What do you know about Australia? Americans please answer.?

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hcd.art

After moving to Sydney from the U.S., I learned that the inner city has graffiti similar to downtown Los Angeles, the native aboriginal population is just as marginalized in AUS as it is in the US. Some Aussies expect all USAers to talk very loudly with a harsh "r" at the end of every sentence. Some were surprized that I didn't wear track suits every day, and regardless, every culture cannot be summed up in one clump of a category no matter where they're from. I was really surprized that parts of Tasmania reminded me of the English countryside. Great Thai food in Sydney! And the US has marsupials too, they're American Possums!

LeftField360

I am not sure exactly what you are asking but here goes....

when I think of Australia.....I think vast (as in large land mass-even if it is an Island)....the outback....cities...the various wildlife....cool leafy seadragons.....I think farming..sheep / cattle ....I think mining...opals.....I think huge rock and aborigines...beaches....great whites....and croc's ....Steve Irwin...was a loss...he was a one of a kind character....and the world lost in his passing.....I think of Silver Chair and AC DC .....

I have had the pleasure of meeting several Australians ....cool ,laid back...easy going..and kind.....

It is one of the places I would love to see...

I think it was cool when your government said radicals of any kind would not be tolerated...

I don't know a lot about your country but everything I have seen and heard...has always been in a favorable light....

rswdew

The one thing that I know most about Austrailia is that your history kind of parallels the history of the US. We had our wild west you have the outback. The outback was built on livestock as was the American west.

Most of your population is on the east and west coast area, while sparsely populated in the center, same with the U.S. Austrailia is almost the same size as the continental US.

The Aussies have fought along side the US in every major conflict since WW1.

I think that our 2 countries have more in common than we do apart.

Last but not least, we all speak English, some of us butcher it more than others but ...what the hey?!!

It would be interesting to see what you think of us.

momwithabat

Basically what I know is what I have learned from a chat friend in Australia.
The seasons are exact opposite ours
He works for a gold mine and has to fly out to the mine for days and then he is home for several days.
Medical care is a waiting game for scheduled procedures.
Windows and computer programs are more expensive.
Aussies have GREAT accents!
Kids wear uniforms to school.
They have bathrooms that don't have toilets in them. (Our half baths have a sink and toilet.)
Aussies have a great sense of humor.

trykindness

Your first paragraph refers to Americans that are either ETHNOCENTRIC or IGNORANT unfortunately there are a lot of them, much more than the ones that had been there and enjoy the beauty of the AUSSIELAND.
I lived there for 20 years, my children and grandchildren live there as I would not let them be raised here in USA. My husband and I are going to retire there in few years and I cannot wait for that day. I make my living here in USA but I live my life in DownUnder.

jayfreeze18

Its one of the seven contents.
"Mate" is used a lot.
You called "Aussies".
There are loads of creepy kangaroos.
Steve Irwin not only was born there but he was like a huge celeb.
And thats all I can think of right now...

life coach

Australia is a huge country! Can't think of anyone who calls it a "little island" ...I think is is a vast place with some haunting beauty, some starkness. I think of the Sydney Opera House & Ayers Rock and just about everything in between. Mostly, I love the Aussie people: can-do types, not whinners with a great sense of humor. Fantastic place, even though the Christmas weather is backwards to us! Have never heard of a nudist beach outside of Florida!

Rebecca J

okay well whoever told u that is wrong b/c i went there over the summer and it was the best place ever! u will totally love it if u go!

topher4193

All I know is that they have warm weather, nice beaches, the amazing coral reef, an interesting accent in their voice, have kangaroos in some places, and have koalas that are now endangered. We sterotype every country as they do the same, sterotyping will never end.

agent_starfire

About Australia

Australia Immigration
Almost 5 million people born overseas live in Australia. More migrants move to Sydney than any other Australian city.

Australian Citizenship
After immigration, you need to spend two years as a permanent resident in Australia before you can apply for Australian Citizenship.

Australia's Migrants I
Around 24% of Australia's residents were born overseas. This compares with 20% in New Zealand, 17% in Canada, 10% in the USA and 6% in the UK.

Australia's Migrants II
Australia has been a magnet for immigration for many years. Australia's immigration policy used to be targeted towards attracting people from the British Isles. The emphasis now is to attract anyone from anywhere who has the skills to contribute to Australia's development.

Facts about Australia
Australia's agriculture sector is very important to its economy. Sales of beef, wheat, alcohol and wool account for more than one half of Australia's agricultural exports. Japan is the biggest importer of Australian agricultural products, taking 18 percent of Australia's output.

Tourism Australia Facts
Around six percent of Australians work in tourism.

Biggest State
Western Australia is the biggest Australian state and covers one third of the continent. Its total area is over 2.5 million square kilometres. That makes it 3.6 times bigger than Texas, 4.6 times bigger than France and 11 times bigger than the UK. Despite its large size, Western Australia is home to only around two million people.

Most People
New South Wales, with 6.8 million people has the largest population of any of Australia's states. Victoria, with 5 million people is next most populous.

Locally Made TV Shows
By law, free-to-air channels in Australia must show a minimum of 55 percent Australian made content. Home-produced shows make up 90 percent of content in USA, 78 percent in the UK (BBC), 60 percent in Canada and 42 percent in New Zealand.

Natural Hazards
Australia's main natural hazards are cyclones (hurricanes), drought and forest fires. The biggest killer of all has been heatwaves.

Favourite Television
In 2004, the most watched programmes were:
1. Australian Idol: The Final Verdict
2. Big Brother: The Winner Announced
3. Tens AFL Finals: 2004 Grand Final: Port Adelaide vs Brisbane (10)
4. Seven News
5. Melbourne Cup - The Race

The Big Dry
Australia has the lowest precipitation of any of the world's inhabited continents. (Antarctica gets less.) 70 percent of Australia gets less than 500 mm (20 inches) of rainfall per year.

Health Warning
21 percent of Australians are smokers. Smoking is more common in people who are socially and economically disadvantaged. Around 31 percent of disadvantaged people smoke. Smoking rates amongst advantaged people in Australia are around 16 percent.

Australia Export Facts
The top 10 countries Australian goods are exported to are: Japan, USA, China, New Zealand, South Korea, UK, Taiwan, Singapore, India, Hong Kong SAR.

Highest and Lowest Temperatures
Australia's highest temperature, 51 degrees C (123 degrees F), was recorded at Oodnadatta, South Australia in 1960. The lowest temperature was minus 23 degrees C (minus 9 degrees F) measured high in the mountains at Charlotte Pass, New South Wales.

Favourite Movies
The top grossing films ever in Australia are:
Titanic (In 1997)
Shrek 2 (2004)
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2004)
Crocodile Dundee (1986)
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Desert Country
One third of Australia's land is desert. Australia has 10 deserts of which the largest is the Great Victoria Desert, covering just under 5 percent of the country. Ironically, the Great Victoria Desert is not located in Victoria but is in Western Australia and South Australia. The Great Victoria Desert covers 348,750 square kilometres which makes it around one and a half times bigger than the UK or slightly smaller than Montana.

How Big is Australia?
Australia is the word's smallest continent and the world's sixth largest country. Australia covers an area of 7,686,900 square kilometres. That's slightly smaller than the continuous United States which is 7,827,848 square kilometres (does not include Hawaii and Alaska).

World's Biggest Crocodiles
The tropical north of Australia is home to the world's largest species of crocodile, the salt water crocodile. These creatures are protected in Australia. Males can occasionally grow to lengths of over 6 metres (20 feet). Each year one or two people are eaten by crocodiles in Australia.

Alcohol
Compared with other countries, Australians are not very heavy drinkers. The average Australian drinks 7% less alcohol than the average Briton, 25% less alcohol than the average German and 35% less alcohol than the average Irish.

Life Expectancy
Australian men born in the last few years can expect to live to around 77 years and women to 82 years. Life expectancy for Aboriginal Australians is around 20 years lower than for other Australians.

The Lucky Country
Australia has long been known as the lucky country. This is not surprising when you learn it is the world's largest iron ore exporter and largest producer of bauxite and alumina. Australia also has the world's largest deposits of silver, zinc, zircon and easily extracted uranium (over 40% of world resources). It also has about 10 percent of the world's gold resources.

Babies
Australian fertility (1.8 babies per woman) is lower than that of the USA (2.1) but higher than the UK (1.6), Japan (1.3) and Germany (1.4).

Wealthiest State
Most people think the Sydney region is the wealthiest part of Australia. In fact the highest wages in Australia are paid in the rugged Northern Territory. The Northern Territory also has the highest Gross Domestic Product per capita of any part of Australia.

Sport
Australians are crazy about sport. The most popular participation sports are aerobics, golf and tennis. The top three sports males take part in are golf, cricket and tennis. For females it's aerobics, lawn bowls and netball.

Go Directly to Jail
Around 115 Australians per 100,000 of population are in jail. This compares with: New Zealand 155, UK 141, Germany 100, Spain 138, Canada 116, South Africa 400, USA 700.

Horrie

Why dont you ask someone from Australia, I live in Queensland Australia and have liveed in every state except Northern territory. I know a lot about the Northern Territory anyway. Australia is the largest island in the whole world. Kangaroos are not everywhere, sure, they breed like wildfire but they are always being culled and even though they are a pest to farmers (destroying their fences when crossing country) they are amazing creatures. Theres more ferral pigs in Australia than there are people - if you want to know more email me at i2canchange@yahoo.com. or shewalker@gmail.com - you need to hear it from the horses mouth - I am very well travelled and can tell you some amazing things about Australia - it has over 700 islands off the Pacific coastline alone!

October

I saw "Crocodile Dundee" and "Quiglly Down Under". I know everything about Australia.

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