pop (2000e) 1 754 000; area 2 525 500 km²/975 000 sq mi. State in W Australia; Dutchman Dirk Hartog landed here in 1616, and Englishman William Dampier in 1688; Britain's first non-convict settlement on the Swan R, 1829; governed at first by New South Wales; separate colony, 1890; now comprises nine statistical divisions; bounded S by the Great Australian Bight, W by the Indian Ocean and N by the Timor Sea; a third of the total area of Australia; over 90% occupied by the Great Plateau (mean altitude 600 m/2000 ft above sea-level); highest point, Mt Meharry (1245 m/4085 ft); Great Sandy Desert, Gibson Desert, Great Victoria Desert, Nullarbor Plain in the E; near the border with Northern Territory is Wolf Crater, the world's second largest meteorite crater; many dry salt lakes in the interior (notably L Lefroy and L McLeod); several archipelagoes off the coast; principal rivers the Swan, Avon, Blackwood, Gascoyne, Drysdale, Murchison, Ashburton, Fitzroy; capital, Perth; principal towns, Port Hedland, Busselton, Albany, Kalgoorlie, Carnarvon, Bunbury, Geraldton, Broome; major producer of diamonds from the Kimberley region; export of crayfish tails; fishing, forestry, wheat, sheep, wine, agricultural machinery; gold, iron ore, nickel, uranium, bauxite, mineral sands, superphosphates, oil and natural gas; state holidays Labour Day (Mar), Foundation Day (Jun); significant tourist industry, having many beaches, golf courses, cultural and historical attractions.
Western Australia
|
|||||
| Emblems: Floral - Kangaroo Paw (Anigozanthos manglesii); Bird - Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) | |||||
| Motto: none | |||||
| Slogan or Nickname: Wildflower State | |||||
|
Other Australian states and territories |
|||||
| Capital |
Perth |
||||
| Government | Const. Monarchy | ||||
| Governor | Ken Michael | ||||
| Premier | Alan Carpenter (ALP) | ||||
| Federal representation | |||||
| - House seats | 15 | ||||
| - Senate seats | 12 | ||||
|
Gross State Product (2004-05) |
|||||
| - Product ($m) | $100,900 (4th) | ||||
| - Product per capita | $50,355/person (1st (World Bank)) | ||||
|
Population (End of March 2005) |
|||||
| - Population | 2,003,800 (4th) | ||||
| - Density | 0.79/km² (7th) | ||||
| Area | |||||
| - Total | 2,645,615 km² (1st) | ||||
| - Land | 2,529,875 km² | ||||
| - Water | 115,740 km² (4.37%) | ||||
| Elevation | |||||
| - Highest | Mt. Meharry 1253 m AHD | ||||
| - Lowest | Variable | ||||
| Time zone |
UTC+8 (AWST) |
||||
| Abbreviations | |||||
| - Postal | WA | ||||
| - ISO 3166-2 | AU-WA | ||||
|
Website |
www.wa.gov.au | ||||
Western Australia is Australia's largest state in area, covering the western third of the mainland, and is bordered by South Australia and the Northern Territory.
Geography
The bulk of Western Australia consists of the extremely old Yilgarn craton and Pilbara craton which merged with the Deccan of India, Madagascar and the Karoo and Zimbabwe cratons of South Africa, in the Archean Eon to form Ur, one of the oldest Supercontinents on Earth (3,200-3,000 million years ago). The massive clearing of the land has not only damaged habitats for native flora and fauna, making the South West region of the state that with the greatest percentage of flora and fauna rare, threatened or endangered in Australia, and one of the biodiversity "hot spots" in the world, it has also led to major problems with dryland salinity and the loss of fresh water. (See Southwest Australia)
The southwest coastal area is relatively temperate and was originally heavily forested, including large stands of the karri, one of the tallest trees in the world. (see Southwest corner of Western Australia)
The central four-fifths of the State is semi-arid or desert, and is lightly inhabited with the only significant activity being mining.
Highest maximum temperature: 50.5 °C (122.9 °F), Mardie, Pilbara, 61.6 km (38.3 miles) from Barrow Island, 19 February 1998
Lowest minimum temperature: -6.7 °C (19.9 °F), Booylgoo Springs, 187.3 km (116.4 miles) from Meekatharra, 12 July 1969
History
The first inhabitants of Australia arrived from the north approximately 40,000 to 60,000 years ago.
The first European to visit Western Australia was a Dutch explorer, Dirk Hartog who on 26 October 1616 landed at (what is now known as) Cape Inscription, Dirk Hartog Island.
The present state has its origins in the expropriation of Aboriginal land by the British settlement known as the Swan River Colony, founded at Perth in 1829 (although the first British settlement occurred in Albany in 1826).
The colony eventually became a state of Australia on 1 January 1901.
People
Since the settlement in 1829 of the Swan River Colony by the British, many immigrants have continued to be of British origin, outnumbered only by arrivals from other Australian states. Unlike most other parts of Australia, Western Australia received many migrants from Italy in the 1920's, a time when many Italian immigrants were choosing to go to the United States.
In the 1970s, a new wave of Asian immigrants, mostly ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese began to arrive in Western Australia. Western Australia now has the highest proportion of overseas born citizens in Australia.
Perth's metropolitan area had an estimated population of 1.47 million in 2005 which was almost three quarters of the state's population.
Economy
Western Australia has the highest per capita output of any Australian state, with an economy that has been largely based on the extraction and export of mining and petroleum commodities, especially, iron, alumina, natural gas, nickel and gold. Western Australia also extracts up to 75% of Australia's 240 tonnes of gold.
Western Australia's economy recently has benefited from an unprecedented amount of foreign demand for resources, particularly from China.
Western Australia, with about 10% of Australia's population, has historically generated approximately 30% of Australia's export revenues, however the recent commodities boom has pushed this figure to almost 40%. High incomes, strong corporate activity, lower unemployment, mineral revenue and a younger population mean that Western Australia provides a significant financial subsidy to all other states.
Western Australia is also unique in that it is the only state in Australia where retail trade is tightly regulated and there are strict restrictions on the hours that stores are allowed to open.
Exemptions to this are granted for designated tourist precincts of the Perth city centre, Fremantle and major regional centres: these are allowed to trade on Sundays from 12:00pm until 5:00pm.
Minimum Wages
Minimum wage applicable to employees covered by the Western Australian State labour relations system (other employees may be entitled to a higher minimum wage)| Full Time/Part Time Employee | Casual Employee | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Age | Weekly Wage (AUD) | Hourly Wage (AUD) | Hourly Wage (AUD) |
| Adult (>21 years) | $504.40 | $13.27 | $15.93 |
| 20 years (90% Adult Wage) | $454.00 | $11.95 | $14.34 |
| 19 years (80% Adult Wage) | $403.60 | $10.62 | $12.75 |
| 18 years (70% Adult Wage) | $353.10 | $9.29 | $11.15 |
| 17 years (60% Adult Wage) | $302.70 | $7.97 | $9.56 |
| 16 years (50% Adult Wage) | $252.20 | $6.64 | $7.96 |
| <16 years (40% Adult Wage) | $201.80 | $5.31 | $6.37 |
Government
Western Australia was granted self-government in 1889 with a bicameral House of Parliament, located in Perth, consisting of the Legislative Assembly (or lower house), and the Legislative Council (or upper house). Suffrage is universal and compulsory for Australian citizens residing in Western Australia over 18 years of age.
With the federation of the Australian colonies in 1901, Western Australia became a State within Australia's federal structure;
Whilst the sovereign of Western Australia is the Queen of Australia (Queen Elizabeth II), and executive power nominally vested in her State representative the Governor (currently Ken Michael), executive power is effectively administered by the premier and ministers.
Secession
Secessionism has been a recurring feature of Western Australia's political landscape since shortly after European settlement in 1829. Western Australia was the most reluctant participant in the Commonwealth of Australia. Longer term residents of Western Australia were generally opposed to federation, however the discovery of gold brought several immigrants from other parts of Australia.
In a referendum in April 1933, 68% of voters voted for the state to leave the Commonwealth of Australia with the aim of returning to the British Empire as an autonomous territory.
Flora
(see Flora of Western Australia)
Western Australia, in its south west region has some of the largest numbers of plant species for its area in the world.
Education
Education in Western Australia consists of one year of pre-school at age 5, followed by seven years of primary school education, ie Years 1 through 7.
The major universities in Western Australia are the University of Western Australia, Edith Cowan University, Curtin University, Murdoch University and the University of Notre Dame.
Media
Western Australia has two daily newspapers: the independent tabloid The West Australian and The Kalgoorlie Miner.
Television
Metropolitan Perth has eight broadcast television stations;
Radio
The top five radio stations broadcasting in Perth include, (2005 ratings in descending order), Mix 94.5, 720 ABC, 96FM, NOVA 93.7FM and 6PRAM.
Sport
A number of national or international sporting teams and events are based in the state, including:
Two teams in the Australian Football League (AFL): the West Coast Eagles (the 2006 Australian Rules Football premier winners) and the Fremantle Football Club (the "Fremantle Dockers");Events hosted by Western Australia include the Hopman Cup, the Perth Cup and the Telstra Rally Australia.
User Comments Add a comment…