Queensland is a state of Australia, in the north-east of the country. It is the second largest state by area and the third largest state by population.

Queensland is also Australia's most decentralised state: The capital and largest city is Brisbane, but other regional centres include the Gold Coast (the state's second largest city, the seventh largest city in the country, and a major tourism destination), Townsville, Rockhampton, Mackay, Cairns, Toowoomba, and Mount Isa. Queensland is often nicknamed the Sunshine State, since it enjoys warm weather and a sizable portion of the state is in the tropics.

On Friday, December 9, 2005 the population of Queensland officially reached 4 million. Queensland is the fastest growing state in Australia, with nine hundred people moving to the state a week. Predictions have been made that by 2051 Queensland will become Australia's 2nd most populous state of 7.5 million behind New South Wales.

 

Queensland was originally a British Crown Colony that was separated from New South Wales in 1859. What is now Brisbane was originally the Moreton Bay penal colony, intended as a place to hold convicts who re-offended while serving out their sentences in New South Wales.

 

Geography

The state's borders are defined as:

-North The northernmost part of the state is the triangular Cape York Peninsula, which points toward New Guinea. The western side of the peninsula is washed by the Gulf of Carpentaria, while its eastern side borders the Coral Sea, an arm of the Pacific Ocean.

-East The eastern border is the Pacific Ocean

-West To the west, Queensland is bordered by the Northern Territory, at the 138° E. longitude, and to the south-west by the north-eastern corner of South Australia.

-South by New South Wales. This border has three sections:

the watershed from Point Danger to the Dumaresq River

the river section involving the Dumaresq, the MacIntyre and the Barwon

the 29° S. latitude, over to the South Australian border.

State capital Brisbane, is located on the coast 100 km by road north of the New South Wales border.

The largest city by area in the world, Mount Isa, is located in Queensland. The city area is in excess of 40,000 km².

The state is divided into several major regions. Other smaller geographical regions of note include: the Atherton Tablelands ;the Granite Belt ;the Channel Country in the far south-west.

Queensland has many places that are blessed with natural beauty, including:

-the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast having some of the state's most popular beaches

-the Bunya Mountains and the Great Dividing Range with numerous lookouts, waterfalls and picnic areas.

The state contains five World Heritage listed preservation areas.

-Australian Fossil Mammal Sites at Riversleigh in the Gulf Country ;-Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves ;-Fraser Island ;-Great Barrier Reef ;-Wet Tropics of Queensland

Highest maximum temperature: 49.5C (121.1F), Birdsville, 24 December 1972 (The temperature of 53.1C (127.5F) at Cloncurry on 16 January 1889 is not considered official, the figure quoted from Birdsville is the next highest, so that record is considered as being official).

Lowest minimum temperature: -11.0C (12.2F), Stanthorpe, 4 July 1895

 

Demographics

Population

The population of Queensland officially reached 4 million in December, 2005. Queensland's population is less centralised in the capital city than the rest of the country. At 30 June 2004 the capital city represented 45.7% of the population; for the whole country, capital cities represented 63.8% of the total population.

Religion

Christian: 70.9% (Roman Catholic: 24.9%, Anglican: 22.3%, Uniting Church: 8.4%,    Lutheran: 2.1%, Other: 13.2%), Non-Christian: 2.3% (Buddhism: 1.1%, Islam: 0.4, Hinduism: 0.3%, Judaism: 0.1%, Other: 0.4%), No Religion: 14.8%, Not Stated: 12.0%

 

Economy

In 2001, Queensland had a Gross Domestic Product of A$115.53 billion, A$31,000 per capita. Based on exchange rates (2005) this equals US$23,490, the third-lowest in Australia after Tasmania and South Australia.

In 2003 Brisbane city had the lowest cost of living of all Australia's capital cities. As of late 2005 Brisbane is the third most expensive capital for housing after Sydney and Canberra and just ahead of Melbourne by $15,000.

Primary industries include: bananas, pineapples, peanuts, a wide variety of other tropical and temperate fruit and vegetables, grain crops, wineries, cattle raising, cotton, sugar cane, wool and a mining industry including bauxite, coal and copper.

Secondary industries are mostly further processing of the above-mentioned primary produce: bauxite from Weipa is converted to alumina at Gladstone. There are also copper refining and the refining of sugar cane to sugar.

Major Tertiary industries are the retail trade and tourism.

 

Government

Queen Elizabeth II is represented as head of state by the locally appointed Governor, Ms Quentin Bryce, AC. The elected head of government is the Labor Premier, the Hon Peter Beattie, who appoints an Executive Council from the members of the 89-seat Legislative Assembly, known as Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs).

The Queensland State Parliament, known as the Queensland Parliament or the Legislative Assembly is unicameral. It is the only Australian state with a unicameral legislature. A bicameral system existed until 1922, when the Legislative Council was abolished by the Labor members' "suicide squad," so called because they took the unusual step of voting to abolish their own offices.

 

Constitution

In 2001 the state adopted a new codified constitution, repealing most of the assorted acts that had previously made up the constitution. The new constitution took effect on 6 June 2002, the anniversary of the formation of the independent colony of Queensland by the signing of Letters Patent by Queen Victoria in 1859.

 

Policing

Day-to-day law enforcement is the responsibility of the Queensland Police Service, and the Australian Federal Police also have jurisdiction in federal matters.

Queensland does not have separate Local Government district based Police forces, nor a metropolitan force.

Some (Quasi-)Police powers are exercised by Local Government Officers (especially Parking, Public Health & Safety) and by some Government and NGO officers such as those from the Department of Primary Industries (especially Fisheries) and the Queensland Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

 

Colleges and universities:Bond University ;Central Queensland University ;Griffith University ;James Cook University ;Queensland University of Technology ;University of Queensland ;University of Southern Queensland ;University of the Sunshine Coast .

 

Towns and settlements:Applethorpe ;Allora ;Aramac ;Atherton ;Augathella ;Ayr ;Babinda ;Banana ;Barcaldine ;Beaudesert ;Bedourie ;Beenleigh ;Biggenden; Biloela ;Birdsville ;Blackall ;Blackwater ;Bli Bli ;Bogantungan ;Boonah ;Boulia ;Bowen ;Bromelton ;Buderim ;Bundaberg ;Cairns ;Calliope;Camooweal ;Canungra ;Carbrook ;Cardwell ;Charleville ;Charters Towers ;Cherbourg ;Childers ;Chillagoe ; Chinchilla; Clifton ;Cloncurry ;Coen ;

Coolangatta; Cooktown ;Cunnamulla ;Dalby ;Dayboro ;Dirranbandi ;Emerald ;Emu Park; Esk ;Frenchton ;Gatton ;Gayndah; Gladstone ;Gold Coast ;Goondiwindi ;Gordonvale ;Gracemere ;Gympie ;Haigslea ;Hebel ;Hervey Bay ;Home Hill; Hughenden ;Ingham ;Inglewood ;Ingoldsby ;Innisfail ;Ipswich ;Jimboomba ;Julia Creek ;Kalbar ;Karumba ; Kilbirnie ;Kilcoy ;

Killarney ;Kingaroy ;Kowbi ;Kuranda ;Logan ;Longreach ;Mackay;Maclagan ;Mareeba ;Marlborough ;Maryborough ;Merrimac ;Miles ;Mount Isa ;Mount Morgan ;Mount Mort ;Moura ;Mudgeeraba ;Mundubbera ;Mungana ;Murgon ;Murra Murra ;Nambour ;Nanango ;

Neuve ;Nobby ;Normanton ;Oakey ;Quilpie ;Petrie ;Pomona ;Proston ;Proserpine ;Rathdowney ;Ravenshoe ; Redcliffe ; Rockhampton ;Rolleston ;Roma ;Russell Island; Sandgate ;Sarina ; Springsure ; St George ;Stanthorpe ;Sunshine Coast ;Tambo ;Tangalooma ;

Tara ;Tewantin ;Texas ; Thargomindah ;Toowoomba ;Townsville ;Tully ;Wallangarra ;Wallumbilla ;Warner ;Warwick ;Weipa ;Willa ;Windorah ;Winton ;Wondai ;Woodford ;Woongoolba ;Yelarbon .