification for people and as a nickname for the traditional cultural group of Anglo-Celtic descent. Meanwhile, in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, the word is pronounced ‘ɒzi’, hence the alternative form, Ozzie.
Following the colonization of Australia, the population of Australia became a mix of aboriginals and people of British and Irish descent. In response to the post-World War II Australian policy, addressing proactively attracting immigrants to boost the population and workforce, heavy migration took place from Europe. Further large-scale migration saw an influx of migrants to Australia from Northern Europe in the 1950s, Southern Europe in the 1960s and Vietnam as a consequence of war in the 1970s.
The increasing multicultural diversity of Australia has caused a real shift in self-perception. Thus, Australia is a very multicultural society with a strong mix of indigenous groups, individuals with historical European roots, and a diverse mix of immigrant populations. The census on immigrants suggests that in 2019, there were over 7.5 million migrants living in Australia. This means that 29.7% of the population were born overseas.
Area: 7,692,024 km2 (2,969,907 sq mi)
Population: 25,752,800
Australian Parliament, Canberra by Aditya Joshi on Unsplash
Capital: Canberra
National Anthem: Advance Australia Fair
Government type: Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Languages: English
Religion:
· 52.1% Christianity
· 2.6% Islam
· 2.4% Buddhism
· 1.9% Hinduism
· 0.5% Sikhism
· 0.4% Judaism
Ethnic Groups:
· English 25.9%
· Australian 25.4%
· Irish 7.5%
· Australian aboriginal .5%
· Scottish 6.4%
· Italian 3.3%
· German 3.2%
· Chinese 3.1%
· Indian 1.4%
· Greek 1.4%
· Dutch 1.2%
Climate: Generally arid to semiarid; temperate in the South and East; tropical in the North
Currency: Australian dollar (AUD)
Expat Population: Overseas migration makes up about 64% of the population
Emu by Cristel Sagniez on Pixabay
Taboos:
Australians try not to draw too much attention to their academic qualifications, at least in public. Do not boast about yourself or your company’s accomplishments. Instead, Australians will judge your competence and abilities through your actions. Moreover, there is great respect and empathy for the “underdog”, so the “top dog” approach is never the best way to accomplish anything. Meanwhile, Australians generally dislike aggressive sales techniques, so a factual, streamlined approach that allows for plenty of questions and discovery is best.
Cultural Behavior:
Humility and authenticity are strong values in Australian culture. As such, Australians are very down to earth and are always mindful of not giving the impression that they think they are better than anyone else. They also tend to value sincerity, humor, and informality whilst loathing pretentiousness.
Australia is a country where deprecatory comments are a sign of friendship, so you should be prepared for banter and sarcasm if you are to build relationships. If you are from a culture where face is strongly valued, then you must be prepared to put this to one side and not take offence.
Country Ranking in HDI (Human Development Index): Ranked 8th in the world.
Cost of Living:
The average monthly expenditure in Australia is around $2,200 per household. This estimate includes home loans or rent at an average $600 a week, followed by food and eating out at $400, and insurance and other financial services at $200.