Sponsor a Child

Search for a Child
Back to Top
Print Page
E-mail Article

Updated: March 2009

Australia

Overview | World Vision's history in Australia | World Vision in Australia today

Overview

The Commonwealth of Australia, located between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean, is the world’s smallest continent both in size and population. As a country, it ranks sixth in area. To the north lie Indonesia and the Timor Sea, and to the northwest, the Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef. The Tasman Sea, home to the small island of Tasmania, borders the southeast. The majority of Australia’s population is concentrated along the southeastern coastline, where the climate is temperate and the land is fertile. Low-lying plains and deserts make up the northern region of the country, which experiences tropical weather. Natural resources include bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, and petroleum.

Approximately 92 percent of Australians are of European descent, primarily British or Irish. Another 7 percent of the population is of Asian descent, and only 1 percent is Aboriginal. English is the country’s official language, though small percentages of the population speak Chinese and Italian. About 11 percent of the people speak other, lesser-known languages.


 


Country statistics 
Population20,530,000
Land mass2,941,283 square miles
People per square mile7
Life expectancy80.73 years
Under age 5 mortality rate6/1,000
Literacy rate99%
Access to safe water100%
Average annual income (GNI per capita)US$35,990
Religion
Christian67.4%
Buddist1.9%
Muslim1.5%
Other 13.9%
None 15.3 %
Europeans first arrived on the continent of Australia in the 17th century and were met by Aboriginal settlers from Southeast Asia. In 1770, Captain James Cook claimed the land for Great Britain. The 18th and 19th centuries saw the development of six colonies, and in 1901, those colonies united to create the Commonwealth of Australia. Today, Australia is a federal parliamentary democracy composed of six states and two territories. A prime minister who reports to Queen Elizabeth heads the government.

Services drive the Australian economy, accounting for 72 percent of the gross domestic product. Since the 1980s, when Australia mapped out new economic practices, international relations and business dealings have flourished. Stimulated by mining and agricultural exports, Australia’s economy continues to grow, making it a global economic leader. However, long-term issues, including drought and climate change, pose a threat to the economy.

Along with a flourishing economy, Australia boasts a successful education system, with a 97 percent attendance rate. Compulsory education is provided up to age 15.

Back to top

World Vision's history in Australia

World Vision opened an office in Australia in 1966, allowing Australians to offer assistance to refugees in Indochina and disaster survivors in Bangladesh and several African countries. Child sponsorship opportunities also became available for Australians seeking to help children around the world. Education, health, and nutrition were the immediate priorities of the sponsorship projects. Additional long-term commitments supporting agriculture, adult literacy, and income-generation projects have helped many families to become self-sufficient.

In 2004, World Vision’s “One Big Village” Web site was launched in Australia. This site allows Australians to see how change can come not only to the global community but also to the indigenous people of rural Australia — a group three times more likely to die before age 1 than the wider Australian population.

Back to top

World Vision in Australia today

Australians remain committed to helping the world’s poor. Last year, the people of Australia funded 479 projects in 63 countries, and they currently sponsor more than 322,000 children worldwide.

For more information on World Vision’s work in Australia, please contact the United States office.

Back to top


Print Page
E-mail Article
Back to Top

Newsletter Sign-Up

World Vision
Phone: 1-888-511-6548
P.O. Box 9716
Federal,WA 98063-9716
© 2009 World Vision Inc.