Australia is often called the Largest island in the world. It is surrounded by water and has around 10 000 beaches. Australia is large enough to be its own continent, which it is! Australia sits in the southern hemisphere and has an area of over 7 million square kilometres and ranks as the sixth largest nation in the world.

Although Australia started as a British colony, today it is very multi cultural with immigrants from all over the world now calling themselves Australians. The population now stands at around 20 Million.

These days the indigenous Australian, called the Aborigine, represents only about 2 % of the total population. The Aboriginal history goes back about 40 Million years they inhabited most parts of the Australian continent before any arrival of any European.

Australia's natural wealth is amazing. It produces 95% of the world's opals and 99% of the world's black opals. Another one of Australia's largest exports is beef. Australia boasts over 27 million head of cattle.

Australia thrives with unique wildlife flora and fauna. Two of Australia's most well known wildlife animals is the koala and the kangaroo. The kangaroo is a marsupial that belongs to a group of animals called macropods. "Macropod ? means "big foot. ? Another Australian macropod in the same family as the kangaroo is the wallaby. The largest kangaroo is the big red kangaroo that stands 2 meters tall and weigh up to 90 kilos. You will find red kangaroos in Australia's arid red center.

The koala would be the most popular wildlife animal known to Australia. The koala bear is a mammal and not really a bear. It is actually more related to the Australian kangaroo and wombat. Tourists come from around the world to see and to be able to hold one of these cuddly little teddy bear-like creatures in one of Australia's many nature parks.

Another strange creature unique to Australia is one of the worlds largest Bird called the emu. Its name comes from a Portuguese word "emma, ? which means a large bird. The male emu can stand as high as 2 meters, earning the prestigious title of being Australia's largest bird.

Australia has seven major cities that hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to each year. The largest city of Australia is Sydney with a population just under 4 million. What makes Sydney so beautiful is its harbor and surrounding water ways. Its coastline is lined with beach after beach. Some of Sydney's most popular land marks are the Harbor Bridge, the Sydney Opera House, and Bondi beach. In the year 2000, Sydney was the host nation of the Olympic Games. Sydney is a very modern city and full of first class hotels and restaurants.

To the south of Sydney, we have another modern and cosmopolitan city called Melbourne. Melbourne's sophisticated ambiance is filled with some of the finest restaurants in the world. Melbourne is the second largest city in Australia, with a population of about 3 and a half million people. It is also known as the sporting capital of Australia.

Adelaide is known as the City of Churches It is a more gentle city compared to the fast lifestyles of Sydney and Melbourne. It also contains first class restaurants and hotels at much cheaper prices than Sydney or Melbourne. Adelaide is also known for its great wines from the Barossa valley.

To the western side of Australia is the city is Perth. Perth is a beautiful city that sits along the Swan river with a population of only one and a half million people. Its residents enjoy a very easy going lifestyle.

The top end of Australia is Darwin, with its hot tropical weather patterns. It is also known as Crocodile Country, and is also Australia's northern gateway to Asia.

The top of the east coast of Australia, we have Queensland. Queensland houses one of the seven wonders of the world: the Great Barrier Reef. The capital city of Queensland is Brisbane, which is also a vibrant and diverse city. It is also the gateway to the tropical islands of the north. Brisbane is a very popular destination enjoyed by the young and old tourists alike.

The smallest city of Australia is Tasmania, which sits to the bottom of Australia's south east coast. It is very lush and green. If you like the cooler climates, Tasmania is the place for you. The capital of Tasmania is Hobart. Interestingly enough, Tasmania looks like a broken piece of Australia's mainland.

I hope you enjoyed my introduction to my favorite country in the world: Australia.