Australia in its regional and global

contextsThe place of Australia in the world

IntroductionAustralia is an island continent and therefore

has no land borders with any other country

The security and wealth of Australians increasingly depends on the strength of the links and partnerships that are made between our country and other nations in the areas of migration, trade, defence, aid, tourism, communication, culture and sport.

DefinitionsKey Word Definitionaid money and resources that are given or lent to

poor or developing nations by wealthier developed nations

Asia-Pacific region the countries that make up the southern and eastern parts of Asia and some countries that border the Pacific Ocean

communication the sending or passing on of informationespecially by electronic or mechanical means

culture the body of beliefs, attitudes, skills and tools withwhich members of a community structure their lives and interact with their environment

defence the protection of a country’s borders, people andnational interests and the promotion of peace and security

Definitions continuedKey Word Definitionmigration the permanent movement of people between

nationsInternational tourism

the temporary movement of people between nations

International trade

the movement of goods, services and ideas between countries

Pacific Rim Made up of countries that border the Pacific Ocean

Australia’s PlaceAustralia is located in the South Eastern

Hemisphere of the world, lying between the Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans, south of the Asian continent

Australia’s place in theAsia-Pacific region

The Asia-Pacific region is important to Australia because of its political, economic and social links

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is made up of the heads of government of a group of Pacific Rim countries

Purpose – to improve the economic and political links between countries and discuss issues that affect this region

Australia is a member of APEC

Australia’s nearest neighbours in Oceania

Oceania is a geographical region that consists of lands that lie in the Pacific Ocean in the area between Asia and North and South America

Countries and islands in the Oceania include:Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, Solomon Islands, TongaAustralia, Papua New Guinea (PNG), New Zealand

Australasia means ‘south of Asia’Australia’s nearest neighbours are PNG, Indonesia,

Timor-Leste, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu

Australia’s territorial boundaries

Australia has no land boundariesAustralia has sovereign rights over the area 200

nautical miles around the continentThis is called the Australian Exclusive Economic

ZoneAustralia has maritime boundaries treaties with

Indonesia, PNG, Solomon Island and France as the colonial power of New Caledonia

Australia interacts with other nations

Historical Links include: The United Kingdom The United States and Canada New Zealand

Geographical Links Building closer economic, cultural and political relationships with

our Asian and Pacific neighbours is a priority for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)

These relationships aim to improve and preserve security, wealth and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region

Geographical links include: migration, defence, tourism, culture, trade, aid, communication, sport

Migration

Almost 25% of the 21 million plus Australians were born overseas

They come from more than 170 countries The largest migrant groups were from the

United Kingdom and New Zealand Permanent departures from Australia moved to

New Zealand, United Kingdom and China

TradeAustralia’s trade accounts for only 1% of world

tradeAustralia relies on trade for economic growth and

its largest trading partners – for both imports and exports – are the United States, Japan, China and the United Kingdom

Major Australian exports include tourism, coal, petroleum, gold

8 out of the 10 largest export markets are found in the Asia-Pacific region

TradeAustralia’s top ten merchandise export markets by country 1. Japan 2. China 3. South Korea 4. USA 5. New Zealand 6. India 7. Taiwan 8. United Kingdom 9. Thailand 10. Indonesia

DefenceThe Australian Defence Force has links with the rest of

the world through: joint military exercises Active combat Peace keeping Providing humanitarian relief

Australia has strong defence links with the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand

Recent active duty has occurred in Afghanistan, Iraq, Timor-Leste and Solomon Islands

AidThe Australian Government donates

approximately AU$3 billion each year in overseas aid to countries with low living standards

Australia also provides humanitarian aid in cases of regional emergencies such as natural disasters and war

The top six receivers of Australian aid include Indonesia, PNG, Solomon Islands, Vietnam, Philippines and Cambodia

TourismAustralians make more than four million visits

overseas each year and Australia receives around five million foreign visitors

People visiting Australia come from the following top 5 countries:New Zealand, United Kingdom, Japan, USA, Singapore

The top five destinations for Australian tourists include:New Zealand, United Kingdom, USA, Indonesia and Fiji

CommunicationAdvanced technology including broadband and

satellite Internet, mobile phone networks and digital television help to ensure that Australia is linked to the rest of the world

Australia’s strongest communication links are with the United States, United Kingdom and those countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

Communication links are increasingly made with China and India and other Asia-Pacific nations

CultureCulture includes:

ArtLiteratureLifestylesValuesWays of living togetherTraditionsBeliefs

CultureTraditionally, Australia’s cultural links have been

European, Christian and Anglo-Saxon

Today, due to the diverse backgrounds of people who have migrated to Australia, cultural links are many and varied

This can be seen in the different restaurants, places of worship, festivals, books, music, film, entertainment and television now available in Australia

SportSport is part of Australia’s lifestyle and national

identityImportant international sporting events include

the Olympics and Commonwealth GamesAustralia’s sporting ties are traditionally with the

British Commonwealth countriesPopular sports include cricket, tennis, rugby

union and rugby league

Internet activityCollect digital images from the Internet to

prepare a mind map showing Australia’s regional and global links

Prepare the mind map and photos on a poster or PowerPoint slide