Geography Of Australia Essay

Country Overview

Australia, the sixth largest country in the world and a continent by itself, is located between the Indian Ocean and the Southern Pacific Ocean. On the map, the country is seen below the islands of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea; northwest of New Zealand. The climate in Australia varies by location, but commonly arid to semiarid. It is generally temperate in the east and south and tropical in the north. In terms of land size, the country spans over 7,682,300 square kilometers of land and has a population of 22,751,014 (United States. Central Intelligence Agency). The capital city of Australia is Canberra which is located inland of the country, near the southeast coastline.

The primary language spoken in the country is English.

These are: New Year’s Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, Queen’s birthday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. There are also other holidays that are dependent on the state as each state has their own date for that particular occurrence such as Labor Day ("Types of Leave and Public Holiday Entitlements Factsheet.").

In the Australian culture, there are certain etiquettes that are encouraged and also those that are not encouraged that everyone should know before an encounter with an Australian. In terms of body language, one should cover their mouth when yawning and excuse themselves. When calling a waiter over, one should show a quiet hand motion and not shout out to them. Winking at a woman, making the ‘V’ sign over ones mouth as well as giving the “thumbs up” is generally considered inappropriate in the country (“Australia-Cultural Etiquette”). To provide an example, an introductory meeting with an Australian would be usually relaxed and casual. A handshake and smile is common practice that is accompanied by a ‘Hello’ or ‘Hello, how are you?’ In the Gesteland spectrum, Australian falls under the category of having an informal business setting. This is evident as Australians are quick to use first names to address the person they are talking to. Hence, one should be aware of this and be ready to address them with their first