Australia is probably one of most well-known and actually highly regarded countries in the world. Many people travel to Australia for tourism, and many more wish to move there permanently. Events in Australia often receive worldwide news coverage. But really, Australia has quite a small population, and is geographically isolated from many other parts of the world. So why all the attention? Well, actually, there are a number of reasons why Australia is seen as a highly important country. Let us explain…
1. Australia Is A Rich Country
A first reason why Australia is important is because it is a wealthy nation.
Australia has a GDP of 1.55 trillion dollars. This gives it the 13th largest economy in the world. This is especially impressive considering Australia has a relatively small population of only just over 25 million people. Australia has seen impressive and sustained economic growth over many decades, resulting in the country having a strong economy.
The economy of Australia is well diversified and dynamic. Key economic areas such as finance, mining, healthcare, and manufacturing all add to the country’s importance.
Australian’s generally have a high standard of living. The country’s per capita income – essentially the average amount an Australian earns in a year, is 55,660 USD. This means Australian’s are wealthy by global standards. This is a further reason why the country is important.
2. Australia Is Really Big
A second reason why Australia is an important country is because it’s so big.
Australia is the sixth largest country in the world. It covers a total landmass of 7.6 million square kilometers. This makes Australia truly enormous. The simple fact of being one of the largest countries on earth adds to the importance of Australia.
Being a big country often makes a nation important because it allows it to have a larger economy, greater security, and to often dominate their region. All these factors are true of Australia. The country takes full advantage of its size to ensure strong economic growth. Australia faces no major security challenges, partly due to its location and size, and Australia plays a leading role across Oceania and the Asia-Pacific region. All these factors contribute to why Australia is important.
3. Australia Is Incredibly Beautiful
A third reason why Australia is important is because of its natural beauty.
Australia is renowned for being one of the most stunning countries in the world. Across Australia there are beaches, deserts, mountains, plains, and forests all of which are beautifully preserved and open to exploration. The country does a good job of maintaining its natural beauty and protecting its nature. This is one reason why Australia is important.
As well as having loads of beautiful nature, Australia also has amazing and diverse wildlife. Many animals, including kangaroos, wallabies, dingos, and koalas, are only found in Australia. The country is famous for its unique animal life and this is a big reason for many why the country is so important.
4. The Country Has A Unique Culture
Another reason why Australia is important is because of the country’s unique culture.
Australian culture could be characterized as having two main aspects. The first being the Anglo-inspired culture that developed following the arrival of British settlers from the 1770s onwards. The second is the indigenous Australian culture that is kept alive by the large numbers of aboriginal communities throughout the country. The mixture of these two cultural aspects is a key reason why Australia is important.
In recent years, Australia has worked hard to protect, and promote, its indigenous culture. This followed many decades, or even centuries, of neglect for Australia’s indigenous roots. Many welcome the efforts Australia is making to focus more heavily on its aboriginal communities. This further adds to the country’s importance.
Australian culture is well-known, and enjoyed, around the world, both by Australian’s traveling and working abroad, and by people of other nations. The fact that Australian culture has spread so widely shows how important many people view the country to be.
5. Australia Is Strong Democracy
One reason why Australia is important is because of its strong democracy.
Australia has a long democratic tradition. Its parliamentary democracy is modelled on the British, and King Charles acts as the Head of State. Australia has a vibrant, if somewhat brutal, democrat system, but most importantly regular free and fair elections are held in Australia and politicians are held fully to account. This makes Australia important.
The strong democracy in Australia acts as a model for the rest of the world. Australia has managed to forge strong institutions, the rule of law, an independent judiciary and enshrined strong rights and protections for all. These are key reason why Australia has been able to become so prosperous.
Australia is one of the strongest democracies in the Asia-Pacific region. This makes it important.
6. Australia Has Many Key Alliances
A further reason why Australia is important is because of its network of alliances.
Australia is closely linked diplomatically to other important nations, including the US, UK, and the European Union. Australia also has strong ties to other countries in its region, including New Zealand, Fiji, Indonesia and across Asia. Australia is seen as a strong and dependable ally by many of these nations, which is a major reason why country is important.
Many see Australia has a key bulwark against a more aggressive and assertive China. As a Western nation essentially in China’s own region, Australia is often seen as one of the most vital nations in limiting China’s more overt actions. Australia has a tendency to stand-up to China, at times when other nations have not. This further adds to why Australia is seen as being so important.
7. Australia Has Large Diaspora Communities
A final reason why Australia is important is because it hosts many significant diaspora communities.
Australia has a long history of receiving immigrants. People from the UK and across Europe moved to Australia starting from soon after it’s discovery by Captain Cook in 1770. Many of these people settled and formed the foundation of the modern Australian state. However, as well as a history of settlers moving to Australia, in recent decades the country has seen a major wave of immigration from other parts of the world.
Increasingly Australia is becoming a highly diverse country. There are large diaspora communities from places such as India, China and the Philippines who form a major part of modern Australia. These communities are also closely linked to their home nations. This provides Australia with often strong cultural and economic ties to many other countries. In fact, this is yet a further reason why Australia is so important.