Before being colonized by Great Britain, indigenous peoples scattered across the country inhabited Australia. Today, the country is considered as one of the most welcoming and diverse countries. According to their government, almost half of their population were either born overseas or have at least one parent who was born overseas. This contributes to the fact that there are more than 260 languages spoken in homes across Australia aside from English, such as Arabic, Italian and Mandarin.
Aside from its diversity, the country also boasts of its economy. It has seen steady growth, even during the 2008 global financial crisis. The country, for the year 2014, has approximately more than $1.4 trillion as its GDP.
Due to its large size, the country also has diverse environments. It has more than 500 national parks and more than 2,700 conservation areas ranging from wildlife sanctuaries to Aboriginal reserves. Additionally, 17 of the UNESCO World Heritage sites are in Australia. Examples of these are the Great Barrier Reef and the Sydney Opera House.