Portal:Queensland

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Introduction

Queensland (locally /ˈkwiːnzlænd/ KWEENZ-land,) is a state situated in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous Australian state. It is a federated state and a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, and is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. To its north is the Torres Strait, separating the Australian mainland from Papua New Guinea. With an area of 1,852,642 square kilometres (715,309 sq mi), Queensland is the world's sixth-largest sub-national entity, and is larger than all but 15 countries. Due to its size, Queensland's geographical features and climates are diverse, including tropical rainforests, rivers, coral reefs, mountain ranges and sandy beaches in its tropical and sub-tropical coastal regions, as well as deserts and savanna in the semi-arid and desert climatic regions of its interior.

Queensland has a population of over 5.1 million, concentrated along the coast and particularly in South East Queensland. The capital and largest city in the state is Brisbane, Australia's third-largest city. Ten of Australia's thirty largest cities are located in Queensland, with the largest outside Brisbane being the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Townsville, Cairns and Toowoomba. The state's population is multicultural, with 28.9% of inhabitants being immigrants. (Full article...)

Selected Article

Satellite image of part of the Great Barrier Reef.

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, composed of roughly 3,000 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for 2,600 kilometres (1,616 mi) over an area of approximately 344,400 square kilometres (133,000 sq mi). The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia.

The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. The Great Barrier Reef supports a wide diversity of life, and was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. CNN has labelled it one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and the Queensland National Trust has named it a state icon of Queensland. A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which helps to limit the impact of human use, such as overfishing and tourism

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Selected images

Townsville, the largest city in North Queensland and one of the state's many regional cities
The Gold Coast, Queensland's second-largest city and a major tourist destination
"Ekka", the Royal Queensland Exhibition, is held each August at the Brisbane Showgrounds.
Government House, seat of the Governor
Cargo ships at the Port of Gladstone, Queensland's largest commodity seaport
Köppen climate types in Queensland
Parliament House, seat of the Queensland Parliament
Parade of troops in Brisbane, prior to departure for the Boer War in South Africa.
Passenger train at Oxley railway station on the Ipswich/Rosweood line within the Queensland Rail City network
The Great Barrier Reef, which extends along most of Queensland's Coral Sea coastline
The Great Court at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Queensland's oldest university
The Mossman River, flowing through the Daintree Rainforest in Far North Queensland
Fighting between Burke and Wills's supply party and Indigenous Australians at Bulla in 1861
Noosa Heads on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland's third largest city and a major tourist destination
Gold mine at Ravenswood in North Queensland: Mining is one of the state's major industries
Skyline of the Brisbane central business district. Brisbane is a global city and the state's largest economic hub.
Captain James Cook claims the east coast of Australia for the Kingdom of Great Britain at Possession Island in 1770
The McPherson Range at Lamington National Park in South East Queensland
Cricket game at The Gabba, a 42,000-seat round stadium in Brisbane
Beach from Indian Head on Fraser Island
Returned World War II soldiers march in Queen Street, Brisbane, 1944
Hill Inlet at the Whitsunday Islands.
Location of Queensland in Australia
Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law, headquarters of the Supreme Court of Queensland and District Court of Queensland
Brisbane, capital and most populous city of Queensland
Sugar cane fields in Queensland, 1959. Sugar cane has been an integral part of Queensland's economy for decades.
A waterfall at Atherton Tableland, in the Wide Bay–Burnett region
Commonly designated regions of Queensland, with Central Queensland divided into Mackay and Fitzroy subregions

Selected business

(Pictured left: A Billabong brand hat)

Billabong International is a clothing company traded on the Australian Securities Exchange since 11 August 2000. Billabong was founded in 1973 by Gordon and Rena Merchant. The name came from the same word billabong, which is a stagnant body of water attached to a waterway.

As well as the Billabong brand-name, the company sells surfwear and accessories under the Palmers Surf, Honolua Surf, Swell.com, Von Zipper, Kustom (footwear), Nixon, Xcel Wetsuits and Tigerlily brands, and also Element skate clothing and hardware. The brands are available at various surf and skateboard stores locations. (Full article...)

More selected

Did You Know?

...that the Teviot Range derives its name from the River Teviot in Scotland and was named by Allan Cunningham in 1828?
...that in 2009, Wet'n'Wild Water World (pictured) had more than 1 million visitors, making it the most visited water park in the country?
...that at the time of his retirement in 2007, Peter Beattie was the longest-serving state premier in the country?
...that the name of the Brisbane suburb Moggill is derived from the Aboriginal word 'Magil', meaning water dragon?