General

As one of countries starting with letter A listed on countryaah, Australia is the sixth largest country in the world in terms of area. The name is derived from the Latin “terra australis” and means “southern country”.

The offshore island of Tasmania and some smaller islands also belong to Australia. In addition, the Pacific Norfolk Island, the Cocos Islands, Christmas Island and the Ashmore and Cartier Islands in the Indian Ocean as well as the sub-Antarctic islands Macquarie Island and Heard and McDonald Islands belong to Australia as outlying areas.

The total area of ​​the country is about 7.7 million square kilometers. North-south extension about 3700 km, west-east extension about 4000 km. The largest and most famous cities are Sydney (4.3 million residents), Melbourne (3.9 million residents), Brisbane (1.9 million residents), Perth (1.6 million residents) and Adelaide (1.2 million residents). The capital Canberra has only 308,700 residents.

Australia is one of the most important emigration countries for Europeans. People from over 110 nations live here. The mild climate, the relaxed attitude to life and Australia’s economic strength contribute to this. The multicultural diversity in Australia has created an unusually high awareness of social tolerance.

The lifestyle, shaped by the western character, shows no differences whatsoever to the western European or North American way of life, especially in the big cities such as Sydney and Melbourne. As a tourist, you can find everything in Australia that makes a stay in this vast country an unforgettable experience, and business travelers also have a number of import and export opportunities in the trade, industry and service sectors.

Overview immigration

With a Working Holiday Maker visa, young people between the ages of 18 and 30 can vacation or work in Australia for up to one year and possibly extend it for 1 year.

Anyone wishing to emigrate via skilled migration must be younger than 45 years old, usually have completed vocational training or a university degree and have sufficient work experience, and should have a good command of English.

Business people under the age of 55 have the option of settling in Australia on a Business Skills Visa.

Retirees aged 55 and over (partner may be younger) with no dependents in their household can stay in Australia for up to 4 years on an Investor Retirement Visa if they make a long-term investment in Australia. After that they can extend for 10 years.

Due to the flexible visa system, there are other ways to fulfill your dream of emigrating.

Australia – people, language, religion, culture and education

People

Around 92% of the population are of European, 7% of Asian descent. 2.4% of indigenous descent. In particular, immigrants from ex-Yugoslavia, especially Croats (105,747), Macedonians (81,898) and Serbs (97,315), but also from Greece (357,703), Italy (800,256) and Poland (150,900) form their own minorities.

Over 1.3 million Australians have at least one German ancestor. Many Indian, Pakistani and Sinhala migrants also live in Australia.

Language

English or Australian English is the most widely spoken language with around 79% of the population, around 2% each speak Chinese dialects or Italian.

The indigenous population of the Australian continent is made up of the mainland Aborigines and the Torres Strait Islanders who live on the islands of the Torres Strait between Queensland and Papua New Guinea.

Australia is heavily urbanized, 92% of the population live in cities, especially in the large centers on the southeast coast, in Tasmania and in the greater Perth area. The center of the country is almost deserted.

English language courses

Among the multitude of language courses, I recommend multimedia language courses because you learn very quickly with this method.

The following link provides you with a professional language course with which you can learn English quickly and easily:

• English language course

Religion

The majority of Australians belong to Christian religious communities (source: 2001 census). 26.6% described themselves as Roman Catholic, 20.7% as Anglicans, and a further 20.7% as members of other Christian churches. 1.9% of the population profess Buddhism, 1.5% Islam, 0.3% traditional Australian Aboriginal religions. 15.3% describe themselves as non-religious. The corresponding question was not answered by 12.7% in the census.

Culture

The culture is shaped in all areas by the influences of different immigrant groups, mixed with the expressions of the indigenous culture of the Aborigines.

Art: Today’s work by Australian artists is increasingly influenced by art forms from neighboring Asian countries. Contemporary art also uses a wide variety of media to present current issues, such as environmental problems or social changes.

The Australian Opera, based in Sydney, stages around 300 performances annually. The national ballet ensemble is the Australian Ballet, founded in Melbourne in 1961. On tours through Australia, around 185 performances of classical and modern ballet are offered annually. The ballet is considered to be one of the best in the world. Classical theater as well as modern productions are performed by the Sydney Theater Company. In the five halls of the Sydney Opera House, concerts and operas as well as plays and films are shown.

The oldest museum in Australia is the Australian Museum, built in Hyde Park in Sydney in 1827. It contains extensive natural history collections, but also collections on the history and culture of the indigenous population. Another important natural history museum is the Victoria Museum, founded in Melbourne in 1854, with a 12 million collection.

Australian art from colonial beginnings to contemporary artists is the home of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, built around 1880 in Sydney. European and Asian works are also among the objects in this museum. The attached Yiribana Gallery is the world’s largest collection of indigenous Australian art.

Media

Radio and Television: The two national broadcasters are the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS). In addition to several radio programs (SBS with multilingual programs, including German), they each offer a television program that can be received nationwide. In addition, 53 commercial TV channels can be received, three of which are national, Seven Network, Nine Network and Network Ten.

Training

School education: After attending preschool for one year (preparatory year), at the age of around six, the six to seven-year primary school follows. The secondary schools lead to graduation after a further five to six years. In most states, school attendance is compulsory until the age of 15 and in Tasmania until the age of 16. However, the majority of students, around 70%, complete the full 13 years of schooling.

Studying in Australia: Foreign students can take advantage of the so-called “overseas student program (OSP)”, however, foreign students (“Not Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents”) are generally obliged to pay tuition fees.