Australia

My new Home

Australia

It is easy to sit and dream of a world that is better then the one you currently live in. One where all your dreams can come true and nothing can ruin your current day. Some may say that your, home is where your heart is and others may say that it's where you currently live. The truth is, that I've found, home is where you're happy, it may not be perfect but it's your home.

Australia is the sixth largest country in the world. It lies in the Southern Hemisphere. The entire area of land is about the same size as the continental United States. The country is divided into six states, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia. This feels very similar to the breakdown of our 50 states.

Another reason why I would pick this country would have to be its climate. Australia has a wide variety of climates. In the north, the continent's immense interior gives way to hot, wet monsoonal tropical regions. The southeast coast, where most of Australia's population lives, is cooler and drier. The southwest is very hot and dry in the summer, but milder and wetter in the winter. The climate is very similar to the Mediterranean countries of Europe, or to California.

The two most critical issues anyone would have to look at would have to be the economy and the government that any country has. Australia's government consists of an elected political party that holds the majority in the House of Representatives. The leader is the prime minister. The Senate consists of 76 members who are elected every six years. The House of Representatives has 147 members and they face elections every three years. Very similar to the one that we are currently use to here in the United States. It seems very easy for someone to get accustomed to it.

The next major issue one would have to look at is the economy of the country. Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP at the level of the four dominant West European economies. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. Commodities account for 57% of the value of total exports, so that a downturn in world commodity prices can have a big impact on the economy. The government is pushing for increases exports of manufactured goods, but competition in international markets continues to be severe. While Australia has suffered from the low growth and high unemployment characterizing the OECD countries in the early 1990s and during the recent financial problems in East Asia, the economy had expanded at a solid 4% annual growth pace in the