Australia is an advanced country located in the southern hemisphere. It is part of the English Commonwealth and became independent in 1901. Although Australia is an independent country, there are federal and state governors who represent the Queen Elizabeth in Australia.

Capital City: Canberra

Language: Australia does not have an official language. However English (with Australian accent) is the dominant language and is used as a de-facto language. Everyone who moves or travels to Australia must know English to a good level.

Population: 21,874,900. It’s said that the population of Australia will become doubled by 2050.

Australia is the country of the immigrants and since World War II it has attracted over four million immigrants. Its population includes many different races and although many of them moved to Australia after the WWII, there are also many Asians living in Australia.

Surface: 7,682,300 Square Kilo Meters

States: Australia has 8 states which are Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, Queens Land, New Southwales, Australian Central Territory (ACT), Victoria and Tasmania.

Geographical Position: Australia is the biggest island and the sixth biggest country in the world. It is quite as big as the United States and 25 times bigger than the Britain.

Sydney and Melbourne are the two biggest and most populated cities of Australia. Sydney is the biggest tourist spot in Australia by hosting beautiful Sydney Opera House and amazing Sydney Harbour Bridge. Australia does not have any common borders with other countries and is surrounded by Coral Sea, Tasman Sea, and Indian Ocean.

The Climate: Australia has a tropical  climate in the 40% of its northern part. It almost has a stable climate as oceans have surrounded it and also it does not have high mountains. In general the coastal areas of Australia, which include majority of the significant cities, have a good climate. From December to February it is summer and winter lasts since June to August (opposite to the northern hemisphere).

Authority: Federal Government

Political Stability: Australia’s political system is based on the British political system and is very stable. Its governmental system includes three levels: Federal government, State government and local government. Although it is expected that Australia become a republic in the future, it is yet part of the Commonwealth of Britain.

Every four years people attend a compulsory election and vote to their favorite members of the parliament. The party which dominates the parliament will select the Prime Minister. The Liberal and The Labors are the most significant political parties in Australia.

Currency: Australian Dollar (AUD / $)

Foreign Exchange: There is no supervision on the foreign exchange.

Banking System: There are several national and private banks in Australia such as Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australian Bank (NAB),  St. George Bank, Suncorp Bank and etc. To open a bank account each person needs a Tax File Number which is provided by Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

Electronic banking, including telephone and internet banking, is very common.

Living cost and living standard: Living cost varies from a state to another.  It highly depends on the area that you live in and your life style. In general it is very much like the Western Europe and the America.  Food and clothing are fairly cheap but industrial products are expensive as many of them are imported from the overseas. For example, cars which are produced in Australia are generally 25% more expensive than in Western Europe and twice more expensive than the US. Australians, in general, prefer Australian and Asian (Japanese and Korean) cars to European cars.

Taxation System: Taxation is controlled by Australian Taxation Office (www.ato.gov.au). Everyone who works in Australia must have a Tax File Number (TFN) provided by ATO. If you don’t obtain a TFN, you’ll have to pay the highest tax rates. Tax is calculated based on the direct or indirect incomes, earned interests and the deduction of some expenses. It may vary between 20% and 47%.

Work in Australia: Australian work environment is similar to the Western Europe. Standard work hour is 37 hours per week but it might be different depending on the policies of the companies. There is a minimum wage that employers have to pay. Some employers illegally pay less than the minimum wage though.To work in Australia you must be an Australian citizen or you must hold a proper visa such as a Permanent Residency or Work and Holiday visa.

Social Security: Australia has one of the most comprehensive social security systems in the world. CentreLink is in charge of managing the social security services. For more information please visit www.centrelink.gov.au.

Health Care: Australia has a public health system named Medicare. Everyone who legally works, studies or lives  in Australia is covered by Medicare. If you are covered by Medicare, you will not have to pay to visit a General Practitioner or stay in an Emergency. You will not have to pay for Medicare but if you are not covered by a private health insurance, you will have to pay part of your income (almost 1%) as Medicare Levy. Please visit www.medicareaustralia.gov.au for more information.

Post:  Australian Post used to be a governmental organization but it now is a private company and of course one of the best Post systems in the world in terms of cost, agility and accuracy.

Telecommunications: Although Telephone, Mobile and Internet are expensive, Australia yet has one of the most high quality telecommunication systems in the world. There are many telecommunication companies which provide Home Phone, Mobile, Mobile Broadband Internet and ADSL. Optus and Telstra are the biggest telecommunication companies in Australia.

Based on the information provided by the International Living   (http://www1.internationalliving.com/qofl2011), Australia has the 13^th best living conditions.