Country Facts

Essential basics and useful websites for planning a move to Australia...

Formal Name Commonwealth of Australia
Capital Canberra
Main Cities Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide
Official Language No official language, English is the de facto national language
Currency Australian Dollar (AUD). 1 Dollar = 100 cents
Dialling Code +61
Emergency numbers 000 / 112 from a mobile phone
Time Zone Three time zones: Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) - UTC/GMT +10, Australian Central Standard Time (ACST)- UTC/GMT + 9, Australian Western Standard Time (AWST) - UTC/GMT +8
Daylight Savings Time Observed in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria. Begins at 02:00 on the first Sunday in October and ends at 02:00 on the first Sunday in April
Units of Measure Metric system
Electricity 240/250 volts AC with a frequency of 50 hertz
Government Federal parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Population 21,766,711 (July 2011 est.)
Expat Population 25.6% of permanent residents born overseas (2010 est.)
Climate Tropical in the north, temperate in the south and east
Land Surface 7,682,300 sq km
Flag of Australia Australian flag

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