Australia

Australia: Commonwealth of Australia

Population: 24,772,247 (2018)

Languages:  English 76.8%; Mandarin (2.5%); Arabic (1.4%); Cantonese (1.2%) (2016 Census)

Land: 2.97 million mi² 

Geographical regions: Mostly desert or semi-arid, south-east and south-west corners: temperate, north: tropical climate, varied between tropical rainforests, grasslands, part desert.

3 Major Cities: Sydney (capital), Melbourne and Brisbane 

Political System: The Australian Parliament consists of the Queen (represented by the Governor-General), the Senate and the House of Representatives. The executive (the Australian Government) is responsible for enacting and upholding the laws established by the legislature. 

Gross Domestic Product: 1323.42 billion US dollars in 2017. The GDP value of Australia represents 2.13 percent of the world economy. https://tradingeconomics.com/australia/gdp

Top Production Items:

1. Mineral fuels including oil
2. Ores, slag, ash
3. Gems, precious metals
4. Meat

3 Interesting Facts:

• Overall 25.3% Australians are Catholics
• 2/3 of the Australian population were born in Australia; 49% of Australians had either been born overseas (first generation Australian) or one or both parents had been born overseas (second generation Australian). (2016 Census)
• The Australian Emu – a large, flightless bird – can run as fast as 45km/h (28mph) (https://www.experienceoz.com.au/en/australia-facts)

Catholic Dioceses in Australia:

7 Archdioceses

Archdiocese of Adelaide
Archdiocese of Brisbane
Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn
Archdiocese of Hobart
Archdiocese of Melbourne
Archdiocese of Perth
Archdiocese of Sydney

3 Dioceses

Diocese of Armidale
Diocese of Ballarat
Diocese of Bathurst
 

Mission Organizations in Australia:

Mission Activities in Australia: