Australia and its symbols The Australian flag has the nation's vote for being the image or symbol about which we are most proud. 95% of Australians take pride in the national flag, which is enjoying increasing popularity, with half (50%) saying that they are extremely proud.
Mateship is the beating heart of the Australian spirit – it's practically a national trait. Aussies pride themselves on being good friends and neighbours, and not just to people they know.
Reasons for pride
Australia is one of the world's youngest nations, formed on January 1, 1901. So our continent hosts one of the youngest nations of the world and also the oldest nations of the world. We are unique. In 1901, Indigenous Australians weren't full citizens and lived under segregation.
Australia is known for many things, including swathes of tropical beaches, marine reserves, Aboriginal culture, cute koalas, rolling wine country, and lush rainforests.
Australia ranks amongst the highest in the world for quality of life, health, education, economic freedom, civil liberties and political rights.
Aussie's are known for being open-hearted and open-minded and think that everyone has the right to get a fair go. This can be seen in universal support of publicly funded health care and education systems.
What Australia is well known for? Australia is globally famous for its natural wonders, wide-open spaces, beaches, deserts, "The Bush", and "The Outback". Australia is one of the world's most highly urbanised countries; it's well known for its attractive mega cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth.
Australia and its symbols
The Australian flag has the nation's vote for being the image or symbol about which we are most proud. 95% of Australians take pride in the national flag, which is enjoying increasing popularity, with half (50%) saying that they are extremely proud.
Australian values based on freedom, respect, fairness and equality of opportunity are central to our community remaining a secure, prosperous and peaceful place to live. Our values define and shape our country and they are a reason why so many people want to become Australian citizens.
Australians, colloquially known as Aussies, are the citizens, nationals and individuals associated with the country of Australia. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or ethno-cultural.
I'm sure that most of you have heard about kangaroos, rugby, shrimp on the barbie, and vegemite: all the classic staples of Australian culture. That's what the media portrays at least – a burly man, riding a kangaroo through a desert, accompanied by his pet dingo, and a vegemite sandwich in hand.
The tough conditions of settler times also played a part in Australians' dry, self-deprecating and sarcastic sense of humour. While in many countries it's considered poor taste to find humour in difficult circumstances, Australians tend to look at the lighter side.
New Zealand was the most popular spot for a visit, with 96,180 arrivals recorded by Australia's Pacific neighbour. Indonesia and the UK were the second and third most visited places, with 86,160 and 66,480 arrivals returning from each country respectively.
The most common verbal greeting is a simple “Hey”, “Hello”, or “Hi”. Some people may use Australian slang and say “G'day” or “G'day mate”. However, this is less common in cities. Many Australians greet by saying “Hey, how are you?”.
Switzerland is the best country in the world for 2022.
Australia is a highly developed country with a mixed economy. As of 2023, Australia was the 13th-largest national economy by nominal GDP (gross domestic product), the 19th-largest by PPP-adjusted GDP, and was the 20th-largest goods exporter and 24th-largest goods importer.
General Australian English is the most common of Australian accents.