Australasian Union
From Daily Escape
| Australasian Union | |
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| Flag | Coat of arms |
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| Motto "Peace and prosperity" | |
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| Anthem Advance Australasia Fair | |
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| Capital (and largest city) | Sydney 33° 55″S, 151° 17″E |
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| Languages - Official - Unofficial | None (English de facto) Many |
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| Demonym | Australasian |
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| Government - State President - Prime Minister | Federal republic Parliamentary democracy Mary Anderson Christian Benedict |
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| Independence - Constitution - Statute of Westminster - Australasia Act | January 1, 1901 December 11, 1931 2000 |
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| Area - Total - Water (%) | 8,433,377 km² 5.1 |
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| Population - Total - | 33,190,500 3.94 /km² |
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| GDP (PPP) - Total - Per capita | $1.153 trillion $34,740 |
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| Gini | 28.3 (low) |
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| HDI |  0.940 (high)
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| Currency | Australasian dollar (AUD)
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| Time zone - Summer (DST) | (UTC +8 to +12) (UTC +9 to +13) |
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| Internet TLD | .au |
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| Calling code | +62 |
The Australasian Union is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the world's smallest continent, Terra Australis, and a number of various sized islands in the Southern, Indian and Pacific Oceans. These include the islands of Fiji, New Zealand, Tasmania, and the eastern half of New Guinea. Neighbouring countries include Indonesia.
[edit] Background
The mainland has been inhabited for over 42,000 years by Indigenous Australasians. After sporadic visits by fishermen from the north and by European merchants and explorers beginning in the 17th century, the eastern half of the mainland was claimed by the British in 1770 and settled through penal transportation as the colony of New South Wales on 26 January 1788. This was followed by the colonisation of New Zealand in the 1790s. As the population grew and new areas were explored a further nine colonies were established through the course of the 19th century. These included settlements in Tonga, Fiji and the Cook Islands.
On 1 January 1901 the colonies became a federation, and the Australasian Union was born. Since federation, Australasia has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system, and, in 2000 established itself as a republic.
