ABSTRACT
Australia is an island continent that contains a relatively small population of 20 million within a landmass of around 7.7 million square kilometres. In contrast, Indonesia, a close northern neighbour, has a significantly smaller landmass of 1.9 million square kilometres, but sustains a population of just over 216 million. Australia has been inhabited by aboriginals for at least 40,000 years, but has only 216 years of permanent European settlement. It is an English-speaking country, having been established as a British penal colony in 1788. Since then it has grown into a cosmopolitan and wealthy western-style society governed by a democratically elected parliament and the rule of law.
