The flag of Australia is the only one to fly over a whole continent.

The small Union Jack represents the historical link with Britain, the large seven-pointed star represents the six States and Territories, and the small stars from the Southern Cross a prominent feature of the southern hemisphere night sky Australia's coat of arms the official emblem of the Australian Government was granted by George V in 1912. The arms consist of a shield containing the badges of the six states. The supporters are native Australian fauna a kangaroo and an emu. A yellowflowered native plant, wattle, also appears in the design

Location: Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean Capital: Canberra Climate: generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north Population: 20 million

Ethnic Make-up: Caucasian 92% Asian 7% aboriginal & other 1%. Religions: Anglican 26.1% Roman Catholic 26% Christian 24.3% non-Christian 11% other 12.6%. Government: democratic, federal-state system recognizing the British monarch as sovereign.

OFFITIAL NAME : Commonwealth of Australia TOTAL AREA: 7,700,000 sq.km HEAD OF STATE: Queen Elizabeth II represented by Governor-General FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Constitutional monarchy PORTS: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane LONGEST RIVER: the Darling (2,740 km) HIGHEST POINT: Mount Kosciusko (2,230 m) NATURAL RESOURCES: coal, zink, nickel, gold, wool

NATIONAL HOLIDAY: Australian Day , 16 January . MONEY: basic unit Australian dollar

NATIONAL SYMBOLS: Kangaroo and Emu NATIONAL ANTHEM: Waltzing Matilda

The Aborigines are the Australian natives that had been living there for thousands of years before the first Europeans came to Australia in the 1600s.

They are thought to have canoed to Australia from Southeast Asia some 30,000 to 50,000 years ago. Scientist established this time frame using radiocarbon dating techniques. The Aborigines believe one's exact birthplace determines your position within a clan or kinship group, and gives you with a secret personal name.

They also have a strong devotion of kinship, and believe in walkabout -- the desire to revisit the sacred sites.

Canberra is the capital of Australia. It is very young city. Population is about 310,000 people.

Capitol Hill

Canberra Fountain

Sydney AMP Tower

The Harbour Bridge Sydney

St. Maria Cathedral

Opera House

Old House

Melbourne Bridge

T r a i n S t a t i o n

risbane Skyscrapers

Brisbane Bridge

Brisbane

Victoria Square Fountain Adelaide

Adelaide

Capital of South Australia. Australia. A pretty and industrial city. Population: 1,100,000 people.

Capital of Western Australia. Australia. One of the best climates in Australia. Population: 1.200.000 people.

Capital of islandisland-state Tasmania. Tasmania. Winters are very cold. Population of about 200,000. 200,000.

Warumbungle NP

Crowdy Bay NP

Cockatoo NP

Crowdy Bay NP

It s the world s largest coral reef (over 2000 km). It stretches along the east coast of Queensland. It s made up of over 2900 individual reefs very close to each other. other.

Australia is a very friendly and open culture. However, "G'day" the informal "hello" is overused by tourists. The Australians expect one's work to speak for itself, so they are not impressed with your position, title, or status. Don't arrive in town wearing the latest status symbol to announce how important you think you are.

Plus, Australia had a "gold rushes" in the 1850s and 1890s. Earlier gold discoveries were kept quiet so chaos didn't break out. But the 1848 California gold rush enticed miners to leave Australia, so the 1850 discovery was not kept quiet

The Geert Hofstede analysis for Australia reflects the high level of individuality Australian's holds. The Individualism index for Australia is 90, the second highest score of any country in Hofstedes survey, behind the United States' ranking of 91

Men wear a conservative dark business suit and tie. Women may wear a dress, or skirt and blouse, for business. Informal clothing is appropriate when not attending business functions. Casual pants are fine for both men and women. Men should not become physically demonstrative with another man, or wink at a woman.

Being punctual is critical. Maintain good eye contact during meetings and conversations. A single, male passenger using a taxi should sit in the front seat. Gift giving is not a common practice in business. You may bring a small gift of chocolate, wine or flowers if invited to someone's home.

When paying for a round of drinks, do not pick up the tab out of turn, and make sure to pay when it is your turn.

English is the spoken language Shake hands when meeting and when leaving. Although uncommon, some women may greet each other with a kiss on the cheek. Exchanging business cards is common among professional workers.

Australians are friendly and open, but directness and brevity are valued. Opinions are respected, and opinionated discussions are entertaining. Be an active listener, and ask if you do not understand something in the conversation. Do not hype yourself, your company or your information.

Sightseeing and sports are good. conversational topics. Afternoon tea is about 4:00pm. Tea is between 6:00 - 8:00pm and is an evening meal. Supper is a late night light meal or snack

Meeting Etiquette
Australians are not very formal so greetings are casual and relaxed. A handshake and smile suffices. . While an Australian may say, 'G'day' or 'G'day, mate', this may sound patronizing from a foreigner. Visitors should simply say, 'Hello' or 'Hello, how are you? Aussies prefer to use first names, even at the initial meeting

Small gifts are commonly exchanged with family members, close friends, and neighbours on birthdays and Christmas. Trades people such as sanitation workers may be given a small amount of cash, or more likely, a bottle of wine or a six-pack of beer! If invited to someone's home for dinner, it is polite to bring a box of chocolates or flowers to the hostess. A good quality bottle of wine is always appreciated. Gifts are opened when received.

Table manners are Continental -- hold the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating. Indicate you have finished eating by laying your knife and fork parallel on your plate with the handles facing to the right. Keep your elbows off the table and your hands above the table when eating.

Many invitations to an Aussies home will be for a 'barbie' (BBQ). Guests to a barbeque typically bring wine or beer for their personal consumption. In some cases, very informal barbecues may suggest that you bring your own meat! Arrive on time if invited to dinner; no more than 15 minutes late if invited to a barbeque or a large party.

Contact the hostess ahead of time to see if she would like you to bring a dish. Offer to help the hostess with the preparation or clearing up after a meal is served.

Australians are very matter of fact when it comes to business so do not need longstanding personal relationships before they do business with people. Australians are very direct in the way they communicate. There is often an element of humour, often self-deprecating, in their speech. Aussies often use colourful language that would be unthinkable in other countries.

Appointments are necessary and relatively easy to schedule. They should be made with as much lead time as possible. Punctuality is important in business situations. It is better to arrive a few minutes early than to keep someone waiting. Meetings are generally relaxed; however, they are serious events. If an Australian takes exception to something that you say, they will tell you so.

If you make a presentation, avoid hype, making exaggerated claims, or bells and whistles. Present your business case with facts and figures. Emotions and feelings are not important in the Australian business climate.

Business dress is conservative in Melbourne and Sydney. Men should wear a dark coloured, conservative business suit. Women should wear a smart dress or a business suit. In Brisbane or other tropical areas, depending on the job function and company culture, men may wear shirts, ties and Bermuda shorts.

Business cards are exchanged at the initial introduction without formal ritual. If you are not given a business card, it is not an insult; the person simply may not have one.

Currently, the top 10 looks like this: BHP Billiton revenue $55,942 million, up 21.4%. Woolworths revenue $42,586 million, up 12.6%. National Australia Bank revenue $38,235 million, up 3.9%. Coles Group revenue $34,814 million, up 1.5%.

Commonwealth Bank revenue $33,169 million, up 16.1%. ANZ Banking Group revenue $30,293 million, up 18.7%. Rio Tinto revenue $28,497 million, up 18%. Westpac Banking Corporation revenue $25,935 million, up 19.7%. Telstra revenue $23,709 million, up 4.3%. Caltex Australia revenue $18,667 million, up 17.4%.

AustraliaIndia relations are the foreign relations between the Republic of India and the Commonwealth of Australia. Before independence Australia and India were both part of the British Empire and both are part of the Commonwealth of Nations. They also share political, economic, security, linguistic and sporting ties.

The ties between Australia and India started immediately following European settlement in 1788. On the founding of the penal colony of New South Wales, all trade to and from the colony was controlled by the British East India Company. The Western Australian town of Australind (est. 1841) is a portmanteau word named after Australia and India. Australian towns of Cervantes, Northampton and Madura (est. 1876) were used for breeding cavalry horses for the British Indian Army during the late 19th century.

After World War II, the Australian government of Ben Chifley supported the independence of India from the United Kingdom to act as a bulwark against communism. As part of the Colombo Plan, many Indian students were sponsored to come and study in Australia in the 1950s and 1960s.