Physical Geography and Australia’s National Culture
Australia, a nation built upon immigration, has seen its national culture alter with each new wave of arrivals since World War II. Since then, Australia has endured economic booms and busts, wars, and culture shocks that have all profoundly altered its identity.
Australians tend to be laid-back people who value humility and equality. They show respect to elderly individuals while at the same time being accommodating towards women.
Table of Contents
Physical Geography
Physical geography encompasses the study of Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, soils, mountains and other landforms – including atmosphere sciences such as global warming or the ozone layer – while hydrosphere studies focus on water cycles, runoff and supply to our planet.
Australia is known for its rain forests in its southeast corner. Meanwhile, its dry interior region known as Outback boasts numerous animals and plants such as kangaroos, koalas, dingoes, various acacia species (Acacia pycnantha [golden wattle] being its national flower).
The Great Dividing Range, which divides Australia into interior and coastal regions, forms an array of plateaus and highlands dotted with plateaus and highlands that typify its “bush”, as described by English novelist D.H. Lawrence: it looked “like a grey charred country full of dead trees that looked like corpses”. Western regions also tend to experience this aridity while its effects do not reach as far inland; coastal Australia however remains exempt.
General Cultural Attributes
Australia’s national culture emerged due to a combination of factors including British penal history and immigration from various parts of Europe and Asia. Australians (known as Aussies) have asserted themselves with pride through language(s), architecture, ‘Australianized’ cuisine, bush identity, sporting prowess and sporting success.
Australians tend to favor people who appear down-to-earth and straightforward; self-deprecation is often prevalent. Australians also tend to downplay their socio-economic status and educational achievements to avoid alienating fellow Aussies; the country’s nickname, “the lucky country”, implies modesty as success is often attributed to hard work rather than luck alone.
Australians appreciate life’s simple pleasures, such as bush walks, outdoor concerts and picnics – reflecting this in their fondness for bushwalking, outdoor concerts and picnics – along with relationships and community support; often turning to their “mates” for advice and support. Though not afraid to challenge authority when necessary or demonstrate disregard for rules through humor – most Australians are generally committed to following the law.
General Political Attributes
Australia is an established democracy, well known for upholding individual rights and encouraging civil discourse. Yet, human-rights issues still arise: Australia still lacks an agreement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples; resources remain under-resourced in these areas; gender-based violence continues to be an issue with Indigenous women overrepresented in prisons.
Australia was among the first nations to pioneer women’s suffrage, the recording of parliamentary proceedings (hansard) and preferential voting during elections to its Senate. Furthermore, Australia became one of the first countries that allowed same-sex couples to marry legally.
Australia’s legislature is bicameral and comprises both House of Representatives and Senate. Laws are passed by both houses using majority vote; once approved, Governor-General signs it into law. Under parliament rules, all government ministers must come from both houses of Parliament.
Economic Attributes
Australia is commonly seen as an idyllic land, wealthy yet underpopulated and vulnerable to natural disasters, depending on wool (later also wheat, beef and other irrigated crops) for economic viability as well as foreign investment for its wellbeing. This image held true during its first century of settlement when farming and grazing played an essential part of Australia’s economy.
However, the rise of manufacturing during the latter half of the twentieth century marked a fundamental transformation in sources of growth for South Africa – moving away from raw material exports towards more emphasis on imports of finished goods; furthermore domestic industry expansion led to greater labor productivity increases which improved living standards and helped lift living standards overall.
