These dark skinned people of possible African origin had been in Australia for thousands of years. For initial British settlers, Australia served as a remote penal colony. The discovery of gold in the 1850 s changed Britain s mind and Australia was incorporated into the British Empire. In 1901 the six Australian colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania were federated into the Commonwealth of Australia with Canberra as the national capital, created because of economic rivalries between Melbourne and Sydney. Australia s high standard of living can be attributed to its small population and its reasonably well-developed and diversified export economy which is dependent on the production of agricultural mineral and industrial goods.
Agriculture is dominated today by sheep and cattle ranching and wheat farming.
All forms of agriculture are technologically advanced and mechanized. Australia is also a leader in sugar cane production. Exports are limited by the European Unions tariffs. Australia along with South Africa and Brazil is among the most favorably endowed with mineral resources. Australia s resource base includes coal, uranium, iron ore, bauxite, natural gas, lead, zinc and other minerals.