4. The state of Queensland is located on the north-eastern side of Australia. To the west of Queensland is the Northern Territory, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east of Queensland is the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. Queensland is Australia’s third most populated after New South Wales and Victoria. It is the countries second largest by area, following Western Australia. Queensland was first occupied by Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, who arrived between 40,000 and 65,000 years ago, according to various dating methods. Queensland was later made a British Colony that was separated from New South Wales on 6 June 1859, a date now celebrated state-wide as Queensland Day. Brisbane, (state capital) was originally the Moreton Bay penal colony, a place where convicts could serve time if they were rejected from NSW. The state later encouraged free settlement, and today Queensland's economy is dominated by the agricultural, tourist and natural resource sectors. Most of the state's population is located in South East Queensland, which includes Brisbane, Logan City, Redland City, Ipswich, Toowoomba, and the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. Other major regional centres include Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Rockhampton, Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Ingham and Mount Isa. Queensland is often nicknamed the Sunshine State, since it has warm weather and a large section of the state is in the tropics.

5. Climate There is very significant variation in climate across Queensland as it is such a large land state. Low rainfall and hot summers are typical for the inland west, a wet season in the far north, and warm conditions along the coastal strip. Inland and southern Queensland experience a lot of low minimum temperatures. The climate of the coastal strip is influenced by warm ocean waters, keeping the region free from extreme temperature and providing moisture for the rainfall. There are five climatic zones in Queensland, based on temperature and humidity: hot humid summer (far north and coastal) warm humid summer (coastal elevated hinterlands and coastal south-east) hot dry summer, mild winter (central west) hot dry summer, cold winter (southern west) temperate - warm summer, cold winter (inland south-east, e.g. Granite Belt) However, most of the Queensland populace experience two weather seasons: a "winter" period of rather warm temperatures and minimal rainfall and a sultry summer period of hot, sticky temperatures and higher levels of rainfall.

7. The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest reef. It can be seen from space It was made entirely by living organisms It’s structure is made of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps It is one of the seven natural wonders of the world A large section of the reef is protected by The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park The reef is a very popular destination for tourists, especially in the Whitsunday Islands and Cairns regions The Great Barrier Reef supports many different types of sea life, including many vulnerable or endangered species. Six species of sea turtles come to the reef to breed – the green sea turtle, leatherback sea turtle, hawksbill turtle, loggerhead sea turtle, flatback turtle, and the olive ridley Seventeen species of sea snake live on the Great Barrier Reef. More than 1,500 fish species live on the reef, including the clownfish, red bass, red-throat emperor, and several species of snapper and coral trout. There are two types of coral that inhabit the Great Barrier Reef, these are: Soft corals and Hard corals. There are 400 coral species in the Great Barrier Reef. The reef is a very popular destination for scuba divers.

9. Queensland has many man made tourist attractions include theme parks such as: Dream world Movie world Wet ‘N’ Wild water park Sea world All 4 of these theme parks are located on The Gold Coast and attract thousands of tourists to the area ever year

11. Queensland has 2 international airports and 15 domestic airports. The 2 international airports are located in Brisbane and Cairns, From overseas, tourists can fly into either Brisbane or cairns airport, and from there fly to one of the 15 domestic airports situated around Queensland. Most people from Australia choose to fly to Queensland as the drive could take up to a week.

13. The days are set in the "Holidays Act 1983" as: Good Friday Day after Good Friday (Easter Saturday) Easter Monday Second Monday in June (Birthday of the Sovereign) 1 January (new Year's Day) if on Sunday, the next Monday is substituted. 25 April (Anzac Day) if on Sunday, the next Monday is substituted. 25 December (Christmas Day) if on Sunday, the next Monday is substituted. 26 December (Boxing Day) if this day falls on a Monday, the following day is substituted. 1 May (Labour Day) if not a Monday, the next Monday is substituted. 26 January (Australia Day) if on a Saturday or Sunday, the next Monday is substituted.

14. Most of Queensland’s economy relies on tourism into the state as it is such a warm and inviting tropical area it can attract people from all over the world. Queensland main exports to other states and countries include bananas, fruit, sugar, and honey.

15. Several music festivals are held in Brisbane, such as: No Sleep Til and Soundwave. There are also several other events, e.g. Formula 1 Indy 600, Brisbane Comedy Festival.

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