Australia
Officially the Commonwealth of Australia the country is located in the Southern hemisphere and is the world's smallest continent. It includes the mainland, the major island of Tasmania and a number of other islands located in the Pacific and Indian oceans. Indonesia, East Timor and Papua New Guinea lie to the North, while the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia sit to the Northeast with New Zealand to the Southeast.
The population sits at just over 21 million - 60% of which is concentrated in and around the major state cities of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
You may be looking for a house, apartment or villa to purchase or property to rent in Australia. Vacation rentals in Australia are often offered by the owners of the properties real estate agents may also offer property for sale or rent. If you are considering buying real estate in Australia or anywhere else for that matter, the most widely used method of borrowing the funds to make the purchase is a mortgage. International Property Directory has agreements in place to offer the services of a well known mortgage company who will help at the required stages of a mortgage application. International Property Directory can also help you obtain great currency exchange rates with it's partner MoneyCorp.
Increasing numbers of investors using International Property Directory are buying real estate globally with a view to using them as a vacation rental or for capital appreciation. Returns on this investment can be very good and the prices in some emerging markets are very attractive. A mortgage can be used to fund the purchase of a house, home, apartment or villa in many cases.
If you are looking into purchasing or renting or trying to find a property for sale in Australia you may be limited to the type of alterations you can make to the property. You will benefit from living in the environment of your choice plus, in many cases, your improvements will add to the value or saleability of your home but always ask the local authoirities or the agents on the ground who you found through using International Property Directory. Qualify any rental yield of any property investment before purchasing in Australia or anywhere in the world. The yield is the rent as a percentage of the purchase price. Check with your real estate agent to find out the probably rent that can be achieved or if there are any comparables available. Rental yield of around 6% or more are often the norm but results will vary according to location, market conditions and the property conditions itself.
Geography:
Most of Australia's terrain is made up of semi-arid desert but it also boasts a range of other habitats, including alpine heaths and tropical rainforests, which are filled with a wide variety of eucalyptus trees. Under the Biodiversity Action Plan some areas in Australia have been set aside as protected ecosystems in order to preserve them. The South-East and South-West corners of the country enjoy a temperate climate while the Northern part has a tropical climate - part tropical rainforests, part grassland and desert.
Government:
Australia runs under a constitutional democracy based on federal division of power. Officially the Commonwealth of Australia, the country is headed by a constitutional monarchy, the position held by Queen Elizabeth II. She is represented by the Governor-General at federal level and by the Governors at state level.
There are three different branches of government:
- The legislative branch is the Commonwealth Parliament which consists of the Queen, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. Members of the House of Representatives, also called the Lower House, are elected from single-member constituencies. In the Senate, each state is represented by 12 senators and each territory by two.
- The executive branch is led by the Federal Executive Council. According to the Constitution this is led by the Governor-General on the advise of the Executive Councillors. The Councillors are the Prime Minister and the Ministers of State.
- The judiciary branch is made up of the High Court of Australia and other assorted federal courts.
Foreign Relations:
Australia has a close association with the United States of America through the ANZUS pact and to Asia and the Pacific through the ASEAN and Pacific Islands Forum. The country is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, the OECD and the WTO. Australia led the development and formation of the Cairns Group and APEC.
Did You Know?
- Lieutenant James Cook charted the east coast of Australia on HM Bark Endeavour, and claimed the land for Great Britain in 1770.
- The name " Australia " is taken from the Latin Australis, which means "Southern".
© Written by E.J.Clarke |
