Australia is an independent Western democracy with a
population of more than 20 million. It is one of the world’s most urbanized
countries, with about 70 per cent of the population living in the 10 largest
cities. Most of the population is concentrated along the eastern seaboard and
the south-eastern corner of the continent.
Australia’s lifestyle reflects its mainly Western origins, but Australia is
also a multicultural society which has been enriched by over six million
settlers from almost 200 nations. Four out of ten Australians are migrants or
the first-generation children of migrants, half of them from non-English
speaking backgrounds.
The capital of Australia is Melbourne.
