Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Australia is a continent and also a country, governed by a bicameral parliament much like its mother in Westminster.
The continent was populated by hundreds of Aboriginal groups whose ancestors arrived, the latest research suggests, more than 60,000 years ago, and they fundamentally altered the environment with fire stick farming, and possibly wiping out the unique megafauna.
It is now recognised that since the arrival of the British colonisers in the 18th century, the rate of damage has greatly accelerated, with water shortages and the destruction of the river systems having been hastened by global warming.
Culturally, Australia is known for a love of, and success at, many sports. Traditionally the nation has seen its foundation in the bush (countryside), in male mateship, which was cemented by the Anzac military tradition. That's despite it being one of the most urbanised countries in the world.
