Today we will discuss Different Cultures in Australia. Australia is a home for multicultural environments. There are different cultures and parts of their community. From historical events to today’s immigrants, Australia has welcomed everyone from every part of the world. This is another reason international students are moving there to feel at home at diverse campuses.
Moving to any new place is challenging in its way. You should know about their cultures, and traditions to blend into them. It also helps you to get any cultural shock as you are prepared before. Most importantly, it is a beautiful way to know about new cultures and their norms.
Population
With a population of 25.74 million, it is one of the most diverse countries with cultural and language differences. It was a British colony once and including immigrants coming up, they became a multicultural society. There are a large number of Indigenous populations too.
Ethnic Groups
Australian, Australian aboriginal, English, Scottish, Irish, Dutch, German, Italian, Greek, Indian, Chinese, and others.
Languages
Australia uses over 200 languages. 21 percent of the people speak a different language other than English. Over 64,000 people speak an Indigenous language. The other languages are Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, Italian, Vietnamese, Greek, and others.
History
Colonization happened in Australia in 1788. Before that, there were over 500 various indigenous groups living there. Each group had a different language, culture, and norms. During colonization, the first colony was a place for prisoners across the world. This caused a loss of almost 60 percent of indigenous groups.
Immigration happened in different eras in Australia. From commonwealth nations, Europeans during the 2nd world war came to Australia which shaped their population in many ways. Many Australian residents and immigrants are born outside the country, especially in Asia and the UK. This also affects their culture.
Their culture is mostly a combination of western culture from Britain, geographical uniqueness, and indigenous people.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
They are one of the oldest groups in Australia. They live primarily in regional areas and major cities. Their ancestors were here between 40,000 and 60,000 years as hunter-gatherers. They have their languages, norms, and arts.
They had 250 languages during colonization. Now it is 145 languages, among them, 110 are endangered. Yumplatok (Torres Strait Creole) was the most common language. Due to neglecting their health issues, their life span is 10-17 years less than others. They also suffer from chronic diseases.
Culture
Australians are direct and honest. Their humor is dry humor which can be difficult for others. They are easygoing, open-minded, and love to say what is in their minds. They are friendly and straightforward.
Though they are multicultural, their Anglo-Celtic heritage is the most influential one. However, they welcome different cultural aspects warmly. They are comfortable with diversity which makes them distinctive from others. You will see this effect on their fusion cuisines.
Australia has a long history before colonization. Their indigenous people have their own stories to tell. From colonization, it started to change. People from different parts of the world began to come. During different eras in history, people migrated to Australia. With every stage, it created an impact on their culture.
However, it only made it unique and diverse. Now Australia is one of the few nations with a large number of cultural settings. Hope our detailed discussion on Different Cultures in Australia will help you understand.