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<p>The Commonwealth of Australia is the sixth-largest island in the world by total area. The island state is located in the Oceania continent. The islands total land mass is 7,692,024 square kilometers with a population of 23, 808, 600 people. The Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders are the Indigenous of Australia, amounting to only 2.5% of the total population. Being one of the world’s wealthiest countries, Australia is one of the top developed countries in the Pacific. The latitude and longitude of Australia is 27 degrees 0’S / 133 degrees 0’E. The latitude and longitude has significantly given Australia a very unique climate. The southern &amp; eastern side of Australia generally experiences pleasant weather during the winter &amp;summer, but the northern part of Australia it are hot &amp; humid in the summer and very cold during winter.</p>
<p>The capital of Australia is Canberra, and Sydney is the largest city. The official language of Australia is English. Its official currency is the Australian dollar (AUD). Australia is divided into six states: New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), South Australia (SA), Victoria (VIC), Western Australia (WA), and Tasmania (TAS). Its two mainland territories are; the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory (NT). Australia is the world’s smallest continent.</p>
<p><strong><em>HISTORY</em></strong></p>
<p>The first settlers of Australia are thought to have come from South-East Asia.  Europeans settled in the island in the late 18<sup>th</sup> century.</p>
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<p><strong><em>ENVIRONMENT </em></strong></p>
<p>The world’s largest coral reef the ‘Great Barrier Reef’ is located off the northeast coast of the island. Mount Augustus, located in Western Australia is claimed to be the world’s largest monolith. Australia has a variety of landscapes due to its size. There is a diversity of biological life, hence a large scale of plants, mammals, birds, and fishes are endemic to the island.</p>
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<p><strong><em>ECONOMY</em></strong></p>
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<p>Australia is the world’s 12<sup>th</sup> largest economy. The island country is rich in natural resources; wheat &amp; wool, iron-ore, gold, and energy. Main services industries include:  tourism, education, financial sectors, and agriculture. Australia is one of the world’s largest wine exporters. Its export markets include; New Zealand, Japan, China, the U.S, and South Korea.</p>
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<p><strong><em>RELIGION</em></strong></p>
<p>Australia has no state religion as there is free exercise of any religion. 61.1% of the population are Christians, 22.3% adhere to no religion, Buddhism 2.5%, and Islam 2.2%. Other religions include Hinduism, and Judaism.</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;"><strong><em> </em></strong><strong><em>EDUCATION</em></strong></p>
<p>Education is compulsory throughout Australia between ages from 5 to 16 years. There is very high literacy rate amounting up to 99%.  There are 37 government funded universities, and two private universities. Catholic education is the largest non-government sector.</p>
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<p><strong><em>HEALTH</em></strong></p>
<p>Some major diseases faced by the Health sector are: skin cancer, hypertension, and obesity.</p>
<p><strong><em>CULTURE</em></strong></p>
<p>Australian culture has been heavily influenced by western culture, particularly American and also from the Asian countries.</p>
<p>Art is an important form of expression for the Australian culture. This can be clearly evident from cave paintings, rock engravings, and body painting from the Indigenous people.</p>
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<p><strong><em>SPORTS</em></strong></p>
<p>Sporting activities enjoyed in Australia are: cricket, hockey, netball, rugby league, football, swimming and rugby union. Australia is renowned in international meets in most sporting games.</p>
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