The Currency and Economy

The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia. Within

Australia, its signs are ($), A$ or AU$. The Australian dollar is subdivided into 100 cents. It is the sixth most-traded currency in the world.

The economy of Australia is a developed, market economy with a GDP (gross

domestic product) of approximately $1 trillion USD. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals (such as iron-ore) and energy in the forms of natural gas and coal. The service sector of the economy includes tourism, education and financial services.

Socially and economically, Australia is still trying to come to terms with its

dependence on foreign powers and its place in Asia. As an Australian journalist once observed, Australia is a synthesis of Britain and America. Before the World War II, the Australian authorities sought London‟ s approval of almost every political step. After the war, on major world issues, Canberra tends to wait for Washington to make its position known and only then to take this or that step.

However, nowadays, Australia is one of the ten foremost capitalist states in terms of

its level of economic development. It is the most developed country in the South Pacific, and it dominates the area.

12. The Largest Cities of Australia

Now Australian cities do not have kangaroos hopping down their quiet streets. But

Australians do have their own folk life: in the suburbs, everyone has a garden and a yard which might include a barbecue, a cubby house for children and various kennels for dogs, cats and chickens. And this scene is just typical of the Australian habits and ways.

Though Australia is one of the least populated countries in the world, two of its cities,

Sydney and Melbourne, rank among the 40 largest cities on our planet.

Canberra: the capital, the fascinating 20th-century creation by the American architect

Walter Burley Griffin; " the fat cat" of the Australian cities, being a city of politicians and bureaucrats; the seat of the Australian Parliament; often called the Garden City of Australia because of its broad avenues and residential streets lined with trees.

Sydney: the largest city and port of Australia; " the Queen City of the South", named

after Lord Sydney (then the British home secretary); originally a penal colony, now the chief commercial and industrial centre of Australia; a principal centre of government and culture: the seat of the state government, several federal agencies, consulates of many countries; the Public Library of New South Wales, the Galleries of Australia, the Australian Museum, the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the State Conservatorium of Music, the University of Sydney (Australia‟ s oldest university), the New South Wales University of Technology, Hyde Park, the Botanic Gardens; several popular resort suburbs with beautiful sandy beaches; the successful 2000 Olympic Games.

Melbourne: the second largest city of Australia, named after Lord Melbourne (then

the Prime Minister of Great Britain); a city of contradictions and hidden charms being cosmopolitan, suburban, cultivated, football crazy, conservative and a haven for the avant-garde; a cultural focus and a leading centre for scientific research, a base for Antarctic exploration: the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, the Royal College of Surgeons, the University of Melbourne, galleries, museums; visitors come to Melbourne for shopping, restaurants, nightlife and sporting events; the successful 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.

Brisbane: Australia‟ s third largest city; a port and marketing centre; a leading

Australian tourist centre: a lively, cosmopolitan city with several interesting districts, a good street café scene, a great riverside park, a busy cultural calendar and decent nightlife.

Darwin: a city of Australia with a tropical climate (the year-round temperature near

28˚ C); named after the famous English naturalist Charles Darwin; played a major role during World War II as an allied military base.

13. Culture, Science and Sport in Australia

The Australian culture bears the stamp of its British ancestry. However, today artists

in all the fields, particularly in painting and literature, are successful in bringing to the broad stream of the European culture a contribution that is peculiarly Australian. Australia has a rich artistic heritage (both Aboriginal and Australian) and vivid contemporary arts. Australia‟ s arts festivals attract people from all over Australia and abroad. Australians have their own folk life. It is true and proper to admit that Australia‟ s outstanding masters are world famous.