document_title: Australia

question_text: which country us also known as down under

question_tokens: which country us also known as down under

text: Australia

text: Name

text: The name Australia (pronounced [əˈstɹæɪljə, -liə] in Australian English[24]) is derived from the Latin Terra Australis ("southern land"), a name used for a hypothetical continent in the Southern Hemisphere since ancient times.[25] When Europeans first began visiting and mapping Australia in the 17th century, the name Terra Australis was naturally applied to the new territories.[N 4]

text: Until the early 19th century, Australia was best known as "New Holland", a name first applied by the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in 1644 (as Nieuw-Holland) and subsequently anglicised. Terra Australis still saw occasional usage, such as in scientific texts.[N 5] The name Australia was popularised by the explorer Matthew Flinders, who said it was "more agreeable to the ear, and an assimilation to the names of the other great portions of the earth".[31] The first time that Australia appears to have been officially used was in April 1817, in which Governor Lachlan Macquarie acknowledged the receipt of Flinders' charts of Australia from Lord Bathurst.[32] In December 1817, Macquarie recommended to the Colonial Office that it be formally adopted.[33] In 1824, the Admiralty agreed that the continent should be known officially by that name.[34] The first official published use of the new name came with the 1830 publication of "The Australia Directory" by the Hydrographic Office.[35]

text: Colloquial names for Australia include "Oz" and "the Land Down Under" (usually shortened to just "Down Under"). Other epithets include "the Great Southern Land", "the Lucky Country", "the Sunburnt Country", and "the Wide Brown Land". The latter two both derive from Dorothea Mackellar's 1908 poem "My Country".[36]

text: History

text: Pre-colonial history

text: Human habitation of the Australian continent is estimated to have begun around 65,000 to 70,000 years ago,[37][38] possibly with the migration of people by land bridges and short sea-crossings from what is now Southeast Asia. These first inhabitants may have been ancestors of modern Indigenous Australians.[39] At the time of European settlement in the late 18th century, most Indigenous Australians were hunter-gatherers with complex economies and societies.[38] Indigenous Australians have an oral culture with spiritual values based on reverence for the land and a belief in the Dreamtime. The Torres Strait Islanders, ethnically Melanesian, were originally horticulturists and hunter-gatherers.[40] The northern coasts and waters of Australia were visited sporadically by fishermen from Maritime Southeast Asia.[41]

text: European arrival

text: The first recorded European sighting of the Australian mainland, and the first recorded European landfall on the Australian continent (in 1606), are attributed to the Dutch. The first ship and crew to chart the Australian coast and meet with Aboriginal people was the Duyfken captained by Dutch navigator, Willem Janszoon.[42] He sighted the coast of Cape York Peninsula in early 1606, and made landfall on 26 February at the Pennefather River near the modern town of Weipa on Cape York.[43] The Dutch charted the whole of the western and northern coastlines and named the island continent "New Holland" during the 17th century, but made no attempt at settlement.[43] William Dampier, an English explorer and privateer, landed on the north-west coast of New Holland in 1688 and again in 1699 on a return trip.[44] In 1770, James Cook sailed along and mapped the east coast, which he named New South Wales and claimed for Great Britain.[45]

text: With the loss of its American colonies in 1783, the British Government sent a fleet of ships, the "First Fleet", under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip, to establish a new penal colony in New South Wales. A camp was set up and the flag raised at Sydney Cove, Port Jackson, on 26 January 1788,[15] a date which became Australia's national day, Australia Day, although the British Crown Colony of New South Wales was not formally promulgated until 7 February 1788. The first settlement led to the foundation of Sydney, and the exploration and settlement of other regions.

text: A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land, now known as Tasmania, in 1803, and it became a separate colony in 1825.[46] The United Kingdom formally claimed the western part of Western Australia (the Swan River Colony) in 1828.[47] Separate colonies were carved from parts of New South Wales: South Australia in 1836, Victoria in 1851, and Queensland in 1859.[48] The Northern Territory was founded in 1911 when it was excised from South Australia.[49] South Australia was founded as a "free province"—it was never a penal colony.[50] Victoria and Western Australia were also founded "free", but later accepted transported convicts.[51][52] A campaign by the settlers of New South Wales led to the end of convict transportation to that colony; the last convict ship arrived in 1848.[53]

text: The indigenous population, estimated to have been between 750,000 and 1,000,000 in 1788,[54] declined for 150 years following settlement, mainly due to infectious disease.[55] Thousands more died as a result of frontier conflict with settlers.[56] A government policy of "assimilation" beginning with the Aboriginal Protection Act 1869 resulted in the removal of many Aboriginal children from their families and communities—often referred to as the Stolen Generations—a practice which may also have contributed to the decline in the indigenous population.[57] As a result of the 1967 referendum, the Federal government's power to enact special laws with respect to a particular race was extended to enable the making of laws with respect to Aborigines.[58] Traditional ownership of land ("native title") was not recognised in law until 1992, when the High Court of Australia held in Mabo v Queensland (No 2) that the legal doctrine that Australia had been terra nullius ("land belonging to no one") did not apply to Australia at the time of British settlement.[59]

text: Colonial expansion

text: A gold rush began in Australia in the early 1850s[60] and the Eureka Rebellion against mining licence fees in 1854 was an early expression of civil disobedience.[61] Between 1855 and 1890, the six colonies individually gained responsible government, managing most of their own affairs while remaining part of the British Empire.[62] The Colonial Office in London retained control of some matters, notably foreign affairs,[63] defence,[64] and international shipping.

text: Nationhood

text: On 1 January 1901, federation of the colonies was achieved after a decade of planning, consultation and voting.[65] This established the Commonwealth of Australia as a dominion of the British Empire.[66][67] The Federal Capital Territory (later renamed the Australian Capital Territory) was formed in 1911 as the location for the future federal capital of Canberra. Melbourne was the temporary seat of government from 1901 to 1927 while Canberra was being constructed.[68] The Northern Territory was transferred from the control of the South Australian government to the federal parliament in 1911.[69] In 1914, Australia joined Britain in fighting World War I, with support from both the outgoing Commonwealth Liberal Party and the incoming Australian Labor Party.[70][71] Australians took part in many of the major battles fought on the Western Front.[72] Of about 416,000 who served, about 60,000 were killed and another 152,000 were wounded.[73] Many Australians regard the defeat of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZACs) at Gallipoli as the birth of the nation—its first major military action.[74][75] The Kokoda Track campaign is regarded by many as an analogous nation-defining event during World War II.[76]

text: Britain's Statute of Westminster 1931 formally ended most of the constitutional links between Australia and the UK. Australia adopted it in 1942,[77] but it was backdated to 1939 to confirm the validity of legislation passed by the Australian Parliament during World War II.[78][79] The shock of the United Kingdom's defeat in Asia in 1942 and the threat of Japanese invasion caused Australia to turn to the United States as a new ally and protector.[80] Since 1951, Australia has been a formal military ally of the US, under the ANZUS treaty.[81] After World War II Australia encouraged immigration from mainland Europe. Since the 1970s and following the abolition of the White Australia policy, immigration from Asia and elsewhere was also promoted.[82] As a result, Australia's demography, culture, and self-image were transformed.[83] The passing of the Australia Act 1986 ended all possibility for any vestigial role of the British government in the government in Australia and removed the already seldom-used option of judicial appeals to the Privy Council in London.[84] In a 1999 referendum, 55% of voters and a majority in every state rejected a proposal to become a republic with a president appointed by a two-thirds vote in both Houses of the Australian Parliament. Since the election of the Whitlam Government in 1972,[85] there has been an increasing focus in foreign policy on ties with other Pacific Rim nations, while maintaining close ties with Australia's traditional allies and trading partners.[86]

text: Geography

text: General characteristics

text: Australia's landmass of 7,617,930 square kilometres (2,941,300 sq mi)[87] is on the Indo-Australian Plate. Surrounded by the Indian and Pacific oceans,[N 6] it is separated from Asia by the Arafura and Timor seas, with the Coral Sea lying off the Queensland coast, and the Tasman Sea lying between Australia and New Zealand. The world's smallest continent[89] and sixth largest country by total area,[90] Australia—owing to its size and isolation—is often dubbed the "island continent",[91] and is sometimes considered the world's largest island.[92] Australia has 34,218 kilometres (21,262 mi) of coastline (excluding all offshore islands),[93] and claims an extensive Exclusive Economic Zone of 8,148,250 square kilometres (3,146,060 sq mi). This exclusive economic zone does not include the Australian Antarctic Territory.[94] Apart from Macquarie Island, Australia lies between latitudes 9° and 44°S, and longitudes 112° and 154°E.

text: The Great Barrier Reef, the world's largest coral reef,[95] lies a short distance off the north-east coast and extends for over 2,000 kilometres (1,240 mi). Mount Augustus, claimed to be the world's largest monolith,[96] is located in Western Australia. At 2,228 metres (7,310 ft), Mount Kosciuszko on the Great Dividing Range is the highest mountain on the Australian mainland. Even taller are Mawson Peak (at 2,745 metres or 9,006 feet), on the remote Australian territory of Heard Island, and, in the Australian Antarctic Territory, Mount McClintock and Mount Menzies, at 3,492 metres (11,457 ft) and 3,355 metres (11,007 ft) respectively.[97]

text: Australia's size gives it a wide variety of landscapes, with tropical rainforests in the north-east, mountain ranges in the south-east, south-west and east, and dry desert in the centre.[98] It is the flattest continent,[99] with the oldest and least fertile soils;[100][101] desert or semi-arid land commonly known as the outback makes up by far the largest portion of land.[102] Australia is the driest inhabited continent; its annual rainfall averaged over continental area is less than 500 mm.[103] The population density, 2.8 inhabitants per square kilometre, is among the lowest in the world,[104] although a large proportion of the population lives along the temperate south-eastern coastline.[105]

text: Eastern Australia is marked by the Great Dividing Range, which runs parallel to the coast of Queensland, New South Wales and much of Victoria. The name is not strictly accurate, because parts of the range consist of low hills, and the highlands are typically no more than 1,600 metres (5,249 ft) in height.[106] The coastal uplands and a belt of Brigalow grasslands lie between the coast and the mountains, while inland of the dividing range are large areas of grassland.[106][107] These include the western plains of New South Wales, and the Einasleigh Uplands, Barkly Tableland, and Mulga Lands of inland Queensland. The northernmost point of the east coast is the tropical-rainforested Cape York Peninsula.[108][109][110][111]

text: The landscapes of the Top End and the Gulf Country—with their tropical climate—include forest, woodland, wetland, grassland, rainforest and desert.[112][113][114] At the north-west corner of the continent are the sandstone cliffs and gorges of The Kimberley, and below that the Pilbara. To the south of these and inland, lie more areas of grassland: the Ord Victoria Plain and the Western Australian Mulga shrublands.[115][116][117] At the heart of the country are the uplands of central Australia. Prominent features of the centre and south include Uluru (also known as Ayers Rock), the famous sandstone monolith, and the inland Simpson, Tirari and Sturt Stony, Gibson, Great Sandy, Tanami, and Great Victoria deserts, with the famous Nullarbor Plain on the southern coast.[118][119][120][121]

text: Climate

text:
Equatorial
  Tropical
  Subtropical

  Desert
  Grassland
  Temperate

text: The climate of Australia is significantly influenced by ocean currents, including the Indian Ocean Dipole and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation, which is correlated with periodic drought, and the seasonal tropical low-pressure system that produces cyclones in northern Australia.[122][123] These factors cause rainfall to vary markedly from year to year. Much of the northern part of the country has a tropical, predominantly summer-rainfall (monsoon).[103] The south-west corner of the country has a Mediterranean climate.[124] The south-east ranges from oceanic (Tasmania and coastal Victoria) to humid subtropical (upper half of New South Wales). The interior is arid to semi-arid.[103]

text: According to the Bureau of Meteorology's 2011 Australian Climate Statement, Australia had lower than average temperatures in 2011 as a consequence of a La Niña weather pattern; however, "the country's 10-year average continues to demonstrate the rising trend in temperatures, with 2002–2011 likely to rank in the top two warmest 10-year periods on record for Australia, at 0.52 °C (0.94 °F) above the long-term average".[125] Furthermore, 2014 was Australia's third warmest year since national temperature observations commenced in 1910.[126][127] Water restrictions are frequently in place in many regions and cities of Australia in response to chronic shortages due to urban population increases and localised drought.[128][129] Throughout much of the continent, major flooding regularly follows extended periods of drought, flushing out inland river systems, overflowing dams and inundating large inland flood plains, as occurred throughout Eastern Australia in 2010, 2011 and 2012 after the 2000s Australian drought.

text: Australia's carbon dioxide emissions per capita are among the highest in the world, lower than those of only a few other industrialised nations.[130] A carbon tax was introduced in 2012 and helped to reduce Australia's emissions but was scrapped in 2014 under the Liberal Government.[131] Since the carbon tax was repealed, emissions have again continued to rise.[132]

text: Biodiversity

text: Although most of Australia is semi-arid or desert, it includes a diverse range of habitats from alpine heaths to tropical rainforests, and is recognised as a megadiverse country. Fungi typify that diversity; an estimated 250,000 species—of which only 5% have been described—occur in Australia.[133] Because of the continent's great age, extremely variable weather patterns, and long-term geographic isolation, much of Australia's biota is unique. About 85% of flowering plants, 84% of mammals, more than 45% of birds, and 89% of in-shore, temperate-zone fish are endemic.[134] Australia has the greatest number of reptiles of any country, with 755 species.[135] Besides Antarctica, Australia is the only continent that developed without feline species. Feral cats may have been introduced in the 17th century by Dutch shipwrecks, and later in the 18th century by European settlers. They are now considered a major factor in the decline and extinction of many vulnerable and endangered native species.[136]

text: Australian forests are mostly made up of evergreen species, particularly eucalyptus trees in the less arid regions; wattles replace them as the dominant species in drier regions and deserts.[137] Among well-known Australian animals are the monotremes (the platypus and echidna); a host of marsupials, including the kangaroo, koala, and wombat, and birds such as the emu and the kookaburra.[137] Australia is home to many dangerous animals including some of the most venomous snakes in the world.[138] The dingo was introduced by Austronesian people who traded with Indigenous Australians around 3000 BCE.[139] Many animal and plant species became extinct soon after first human settlement,[140] including the Australian megafauna; others have disappeared since European settlement, among them the thylacine.[141][142]

text: Many of Australia's ecoregions, and the species within those regions, are threatened by human activities and introduced animal, chromistan, fungal and plant species.[143] All these factors have led to Australia's having the highest mammal extinction rate of any country in the world.[144] The federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 is the legal framework for the protection of threatened species.[145] Numerous protected areas have been created under the National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia's Biological Diversity to protect and preserve unique ecosystems;[146][147] 65 wetlands are listed under the Ramsar Convention,[148] and 16 natural World Heritage Sites have been established.[149] Australia was ranked 3rd out of 178 countries in the world on the 2014 Environmental Performance Index.[150]

text: Government and politics

text: Australia is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy[151] with Elizabeth II at its apex as the Queen of Australia, a role that is distinct from her position as monarch of the other Commonwealth realms. The Queen is represented in Australia by the Governor-General at the federal level and by the Governors at the state level, who by convention act on the advice of her ministers.[152][153] Thus, in practice the Governor-General has no actual decision-making or de facto governmental role, and merely acts as a legal figurehead for the actions of the Prime Minister and the Federal Executive Council. The Governor-General does have extraordinary reserve powers which may be exercised outside the Prime Minister's request in rare and limited circumstances, the most notable exercise of which was the dismissal of the Whitlam Government in the constitutional crisis of 1975.[154]

text: The federal government is separated into three branches:

text:
Legislature: the bicameral Parliament, defined in section 1 of the constitution as comprising the Queen (represented by the Governor-General), the Senate, and the House of Representatives;
Executive: the Federal Executive Council, which in practice gives legal effect to the decisions of the cabinet, comprising the prime minister and ministers of state who advise the Governor-General;[155]
Judiciary: the High Court of Australia and other federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the Governor-General on advice of the Federal Executive Council.

text: In the Senate (the upper house), there are 76 senators: twelve each from the states and two each from the mainland territories (the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory).[156] The House of Representatives (the lower house) has 150 members elected from single-member electoral divisions, commonly known as "electorates" or "seats", allocated to states on the basis of population,[157] with each original state guaranteed a minimum of five seats.[158] Elections for both chambers are normally held every three years simultaneously; senators have overlapping six-year terms except for those from the territories, whose terms are not fixed but are tied to the electoral cycle for the lower house; thus only 40 of the 76 places in the Senate are put to each election unless the cycle is interrupted by a double dissolution.[156]

text: Australia's electoral system uses preferential voting for all lower house elections with the exception of Tasmania and the ACT which, along with the Senate and most state upper houses, combine it with proportional representation in a system known as the single transferable vote. Voting is compulsory for all enrolled citizens 18 years and over in every jurisdiction,[159] as is enrolment (with the exception of South Australia).[160] The party with majority support in the House of Representatives forms the government and its leader becomes Prime Minister. In cases where no party has majority support, the Governor-General has the constitutional power to appoint the Prime Minister and, if necessary, dismiss one that has lost the confidence of Parliament.[161]

text: There are two major political groups that usually form government, federally and in the states: the Australian Labor Party and the Coalition which is a formal grouping of the Liberal Party and its minor partner, the National Party.[162][163] Within Australian political culture, the Coalition is considered centre-right and the Labor Party is considered centre-left.[164] Independent members and several minor parties have achieved representation in Australian parliaments, mostly in upper houses.

text: In September 2015, Malcolm Turnbull successfully challenged Abbott for leadership of the Coalition, and was sworn in as the 29th Prime Minister of Australia.[165] The most recent federal election was held on 2 July 2016 and resulted in the Coalition's forming a majority government.[166]

text: States and territories

text: Australia has six states—New South Wales (NSW), Queensland (QLD), South Australia (SA), Tasmania (TAS), Victoria (VIC) and Western Australia (WA)—and two major mainland territories—the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Northern Territory (NT). In most respects these two territories function as states, except that the Commonwealth Parliament has the power to modify or repeal any legislation passed by the territory parliaments.[167]

text: Under the constitution, the States essentially have plenary legislative power to legislate on any subject, whereas the Commonwealth (federal) Parliament may legislate only within the subject areas enumerated under section 51. For example, State parliaments have the power to legislate with respect to education, criminal law and state police, health, transport, and local government, but the Commonwealth Parliament does not have any specific power to legislate in these areas.[168] However, Commonwealth laws prevail over State laws to the extent of the inconsistency.[169] In addition, the Commonwealth has the power to levy income tax which, coupled with the power to make grants to States, has given it the financial means to incentivize States to pursue specific legislative agendas within areas over which the Commonwealth does not have legislative power.

text: Each state and major mainland territory has its own parliament—unicameral in the Northern Territory, the ACT and Queensland, and bicameral in the other states. The states are sovereign entities, although subject to certain powers of the Commonwealth as defined by the Constitution. The lower houses are known as the Legislative Assembly (the House of Assembly in South Australia and Tasmania); the upper houses are known as the Legislative Council. The head of the government in each state is the Premier and in each territory the Chief Minister. The Queen is represented in each state by a Governor; and in the Northern Territory, the Administrator.[170] In the Commonwealth, the Queen's representative is the Governor-General.[171]

text: The Commonwealth Parliament also directly administers the following external territories: Ashmore and Cartier Islands; Australian Antarctic Territory; Christmas Island; Cocos (Keeling) Islands; Coral Sea Islands; Heard Island and McDonald Islands; and Jervis Bay Territory, a naval base and sea port for the national capital in land that was formerly part of New South Wales.[155] The external territory of Norfolk Island previously exercised considerable autonomy under the Norfolk Island Act 1979 through its own legislative assembly and an Administrator to represent the Queen.[172] In 2015, the Commonwealth Parliament abolished self-government, integrating Norfolk Island into the Australian tax and welfare systems and replacing its legislative assembly with a council.[173] Macquarie Island is administered by Tasmania, and Lord Howe Island by New South Wales.

text: Foreign relations and military

text: Over recent decades, Australia's foreign relations have been driven by a close association with the United States through the ANZUS pact, and by a desire to develop relationships with Asia and the Pacific, particularly through ASEAN and the Pacific Islands Forum. In 2005 Australia secured an inaugural seat at the East Asia Summit following its accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and in 2011 attended the Sixth East Asia Summit in Indonesia. Australia is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, in which the Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings provide the main forum for co-operation.[174]

text: Australia has pursued the cause of international trade liberalisation.[175] It led the formation of the Cairns Group and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.[176][177] Australia is a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Trade Organization,[178][179] and has pursued several major bilateral free trade agreements, most recently the Australia–United States Free Trade Agreement[180] and Closer Economic Relations with New Zealand,[181] with another free trade agreement being negotiated with China—the Australia–China Free Trade Agreement—and Japan,[182] South Korea in 2011,[183][184] Australia–Chile Free Trade Agreement, and as of November 2015 has put the Trans-Pacific Partnership before parliament for ratification.[185]

text: Along with New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Malaysia and Singapore, Australia is party to the Five Power Defence Arrangements, a regional defence agreement. A founding member country of the United Nations, Australia is strongly committed to multilateralism[186] and maintains an international aid program under which some 60 countries receive assistance. The 2005–06 budget provides A$2.5 billion for development assistance.[187] Australia ranks fifteenth overall in the Center for Global Development's 2012 Commitment to Development Index.[188]

text: Australia's armed forces—the Australian Defence Force (ADF)—comprise the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), the Australian Army and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), in total numbering 81,214 personnel (including 57,982 regulars and 23,232 reservists) as of November 2015. The titular role of Commander-in-Chief is vested in the Governor-General, who appoints a Chief of the Defence Force from one of the armed services on the advice of the government.[189] Day-to-day force operations are under the command of the Chief, while broader administration and the formulation of defence policy is undertaken by the Minister and Department of Defence.

text: In the 2016–17 budget, defence spending comprised 2% of GDP, representing the world's 12th largest defence budget.[190] Australia has been involved in UN and regional peacekeeping, disaster relief and armed conflict, including the 2003 invasion of Iraq; it currently has deployed about 2,241 personnel in varying capacities to 12 international operations in areas including Iraq and Afghanistan.[191]

text: Economy

text: Australia is a wealthy country; it generates its income from various sources including mining-related exports, telecommunications, banking and manufacturing.[193][194][195] It has a market economy, a relatively high GDP per capita, and a relatively low rate of poverty. In terms of average wealth, Australia ranked second in the world after Switzerland in 2013, although the nation's poverty rate increased from 10.2% to 11.8%, from 2000/01 to 2013.[196][197] It was identified by the Credit Suisse Research Institute as the nation with the highest median wealth in the world and the second-highest average wealth per adult in 2013.[196]

text: The Australian dollar is the currency for the nation, including Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru, and Tuvalu. With the 2006 merger of the Australian Stock Exchange and the Sydney Futures Exchange, the Australian Securities Exchange became the ninth largest in the world.[198]

text: Ranked fifth in the Index of Economic Freedom (2017),[199] Australia is the world's twelfth largest economy and has the sixth highest per capita GDP (nominal) at US$56,291.[200] The country was ranked second in the United Nations 2016 Human Development Index.[201] All of Australia's major cities fare well in global comparative livability surveys;[202] Melbourne reached top spot for the fourth year in a row on The Economist's 2014 list of the world's most liveable cities, followed by Adelaide, Sydney, and Perth in the fifth, seventh, and ninth places respectively.[203] Total government debt in Australia is about $190 billion[204] – 20% of GDP in 2010.[205] Australia has among the highest house prices and some of the highest household debt levels in the world.[206]

text: An emphasis on exporting commodities rather than manufactured goods has underpinned a significant increase in Australia's terms of trade since the start of the 21st century, due to rising commodity prices. Australia has a balance of payments that is more than 7% of GDP negative, and has had persistently large current account deficits for more than 50 years.[208] Australia has grown at an average annual rate of 3.6% for over 15 years, in comparison to the OECD annual average of 2.5%.[208]

text: Australia was the only advanced economy not to experience a recession due to the global financial downturn in 2008–2009.[209] However, the economies of six of Australia's major trading partners have been in recession, which in turn has affected Australia, significantly hampering its economic growth in recent years.[210][211] From 2012 to early 2013, Australia's national economy grew, but some non-mining states and Australia's non-mining economy experienced a recession.[212][213][214]

text: The Hawke Government floated the Australian dollar in 1983 and partially deregulated the financial system.[215] The Howard Government followed with a partial deregulation of the labour market and the further privatisation of state-owned businesses, most notably in the telecommunications industry.[216] The indirect tax system was substantially changed in July 2000 with the introduction of a 10% Goods and Services Tax (GST).[217] In Australia's tax system, personal and company income tax are the main sources of government revenue.[218]

text: In May 2012, there were 11,537,900 people employed (either full- or part-time), with an unemployment rate of 5.1%.[219] Youth unemployment (15–24) stood at 11.2%.[219] Data released in mid-November 2013 showed that the number of welfare recipients had grown by 55%. In 2007 228,621 Newstart unemployment allowance recipients were registered, a total that increased to 646,414 in March 2013.[220] According to the Graduate Careers Survey, full-time employment for newly qualified professionals from various occupations has declined since 2011 but it increases for graduates three years after graduation.[221][222]

text: Since 2008, inflation has typically been 2–3% and the base interest rate 5–6%. The service sector of the economy, including tourism, education, and financial services, accounts for about 70% of GDP.[223] Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, particularly wheat and wool, minerals such as iron-ore and gold, and energy in the forms of liquified natural gas and coal. Although agriculture and natural resources account for only 3% and 5% of GDP respectively, they contribute substantially to export performance. Australia's largest export markets are Japan, China, the US, South Korea, and New Zealand.[224] Australia is the world's fourth largest exporter of wine, and the wine industry contributes $5.5 billion per year to the nation's economy.[225]

text: Demography

text: Until the Second World War, the vast majority of settlers and immigrants came from the British Isles, and a majority of Australians have some British or Irish ancestry. These Australians form an ethnic group known as Anglo-Celtic Australians. In the 2016 Australian census, the most commonly nominated ancestries were English (36.1%), Australian (33.5%),[226] Irish (11.0%), Scottish (9.3%), Chinese (5.6%), Italian (4.6%), German (4.5%), Indian (2.8%), Greek (1.8%), and Dutch (1.6%).[227]

text: Australia's population has quadrupled since the end of World War I,[228] much of this increase from immigration. Following World War II and through to 2000, almost 5.9 million of the total population settled in the country as new immigrants.[229] Most immigrants are skilled,[230] but the immigration quota includes categories for family members and refugees.[230] By 2050, Australia's population is currently projected to reach around 42 million.[231] Nevertheless, its population density, 2.8 inhabitants per square kilometre, remains among the lowest in the world.[104]

text: In 2016, more than a quarter (26%) of Australia's population were born overseas; the five largest immigrant groups were those born in England (3.9%), New Zealand (2.2%), Mainland China (2.2%), India (1.9%), and the Philippines (1%).[232] Following the abolition of the White Australia policy in 1973, numerous government initiatives have been established to encourage and promote racial harmony based on a policy of multiculturalism.[233] In 2015–16, there were 189,770 permanent immigrants admitted to Australia, mainly from Asia.[234]

text: The Indigenous population—Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders—was counted at 649,171 (2.8% of the total population) in 2016.[235] The increase is partly due to many people with Indigenous heritage previously having been overlooked by the census due to undercount and cases where their Indigenous status had not been recorded on the form. Indigenous Australians experience higher than average rates of imprisonment and unemployment, lower levels of education, and life expectancies for males and females that are, respectively, 11 and 17 years lower than those of non-indigenous Australians.[224][236][237] Some remote Indigenous communities have been described as having "failed state"-like conditions.[238]

text: In common with many other developed countries, Australia is experiencing a demographic shift towards an older population, with more retirees and fewer people of working age. In 2004, the average age of the civilian population was 38.8 years.[239] A large number of Australians (759,849 for the period 2002–03;[240] 1 million or 5% of the total population in 2005[241]) live outside their home country.

text:
v
t
e

Largest populated areas in Australia
2016 data from Australian Bureau of Statistics[242]

Rank
Name
State
Pop.
Rank
Name
State
Pop.

Sydney

Melbourne
1
Sydney
NSW
5,029,768
11
Hobart
Tas
224,462

Brisbane

Perth

2
Melbourne
Vic
4,725,316
12
Geelong
Vic
192,393

3
Brisbane
Qld
2,360,241
13
Townsville
Qld
178,864

4
Perth
WA
2,022,044
14
Cairns
Qld
150,041

5
Adelaide
SA
1,324,279
15
Darwin
NT
145,916

6
Gold Coast–Tweed Heads
Qld/NSW
646,983
16
Toowoomba
Qld
114,024

7
Newcastle–Maitland
NSW
436,171
17
Ballarat
Vic
101,588

8
Canberra–Queanbeyan
ACT/NSW
435,019
18
Bendigo
Vic
95,587

9
Sunshine Coast
Qld
317,404
19
Albury-Wodonga
NSW/Vic
90,576

10
Wollongong
NSW
295,669
20
Launceston
Tas
86,335

text: Language

text: Although Australia has no official language, English has always been entrenched as the de facto national language.[2] Australian English is a major variety of the language with a distinctive accent and lexicon,[243] and differs slightly from other varieties of English in grammar and spelling.[244] General Australian serves as the standard dialect.

text: According to the 2016 census, English is the only language spoken in the home for close to 72.7% of the population. The next most common languages spoken at home are Mandarin (2.5%), Arabic (1.4%), Cantonese (1.2%), Vietnamese (1.2%) and Italian (1.2%).[245] A considerable proportion of first- and second-generation migrants are bilingual.

text: Over 250 Indigenous Australian languages are thought to have existed at the time of first European contact, of which less than 20 are still in daily use by all age groups.[246][247] About 110 others are spoken exclusively by older people.[247] At the time of the 2006 census, 52,000 Indigenous Australians, representing 12% of the Indigenous population, reported that they spoke an Indigenous language at home.[248] Australia has a sign language known as Auslan, which is the main language of about 5,500 deaf people.[249]

text: Religion

text:
Religion in Australia (as of August 2016[update])

Religion

Percent

No religion

30.1%

Roman Catholic

22.6%

Other Christian

18.7%

Anglican

13.3%

Islam

2.6%

Buddhism

2.5%

Hinduism

1.3%

Other

0.8%

Judaism

0.4%

Undefined or not stated

9.6%

text: Australia has no state religion; Section 116 of the Australian Constitution prohibits the federal government from making any law to establish any religion, impose any religious observance, or prohibit the free exercise of any religion.[250] In the 2016 census, 52.1% of Australians were counted as Christian, including 22.6% as Roman Catholic and 13.3% as Anglican; 30.1% of the population reported having "no religion"; 7.3% identify with non-Christian religions, the largest of these being Islam (2.6%), followed by Buddhism (2.5%), Hinduism (1.9%) and Judaism (0.4%). The remaining 9.6% of the population did not provide an adequate answer. Those who reported having no religion increased conspicuously from 19% in 2006 to 30% in 2016. The largest change was between 2011 (22%) and 2016 (30.1%), when a further 2.2 million people reported having no religion.[251]

text: Before European settlement, the animist beliefs of Australia's indigenous people had been practised for many thousands of years. Mainland Aboriginal Australians' spirituality is known as the Dreamtime and it places a heavy emphasis on belonging to the land. The collection of stories that it contains shaped Aboriginal law and customs. Aboriginal art, story and dance continue to draw on these spiritual traditions. The spirituality and customs of Torres Strait Islanders, who inhabit the islands between Australia and New Guinea, reflected their Melanesian origins and dependence on the sea. The 1996 Australian census counted more than 7000 respondents as followers of a traditional Aboriginal religion.[252]

text: Since the arrival of the First Fleet of British ships in 1788, Christianity has grown to be the major religion practised in Australia. Christian churches have played an integral role in the development of education, health and welfare services in Australia. For much of Australian history, the Church of England (now known as the Anglican Church of Australia) was the largest religious denomination. However, multicultural immigration has contributed to a decline in its relative position, and the Roman Catholic Church has benefitted from recent immigration to become the largest group. Similarly, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism have all grown in Australia over the past half-century.[253]

text: Australia has one of the lowest levels of religious adherence in the world.[254] In 2001, only 8.8% of Australians attended church on a weekly basis.[255]

text: Health

text: Australia has the third and seventh highest life expectancy of males and females respectively in the world.[256] Life expectancy in Australia in 2010 was 79.5 years for males and 84.0 years for females.[257] Australia has the highest rates of skin cancer in the world,[258] while cigarette smoking is the largest preventable cause of death and disease, responsible for 7.8% of the total mortality and disease. Ranked second in preventable causes is hypertension at 7.6%, with obesity third at 7.5%.[259][260] Australia ranks 35th in the world[261] and near the top of developed nations for its proportion of obese adults [262] and nearly two thirds (63%) of its adult population is either overweight or obese.[263]

text: Total expenditure on health (including private sector spending) is around 9.8% of GDP.[264] Australia introduced universal health care in 1975.[265] Known as Medicare, it is now nominally funded by an income tax surcharge known as the Medicare levy, currently set at 1.5%.[266] The states manage hospitals and attached outpatient services, while the Commonwealth funds the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (subsidising the costs of medicines) and general practice.[265]

text: Education

text: School attendance, or registration for home schooling,[268] is compulsory throughout Australia. Education is the responsibility of the individual states and territories[269] so the rules vary between states, but in general children are required to attend school from the age of about 5 until about 16.[270][271] In some states (e.g., Western Australia,[272] the Northern Territory[273] and New South Wales[274][275]), children aged 16–17 are required to either attend school or participate in vocational training, such as an apprenticeship.

text: Australia has an adult literacy rate that was estimated to be 99% in 2003.[276] However, a 2011–12 report for the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that Tasmania has a literacy and numeracy rate of only 50%.[277] In the Programme for International Student Assessment, Australia regularly scores among the top five of thirty major developed countries (member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). Catholic education accounts for the largest non-government sector.

text: Australia has 37 government-funded universities and two private universities, as well as a number of other specialist institutions that provide approved courses at the higher education level.[278] The OECD places Australia among the most expensive nations to attend university.[279] There is a state-based system of vocational training, known as TAFE, and many trades conduct apprenticeships for training new tradespeople.[280] About 58% of Australians aged from 25 to 64 have vocational or tertiary qualifications,[224] and the tertiary graduation rate of 49% is the highest among OECD countries. The ratio of international to local students in tertiary education in Australia is the highest in the OECD countries.[281] In addition, 38 percent of Australia's population has a university or college degree, which is among the highest percentages in the world.[282][283]

text: Culture

text: Since 1788, the primary influence behind Australian culture has been Anglo-Celtic Western culture, with some Indigenous influences.[285][286] The divergence and evolution that has occurred in the ensuing centuries has resulted in a distinctive Australian culture.[287][288] Since the mid-20th century, American popular culture has strongly influenced Australia, particularly through television and cinema.[289] Other cultural influences come from neighbouring Asian countries, and through large-scale immigration from non-English-speaking nations.[289][290]

text: Arts

text: Indigenous Australian rock art is the oldest and richest in the world, dating as far back as 60,000 years and spread across hundreds of thousands of sites.[291] Traditional designs, patterns and stories infuse contemporary Indigenous Australian art, "the last great art movement of the 20th century";[292] its exponents include Emily Kame Kngwarreye.[293] Early colonial artists, trained in Europe, showed a fascination with the unfamiliar land.[294] The impressionistic works of Arthur Streeton, Tom Roberts and others associated with the 19th-century Heidelberg School—the first "distinctively Australian" movement in Western art—gave expression to a burgeoning Australian nationalism in the lead-up to Federation.[294] While the school remained influential into the new century, modernists such as Margaret Preston, and, later, Sidney Nolan and Arthur Boyd, explored new artistic trends.[294] The landscape remained a central subject matter for Fred Williams, Brett Whiteley and other post-World War II artists whose works, eclectic in style yet uniquely Australian, moved between the figurative and the abstract.[294][295] The national and state galleries maintain collections of local and international art.[296] Australia has one of the world's highest attendances of art galleries and museums per head of population.[297]

text: Australian literature grew slowly in the decades following European settlement though Indigenous oral traditions, many of which have since been recorded in writing, are much older.[299] 19th-century writers such as Henry Lawson and Banjo Paterson captured the experience of the bush using a distinctive Australian vocabulary. Their works are still popular; Paterson's bush poem "Waltzing Matilda" (1895) is regarded as Australia's unofficial national anthem.[300] Miles Franklin is the namesake of Australia's most prestigious literary prize, awarded annually to the best novel about Australian life.[301] Its first recipient, Patrick White, went on to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1973.[302] Australian winners of the Booker Prize include Peter Carey, Thomas Keneally and Richard Flanagan.[303] Author David Malouf, playwright David Williamson and poet Les Murray are also renowned literary figures.[304][305]

text: Many of Australia's performing arts companies receive funding through the federal government's Australia Council.[306] There is a symphony orchestra in each state,[307] and a national opera company, Opera Australia,[308] well known for its famous soprano Joan Sutherland.[309] At the beginning of the 20th century, Nellie Melba was one of the world's leading opera singers.[310] Ballet and dance are represented by The Australian Ballet and various state companies. Each state has a publicly funded theatre company.[311]

text: Media

text: The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906), the world's first feature length film, spurred a boom in Australian cinema during the silent film era.[312] After World War I, Hollywood monopolised the industry,[313] and by the 1960s Australian film production had effectively ceased.[314] With the benefit of government support, the Australian New Wave of the 1970s brought provocative and successful films, many exploring themes of national identity, such as Wake in Fright and Gallipoli,[315] while "Crocodile" Dundee and the Ozploitation movement's Mad Max series became international blockbusters.[316] In a film market flooded with foreign content, Australian films delivered a 7.7% share of the local box office in 2015.[317] The AACTAs are Australia's premier film and television awards, and notable Academy Award winners from Australia include Geoffrey Rush, Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett and Heath Ledger.[318]

text: Australia has two public broadcasters (the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the multicultural Special Broadcasting Service), three commercial television networks, several pay-TV services,[319] and numerous public, non-profit television and radio stations. Each major city has at least one daily newspaper,[319] and there are two national daily newspapers, The Australian and The Australian Financial Review.[319] In 2010, Reporters Without Borders placed Australia 18th on a list of 178 countries ranked by press freedom, behind New Zealand (8th) but ahead of the United Kingdom (19th) and United States (20th).[320] This relatively low ranking is primarily because of the limited diversity of commercial media ownership in Australia;[321] most print media are under the control of News Corporation and Fairfax Media.[322]

text: Cuisine

text: Most Indigenous Australian tribal groups subsisted on a simple hunter-gatherer diet of native fauna and flora, otherwise called bush tucker.[323][324] The first settlers introduced British food to the continent, much of which is now considered typical Australian food, such as the Sunday roast.[325][326] Multicultural immigration transformed Australian cuisine; post-World War II European migrants, particularly from the Mediterranean, helped to build a thriving Australian coffee culture, and the influence of Asian cultures has led to Australian variants of their staple foods, such as the Chinese-inspired dim sim and Chiko Roll.[327] Vegemite, pavlova, lamingtons and meat pies are regarded as iconic Australian foods.[328] Australian wine is produced mainly in the southern, cooler parts of the country.

text: Australia is also known for its cafe and coffee culture in urban centres, which has influenced coffee culture abroad, including New York City.[329] Australia and New Zealand were responsible for the flat white coffee.

text: Sport and recreation

text: About 24% of Australians over the age of 15 regularly participate in organised sporting activities.[224]

text: Australia is unique in that it has professional leagues for four football codes. Australian rules football, the world's oldest major football code and Australia's most popular sport in terms of revenue and spectatorship, originated in Melbourne in the late 1850s, and predominates in all states except New South Wales and Queensland, where rugby league holds sway, followed by rugby union. Soccer, while ranked fourth in popularity and resources, has the highest overall participation rates.[331]

text: Australia is a powerhouse in water-based sports, such as swimming and surfing.[332] The surf lifesaving movement originated in Australia, and the volunteer lifesaver is one of the country's icons.[333] Nationally, other popular sports include horse racing, basketball, and motor racing. The annual Melbourne Cup horse race and the Sydney to Hobart yacht race attract intense interest.[334] In 2016, the Australian Sports Commission revealed that swimming, cycling and soccer are the three most popular participation sports.[335][336]

text: Australia is one of five nations to have participated in every Summer Olympics of the modern era,[337] and has hosted the Games twice: 1956 in Melbourne and 2000 in Sydney.[338] Australia has also participated in every Commonwealth Games,[339] hosting the event in 1938, 1962, 1982, 2006 and will host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.[340] Australia made its inaugural appearance at the Pacific Games in 2015. As well as being a regular FIFA World Cup participant, Australia has won the OFC Nations Cup four times and the AFC Asian Cup once – the only country to have won championships in two different FIFA confederations.[341] The country regularly competes among the world elite basketball teams as it is among the global top three teams in terms of qualifications to the Basketball Tournament at the Summer Olympics. Other major international events held in Australia include the Australian Open tennis grand slam tournament, international cricket matches, and the Australian Formula One Grand Prix. The highest-rating television programs include sports telecasts such as the Summer Olympics, FIFA World Cup, The Ashes, Rugby League State of Origin, and the grand finals of the National Rugby League and Australian Football League.[342] Skiing in Australia began in the 1860s and snow sports take place in the Australian Alps and parts of Tasmania.


document_title: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

question_text: who plays the general in the last jedi

question_tokens: who plays the general in the last jedi

root

text: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

text: Plot

text: Resistance forces, led by General Leia Organa, flee D'Qar when a First Order fleet arrives. Poe Dameron leads a costly counterattack that destroys a First Order dreadnought, but after the Resistance escapes to hyperspace, the First Order tracks them and attacks the Resistance convoy. Kylo Ren, Leia's son, hesitates to fire on the lead Resistance ship after sensing his mother's presence, but his TIE fighter wingmen destroy the bridge, incapacitating Leia and killing most of their leadership, including Admiral Ackbar. Disapproving of new leader Vice Admiral Holdo's passive strategy, Poe helps Finn, BB-8, and mechanic Rose Tico embark on a secret mission to disable the tracking device on the lead ship.

tag: p

text: Meanwhile, Rey arrives on Ahch-To with Chewbacca and R2-D2 aboard the Millennium Falcon to recruit Luke Skywalker to the Resistance. Disillusioned by his failure to train Kylo as a Jedi, and under self-imposed exile from the Force, Luke refuses to help—even after he learns of Han Solo's death at Kylo's hands—and believes that the Jedi should become extinct. Unbeknownst to Luke, Rey and Kylo can communicate through the Force, puzzling the two enemies. As the rival Force users learn about each other, each has future visions of themselves as partners.

text: R2-D2 persuades Luke to train Rey. After Kylo tells Rey what happened between him and Luke that caused him to choose the dark side of the Force, Luke confesses that he momentarily contemplated killing Kylo upon sensing that Supreme Leader Snoke was corrupting him, causing Kylo to destroy Luke's new Jedi Order in retaliation. Convinced that Kylo can be redeemed, Rey leaves Ahch-To to confront Kylo without Luke. Luke prepares to burn the Ahch-To Jedi temple and library, but hesitates. Yoda's ghost appears and destroys the temple by summoning a thunderstorm, claiming Rey has all she needs to learn, and encourages Luke to learn from his failure.

text: Holdo reveals her plan to discreetly evacuate the remaining Resistance members using small transports. Believing her actions cowardly and risky, Poe leads a mutiny. Finn, Rose, and BB-8 travel to the Canto Bight casino and acquire the help of the hacker DJ, who says he can help them disable the tracking device. They infiltrate Snoke's ship, but all but BB-8 are captured by Captain Phasma. Meanwhile, Rey lands on the ship, and Kylo brings her to Snoke, who claims that he facilitated the mental connection between her and Kylo as part of a plan to destroy Luke. Ordered to kill Rey, Kylo instead kills Snoke and, with Rey, defeats Snoke's guards. Rey believes that Kylo has returned to the light side of the Force, but he instead invites her to rule the galaxy with him, which she refuses. They use the Force to fight for possession of Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber, which splits in two.

text: Leia recovers and stuns Poe, allowing the evacuation to begin. Holdo remains on the ship to mislead Snoke's fleet as the others flee to an abandoned Rebel Alliance base on Crait. DJ reveals the Resistance's plan to the First Order, and the evacuation transports are slowly destroyed. Holdo sacrifices herself by ramming Snoke's fleet at lightspeed; Rey escapes in the chaos, while Kylo declares himself Supreme Leader. BB-8 frees Finn and Rose, who escape after defeating Phasma, and they join survivors on Crait. When the First Order arrives, Poe, Finn, and Rose attack with old speeders. Rey and Chewbacca draw the TIE fighters away with the Falcon, while Rose stops Finn from completing a suicide run against the enemy siege cannon, which penetrates the Resistance fortress.

text: Luke appears and confronts the First Order to enable surviving Resistance members to escape. Kylo orders the First Order's forces to fire on Luke to no effect. He then engages Luke in a lightsaber duel; upon striking Luke, Kylo realizes he has been fighting a Force projection of him. Rey uses the Force to help the Resistance escape on the Falcon. Luke, exhausted, dies peacefully on Ahch-To. His death is sensed by Rey and Leia, but Leia tells surviving rebels that the Resistance has all it needs to rise again. At Canto Bight, one of the children who helped Finn and Rose escape grabs a broom with the Force and gazes into space.

text: Cast

text:
Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, a powerful Jedi Master who has been in self-imposed exile on the planet Ahch-To.[12][13] Hamill voices Dobbu Scay, named after the film's editor, Bob Ducsay. During the Canto Bight scene, the character mistakes BB-8 as a slot machine.[14][15][16]
Carrie Fisher as General Leia Organa, twin sister to Luke, former princess of Alderaan, and a leading general in the Resistance.[13] This was Fisher's final film role before her death on December 27, 2016.
Adam Driver as Kylo Ren, Supreme Leader Snoke's disciple, who is strong with the dark side of the Force and leader to the Knights of Ren. He is the son of Han Solo and Leia Organa, nephew of Luke Skywalker, and the grandson of Anakin Skywalker.[13]
Daisy Ridley as Rey, a highly Force-sensitive scavenger from the desert planet Jakku, who joined the Resistance and goes to find Luke Skywalker.[13]
John Boyega as Finn, a former stormtrooper of the First Order who defected to the Resistance.[13][17]
Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron, a high-ranking X-wing fighter pilot in the Resistance.[13][18]
Andy Serkis as Supreme Leader Snoke, the leader of the First Order and Kylo Ren's master.[13]
Lupita Nyong'o as Maz Kanata, a pirate and ally of the Resistance.[13]
Domhnall Gleeson as General Hux, the former head of the First Order's Starkiller Base.[13]
Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, a humanoid protocol droid in the service of Leia Organa.[13]
Gwendoline Christie as Captain Phasma, the commander of the First Order's stormtroopers.[13][19]
Kelly Marie Tran as Rose Tico, a member of the Resistance who works in maintenance.[20][21]
Laura Dern as Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo, an officer in the Resistance.[22][2]
Frank Oz as Yoda, the deceased former Grand Master of the Jedi, and Luke's wise former mentor, who appears as a Force-ghost.[23]
Benicio del Toro as DJ, an underworld codebreaker.[22]

tag: ul

text: Joonas Suotamo appears as Chewbacca, taking over the role from Peter Mayhew after previously serving as his body double for The Force Awakens. Mayhew, who was 73 years old and suffering from chronic knee and back pain,[24] is credited as "Chewbacca consultant." Billie Lourd, Mike Quinn, and Timothy D. Rose reprise their roles as Lieutenant Connix, Nien Nunb, and Admiral Ackbar respectively from previous films.[25][26][27] Due to the death of Erik Bauersfeld, Admiral Ackbar is now voiced by Tom Kane. Amanda Lawrence appears as Commander D'Acy, and Mark Lewis Jones and Adrian Edmondson play Captains Canady and Peavey respectively. BB-8 is controlled by puppeteers Dave Chapman and Brian Herring,[28] with initial voice work by Ben Schwartz and final sound effects voiced by Bill Hader modulated through a synthesizer.[29] Jimmy Vee portrays R2-D2, taking over the role from Kenny Baker who died on August 13, 2016.[30][31] Veronica Ngo portrays Rose's sister Paige Tico,[22] a Resistance gunner who sacrifices her life to destroy a First Order dreadnought.

text: Justin Theroux plays the master codebreaker, while Lily Cole plays his companion.[32] Joseph Gordon-Levitt has a voice cameo as Slowen Lo.[33] Warwick Davis plays Wodibin.[34] Gareth Edwards, director of the Star Wars Anthology film Rogue One,[35] has a cameo appearance as a Resistance Soldier, as does Gary Barlow.[36] Directors Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish also cameo in the film. Hermione Corfield appears as Tallissan "Tallie" Lintra, a Resistance A-Wing pilot and squadron leader. Noah Segan and Jamie Christopher appear as Resistance pilots Starck and Tubbs.[37] Hamill's children, Griffin, Nathan, and Chelsea, cameo as Resistance soldiers. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry filmed cameo appearances as stormtroopers.[38] Tom Hardy also filmed an appearance as a stormtrooper, but his cameo was ultimately dropped from the final cut.[39] Hugh Skinner cameos as a Resistance Officer.

text: Production

text: Development

text: In October 2012, Star Wars creator George Lucas sold his production company Lucasfilm, and with it the Star Wars franchise, to The Walt Disney Company. Disney announced a new trilogy of Star Wars films.[40] J. J. Abrams was named director of the first episode in the trilogy, The Force Awakens, in January 2013.[41][42] In June 2014, director Rian Johnson was reported to be in talks to write and direct its sequel, dubbed Episode VIII, and to write a treatment for the third film, Episode IX, with Ram Bergman producing both films.[43][44] Johnson confirmed in August 2014 that he would direct Episode VIII.[45] In September, filmmaker Terry Gilliam asked Johnson about what it felt like to take over something that was made famous by another filmmaker, to which Johnson responded:

text: I'm just starting into it, but so far, honestly, it's the most fun I've ever had writing. It's just joyous. But also for me personally, I grew up not just watching those movies but playing with those toys, so as a little kid, the first movies I was making in my head were set in this world. A big part of it is that direct connection, almost like an automatic jacking back into childhood in a weird way. But I don't know, ask me again in a few years and we'll be able to talk about that.[46]

text: The story begins immediately after the last scene of The Force Awakens.[35] He had his story group watch films such as Twelve O'Clock High, The Bridge on the River Kwai, Gunga Din, Three Outlaw Samurai, Sahara, and Letter Never Sent for inspiration while developing ideas.[35][47] He felt it was difficult to work on the film while The Force Awakens was being finished.[35]

text: In December 2015, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy stated that "we haven't mapped out every single detail [of the sequel trilogy] yet". She said that Abrams was collaborating with Johnson and that Johnson would in turn work with (then) Episode IX director Colin Trevorrow to ensure a smooth transition.[48] Abrams is an executive producer along with Jason McGatlin and Tom Karnowski.[49] Lucasfilm announced the film's title, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, on January 23, 2017.[50]

text: Casting

text: In September 2015, Disney shortlisted the female cast members to Gina Rodriguez, Tatiana Maslany, and Olivia Cooke.[51] Later that month, Benicio del Toro confirmed that he would play a villain in the film,[52] and Mark Hamill was also confirmed.[12] In October 2015, Gugu Mbatha-Raw was rumored to have been cast in the film.[53] In November, Jimmy Vee was cast as R2-D2.[30] In November, Kennedy announced at the London premiere for The Force Awakens that the entire cast would return for Episode VIII, along with "a handful" of new cast members.[13] In February 2016, at the start of filming, it was confirmed that Laura Dern and Kelly Marie Tran had been cast in unspecified roles.[2] In April 2017, at Star Wars Celebration Orlando, Lucasfilm announced that Tran plays Resistance maintenance worker Rose Tico, which Johnson described as the film's largest new role.[20][21] To keep Frank Oz's return as Yoda a secret, producers excluded Oz's name in the billing for the film's pre-release marketing and ensured that Oz stayed on set during filming.[23]

text: Filming

text: Second unit photography began during pre-production at Skellig Michael in Ireland on September 14, 2015, due to the difficulties of filming at that location during other seasons. It would have lasted four days,[54][55][56] but filming was canceled for the first day due to poor weather and rough conditions.[57] In November 2014, Ivan Dunleavy, chief executive of Pinewood Studios, confirmed that the film would be shot at Pinewood,[58] with additional filming in Mexico.[17] In September 2015, del Toro revealed that principal photography would begin in March 2016;[52] Kennedy later stated that filming would begin in January 2016.[13] The production began work on the 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios on November 15, 2015.[59] Rick Heinrichs served as production designer.[60]

text: In January 2016, production of Episode VIII was delayed until February 2016, due to script rewrites.[61] Additionally, filming was potentially in danger of being delayed further due to an upcoming strike between the Producers Alliance for Cinema and Television and the Broadcasting, Entertainment, Cinematograph and Theatre Union.[62] On February 10, 2016, Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed that principal photography had begun,[63] under the working title Space Bear.[35] Additional filming took place in Dubrovnik, Croatia from March 9 to 16, 2016,[64][65] as well as in Ireland in May.[66] Malin Head in County Donegal and a mountain headland, Ceann Sibeal in County Kerry, served as additional filming locations.[67] To increase the scenes' intimacy Driver and Ridley were both present when filming Kylo and Rey's Force visions.[68] Location filming for the battle scenes on the planet Crait took place in July 2016 at the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia.[69]

text: Principal photography wrapped on July 22, 2016,[70] though as of early September 2016, Nyong'o had not filmed her scenes.[71] In February 2017, it was announced that sequences from the film were shot in IMAX.[72] Production designer Rick Heinrichs said the original screenplay called for 160 sets, double what might be expected, but that Johnson did some "trimming and cutting". Ultimately 125 sets were created on 14 sound stages at Pinewood Studios.[73]

text: According to creature designer Neal Scanlan, The Last Jedi uses more practical effects than any Star Wars film, with 180 to 200 creatures created with practical effects, some cut from the final edit.[74] For Yoda's appearance in the film as a Force ghost, the character was created using puppetry, as was done in the original Star Wars trilogy (as opposed to computer-generated imagery, which was used to create Yoda in most of the prequel trilogy).[75]

text: The film's Canto Bight sequence contains a reference to the 1985 Terry Gilliam film Brazil, in which Finn and Rose are arrested for committing parking violation 27B/6.[76]

text: Music

text: In July 2013, Kennedy announced at Star Wars Celebration Europe that John Williams would return to score the Star Wars sequel trilogy.[1][77] Williams confirmed his assignment for The Last Jedi at a Tanglewood concert in August 2016,[78] stating he would begin recording the score "off and on" in December 2016 until March or April 2017.[79] On February 21, 2017, it was confirmed that recording was underway, with both Williams and William Ross conducting the sessions.[80][81]

text: In lieu of a traditional spotting session with Johnson, Williams was provided a temp track of music from his previous film scores as a reference for scoring The Last Jedi.[82] The score briefly quotes "Aquarela do Brasil" by Ary Barroso in its "Canto Bight" track as another reference to the film Brazil. It also contains a brief quote of Williams performing[83] his own theme for The Long Goodbye (co-composed by Johnny Mercer) during Finn and Rose's escape, although this quote is not heard in the official soundtrack release.[84]

text: The official soundtrack album was released by Walt Disney Records on December 15, 2017 in digipak CD, digital formats, and streaming services.[85]

text: Release

text: In January 2015, Disney CEO Bob Iger stated that Episode VIII would be released in 2017,[86] and in March, Lucasfilm announced a release date of May 26, 2017.[87][88] In January 2016, The Last Jedi was rescheduled for December 15, 2017 in 3D and IMAX 3D.[49][89] On January 23, 2017, the film's title was announced as Star Wars: The Last Jedi.[50] Similarly to The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, "Episode VIII" was included in the film's opening crawl, although not in its official title.[90]

text: The Last Jedi had its world premiere in Los Angeles on December 9, 2017.[91] The European premiere was held at London's Royal Albert Hall on December 12, 2017, with a red carpet event.[92]

text: It was reported that Disney had placed notable conditions on U.S. cinemas screening The Last Jedi, which some operators described as being "onerous". Disney required that the film be screened in a cinema's largest auditorium for a four-week period (other Disney releases have had similar clauses, but only for two weeks), and was given a 65% cut of ticket sales (a percentage higher than the 55–60% average of other major films, and cited as the highest split ever demanded by a Hollywood film behind the 64% split of The Force Awakens). The agreement, which was required to be kept confidential, also contained regulations on promotions and restrictions on removing any scheduled screening. Violations were to be penalized with an additional 5% cut of ticket sales. Some cinemas declined to screen the film due to these conditions, particularly smaller or one-screen cinemas that would otherwise be barred from screening any other film during the commitment period. Industry representatives considered this policy to be reasonable, citing the performance of Disney releases and the Star Wars franchise, and that the guaranteed business attracted by the film, and concession sales, would make up for the larger cut of ticket sales.[93][94][95][96]

text: Marketing

text: This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2017)

tag: table

text: A set of eight promotional postage stamps were released on October 12, 2017 in the UK by the Royal Mail with artwork by Malcolm Tween.[97] On September 19, 2017, Australia Post released a set of stamp packs.[98] Tie-in promotional campaigns were done with Nissan Motors and Bell Media, among others. Two main trailers were released, followed by numerous television spots. Figurines of many of the characters were released in October, and advance tickets for Last Jedi went on sale in October.

text: Several tie-in books were released on the same day of the North American release of the movie, including The Last Jedi: Visual Dictionary, and various children's reading and activity books. Related novelizations included the prequel book Cobalt Squadron, and the Canto Bight, a collection of novellas about the Canto Bight Casino.

text: Video games

text: As with The Force Awakens, there is no official tie-in game for The Last Jedi, in favor of integrating content from the film into other Star Wars video games,[99] including Star Wars Battlefront II, which introduced various content from the film, during the second week of the game's first "season".[100] An update to the MOBA mobile game Star Wars: Force Arena added new content from the sequel era, including some characters as they appeared in The Last Jedi. Characters from the film also appeared in the mobile RPG Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes.

text: Home media

text: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released Star Wars: The Last Jedi digitally in HD and 4K via digital download and Movies Anywhere on March 13, 2018, with an Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD physical release on March 27. It was the first Star Wars film to be released on the Ultra HD Blu-ray format.[101]

text: Tie-in literature and merchandise

text: The official novelization is by Jason Fry, with an audiobook version narrated by Marc Thompson. There is a "junior novel" by Michael Kogge (2018 Lucasfilm Press), and an audiobook version narrated by Jessica Almasy.

text: Reception

text: Box office

text: As of April 8, 2018[update], Star Wars: The Last Jedi has grossed $620.2 million in the United States and Canada, and $712.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $1.333 billion.[6] It had a worldwide opening of $450.8 million, the fifth-biggest of all time, including $40.6 million that was attributed to IMAX screenings, the second biggest for IMAX.[102][103] It was estimated that the film would need to gross $800 million worldwide to break even;[104] Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $417.5 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues, making it the most profitable release of 2017.[105]

text: On December 31, 2017, its 17th day of release, it passed the $1 billion threshold, becoming the fourth film of 2017, the fifteenth Disney film, the fourth Star Wars film and the thirty-second film overall to pass the mark.[106][107] The film was the highest-grossing film of 2017, the second highest-grossing film in the franchise (behind The Force Awakens), the fourth highest-grossing film released by Walt Disney Studios, the sixth highest-grossing film in North America and the ninth-highest-grossing film of all time.[108][109][110][111]

text: United States and Canada

text: Pre-sale tickets went on sale in the United States on October 9, 2017, and as with The Force Awakens and Rogue One, ticket service sites such as Fandango had their servers crash due to heavy traffic and demand.[112] In the United States and Canada, industry tracking had The Last Jedi grossing around $200 million from 4,232 theaters in its opening weekend.[113] The film made $45 million from Thursday night previews, the second-highest amount ever (behind The Force Awakens' $57 million).[114] It went on to make $104.8 million on its first day (including previews) and $220 million over the weekend, both the second-highest amounts of all time.[115] The opening weekend figure included an IMAX opening-weekend of $25 million, the biggest IMAX opening of the year and the second biggest ever behind The Force Awakens.[116]

text: After dropping by 76% on its second Friday, the worst Friday-to-Friday drop in the series, the film fell by a total of 67.5% in its second weekend, grossing $71.6 million. It was the largest second-weekend drop of the franchise, although it remained atop the box office.[117] The three day total was the 14th biggest second weekend of all time.[118] It grossed an additional $27.5 million on Christmas Day, the second biggest Christmas Day gross of all time behind The Force Awakens ($49.3 million), for a four-day weekend total of $99 million.[119] It made $52.4 million in its third weekend, again topping the box office. It also brought its domestic total to $517.1 million, overtaking fellow Disney vehicle Beauty and the Beast as the highest of 2017.[120] It was the 6th biggest third weekend of all time.[121] It had the 7th biggest New Year's Day gross of all time with $14.3 million, bringing the four day total to $66.8 million.[122][123] It grossed $23.7 million and was surpassed the following weekend by Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (which was in its third week) and Insidious: The Last Key.[124]

text: Outside North America

text: In its first two days of release the film made $60.8 million from 48 markets. The top countries were the United Kingdom ($10.2 million), Germany ($6.1 million), France ($6 million), Australia ($5.6 million) and Brazil ($2.5 million).[125] By the end of the weekend, the film made $230.8 million outside North America, the ninth-highest of all time. This included $36.7 million in the UK (third-highest), $23.6 million in Germany (second-highest), $18.1 million in France, $15.9 million in Australia (second-highest), $14.4 million in Japan, $8.5 million in Russia, $8.3 million in Spain, $7.2 million in Brazil, $7 million in Italy and Mexico, $6.0 million in Sweden and $5.1 million in South Korea.[126] On its second weekend, it grossed $76.1 million overseas and became the fourth-highest-grossing film of the year in Europe.[127] As of January 21, the largest markets outside of the United States and Canada are the United Kingdom ($109.3 million), Germany ($79.8 million), France ($63.5 million), Japan ($60.8 million) and Australia ($43.5 million).[128]

text: The film had a $28.7 million opening weekend in China, the lowest for a Star Wars film in that country since 2005. Star Wars: The Force Awakens opened to $52 million two years prior and Rogue One, which featured Chinese stars Donnie Yen and Jiang Wen, opened to $30 million in 2016. The Last Jedi added only $7 million during the week, to reach a total of $34.2 million in its first seven days. A week after its debut, China's movie exhibitors dropped the film's showtimes by 92 percent, from its 34.5% percent share of the territory's total screenings.[129][130][131][132] The film grossed $910,000 in its third weekend, dropping to ninth place at the Chinese box office, overshadowed by new releases including Bollywood film Secret Superstar, Hollywood films Ferdinand and Wonder, and Chinese film A Better Tomorrow 2018. The Last Jedi grossed $41 million in China, as of January 21, 2018.[133]

text: Critical response

text: On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Star Wars: The Last Jedi has an approval rating of 91% based on 373 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi honors the saga's rich legacy while adding some surprising twists—and delivering all the emotion-rich action fans could hope for."[134] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100, based on 56 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[135]

text: Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com gave the film four out of four stars, praising the surprises and risks that it took, writing that "The movie works equally well as an earnest adventure full of passionate heroes and villains and a meditation on sequels and franchise properties.... [The film] is preoccupied with questions of legacy, legitimacy and succession, and includes multiple debates over whether one should replicate or reject the stories and symbols of the past."[136] Writing for Rolling Stone, Peter Travers gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, praising the cast and the direction: "You're in hyper-skilled hands with Johnson who makes sure you leave the multiplex feeling euphoric. The middle part of the current trilogy, The Last Jedi ranks with the very best Star Wars epics (even the pinnacle that is The Empire Strikes Back) by pointing the way ahead to a next generation of skywalkers – and, thrillingly, to a new hope."[137]

text: Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3.5/4 stars, saying, "Star Wars: The Last Jedi...doesn't pack quite the same emotional punch [as The Force Awakens] and it lags a bit in the second half, [but] this is still a worthy chapter in the Star Wars franchise, popping with exciting action sequences, sprinkled with good humor and containing more than a few nifty 'callbacks' to previous characters and iconic moments."[138] For The Hollywood Reporter, Todd McCarthy said, "Loaded with action and satisfying in the ways its loyal audience wants it to be, writer-director Rian Johnson's plunge into George Lucas' universe is generally pleasing even as it sometimes strains to find useful and/or interesting things for some of its characters to do."[139]

text: Will Gompertz, arts editor of BBC News, gave the film 4/5 stars, writing "Rian Johnson ... has not ruined your Christmas with a turkey. His gift to you is a cracker, a blockbuster movie packed with invention, wit, and action galore."[140] Mark Kermode, British film critic, gave the film 4/5 stars saying Johnson "proves himself the master of the balancing act, keeping the warring forces of this intergalactic franchise in near-perfect harmony."[141] The unpredictability of the plot was appreciated by reviewers such as Alex Leadbeater of Screen Rant, who commented specifically that the death of Snoke was "the best movie twist in years".[142]

text: Conversely, Richard Brody of The New Yorker wrote, "Despite a few stunning decorative touches (most of which involve the color red) and that brief central sequence of multiple Reys, the movie comes off as a work that's ironed out, flattened down, appallingly purified. Above all, it delivers a terrifyingly calculated consensus storytelling, an artificial universality that is achieved, in part, through express religious references."[143] Kate Taylor of The Globe and Mail gave the film 2/4 stars, saying the film suffered from too many new additions and writing, "Nifty new animals, a maturing villain, a flagging heroine, muffled humour – as it seeks to uphold a giant cultural legacy, this unfolding trilogy struggles to maintain a balance that often seems just out of reach."[144]

text: Audience response

text: Audience reception measured by scientific polling methods was highly positive. Audiences randomly polled by CinemaScore on opening day gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[115] Surveys from SurveyMonkey and comScore's PostTrak found that 89% of audience members graded the film positively, including a rare five-star rating.[145][146][147]

text: The user-generated review sections of Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic contained scores that were significantly more negative, achieving ratings of 47% and 4.6/10, respectively.[148][149] Several reviewers speculated that the low user scores are the result of manipulation, either by coordinated vote brigading from internet groups or from bots.[150][151][152] Quartz noted that some new accounts gave negative ratings to both The Last Jedi and Thor: Ragnarok, while Bleeding Cool stated that reviews for Thor had tapered off up to that point but skyrocketed afterwards.[153][154] In response to tampering claims, Rotten Tomatoes released a statement that they did not detect any unusual activity aside from a noticeable "uptick in the number of written user reviews" on The Last Jedi.[155]

text: Reviewers characterized The Last Jedi as divisive among audiences.[156] Todd VanDerWerff of Vox found that disgruntled fans saw the film as too progressive, disliked its humor, plot, or character arcs, or felt betrayed that it ignored fan theories.[150] Other reviewers made similar observations.[157][158][159] Particularly divisive was the reveal that Rey's parents are insignificant;[150][157][159] many fans had expected her to be Luke's daughter or to share a lineage with another character from the original trilogy.[160][161] There was also sentiment that Snoke's character was underdeveloped and that Luke's actions contrasted his previous heroic portrayal.[159][162][163] Reviewers stated that fan theories were held so strongly among some viewers that it was difficult for them to accept different stories,[157][159][163] but that other viewers appreciated the film's action, tone and deviation from Star Wars tradition.[157][159]

text: Accolades

text:
Award
Date of ceremony
Category
Recipient(s) and nominee(s)
Result
Ref.

Academy Awards
March 4, 2018
Best Original Score
John Williams
Nominated
[164]

Best Sound Editing
Matthew Wood and Ren Klyce
Nominated

Best Sound Mixing
David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Stuart Wilson
Nominated

Best Visual Effects
Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Neal Scanlan and Chris Corbould
Nominated

Art Directors Guild Awards
January 27, 2018
Excellence in Production Design for a Fantasy Film
Rick Heinrichs
Nominated
[165]

British Academy Film Awards
February 18, 2018
Best Sound
Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick, Stuart Wilson, Matthew Wood
Nominated
[166]

Best Special Visual Effects
Stephen Alpin, Chris Courbould, Ben Morris, Neal Scanlan
Nominated

Costume Designers Guild
February 20, 2018
Excellence in Fantasy Film
Michael Kaplan
Nominated
[167]

Empire Awards
March 18, 2018
Best Film
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Won
[168]

Best Director
Rian Johnson
Won

Best Actor
John Boyega
Nominated

Best Actress
Daisy Ridley
Won

Best Female Newcomer
Kelly Marie Tran
Nominated

Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Nominated

Best Production Design
Nominated

Best Visual Effects
Won

Best Costume Design
Michael Kaplan
Won

Saturn Awards
June 2018
Best Science Fiction Film
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Pending
[169]

Best Actor
Mark Hamill
Pending

Best Actress
Daisy Ridley
Pending

Best Supporting Acress
Carrie Fisher
Pending

Best Supporting Actress
Kelly Marie Tran
Pending

Best Director
Rian Johnson
Pending

Best Screenplay
Pending

Best Production Design
Rick Heinrichs
Pending

Best Editing
Bob Ducsay
Pending

Best Music
John Williams
Pending

Best Costume Design
Michael Kaplan
Pending

Best Makeup
Peter Swords King, Neal Scanlan
Pending

Best Film Special / Visual Effects
Ben Morris, Mike Mulholland, Chris Corbould, Neal Scanlan
Pending

Visual Effects Society Awards
February 13, 2018
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Ben Morris, Tim Keene, Eddie Pasquarello, Daniel Seddon, Chris Corbould
Nominated
[170]

Outstanding Virtual Cinematography in a Photoreal Project
Cameron Nielsen, Albert Cheng, John Levin, Johanes Kurnia for "Crait Surface Battle"
Nominated

Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature
Peter Kyme, Miguel Perez Senet, Ahmed Gharraph, Billy Copley for "Bombing Run"
Nominated

Mihai Cioroba, Ryoji Fujita, Jiyong Shin, Dan Finnegan for "Mega Destroyer Destruction"
Nominated

text: Sequel

text: Episode IX, the final installment of the sequel trilogy, is scheduled for release on December 20, 2019.[11] Principal photography is set to begin in June 2018.[171] Colin Trevorrow was expected to direct the film; however, on September 5, 2017, Lucasfilm announced that he had stepped down.[172] A week later, Lucasfilm announced that J. J. Abrams would return to direct Episode IX and co-write it with Chris Terrio. Abrams and Terrio stated that Episode IX will bring together all three trilogies, with elements from the previous two trilogies.[173][174]