People and Culture

Updated on Thursday 13 September 2007

Australia's population has recently surpassed the 20,000,000 mark, with nearly one quarter of all residents in Australia born overseas, making it truly a multicultural country. This diversity is reflected in Australian way of life, for example:

Religion
Although the majority of Australians are Christian, there are a wealth of other religions which are represented in communities across the country. The main cities all have synagogues, temples and mosques and some universities have their own religious groups on campus.

Language
The main language in Australia is English, but due to the more than 1 million Asians currently living in Australia, and population based on European immigrants, many other languages are commonly spoken such as Chinese, Japanese, German, French, etc....

Native Aborigines
2% of the population of Australia are native to Australia. Aborigines have lived in Australia for more than 40,000 years.

Australian Art
Due to this diverse, multicultural mix, Australia is known for its cutting edge and impressive arts. Australia receives international acclaim for its vibrancy, originality and cutting-edge work in the arts, literature, stage and cinema, dance and classical music.