Australia -- government, language, history

Location: Indian and Pacific Oceans
Capital: Canberra; Largest City: Sydney
Official language(s):English

Government
Parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy
Monarch Queen Elizabeth II
Governor-General Michael Jeffery
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

Flag Description:
blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant known as the Commonwealth or Federation Star, representing the federation of the colonies of Australia in 1901; the star depicts one point for each of the six original states and one representing all of Australia's internal and external territories; on the fly half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four larger, seven-pointed stars

Background
Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name of Great Britain. Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during the 1990s, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef.

Diplomatic representation in the US:
Ambassador Dennis J. RICHARDSON
chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 797-3000
FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:
Ambassador Robert D. McCALLUM, Jr.
embassy: Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600
mailing address: APO AP 96549
telephone: [61] (02) 6214-5600
FAX: [61] (02) 6214-5970
consulate(s) general: Melbourne, Perth, Sydn

L'etandard Sanglant (The Bloody Flag)
cultural, political, social, and cross-cultural commentary written by students
free speech, human rights, political freedom, social equality, student rights, nonviolence

From Wikipedia: Nicole Mary Kidman, AC (born 20 June 1967) is an Academy Award-winning Australian A-list actress. In 2006, she became the highest paid actress in the film industry] In the same year, Kidman was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), Australia's highest civilian honour.

From Wikipedia: Geraldine Brooks was born in October 1955 and grew up in the Western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. She attended Sydney University and worked as a reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. Subsequently Brooks worked for The Wall Street Journal, where she covered crises in the Middle East, Africa and the Balkans

Her second novel, March was selected by the Washington Post as one of the five best fiction works published during the year. In April 2006, the book earned Brooks the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.