The state of Western Australia is big, bold and beautiful, and despite covering one third of Australia has a population of fewer than two million. It has miles of coastline washed by the Indian Ocean and a range of climatic zones from tropical through to temperate. The northern area is raw and harsh; the south is characterized by rolling green pasture; to the west is the ocean while to the east lie golden wheat fields.

The true richness of Western Australia lies in its huge mineral deposits - gold, diamonds, iron ore, bauxite, nickel, natural gas and oil lie under the ground and provide employment for much of the population.

Full county name: Commonwealth of Australia
Area: 7,682,300 sq Km
Population: 21,457,000
Capital: Perth
People: 94% European descent, 4% Asian, 1.5% Aboriginal
Language: English, Aboriginal languages (plus numerous other European, Arabic and Asian languages)
Religion: 75% Christian, 1% Muslim, 1% Buddhist, 0.5% Jewish
GDP: US$418 billion
GDP per head: US$22,000
GDP growth: 3,5%
Unemployment: 4,3%
Inflation: 2,5%
Major industries: Minerals, oil, coal, gold, wool, cereals, meat, and tourism.
Major trading partners:  Japan, ASEAN, South Korea, China, New Zealand, US and the EU.